Animoto - Slick Slide Shows for Small Biz

If your small business has some nice visuals (think scenic views, jewelry, art, beautiful people, etc., etc.,) and you've been looking for an interesting way to display it online, you might want to check out Animoto.

I first heard about Animoto in an article I read in Entrepreneur magazine last month and began playing around with it right away. It's addicting to say the least.

What Animoto does is create slick slide shows set to music with great transitions. While there is a free version, it just too limiting to be of any use to a business. By upgrading to a paid account you can have videos of any length, have DVD-quality images, upload your own music, and include a clickable call-to-action. (For example, a resort could end it's slide show with a "Book Your Room Now!" link to the reservations page on their site.)

Once you've established your account you can easily create a slide show by clicking on "create video" near the top of every page. After that it's a three-step process.

Images: You can upload images from your computer or another Web site like Flickr. Once they're on the Animoto site you can rearrange the order, add text, delete or even spotlight certain key photos. Once you're happy with the organization click continue.

Sound: You can choose from Animoto's royalty-free library that includes a number of genres such as hip-hop, classical, independent rock and more. You can also upload your own music, but be aware of any copyrights you might be infringing on. In other words, dropping that Zeppelin track on your slide show may get you a call from an attorney.

Once you've selected the appropriate music it's time to render your video.

Render: If you have the business account you'll be able to add a call-to-action button at the end of your video. You'll also be able to change the image pacing of your video (although just 1/2 speed or 2x speed) and choose a cover screen. Once that's done Animoto gets to work.

A few minutes later (or even a few hours, if there are a lot of photos), you'll get an email that your video is ready for viewing. This is a lower-res version. If you like what you see you can download a DVD-Quality version. If you'd like to have the Animoto engine try again you can "remix" your video.

You can choose one-click remix, which will just give you different transitions, or go back in and tweak the order of photos, text, and choose a different song.

For small businesses looking to break through the clutter and grab a visitor's attention, Animoto might be just what you need.

Below is the video I created for Portland Motor Club based on my trip to an open house they had a few weeks back.

If you can't see the movie here, check it out on YouTube. Keep in mind that the DVD-quality is somewhat diminished when rendered through YouTube's system.

Rich Brooks
One Day I'd Like to Direct

The Two Types of Readers of Your Blog

We work with a wide variety of entrepreneurs who are looking to grow their business on the Web. Because of this, blogs are a regular part of our Internet marketing arsenal. I like blogs because of their immediacy, interactivity, search engine friendliness, and how they can help establish entrepreneurs as the experts they are.

Because these small business owners cover a range of businesses, the strategies for each blog differs. One thing I recommend to all business bloggers is to remember and focus on the purpose of their blog. That brings us back to your blog's audience.

There are two types of readers at your blog: the subscribers and the searchers.

The subscribers are your regular readers, whether through an email subscription, an RSS feed, or just old-fashion tenacity, theyread almost every post you put up. Besides getting the benefit of your knowledge they probably also enjoy your writing style and what you have to say.

The searchers are people who have found a specific post through a search engine. They had a question, and Google or Yahoo has pointed them to one of your posts. They might become a subscriber, they may move on (having quenched their thirst for knowledge), or they may click over to your Web site to engage you in a conversation.

So which reader is better for you? Well, that depends on what you're selling. If you aren't especially a great writer I would probably focus more on the searchers. Write well-constructed, keyword-rich content that helps prospects and engages visitors. The blog doesn't need to be infused constantly with your own personality. Your product may not need that level of intimacy.

Photographers, artists, and other creative types may need to develop subscribers who will become repeat customers. Service professionals may try and attract both types of readers, mixing keyword-rich content with more personal posts.

The important thing to remember is that there are two types of readers at a blog and you need to determine which is best for your business...and go after them.

Rich Brooks
Small Business Blogger

Six Reasons Why Blogs Are So Good for SEO

I've been trumpeting the benefits of blogging for search engine visibility for a while now, and here's why:

1. Blogs are all about content. Search engines love content. They don't love Flash, and they're still struggling with photos and video, but they absolutely get content.
2. Blogs have text-based navigation. Search engines have an easier time with text based (vs. image based) navigation because it's more transparent. Search engines for a while now have told us that they want sites to serve up the same information/experience to a search engine bot as to a person.
3. Blogs offer lots of links. If search engines feast on words, they travel on links. Blogs are often a good place to find new content on the Web.
4. People are more likely to link to business blogs than business Web sites. At least, this has been my experience, and anecdotally what I've seen out there. I believe this is because of the interactive nature of blogs, and they're traditionally more about communication than selling. And since getting incoming links is half the battle of search engine optimization, this is a key point.
5. Blogs make it easier to create more pages. Search engines don't rank Web sites, they rank Web pages. In other words, every Web page is an opportunity to rank well at the search engines. Every time you put up a new post, you have another opportunity to be found at Google, Yahoo, or any other search engine. You don't need to worry about how this is going to fit in your current Web site navigation, you can just assign it to one or more categories and be done with it.
6. Blogs put you in control. This doesn't directly affect your search engine optimization, but with a blog you can publish when you feel like it. You don't have to worry about how much your Web developer's going to charge you for an update, or when he's going to get to it. That makes it easier for you to target new keywords and go after the long tail of search that can bring ready-to-buy, qualified leads to your site.

If you are interested in better rankings but don't yet have a blog, the good news is there's a great opportunity for you to increase your search engine visibility.

Rich Brooks
Business Blog Consultant

Web Marketing Course for Entrepreneurs and Small Business

I can't believe that we're just one week away from the first class of Web Marketing for Entrepreneurs and Small Business over at the University of Southern Maine.

Well, actually I can, as I spent most of yesterday afternoon updating and revamping the search engine optimization content for the class. And I've blocked out plenty of hours this week to review the rest of my content and build out the social media component. But the "I can't believe" part stresses the fact that it's only a week away, and if you were planning on coming you've got to get a move on.

Who should go? Well, you should be in driving distance of Portland, Maine. (Yes, one of these days I'll create an online version, but not today.) Assuming that you can get to the campus, this course is geared to small business owners, marketers and entrepreneurs who are looking to build a Web presence to grow their business.

Topics will include search engine visibility (how do you out rank your competition,) email marketing, business blogs, social media, e-commerce, and building a Web site that will convert prospects into customers.

The course is held over four Monday nights, 11/10/2008 - 12/1/2008, from 6pm - 8pm at the Abromson Center on the campus of the University of Southern Maine (directions.) The cost is $205, but you need to pre-register for the class, so...

Register Now!

We'll be spending class time reviewing students' current Web sites (when applicable) and making on the spot recommendations to help you rank higher, drive more qualified leads to your site, and convert more prospects into customers. So what are you waiting for?

Register Now!

Rich Brooks
Oh Captain, Your Captain

Use Multiple Channels to Reach More People

This week I sent out Does Your Small Business Really Need a Social Media Strategy through our email newsletter, flyte log.

My friend, Josh Hurley, sent me this screen capture that showed my email had ended up in his spam folder:

Hell, I got lucky here. Many ISPs have such tight junk mail protection that the email may not have even reached Josh in the first place. But, as I told Josh, email wasn't my only delivery vehicle.

• I archived this article on my Web site
• I blogged about the article here and on the Internet Marketing 101 blog I write for MaineBusiness.com
• I Tweeted about it on at least two occasions, and used Ping.fm so that my message would also update my Facebook page, my Plurk account, and a half dozen other sites where my status gets updated.

I can't control every junk filter out there, just like I can't control when the bridge will go up and make me late for work. However, by having multiple distribution channels I can reach a wider audience and get past more gatekeepers. It's all about the redundancy.

Rich Brooks
You Can Say That Again

The Future of Small Business Blogging: A Video Interview

One of the funny things at BlogWorld is how everyone seems to have a video camera and is doing quick interviews with everyone else. I didn't have my Flip video camera handy, but Denise Wakeman from the Blogsquad interviewed me between sessions on the future of small business blogging while her Blogsquad partner, Patsi Krakoff snapped some photos in the background.

If you can't see the video below, watch it here.

Rich Brooks
Apparently NOT Ready for My Close Up

Blogworld Sunday Keynote with Timothy Ferriss, Mike Shinoda & Rohit Bhargava #bhe08

Once again, my chicken scratches from Blogworld...

Rohit Bhargava, Timothy Ferriss (4 Hour Work Week), Mike Shinoda (Linkin Park)

Q. Linkin Park – how named?
A. Not a park in Chicago. Changed spelling to get URL. Knew it was important to have a home on the Internet.

Q. How were bloggers helpful in the success of book (4 hr workweek)?
A. Knew he had limited set of options as a first time author. Bet on bloggers. Pays more to be interested than interesting. Didn’t pitch bloggers, just got drunk w/them. If you’re vulnerable and open about shortcomings people are more open to help you. Not a trick or method, just good idea. Never actively asked for a review by bloggers. Did offer to do q & a or guest posts.

Q. How important is it NOT to be an asshole (b/c you could be one?)
A. Mike: Bigger assholes get more press, but he doesn’t believe any press is good press. You need to build your brand in a real way. Put up what you think is authentic and interesting. If the fan comes and experiences a consistent feeling for what you promised you’ll be building community.
Ferris: You don’t want to be the best in your category, you want to create a new category. What are you associated with. Ferris didn’t want to be compared to time management authors, so created “lifestyle design.”

Don’t be an asshole b/c you meet the same people on the way down as you met on the way up. Being nice to unimportant people can be incredibly important.
Nice doesn’t = passive. You can be cordial but direct.

Q. Karmic Marketing – things come back to you.
A. Ferris: Who reads your blog is often more important than how many. There’s income from you blog $, but then there’s non-$ income from a blog, i.e., relationships, experiences, etc. Didn’t trademark “lifestyle design.” Wanted to build a movement.
Shinoda: The fan is not below you. By engaging mashup and crowdsourcing you can get some thing better. You have to have a certain humility to appreciate that.

Q. What kind of tracking do you do?
Ferris: Total anaylitic whore. GA, CrazyEgg, etc. Use all the tools, but not all # are created equal. Bounce rate, top referrers, time on site, page views are the ones he looks at most often. Fine line between asshole and being direct. If you deliver your honest opinion...you should talk to your readers like you talk to your friends after a couple of drinks. Tell them what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. Can’t try to avoid offending everyone. Being an asshole leads to transient, angry audience w/no loyalty.
Shinoda: Be comfortable with what you’re doing every step of the way.

Books to read:

• Category 1 – Joe Callaway?
• 22 immutable laws of branding
• Blue Ocean Strategy

Drug Dealing for Fun and Profit—original title for 4 hour work week. 

Google ad words, tested title.  Found best combination of words for title.  Tested artwok on covers as well. 

What matters is not how many people don’t get it...only how many that do.  Write what you are passionate about, not what you think the readers want to read.  Write about who you are, real important things to you...not your readers. 

Ferris doesn’t write in a vacuum. He writes from the heart but gets feedback from community.
Shinoda: change your band name to whatever.com. You need the .com.
What is the ONE Thing...(Tim)—look at the 80/20 analysis.  Find 20% of activities and people...stress causers...eliminate as much static as possible.  Practice asking for what you want and telling people.  Build up comfort level.  Tell people what you don’t like.  Get used to that feeling.

Ferris: social media is #1 way to engage people globally. Archimedes lever for doing whatever he wants.

Search Engine Optimization, SEM & New Media #bwe08

Lee Odden, Brian Clark, Stephan Spencer, Michael Gray

Q. What are the most common and dangerous SEO myths you here?
Michael Gray: He’s a fan of linking out. Helps google understand what you’re all about. Link to relevant sites.
Spencer: Meta-tags won’t help your ranking. If you stuff too much you can be penalized. Meta-description is useful in that in may influence someone to click on your link on a SERP. Alt tags don’t help except in case of Google image traffic. Comment tags also of no real benefit from ranking, ditto w/title attribute.
Brian Clark: Write for people, not for Google can be taken to the extreme.

Q. Examples of crossing the line of over-optimization.
Spencer: Too much use of keywords.
Gray: Microfocus a post, short, no value. You’re just chasing that individual keyword. You need to find the balance between the search engines and people.
Odden: You need to take your time and build up a body of work.
Gray: You need to get links from trusted bloggers.

Q. What keyword tools can bloggers use?
Spencer: Google insights for search is cool and helpful. Wordpot.com. Wordtracker.
Gray: Don’t stick w/one, use a bunch. Throw away things that don’t make sense. spyfu.  Compete.com
Odden: SEOdigger.com

Q. Where should bloggers use they keyword.
Gray: title.
Spencer: In titles work in add’l synonyms. SEO Title tag plugin.

Q. Automating SEO? There is some template-level automization.
Spencer: Tag pages. (Like categories.) Use w/sticky post on each tag/category. Tag conjection page. Tag clouds.
Clark: Your own creativity cannot be automated. Automate what you can.

Q. How do we get these incoming links?
Gray: You need to do the link baiting.
Clark: IT’s social media, no man/woman is an island.  Don’t be Shakespeare locked in a basement.
Gray: Crap that gets to page one on Digg will be seen, so don’t write crap.
Spencer: Don’t put Digg links on each post.
Gray: Has some adds that don’t show until the post ages so that more people will Digg it.

Q. Isn’t SEO bullshit?
Spencer: It’s important to do things right, and it’s easy to make mistakes if you don’t understand.

Q. WP v MT?
Clark: Likes WP w/some tweaks. Beautiful CMS.
Gray: WP 90% of sites he develops.
Spencer: WP rocks from SEO standpoint.
Gray: Use robots.txt to focus search engines down one path to get to site.
Spencer: do you really want to rank well for January 2008? No follow date archives.
Clark: He links to one page w/all archives. (Maybe comments, too?)

Q. How important is copywriting for SEO?
Clark: How much $ have you made for ranking well? None. It’s about persuasive writing.

Q. Link building?
Gray: Have an opinion and piss someone off. Will sometimes even turn off comments to force people to link to him to respond. If you’re not going to stand out from the crowd you’re in the crowd.

Q. Time split: onpage and offpage?
Spencer: Spend as much time as possible doing both. Create insightful comments.
SEObrowser.com Only the first anchor link counts for anchor text. Google image replacement.
Siteexplorer.yahoo.com – great tool for tracking incoming links.
Important to exist under just one domain.
Must sign up for google webmaster tools so that you can do the redirect for www and non-www.

Bloggers & PR #bwe08

Brian Solis, Jason Falls, Chris Brogan and Lee Odden filling in for Michael Clark

Chris tells the crowd of PR professionals that they’re not in the wrong profession and not to feel badly about what they do, no matter what everyone else is telling them.

Must do a better job. If you’re blasting 400 people in the bcc field you’re an idiot. It’s wrong, and you wouldn’t respond to that pitch either. You must know the 400 people individually.

Shotgun approach doesn’t work in social media environment.

Jason Falls: Don’t start with the technology/tools; start with the goal or objective. The tools will reveal themselves.

Odden: Marketers want some strange stuff, like getting on 2nd life or high rankings OVER sales. Bring them back to something they can understand.

How to approach bloggers? PR pros often target PR bloggers first.

How are bloggers (part of) the problem? The bloggers may not know the story behind the story. Don’t know how to say no politely.

How can PR pros better do a pitch? Brevity. Focus on relationship, not the pitch. Don’t use the BCC field.

Engage the blogger (comments.) Send In and Out Burger coupons. (Find out the blogger’s weak spots and use them!) Brian did that and now this a-list blogger always writes up his stuff. Relevancy is key.

How else do you get bloggers’ attention? Bloggers are narcissists; they search their name. If you have a blog, doesn’t hurt to call them out w/in your own post.

Building relationships can’t be goal driven. If you engage to pitch, there could be a problem. Must build trust first.

@lizstrauss gets up and says that “little bloggers grow.” In other words, you can talk to lesser known bloggers and build relationships over the long term.

Ultimately PR is about relationships. (Seems obvious, but I don’t think everyone gets it.)

How to Implement Blogs & Social Media Strategies for Big Business #bwe08

The speakers for this sessions were:

John Andrews, Hilary Weber,  Michael Brito, Michael Rubin
Michael Brito’s with Intel. Hilary’s from Kaiser Permanente. John Andrews works for Wal-Mart.

Q. Does every company need one champion (Robert Scoble)?
A. Brito: No. Many people from different disciplines. Weber: It happened organically for them. They did have a champion (rock star). Find people who already passionate about what they do who can write/communicate. Andrews: Can’t be afraid of people saying something bad, as they will anyway.

Q. How important is it that employees use Web 2.0 outside of work?
A. Weber: she thinks it’s important, but not everyone agrees. She finds people are dragging their feet.

Q. What co’s are doing it right and why?
A. Brito: Dell. Listening to their users. Acting on that. Weber also says Dell. SouthWest also does a good job. Stonyfield Farms b/c of their focus on parenting. Wells Fargo b/c they didn’t start w/financial, but rather the history of Wells Fargo. Andrews is interested in leveraging internal communicators. Rubin: Home Depot. Posted a lot of emergency info on Twitter for customers who were in the path of the hurricane. There was no selling, just helping.

Q. Should bloggers come from the rank and file or the executives?
A. Andrews: Employees. Brito asks: what’s the purpose of this blog? Not every company needs a blog. Weber: the title isn’t important. What are the objectives? Is the topic relevant? What’s the benefit to the customers.

Q. Question to Andrews about the Wal-Mart blog snafu. His thoughts?
A. He thinks it’s funny/interesting that it’s a case study. Lesson learned; to be a more open culture.

Q. How do you promote the corp blog?
A. Brito: No paid search. Build community in the world of soc med. Be transparent and authentic. Weber: Her blog is on brand. It’s a different way to talk about how people thrive. Brito: Bandwidth is an issue. He tries to find people to blog, but they have fulltime jobs in the company.

Q. Are you doing anything w/Flickr or YouTube.
A. They use the API for those two. (So some programming involved.)

Q. How do you manage reputation and negative comments?
A. There’s some software for tracking. Brito: We will more likely respond to popular blog negative comments than ones w/no followers. Weber: They hear some negative comments, but often it’s best to ignore them if they’re just haters. Sometimes you have to let people rant. You need to have an active listening program. There are add’l issues w/health care; in the old days w/forums, if someone said they needed an ambulance KP would send them. Had to shut the forums down b/c of this.

Q. Best success story?
A. Andrews: Helped moms and drove traffic. Weber: Farmer’s Market blog. Brito: Town hall meetings (real space) for Yahoo groups.

Goals:
•    Have a plan w/objectives
•    Find the right people
•    Use the right tools
•    Be transparent
•    Have an active listening policy