Here's some marketing exposure for a very worthwhile cause near and dear to me.

R to L--Nueva Guinea, Nicaragua; Pedal for Peace Route; Son Ryan in white and friend Pete.

PEDAL FOR PEACE 2008

I wanted to share some exciting information about my son Ryan. Just today he began a cross-country bicycle adventure with his friend Pete Driscoll. They departed San Diego, and will wheel their way back to New England within the next two months. They plan on 65 days of riding. It's a completely self-supported endeavor, done on a just-graduated-from-college student budget! That means lots of open-air camping and sleeping on friend's couches when they can.

The best part of the trip is that my son took the time to build a web site--Pedal for Peace 2008--to turn the ride into a fundraiser for FINCA International and their Village Banking system of microfinance for the world's most impoverished people. The money Ryan is able to raise through Pedal for Peace 2008 will directly support microfinance loans to the very poor in Nueva Guinea, Nicaragua. Most of the loan recipients are women, and sometimes the loans are for as little as $50. $50, however, can help buy additional chickens so the women can see the eggs, or perhaps buy shoe repair equipment to launch a small business. These loans often make the difference between families eating or not.

Ryan spent six months in Nicaragua, the second poorest country in the western hemisphere. (Haiti is the poorest.) He attended university in Managua, then moved with FINCA field workers to live in Nueva Guinea for several months to help establish village banks in this remote region. He saw directly the positive impact microfinance has on the very poor, particularly women. He plans to go back to Nicaragua for three months when he returns from the ride.

I'm very proud of my fine son, and hope you will check out Pedal for Peace 2008 and donate if you are so moved. The site is up in partnership with FINCA, and the donation link goes directly to that organization--no middle man. And since 98%+ of the loans are repaid, it is truly the gift that keeps on giving. Be assured the money raised goes to help those who live as the poorest of the poor through no fault of their own.

  I'll be posting updates as they come in. Here's the first! Pete and Ryan dip the bike wheels in the Pacific Ocean. They will end their ride when they are able to dip the wheels in the Atlantic when home again in New England!

I just came across a nifty new blog aggregator called Alltop.com--a collection of seventy five topics ranging from food to gadgets to Macintosh to politics to China. Alltop is billing itself as an "online magazine rack" full of the latest news from websites and blogs. There's Food.alltop.com, News.alltop.com, and Sports.alltop.com to Gadgets.alltop.com and Celebrities.alltop.com, too.

Alltop sucks in the feeds for about one hundred websites and blogs per topic and displays the most recent five stories from each source. Hover your mouse over a headline and you'll see the first paragraph of each story to determine if you want to click through to the actual site and continue. If you're a techie, think of Alltop as "aggregation without aggravation." It sure is easy to use.

The best part about Alltop.com (besides the whole amazingly comprehensive thing) is that you'll probably discover more than a few new favorite sites that you've never heard of before. Because Alltop doesn't just pull from the Net's most famous websites and blogs it digs deep for some of the most interesting ones, too. Hard to top that! Check it out here.

Some text edited from Frogpond.

As consumers, we often we struggle to get good service, and hope the products we choose to buy are even remotely as good as the marketing claims that precede them. Skepticism has become a way of life. Recently, however, I had two experiences that have turned me from a customer to a customer for life. This, marketers, is how it's done.

Michael Folan, owner of Infinit Nutrition is one of my two new my poster boys for customer service. I am an avid triathlete, and many competitors I know swear by the Infinit products and service. Infinit is unique, in that they offer pre-mixed formulas OR the option to customize a brew just for you--more electrolytes or less, caffeine or not, higher or lower calories, lots of flavor or a little--it can all be made to your specifications.

I had visited the Infinit web site a number of times in th past, and was never quite sure what I wanted. I finally dropped Michael an email asking for some additional direction. Know what?  He actually called me! On the phone. Talking person to person. Not only did Michael call me once to review my needs, he followed-up (unheard of!) and called again to review his suggestions! That's it. I'm sold. If I have to, I'll tweak the Infinit product till the end of my days to get it right, and stick with a guy who puts himself out there to that degree to stand behind his product and make customers happy.

My second poster boy for customer service is Abe Hirsch at Foot Solutions. This may be more than you want to know, but I have terrible feet--flat, bunioned, pronating disasters. I have had orthotics for years, and couldn't run or do triathlons without them. You name the foot doctor/podiatrist of note in the Boston area, and I've seen them. Probably got orthotics from all of them too through the years.

About a year ago, I stopped into Foot Solutions on a whim to look for shoes. My orthotics were beyond worn out, and Abe showed me his system for making custom orthotics. I was skeptical--so conditioned was I to thinking only podiatrists could provide the proper orthotic. But I took a chance (I was already in the store and time is precious), and I got my orthotics from Abe. Truly, I have NEVER had a better pair.

Now here's the customer service part. I went back to see Abe last week to get a new pair of orthotics since I'm training again for the Ironman triathlon. Abe looked at the ones I got from him about a year ago, and said, "These orthotics are perfectly fine. They'll hold up to your training without a problem." I was stunned. Think about it. I was standing there willing to plunk down my credit card for a new pair on the spot. Instead of taking my money, he sent me home with the reassurance that my orthotics were fine. That saved me $300. $300!!!! I could not be more grateful.

So thank you Michael and Abe for your amazing service, and for being able to use you both as models for the way business should be done. In fact, there's a client of mine who needs some follow-up...

You can find Michael Folan and Infinit nutrition here, and Abe Hirsch at Foot Solutions here.

I haven't posted to this blog in a bit, and I realized that what has been keeping me away is a tremendously good experience at a local bike shop I frequent. You see, my passion in my regular life is triathlon. Particularly, the Ironman distance. For this year's Ironman, which I will do in Florida in November, I purchased a new time trial rocket, I mean bike, from ATA Cycle in Concord, MA. I also bought my road bike at ATA two years ago.

ATA calls itself a pro shop, and owner, Husam Sahin, prides himself on being one of the most sought-after bike fitters around. (In case you don't know, bike fit can make or break everything from training to racing.) I was extraordinarily pleased with my experience at ATA when I bought my road bike, and thought it couldn't get any better. But Husam doesn't sit still. He continues to incorporate the most cutting-edge, sophisticated fitting techniques and software into his operation. When I was fit for my time trial bike, I was blown away time Husam spent with me, the thoroughness, and level of detail he sought to give me a perfect bike fit. The result? A bike that I rode for three hours on its maiden voyage with no need for even a tiny tweak or adjustment. It fit that perfectly. (I guess that's why USA Olympic triathlete Jarrod Shoemaker uses Husam too!)

Thing is, I believe Husam strives to be the best for reasons deeper than creating a successful business. Bike fit is his passion, and he couldn't cut corners if he tried. He is totally committed to sending cyclists--from recreational riders to Olympians--rolling out into the world happy and safe. That dedication comes through to me, the customer.

I am such a satisfied patron that I decided to take the time to create a vlog series on Husam's time trial fit process. I spent an evening video taping a fitting, then spent several weeks editing the raw footage into nine separate vlog entries. I devoted many hours of my own time to the project--that's how much I think of Husam and his entire operation at ATA Cycle. You can find the vlog series here on my Ironman blog. Hundreds of potential customers have viewed the series in less than a week.

Think about the marketing and PR Husam generated by following his passion, being completely committed to his customers, and providing the best service possible. Wouldn't it be great if you could do the same?

ATA Cycle
Husam Sahin, Owner and Master Fitter
93 Thoreau St., Concord, MA 978-369-5960
1173 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 617-354-0907

A group of Harvard undergrads have come up with what may be the potentially most annoying marketing idea ever. They have created a cell phone service called Brring that replaces your ring tone with ads. It works like this:

You get a number from Brring, then you give the new number to all your family, friends, and other contacts. When they call you, Brring plays a 10-second ad before relaying the call to your real cell phone number. You get paid up to $1 per call. Imagine being the person on the receiving end knowing that you have a perfectly good ringing number, but they're enduring spam so you can get paid a few cents.

Here's the web site. But if you sign up for this, don't call me.

Take a guess.... Being exposed to which logo would make you test more creatively--Apple or IBM?

A team of psychologists asked just that question--can some brands not only entice you to buy the product, but also change your behavior in situations where purchasing is not part of the equation?

The researchers set up experiments where they exposed people to a brand logo--even subliminally--then administered tests measuring creativity or honesty. If you thought the Apple logo would make you respond creatively, you were right. Subjects exposed to the Apple logo scored higher that those exposed to the IBM logo, or no logo at all.

Seems that subjects exposed to the Disney Channel logo scored higher on tests measuring honesty than those exposed to the E! Channel logo. That makes some kind of weird sense, doesn't it?

The study titled, "Automatic Effects of Brand Exposure on Motivated Behavior: How Apple Makes You 'Think Different'" can be found in the Journal of Consumer Research. Wonk away.

I wonder if I speed up every time I pass a FedEx truck?

I have used EveryScape to create an exceptional virtual tour for one of my clients. What makes EveryScape different from other virtual experiences is that their platform creates three-dimensional, photo-realistic experiences of cities and towns, building interiors and exteriors, and street scapes. You can enter a Museum, for instance, tour the galleries, the dining spaces, and the gift shop to get a real sense of the place before you visit. You can even tour an entire town. Here's a view of historic Lexington, MA.

EveryScape just announced the availability of "branded" Mini WebScapes for clients that use the photos from their tour. These site-specific tours can be integrated right into the client's web site. I think it will make a smashing impression on potential visitors and customers. Here's a tour of Harvard's Natural History Museum.

I wrote a while back about "The Walking Realtor.com" who strolls by my house, T-shirt emblazoned with the name of his company to market his services. Here's that post. Suffice it to say, you don't see much of that kind of (literal) street-level awareness-building in my town.

It seems that "the walking realtor," Ed Shapiro, discovered my blog post. Today he dropped off a note of thanks for the blog nod, and an offer to do a free market analysis of my home. I'm not selling anytime soon, Ed, but I appreciate the offer. Keep on truckin', dude. It makes my day to know it's workin' for you.

Patrick Williams, The Selling Sherpa, recently posted a riff on what it takes to be #1 in your market. For the past few days I've been turning three of his points over in my mind. They are:

• [Your customers] want you to really listen to them and not just blab on and on about you or what you sell.

• They want to know you really care about helping them solve their problems.

• Finally, they want to know you’ll not fade away as soon as you’ve cashed their check.

These three points relate poignantly to a local organization running a major fundraising campaign for a project I was interested in supporting. From my perch as a donor, I endured a lot of blabbing about their needs, their needs, their needs. The solicitations were top-down pleas, with no conversation about how this project relates to "my problem" of why I should give, and why I should genuinely care. Worst of all, the organization completely disappeared after the check was cashed, save for the expected "thank you." It's obvious to me that there is no plan of action for ongoing dialogue or communication to keep donors involved and engaged. They completely ignored the most powerful tool for building sustained future support.

Pity is, I use my own expertise to offer advice to this organization on why it is so crucial in this day and age not to just fade away. I use Patrick's words, and the words of other marketing experts, to underscore the importance of genuine, ongoing conversation with their "customer base." I explain that this kind of ongoing interaction is how non-profits "stand behind" their "product." We discuss how relatively "easy"  and cost-effective it is to continue this contact by using various web marketing tools. I encouraged them to offer donors the opportunity to opt-in to a monthly e-newsletter. No traction or action on even that simple step. I tell them it's still not too late.

Many non-profits are entrenched in the old ways of doing the business of fundraising. It's too bad, because with the devoted supporters they already have in hand, a few shifts in thinking and action would help ensure a vital and secure future.

Here's the link to The Selling Sherpa's complete post. Patrick will be adding other suggestions to the list at the end of March. Log on and send him your thoughts.

Photo by Anam Cara.

Do you even know what a blog tour is? If the answer is no to one or both questions, then you need to meet Steve O'Keefe. Better yet, you need to enroll in Steve's next on-line Internet Public Relations Class sponsored by the International Association of Online Communicators (IAOC).

Steve is Executive Director of Patron Saint PR, a boutique PR firm in New Orleans specializing in author and book publicity. He's also an adjunct professor at Tulane teaching Internet publicity. Steve is amazing. He has been using on-line publicity strategies for more than 15 years, and regularly leads a class teaching others what he knows. I've been in the on-line class for the past six weeks, and am awed by the breadth of Steve's experience, and touched by his generosity in sharing. The class is a combination lecture/Q&A format connected through Skype and Free Conference Call. The group of marketing professionals in the class are are brushing up on skills, and learning completely new ways to do PR--and many of us have been in the game a good, long time

Here is the syllabus we've been following:

Campaign Planning
Document Production & Syndication
Video Production & Syndication
Social Networking PR
Blog PR Web PR
Discussion Group PR
News Releases
Contact Management
Search Engine Optimization
Online Newsrooms

What's more, at Patron Saint PR you will find an incredible overview of campaigns Steve has done in the publishing industry. The specific information provided with each campaign is without par. For instance, there are the expected sample news releases, but there are also sample pitches to bloggers and discussion groups. There are sample giveaway files, and reporting documents for campaign results. That's just the tip of the iceberg. It's a gold mine.

Steve is also the author of the Complete Guide to Internet Publicity. It reads like a thriller. (OK, I admit I'm a PR geek, but I swear it's hard to put down.) There's a new edition in the works, but this book is still timely and relevant.

While this semester is already underway, keep this resource in mind to enroll in a future class. Information can be found at the IAOC blog.

Oh, did I mention that thanks to the IAOC the class is F-R-E-E? Just when you thought it couldn't get any better...