Archive for July, 2009

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TV Segment on Web Resources for Startups

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

QuickTime PlayerScreenSnapz001 With the downturn in the economy many people are thinking of starting their own business but not sure where to start. This was the idea behind a recent segment I recorded for 207, Maine's evening news program.

In preparation for the 207 segment I generated a wide variety of Maine-centric startup business resources that you can see here. A few people suggested their own resources in the comments.

The segment aired earlier this week, and although I'm out of town, due to the magic of the Internet, I was able to catch the segment online.

You can watch the segment at WCSH's Web site, or below on the flyte blog.

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Posted in Entrepreneur & Small Business, flyte news | 4 Comments »


How Do You Raise Your Company’s Online Visibility?

Monday, July 6th, 2009

Every small business, non-profit and entrepreneur who has a Web site is interested in increasing their online visibility…of reaching more people, of driving more traffic, of landing more business. The question is how?

The latest issue of flyte log, our monthly email newsletter on Web marketing, is entitled SEO & Social Media: A Powerful Combination…if that gives you a clue.

As important as search engine optimization and social media marketing are individually, when combined they offer a powerful combination for any small business or organization.

A well-run search engine marketing campaign will improve your social media results, and likewise, social media can help increase your search engine visibility.

For more information on how to harness the power of a combined SEO and social media campaign, be sure to check out SEO & Social Media: A Powerful Combination.

Rich Brooks
SEO & Social Media for Small Business

Posted in Search Engine Marketing, Social Media | 2 Comments »


How to Share Your Photos Through Creative Commons

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009

3539416389_6abeaaa55d Adding photos to your blog posts is a great way of making them more eye-catching. However, the cost of royalty-free imagery starts to add up, and you also don't want to end up being sued because you used photos without permission.

That's why I use photos from Flickr with the Creative Commons license. As long as I give attribution to the appropriate photos, I'm in the clear.

Which got me thinking: why don't I offer up my photos to other bloggers in the hopes that they'll give me attribution and link back to my Flickr page, increasing my online visibility? I wasn't sure how to go about it, but it turns out it's pretty simple, as this video, How to Share Your Photos Through Creative Commons will show you.

You can share your photos through Creative Commons on Flickr here.

Photo courtesy of therichbrooks.

Rich Brooks
Maine Web Design

Posted in Business Blogs and Blog Marketing, How-To Web Marketing Videos, Web Marketing | 4 Comments »


Maine Business Resources Online

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009

Flyte-plaque Recently I pitched a story to 207, the evening news program up here in Maine, on Web-based resources for entrepreneurs.

Due to the economic downturn, many people are thinking about (or forced into) striking it out on their own. This can be a scary thing, especially if you've been working in a cubicle most of your life, or even in a corner office.

However, there are a lot of online resources out there. I reached out to some fellow entrepreneurs and got a huge amount of online resources…more than would be useful for a five minute segment. To that end, I've created a list below of all the sites that had been submitted. In no particular order:

  • Maine.gov: Starting a Business: Information and specifics about what you need to start a business in Maine.
  • SCORE Maine: SCORE,
    the Service Corps of Retired Executives, offers free counseling and
    workshops to businesses. Chapters exist throughout the country,and this site lists all the chapters in Maine.
  • Score Maine (Portland chapter): If you're living in the Greater Portland area, this is the chapter for you. Bonus Points: I occasionally speak there. Double Bonus Points: flyte designed it. :)
  • Maine Center for Enterprise Development: Business incubator providing low cost services to start ups. They are also running a "Top Gun" applied entrepreneurship program.
  • Maine Technology Institute: Offers early stage capital and commercialization assistance for R&D of innovative, technology-based projects.
  • Maine & Company: Help on growing or moving your business to Maine.
  • Maine Angels: Providing investments to promising, early-stage companies.
  • Maine Small Business Development Centers: Help on starting a business, and many online courses entrepreneurs can take.
  • Realize! Maine: Focused on encouraging young entrepreneurs to stay in Maine and grow their business here.
  • Maine Development Foundation: Dedicated to sustainable, long-term economic growth for Maine. Offers programs on leadership, building downtowns and more.
  • TechMaine: Focused on technology companies in Maine, including startups. Have an Entrepreneur Handbook.
  • MEBSR: Not a startup resource per se, but helping Maine entrepreneurs build (and grow) sustainable businesses.
  • flyte new media: The place small businesses turn to for Web sites and Internet marketing such as search engine visibility, email marketing, blogging, and social media. Oops, may have gotten a little self-serving there. ;)

In addition, there are a number of LinkedIn Groups that are Maine-centric. Some of my personal favorites:

Do you have any other Web-based resources for Maine startups and entrepreneurs? Let us know!   

Posted in Entrepreneur & Small Business | 8 Comments »

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