2009 September | flyte blog: small business web marketing blog

Archive for September, 2009

Monopolize Google’s Results with a Blog and Social Media

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

A theme has come up recently as we work with some small business clients on whether or not they should have a blog, and whether or not they should optimize it for the search engines. (Crazy, right?)

The concern seems to be that if they optimize their blog for the keywords they're targeting, they are in fact competing against their own Web site, and thus their own self-interest.

However, as long as all your properties are funneling traffic to your Web site for conversion, or able to handle conversions themselves, you have nothing to worry about.

It's more like the game of Monopoly: the more properties you own, the more traffic you're likely to get. (Except in this case people are happy to be your guest.)

In fact, if you add optimized, quality content at YouTube, Flickr, Squidoo, and other social media sites, you can really start to monopolize Google's search results for your targeted keyword phrases. And since photos, videos, and localized content are becoming more prevalent at search engines, you don't want to cede that opportunity to your competition.

To create quality content you should use a combination of some keyword research and the questions you get on a regular basis. Often, if a client–or just a random person–sends me an email with a good question I'll generalize the details and turn it into a blog post. Then I'll send them an email with the link to the blog post.

Not only are you helping out your customer or prospect in that case, you're creating content that can help drive more prospects to your blog, Web site, or social media presence.

Just remember to create keyword-rich links back to relevant pages on your site so you can continue the conversation.

Rich Brooks
SEO for Small Business

Photo credit: Rich Brooks (yeah, that's me)

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

The Social Media FTW Fall Conference #ftw09

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

I can’t believe it’s all over.

After months of planning, stressing, arranging and re-arranging, it’s all over. After thousands of emails, several blog posts, countless tweets, Facebook & LinkedIn updates, a dozen radio ads, two TV appearances with FTW mentions, a series of newspaper ads and God-knows-how-many phone calls, it’s all over.

I’m talking about the Social Media FTW Fall Conference. This was a half-day conference on social media marketing for businesses, non-profits, entrepreneurs and anyone else who’s trying to make sense of this communication revolution.

I think there was still snow on the ground when Jaica, Chrystie and I first started talking about the need for a conference teaching people how to use Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogging, online video, podcasting and more to grow their business, increase their membership, reach their constituents, or engage their readership.

I’d like to think the event was a success. Despite the A/C breaking down and USM running out of parking, the vibe throughout the day was upbeat. (No doubt in part because of endless caffeine provided by Bard Coffee and Red Bull.)

(My biggest disappointment was even though I had asked for a full bar for the networking event on several occasions, when I got done with my presentation–the last workshop of the day–I discovered it was wine and beer only. No bourbon = #fail.)

Based on some conversations and early feedback from an attendee survey we posted, here’s a brief recap of what we learned about putting on a conference:

People want multiple tracks based on experience. This was the number one request for the next event. Experienced users felt held back by questions on what to do when someone posts an unflattering photo of you on Facebook, beginners felt some things went over their head. (My takeaway is that this is great: many people are really starting to use these tools and are looking for more specifics on how to take their skills to the next level.)
People don’t like to miss stuff they don’t want to miss. Many people wish they had been able to attend two or more workshops that were going on at the same time. I’m torn on this one, as I’m a believer in “leave ‘em wanting more.” That being said, we had every session videotaped and we will be sharing those tapes with the attendees. The best suggestion in this vein was having the same session put on multiple times throughout the day, in case your favorite two workshops are in competition.
People get hungry. And thirsty. Man cannot live by Red Bull and coffee alone. (Women, neither.) We didn’t have water bottles (I’m kinda morally opposed), but we should have had something better than “there are water fountains by the restrooms.” Live and learn.
We may be too hip. At least two people complained that we were “too hip”. I can live with that.
You can’t please all the people all the time. On a question about workshop length, the answers were nearly evenly split between “perfect length” and “too short.” There was a lot of that.

My own .02? We wanted people to understand these tools and get comfortable using them. Most everyone I spoke with ended the day feeling like social media wasn’t the enigma it appeared when they woke up. However, there were other people who would have been better served by some advanced topics and more specifics. We’ll give them more attention at the next FTW conference.

Here’s what some other people had to say about the Social Media FTW Fall Conference:

Social Media Gets Simplified at FTW – Justin Ellis, Portland Press Herald
This Week in Business: The Road Trip Edition – Nicole Ouellette, Breaking Even Blog
Why Conferences Are Successful – Carl Natale, The Takeaway, MaineBusiness.com
#ftw09 – HUGE Success for Social Media in Maine – Jason Blais, JasonBlais.com
Social Media and Traditional Media FTW – Jeff Parsons, The Jeff Parsons Project
Social Media FTW Feeds the Hungry – Stacie Chalmers, The Inbound Marketing Blog for Small Business
Social Media FTW – A Win, Win for Everyone – Sarah Wallace
Social Media FTW: Bringing Maine Social Media-ites Together FTW – Nicki Hicks, Maine SEO Blog
Social Media FTW Conference Was a Huge Success! – Howard Levitan, Quantum Hospitality Group

You can also see the running commentary about the FTW conference on Twitter.

Photos by Angela Coulombe. You can see more of her photos from the FTW Conference here.

Rich Brooks
Funky Toothpaste Whitener

Posted in Social Media | 2 Comments »

Why I Won’t Friend Your Company on Facebook

Sunday, September 27th, 2009

By now, most small businesses know that Facebook can be a great tool for connecting with customers and prospects, building relationships, and growing your business.

However, many businesses jump into Facebook without a clear understanding of how to use it. I know this, because at least once a month I get an invitation to become "friends" with some company, non-profit or even an event.

I can only imagine what that would be like: catching a Sox game with an

anthropomorphic mascot, having drinks after work with that cute new not-for-profit from accounting or perhaps texting the Friday Arts Walk during a boring meeting.

On Facebook, people have profiles and businesses have fan pages. If you want your business to succeed on Facebook, you have to understand the difference.

From Facebook:

How are Pages different from personal profiles?

Profiles can only be used to represent an individual and must be held under an individual name. Pages also allow people to maintain a personal/professional distinction on Facebook. You may only create Facebook Pages to represent real organizations of which you are an authorized representative. Fans of your Page won't be able to see that you are the Page admin or have any access to your personal account.

It's quite possible that Facebook at some point will crack down on all the non-humans who have profiles, shutting them down with extreme prejudice. If that happens, all that hard work you've put in to building your business's profile will be down the tube.

It makes a lot more sense to create a profile for yourself and a fan page for your business. A profile has benefits because you can connect with other real people who are your vendors, customers and prospects. You can ask your friends and clients to become fans of your company, which can start to build momentum.

When some company does ask me to friend them on Facebook, I politely decline but tell them that if they set up a fan page I'll be happy to become a fan.

Now, won't you become a fan of flyte new media?

flyte new media on Facebook

Rich Brooks
BFBFF (Best Facebook Friends Forever)

Posted in Entrepreneur & Small Business, Social Media | No Comments »

Sailing Trip off the Maine Coast

Monday, September 14th, 2009

This past weekend the flyte crew had a company outing. We took a sail on the J. & E. Riggin, a schooner based out of Rockport, Maine.

The weather was beautiful, and captains Jon & Annie, along with the rest of their crew were fantastic. We had a great time and I can't recommend them enough.

If you're looking for a company outing or a family vacation, be sure to check out the J. & E. Riggin.

Rich Brooks
Ship Shape

Posted in flyte news | 2 Comments »

What Is Web Marketing, Anyway?

Monday, September 14th, 2009

Although businesses and organizations have different goals and purposes, most would like to achieve the following:

increase their online visibility
drive more qualified prospects to their site
convert that traffic into business or membership.

These days, almost everyone will agree that a company's Web site is the hub of their marketing; TV ads, print ads, even billboards, will include a URL to drive interested parties to for more information or to order.

While different people have different opinions of what Web marketing is, I feel there are four major components:

Attraction: How to you drive qualified prospects to visit your site
Retention: How to keep the lines of communication open after they've left your site
Conversion: How to get visitors to take a desired action on your site (buy now, picking up the phone, etc.)
Measurement: How to track your success and continually improve on your site and marketing campaigns.

There are plenty of tools at our disposal as small business owners and entrepreneurs to accomplish this, including search engine optimization, email marketing, blogging and social media to name a few.

If you'd like to learn more in a classroom setting, I'll be teaching Web Marketing for Small Business at the University of Southern Maine starting this Thursday evening from 6 – 8pm, and three additional classes after that.

Just remember to bring the teacher instructor an apple.

Rich Brooks
Web Marketing for Small Business

Posted in Analytics, Business Blogs and Blog Marketing, Business Philosophy, Email Marketing, Entrepreneur & Small Business, flyte news, Search Engine Marketing, Social Media, Web Design & Development, Web Marketing | 4 Comments »

Web Developer Appreciation Day

Friday, September 11th, 2009

Gray Cabaniss of Agatha & Louise just walked into our offices, hugged me, and offered me this gift:

Apparently he just made a couple of good sized online sales that he attributed to what he learned from flyte.

That compliment was almost as sweet as a six pack of PBR pounders.

Rich Brooks
PBR Aficionado

Posted in Client News, flyte news | No Comments »

Wellesley Weston Magazine Blog

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

Last week flyte launched a new photo-centric blog for Wellesley Weston magazine.

When Beth Furman, the publisher, first approached us she was looking for a way to easily display all the photos that wouldn't fit in her beautiful, glossy magazine targeting residents of Wellesley and Weston, Massachusetts. The About Town section was extremely popular, but it was impossible to add all the event photos to the print magazine.

With WordPress, a few key plugins and some experienced know-how (thanks, Andy!) we were able to make it simple for her to upload those photos and categorize them by events. We also made adding new ads to the rotating banners point-and-click easy.

Additional benefits include the ability for attendees to leave comments below their photos and additional advertising opportunities for Wellesley Weston Magazine. If you're looking to reach this attractive demographic, be sure to visit The Wellesley Weston Magazine blog and contact Beth.

If you're looking for a way of extending your magazine's reach, be sure to contact flyte new media.

Rich Brooks
Blogs for Print Media

Posted in Web Site Launches | No Comments »

Email Marketing is Sexy, Dammit!

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

While everyone (myself included) is fawning over Twitter, Facebook and other social media marketing tools, you have to feel a little bit sorry for email marketing.

After all, email marketing has been around for a while and has proven itself again and again as an essential tool for the small business or entrepreneur. So why do we cast our old friend away just because a new, sexier tool appears? Where is our loyalty?

"But what about spam?" I hear you ask, "And spam filters, which prevent so many of my messages from reaching their intended audience…even for opt-in lists?"

True, spam and the sometimes effective antidote, the spam filter, have reduced the effectiveness and deliverability rates of emails. However, do you honestly believe that all of your 500 (or 5,000) followers on Twitter see all your tweets? Especially if they are following a couple thousand people?

"Who needs emails now that we have RSS?" you ask.

Ah, yes, RSS. The very cool tool of professional bloggers and new media evangelists. A spam-resistant tool that keeps our inboxes clean. Dirty little secret: if I find a blog essential I subscribe to the email version. That way I know I'm going to see it. Even though my Firefox start page is filled with RSS feeds from some of the most important Web marketing blogs out there, I just don't notice them very often.

"Email is for old people, like you. People my age use social media sites to stay in touch."

First of all, you're not too old for me to put you over my knee, so watch your tone.

Yes, I love sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. However, all social media sites leverage emails in some way. You generally have to visit those sites to interact with them, which is why LinkedIn sends you group updates and network invitations via email, Facebook forwards all emails and wall posts and photos you've been tagged in to your email, and Twitter emails you direct messages.

Yes, you can shut these off, but these sites are wise enough to realize that people have their emails open almost all day, and it's a way to make sure they can get in front of them.

If you're looking to grow your business online, then you need to include email marketing in your marketing campaigns. We've found that your email subscriber base is often the highest converting group when it comes to promoting new products and services, and especially events.

To learn how to grow your subscriber base with quality leads, and how to integrate it into a holistic Web marketing plan, you may want to check out Web Marketing for Small Business, a course I'm teaching at the University of Southern Maine on four Thursday evenings, from 9/17 – 10/8.

Rich Brooks
I'm Too Sexy for Email

Posted in Email Marketing, Entrepreneur & Small Business, Web Marketing | 3 Comments »

What If Your Audience Is Too Old For Blogs?

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009

"Our target audience is too old for blogs. They're too old for Tweeter (sic). They're too old for Facebook. I don't see our audience reading blogs."

At those words my ears perked up. I grabbed my cup of coffee and sauntered swaggered strode into the conference room where a couple of my co-workers were meeting with a prospect who came in to talk about search engine optimization for their site that targets women over 40.

"Do you mind if I add my .02?" I asked. Since I made and served coffee to our guests already, they may have felt indebted to me, but in any case they asked me to continue.

"Blog posts are just like Web pages; each blog post you create is another opportunity to rank well at the search engines. You don't have to worry whether your audience reads blogs, just if they use the Internet and search engines. (And I assume you do believe that, otherwise you wouldn't have an e-commerce store.) Your blog posts can attract that search traffic and either funnel the prospect to your site or we can e-commerce right to your blog itself.

"According to some recent surveys the fastest growing segment in Facebook is women 35 and over. A lot of 'grandmas' are joining Facebook because that's where they can see their grandkids' photos. The average age of someone on Twitter is 31 (which means a lot of people are older).

"A strategic combination of search engine optimization and social media marketing (along with some hard work) can definitely increase the quantity and quality of traffic coming to your Web site. Plus, with social media you can better engage your audience and get feedback from them on what your next products should be.

"You might end up being a little ahead of the curve for some of your audience, but better to be a little ahead than behind."

Not sure if I convinced them, but if you're concerned that your audience is too old for a blog or social media, perhaps you're underestimating your audience. Or, perhaps you need to find another audience.

Rich Brooks
Maine Business Blogs

Posted in Business Blogs and Blog Marketing, Entrepreneur & Small Business, Web Marketing | 6 Comments »