This morning I got up early to head over to the CBS/Fox station for an interview with Erin Ovalle of Good Day Maine. They were interviewing all of the winners of this year’s Entreverge Awards, which recognize local companies that show great potential for innovation and growth.
You can watch the segment on Fox 23′s web site or down below.
Although the leaves aren’t changing yet, they will be soon (sniff!) and that means that classes are getting back in session.
This year I’ll be teaching not one but two classes at the University of Southern Maine:
Web Marketing for Small Business
In this 4 week course you’ll learn how to build an effective web presence for your small business or non-profit. You’ll learn about search engine optimization (SEO), email marketing, blogging, social media, e-commerce, traffic reports, and how to build a web site that generates leads and makes sales. (Please be aware, though: this is NOT an HTML course. You’re not learning how to build a web site, but rather how to make a web site that will build your business.)
4 Thursdays, September 30-October 28, 7-9 p.m.
$215 (8 contact hours/ 0.8 CEUs)
Abromson Center, 88 Bedford Street, USM Portland campus
I’m also teaching a brand new course this fall as well:
Social Media Marketing for Businesses (and the People That Run Them)
Sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are certainly popular, but should they be important parts of your marketing strategy? In this two-class course, you’ll learn how these and other popular social media sites can increase the online visibility of your business, and put you in contact with new audiences.
You’ll learn how to setup and optimize profiles on the most popular, influential sites, how to connect with people in the social media sphere, and how to measure your success. You’ll learn the do’s and don’ts of social media, how to build an audience, and how to listen to what people are saying about you and your business.
We’ll talk about social networking, blogging, online video and all the tools your company needs to master this new arena of marketing.
2 Wednesdays, November 10 and 17, 7-9 p.m.
$115 (4 contact hours/ 0.4 CEUs)
USM Library Computer Lab
Hope to see you there!
Rich Brooks
You Can Call Me “Teach”
Photo credit: Lee Nachtigal
Yeah, sorry about the pun. The original title of “The Visa Business Network Launches Today and Features the Flyte Blog in It’s Library Section” didn’t seem as crisp.
Today the Visa Business Network officially relaunched. As the press release states, VBN is an
online community that helps small business owners manage their businesses more efficiently, connect with and gain insight from peers, and ultimately grow their business. Now, small business owners can easily interact with peers in a collaborative way allowing them to get personalized help on goals ranging from growing their customer base to managing their business.
There are currently over 100,000 VBN members, and the new site features business toolkits, mentor programs, a Q&A forum, content ranking and more.
So, besides flyte’s love of everything small business-y, why are we talking about VBN? Well, our humble little flyte blog is featured in the VBN Library!
Apparently my note about putting a link on the home page hasn’t been acted upon yet, but you can check out the flyte blog feed here.
If you’re looking for additional help in growing your business you should check out the new revamped Visa Business Network.
A few weeks back flyte new media was one of five businesses recognized with an Entreverge Award–”[paying] tribute to the skills, passion, and commitment of greater Portland’s entrepreneurs.” The awards are part of PROPEL, affiliated with the Greater Portland Chamber of Commerce and made up of people so young they never had to walk to school through a blinding snowstorm uphill…in both directions.
It was very flattering, especially when I saw the other four companies that had won:
CHART Metalworks – Charlotte Leavitt of CHART makes custom pieces (jewelry, belt buckles, cuff links, etc.) from nautical charts. If the coast has ever played an important part in your life, you’ll definitely want to check CHART out.
You can also follow Charlotte on Twitter or fan CHART on Facebook.
DSO Creative Fabrication – Nathan Deyesso runs DSO and designs and builds custom artwork and furniture for residential and commercial spaces. He’s got some amazing stuff up on his web site using wood & metal…be sure to visit his portfolio.
Maples Organic Desserts - I’m very lucky to pass Kristie Green’s organic dessert shop twice a day during my commute. They have delicious desserts, sourced as much as possible from local, organic farms.
North Star Music Café – Kim Anderson runs this funky local space serving up good food, good beer, and good music. About a month back Cybele and I checked out some great live music there while throwing back a few cold frosties. I just wish they had been around when I lived on the Eastern Prom.
You can follow North Star Music Café on Twitter or fan them on Facebook.
And, of course, there’s us. You can follow flyte new media on Twitter or fan us on Facebook. C’mon, it’s only a click away. 
If you’re looking for help with your Web marketing or social media marketing for your business, I have not one but two courses I’ll be teaching at the University of Southern Maine this fall.
The first one is Web Marketing for Small Business, a course that I’ve now taught four or five times before. However, just like web marketing, the course changes every time I give it. Over the four weeks we’ll talk about:
and anything else that will help small businesses increase their online visibility, drive more qualified leads to their site, and convert that traffic into business.
The classes will be Thursdays, 9/30, 10/7, 10/21 & 10/28. To learn more and register visit the USM web site.
The second course, Social Media Marketing for Small Business, is all new. We’ll be delving into social media specifically, and how businesses and non-profits can leverage social media to grow, to engage, and to reach new audiences. Some of the topics covered will include:
and whatever else appears between now and then.
This course is two Wednesdays, 11/10 & 11/17. To learn more and register visit the USM web site.
Rich Brooks
Maine Web Marketing
Photo credit: James Sarmiento
Last week I had the pleasure of speaking to the Yankee Chapter of the PRSA on the topic of How to Be a PR Rock Star in a Social Media World.
We talked about the importance of not limiting media coverage to traditional media, how to use social media tools achieve PR goals, how social media affects crisis management, how to keep social media from being a time suck, and what my favorite weapons are for destroying zombies. (It always comes back to zombies, doesn’t it?)
I put the slides up to SlideShare.net with the not surprising title of How to Be a PR Rock Star in a Social Media World, although you can view them below.
Lots of business and non-profits are using Twitter to engage their customers and prospects. Some are very successful and building their business or growing their membership, while many are failing miserably, not getting any kind of return on their investment of time and energy.
Why is Twitter successful for some companies but not others? How can you use Twitter to engage your audience, drive more qualified leads to your site and convert that traffic into business?
This coming Tuesday, June 15th, we’ll be putting on another How to Use Twitter for Business webinar. We’ll look at the right way to set up a Twitter account, how to follow and engage people, how to build your followers, and what type of 3rd party tools are right for you and your organization. We’ll also talk about Twitter time management and how to measure your Twitter return on investment (TROI).
The cost of the webinar is $50, but if you use “blocker” in the discount code you’ll save $20. The webinar is 90 minutes long, including up to 30 minutes of Q&A, so that works out to $3/min. Plus, attendees get a copy of the slides and the audio after the webinar, which you can listen to as often as you need, so the savings keep on piling up!
Title: How to Use Twitter for Business
Date: Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Time: 1pm – 2:30pm (Eastern US)
Place: Your desktop! (Call for directions.)
Learn more & register now! Seats are limited! (No, really they are.)
Many of you may be drooling over the iPad, but wondering, is it worth it and do you need one?
Last night I appeared on Maine’s premier evening news magazine program, 207, to review the iPad. It went something like this:
 |
FREE REPORTThe 11 Biggest Mistakes Small Business Bloggers Make |
