2009 April | flyte blog: small business web marketing blog

Archive for April, 2009

Bicycle Tours of Maine, Canada & New Zealand (Now On WordPress!)

Monday, April 27th, 2009

We just took the training wheels off my 4-year-old's bike this weekend. She's not quite ready for a bicycling vacation, but you just might be.

Whether you're looking for an "adrenaline-pulsing challenge" or a "leisurely day filled with stunning naturescapes" there's a new bicycle vacation blog for you.

Designed by flyte and powered by WordPress, the Bicycle Vacation Blog by Summerfeet Cycling Adventures has travel tips, bike buying advice, and lists of the five best places for a lobster roll. And they're just getting started.

Be sure to sign up for for the blog posts via email or RSS to inspire you for your next bicycle tour vacation.

Rich Brooks
Now Where'd I Leave My Panniers?

Posted in Business Blogs and Blog Marketing, Client News, Web Site Launches | No Comments »

Social Media Marketing for Innkeepers

Monday, April 20th, 2009

Last week I helped coordinate a day full of social media-themed content for the Maine Innkeepers Association annual conference with the help of some friends. Since they all generously agreed to share their information I'm collecting all their content in this blog post.

The day started with a two-hour presentation on social media marketing by me, Rich Brooks (@therichbrooks). I talked about how small businesses (and innkeepers specifically) could get started with social media and how it fit into a larger strategic marketing plan.

During the presentation I showed how to sign up for such popular sites as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, and how to leverage these social media sites to build your business.

Although I tried to give as much innkeeper-specific advice as possible, the slides are broad enough to be helpful to any small business owner or entrepreneur. I have since posted them to SlideShare and have embeded them into this post.

Social Media Marketing for Small Business

View more presentations from Rich Brooks.

In my follow up email to the attendees I included a link to my Ultimate Video Guide to Twitter. Enjoy.

Next up was lunch. The chicken was nice. Not dry at all.

After lunch Tim Flight (@tflight) of GPSReview.net (@gpsreview) and Chrystie Corns (@ccmaine) of Where (@whereitsat) spoke about GPS and how innkeepers can benefit.

Tim talked how to get listed on the GPS devices so many of us have in our cars. There are three main databases including Navteq, TeleAtlas and InfoUSA that supply most of the GPS companies out there.

The bad news? It can take a year or more to get your info into and updated in these system. And you still have to hope that the driver with the GPS is regularly upating their software, which is extra. God knows I'm not.

You can download Tim's Maine Innkeepers GPS Presentation here (PDF, 5.5MB).

After Tim, Chrystie focused her talk on smart phone mapping systems. She even suggested innkeepers might want to have pre-loaded iPod touches available for guests to take with them during their stay. (Deposit required!)

You can download Chrystie's GPS/smartphone presentation here (PDF, 2.6MB).

Finally, we had a panel discussion with Scott Thomas (@brewsterhousebb) of Brewster House in Freeport, Maine, Jason Schlosser (@jasonschlosser) of Newagen Seaside Inn, and Jesse Henry of the Inn at Ocean's Edge talking about their experience with blogging and social media.

First up was Scott. He spoke about review sites such as Yelp and TripAdvisor, and when it was appropriate to respond to community feedback and when it was better just to ignore it.

I've included his slides here; if they seem a little dry, that's my
bad. I told Scott that I'd embed them in my own slide show if he liked,
but then I never got around to creating one for the panel! Sorry, Scott!

Download Scott's PowerPoint Presentation (48k, pdf)

Next up was Jason. Jason talked about how Newagen had leveraged their blog to attract more search engine traffic, targeting keyword phrases that were important to them, such as "maine vacation" and "maine weddings."

Jesse spoke about how the different Migis properties were trying to build their online communities. In the past they had sent out expensive print pieces, but now were sending out less expensive, transition pieces inviting people to get online, and giving them incentives. You should definitely check out this example of one of their letters to their guests.

All in all, a good day. The feedback I heard from all the innkeepers who attended was that they got a lot out of the day. I know that within 24 hours I had a few new followers on Twitter w/Maine Inn handles, so it seems like there are a number of places taking the new social media revolution seriously.

Are you?

Rich Brooks
Social Media Marketer

Posted in Business Blogs and Blog Marketing, Entrepreneur & Small Business, Social Media | 2 Comments »

Two Social Media Marketing Events This Week

Monday, April 20th, 2009

If you're looking to learn more about social media marketing and how you can better navigate these waters, I have two events this week you may be interested in; one requires you visit the Pine Tree State (Maine), the other is a Webinar.

SOCIAL MEDIA BREAKFAST – Wed, 4/22/09, 8am – 10am

Are you ready to kickstart your small business into
high gear with Social Media? Maybe you work for a company which doesn't
quite 'get social media' yet. Come to the Social Media Breakfast
(SMBME) on April 22nd at 8:00 am to get some valuable insight into
social media from experts who are using it on a daily basis. The
sessions include topics from Social media integration, personal
branding to Social Media case studies. A lot is jam packed into this 2
hour event, be here on time so you don't miss a thing!

Maine's first Social Media Breakfast is organized by Chrystie Corns of Where.com and Rich Brooks of flyte new media.
Social Media Breakfast aims to bring together social media experts,
ethusiasts, small business owners and anyone with an interest in
learning more about social media. SMBME #1 will consist of 4 15-20
minute presentations from some of the top Social Media experts in the
area.

There's only 9 tickets left as I write this! And it's only $6! That's less than I paid for breakfast this morning, and breakfast is included. Learn more and register now!

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING – Thurs, 4/23/09, 12pm – 1:30pm

Facebook. MySpace. LinkedIn. Twitter. Blogs. Podcasts. RSS. Ning.
YouTube. Flickr. FriendFeed. Bebo. del.icio.us. Digg. Arrrgh! Are these
even all real words?!?

Maybe you've heard of some or all of these social media services.
Maybe they're all new. Maybe your teenager is on Facebook or MySpace
and you're wondering what these sites could possibly offer your
business.

If you're looking to learn more about social media and how you might
use these free tools to connect with prospects and customers, this is
the class for you.

Attendees will learn:

About many of the most important, popular social media Web sites.
How to connect with like-minded people for business opportunities
How to promote events and seminars using social media.

This Webinar is free for MEBSR members and for everyone else it's $49 which goes to Maine Businesses for Social Responsibility.

To register for this Webinar, and to get your MEBSR discount code, please click here.

Time to get in touch with your social media self.

Rich Brooks
That Social Media Guy

Posted in Business Philosophy, flyte news, Social Media, Web Marketing | No Comments »

Association for Maritime Preservation – A WordPress Powered Web Site

Friday, April 17th, 2009

Yesterday flyte launched a Web site for the Association for Maritime Preservation, a non-profit created for learning about and preserving living history of sailing vessels.

AMP runs a wide variety of projects, and their current project is an unrestricted grant to the National Historic Landmark, J. & E. Riggin.

Visitors to the site can get involved through volunteerism, spreading the word, or by making a donation.

Flyte built the site on WordPress, a content management system (CMS) that allows AMP to add pages, update content, upload images and embed videos with no HTML knowledge. In short, AMP has a publishing platform which can grow with their organization, helping support their mission.

If you'd like to learn more or support the cause of maritime history, visit the AMP Web site. If you'd like to upgrade your site to a CMS platform and pilot your own destiny, talk to flyte today.

Rich Brooks
Ship Shape

Posted in Entrepreneur & Small Business, Web Site Launches | No Comments »

How to Lose Followers and Influence Nobody on Twitter

Monday, April 6th, 2009

For many people, racking up followers on Twitter isn't a goal. However, if you're using Twitter for business, chances are you want to increase the number of [quality] followers you have so that you'll have a wider reach, a bigger community to poll, and more resources to tap into.

There are plenty of resources out there on how to gain followers on Twitter. There are plenty of short sighted, borderline spammy methods, and some legitimate ones as well. (Note: self-serving link.)

But, let's talk about some sure-fire ways for you to lose followers, or at least how to keep from getting them in the first place. I've culled these gems from hundreds people on Twitter (Tweeple) who seem to think the answer to getting a square peg in a round hole is a bigger hammer.

It's important to understand that when you follow someone new, the knee-jerk response is for them to check your out Twitter page and see if you're follow-worthy. As an example, here's the Twitter page for Rich Brooks, and here's one for flyte new media. So if you're trying to keep people from following you, you want to start with your Twitter page.

On Twitter, as in life, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. It's very difficult to get someone to follow you after the initial attempt.

Here's how to keep your followers few and far between.

Don't use your real name. I'm not talking about your twitter handle; often someone may have beaten you to the punch. For example, I'm therichbrooks, rather than just richbrooks. But, after you've secured your handle, make sure you don't use your real name so people will have no idea what you're talking about.
Don't tell people where you're from. I will invariably follow people from my home state of Maine. If they're from Maine but I don't know that, chances are they don't get followed. Also, "The Internet," "The World", and "Everywhere" may have once clever responses, but it's played out. "From Parts Unknown" is still funny, and will remain funny as long as professional wrestling appears on TV.
Don't include a URL where people can learn more. I mean, why would you want to drive qualified traffic to your Web site or blog?
Leave your bio blank. People love following people they don't know.
Don't upload a photograph of you or your logo, depending on the purpose of your Twitter account. Nothing says Twitter power-user like the default avatar.
Follow 2,000 people before you even post a single tweet. There's no quicker way to show that you just don't get it.
Keep on following and unfollowing and refollowing people to get their attention. That just smacks of desperation. Maybe he's just not that into you?
Keep on tweeting your Web site or blog URL over and over again. That never gets old.
TWEET IN ALL CAPS! Making you look crazy since 1996.
Promise me untold riches while I sleep and/or without any hard work or promise to share your secrets for making millions on the Internet. 'Nuff said.

I'm sure if you've been on Twitter long enough you have your own suggestions on how to ward off potential friends, customers and partners. Feel free to leave them in the comments field.

Rich Brooks
Follow Me at Twitter for Untold Riches While You Sleep

Posted in Social Media | 14 Comments »

Boston Plastic Surgery – The Adams Center

Thursday, April 2nd, 2009

Flyte recently launched a Web site for The Adams Center, offering cosmetic surgery in Boston and Peabody.

Visitors to the site will see that besides cosmetic surgery The Adams Center also offers non-surgical procedures and an online cosmetics store that sells a wide variety of lines such as Obagi, Environ and The Adams Center Exclusive Product Line.

Dr. Adams was my first non-family client, and we've been working
together since 1997. For this 3rd iteration of his Web site flyte
developed an elegant, embedded Flash movie that shows a wide variety of women and men juxtaposed with interestingly beautiful flowers. It
includes the quote "beauty is subjective / define it yourself" that I
find very appropriate and on target. I've always appreciated Dr. Adams non-pushy approach to health and beauty.

Flyte built in a number of administration tools so that the staff at the Adams Center could easily update the site. That includes adding new content, uploading before and after photos associated with specific procedures, and a cosmetic surgery FAQs that offer both surgical, non-surgical and cosmetic solutions as appropriate.

If you're looking for a Greater Boston plastic surgeon be sure to check out Dr. Adams and The Adams Center.

If you're looking for a beautiful Web site and an Internet marketing campaign to generate more qualified leads, talk to flyte new media today.

Rich Brooks
Subjectively Beautiful

Posted in Web Site Launches | 3 Comments »

Managing Your–And Your Company’s–Online Reputation

Wednesday, April 1st, 2009

The other night I was on 207, the evening news magazine here in Maine, talking about managing your–and your company's–online reputation.

Like always, I ended up preparing about 20 minutes worth of material for a 5 minute segment; as I was doing my research I found a lot of stuff I wanted to share. Here are my notes:

What is online reputation?

What people (and you) are saying about you and your business online. [It's the digital footprint that you leave behind, and it's what people are going to see when they Google you or your business for more information.]
There are sites (links appear below) that will help you manage and maintain your online rep, but the best steps are preventative ones.

How can you see what people are saying about you?

Google [Who hasn't Googled themselves, or their business, or a date?]
Search.Twitter.com. [This will search what people are saying about you or your brand on the popular microblogging platform on Twitter in REAL TIME!]

What can people do to maintain a positive online reputation?

Behave online as you would behave offline [This assumes you're not a jerk or a cheat offline. Also, understand that what you do offline has a habit of being recorded online. Right, Mr. Phelps? Alec Baldwin? David Hasselhoff?]
Remember that everything you do online will be there FOREVER!
Sometimes you may get tagged in a photo or video that doesn't put you in the best light. If a friend posts something that you might not want your boss/mom/whomever to see you should quietly ask them to take it down.

Should teens be concerned?

Absolutely; pictures and videos of underage partying can be used as evidence.
Companies are getting smarter about checking out social media profiles to learn more about candidates.
Personal blogs can get you in trouble. [I once received a resumé with a link to a personal blog, which I followed. It was daily rants about getting drunk, including a recent evening with absinthe.]
The good news is that social media embarrassments may become like getting a tattoo; when everyone has an embarrassing moment, the stigma goes down a bit. However, too many embarrassing YouTube videos will reflect permanently on your character.

What can businesses do to maintain a good online rep?

A lot of the same things people do, such as being a good member of the community.
Use online alerts to quickly identify positive and negative feedback. [I use Google Alerts to push stories and blog posts my way that mention my name or my company name. Most are about that damn football coach who shares a name with me, but occasionally I'll find some chatter about this Rich Brooks.]
It's important to have a Web site, a blog, and a social media presence. These will help push negative comments off the first page. [Also, you need to use search engine optimization to make sure your sites, and posts, and social media profiles come up first.]
Don’t get into a flame war with your detractors. Decide if you want to engage or ignore. [Sometimes engagement is best, especially if someone is purposefully or accidentally spreading false rumors about you or your company. Sometimes it's best just to ignore someone who's got a real hate on for you. Engagement then just fans the flames.]

Here are some links:

(more…)

Posted in Business Philosophy, Entrepreneur & Small Business, flyte news, Search Engine Marketing, Social Media | 3 Comments »