2005 September | flyte blog: small business web marketing blog

Archive for September, 2005

Rich Brooks Talks Blogs on TV

Wednesday, September 14th, 2005

I just came from a meeting at WCSH–NBC’s local affiliate here in southern Maine. I was meeting with a few of the people who put on 207–an evening magazine show. (207 is the area code for all of Maine. Saves time on dialing.)

They’ve been looking for someone to talk about online trends and after the first few hundred people turned them down, they finally got to Brooks, Rich, in the white pages.

After some discussion on what I should–and shouldn’t–cover, we decided the first show will be on…(drum roll please)…blogging. (Sigh of relief!)

~~The show will be on Wednesday, September 21st, from 7:00 – 7:30pm. Not sure when my segment will air.~~ Reality check for me–I’ve just discovered that the show will be tapes on Wednesday, but it won’t immediately air. My bad. Once I know when it’s on I’ll let you know. (BTW, if you want a good laugh, I found this out by sending out a press release!)

Since the show is targeted to a general audience it will probably be more of an overview: what is blogging, how to start one, and perhaps the impact blogging has on news events such as Katrina.

If I don’t suck, they may have me back.

If you have any ideas that you think I should cover, blogs I should feature or recommend, or if you just want to tell me that I have a face for radio, leave a comment.

Rich Brooks
I’m Ready for My Close Up

Posted in Business Blogs and Blog Marketing, flyte news | No Comments »

Google Launches Blog Search

Wednesday, September 14th, 2005

Dave Taylor answers the question How do I Use Google Blog Search? in his Ask Dave Taylor! Tech Support Blog.

Yes, Google has launched its inevitable blog search, although the Beta tag lets us know that it might not quite be ready for prime time.

Risking the fear that I might go blind, I Googled Rich Brooks at the new blog search. Somehow, some other guy named Rich Brooks (not the coach, actor, director or white supremacist) came up first under "Related Blogs", and my own blog, flyte: what works online, got two listings there; one for http://www.flyteblog.com and one for http://flyte.blogs.com.

The next five listings were posts that I had written either for flyte: what works online, or for Business Blog Consulting. They seemed to be posted in chronological order.

I also found a number of people linking to posts of mine I didn’t know, but am glad I discovered. (I need to go back and read more by Mark from Blog Marketing, Blog Promotion for Newbies. I like what I saw–thoughtful, interesting–but I just ran out of time.)

Ooh, ooh! This is cool! After each post listed, if there are any other blogs that link to you, you can discover them. Click on the "References" link to see who is linking to your post.

A narcissist like myself could lose hours of productivity every day with a tool like this one.

Well, what are you waiting for? Go check it out!

Rich Brooks
Self-Absorbed Blogger

Posted in Business Blogs and Blog Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, Web Marketing | 4 Comments »

Driving Traffic to Your Web Site: Web Marketing Seminar 9/16/2005

Tuesday, September 13th, 2005

Just a reminder that I’ll be part of an all-day Internet/Web Marketing Workshop from 9am – 4pm for the Maine Craft Association.

My segment is called Driving Traffic to Your Web Site and will be going from 9am – 10:30am. Although the target audience (I believe) is artists and crafts people, the information is great for anyone looking to promote themselves via the Internet.

It’s up at the Brunswick Public Library in Brunswick, Maine (map & directions) this Friday, September 16, 2005.

Rich Brooks
Web Marketing in Maine

Posted in Business Blogs and Blog Marketing, Email Marketing, flyte news, Search Engine Marketing, Web Design & Development, Web Marketing | No Comments »

Coordinate Your Marketing for Better Results

Monday, September 12th, 2005

No Medium is an Island.

It was the article title that caught my eye. While I found that the article itself was a little too specific–it seems to be targeted at people who publish both print catalogs and email newsletters–the message that no medium is an island is a great way of summing up what I’ve been ranting about.

Too many people believe their Web site alone will make them succeed. Or their email newsletter. Or, more recently, their blog.

While any one of these can help your business grow, using and coordinating multiple approaches will greatly extend the reach and resonance your message.

Even those of us who use several online methods to spread our marketing message often forget about traditional marketing such as print ads, direct mail, TV and radio, and networking. (Yes, networking. You know, when you get out there and just talk–and listen–to other people.)

So call up your chamber of commerce and offer to put on a free seminar on your area of expertise. Or contact a local radio station and see if they’re ever looking for an expert in your arena. Or go to the next networking event and do more than eat the free shrimp.

Rich Brooks
I’m No Island

Posted in Business Blogs and Blog Marketing, Business Philosophy, Email Marketing, Web Design & Development, Web Marketing | No Comments »

Pingoat: A New Service for Promoting Your Blog

Saturday, September 10th, 2005

After blogging on how to save a step with Ping-o-Matic and use it for multiple blogs, Denise Wakeman and Arnoud alerted me Pingoat, a competing ping service.

So far, it’s been a great experience.

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Posted in Business Blogs and Blog Marketing, Web Marketing | 2 Comments »

The Marketer’s Introduction to Business Blogs

Saturday, September 10th, 2005

The other day I contributed an article to the Portland Marketing Association’s email newsletter. It was entitled The Marketer’s Introduction to Business Blogs.

I was told to keep it to 400 words. For me that’s like an opening paragraph. A three inning Sox-Yankees match up. Happy Quarter Hour at the local bar. It’s just not enough.

I was able to whittle it down to 400 words, but I didn’t get as much across as I would have liked. Here’s the original rough draft, before I got to it with the red pen.

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Posted in Business Blogs and Blog Marketing, flyte news, Web Marketing | 4 Comments »

Bookmark Ping-o-Matic’s Results Page

Thursday, September 8th, 2005

Many of you bloggers may already be familiar with Ping-o-Matic. I’ve blogged about it before.

It’s an online tool that lets you ping several news aggregators at once. For me, it’s become part of my posting routine; once I’ve saved my latest post I just visit their site to let the world know.

But there’s some cool ways to get even more out of Ping-o-Matic, especially if you have more than one blog.

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Posted in Business Blogs and Blog Marketing, Web Marketing | 2 Comments »

Is Your Web Site Too Self-Absorbed?

Wednesday, September 7th, 2005

Does your Web site focus on you or your customers?

Your site visitors are not interested in you, they’re interested in themselves. As it’s been said before, everyone’s favorite radio station is WII-FM: What’s In It For Me?

Unfortunately, it appears that too many site owners are listening to that same station. Too many home pages read like "about us" pages.

How can you tell if your Web site suffers from an acute case of egomania?

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Posted in Web Copywriting, Web Design & Development | 10 Comments »

Dr. Adam Cox – Boys of Few Words

Wednesday, September 7th, 2005

Yesterday flyte launched a Web site for Dr. Adam Cox in support of his upcoming book, Boys of Few Words: Raising Our Sons to Communicate and Connect.

Dr. Cox is a leading advocate for fostering the social and emotional well-being of youth. Visitors to the site can learn more about the new book, take a test to determine if their son has communication problems, and sign up for Dr. Cox’s free email newsletter, Family Matters.

Dr. Cox’s first newsletter, TV is a Drug – Are Your Kids Addicted?, is available online now.

Rich Brooks
Man of Many, Many Words

Posted in Client News, Web Site Launches | No Comments »

Can You Be Too Generous with Free Information?

Tuesday, September 6th, 2005

Readers of this blog know that I’m a big fan of Robert Middleton who helps service providers market themselves. Robert’s a big proponent of giving away free stuff. In fact, that’s one of the five buttons that make up his site’s primary navigation.

Even before I discovered Robert’s work, I had been giving away free stuff myself. My original print newsletter–a two-sided sheet on blue paper that I "published" on my Dad’s home office copier–went out back in 1997. Later on it was an email newsletter, and finally this blog.

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Posted in Business Philosophy, Web Design & Development, Web Marketing | 1 Comment »