MaineBusiness.com

Building a Sustainable Business in Maine

There was a great article on MEBSR (Maine Businesses for Social Responsibility) in the Maine Sunday Telegram. The article was called Doing Well While Doing Good and talked about the slight shift in focus of MEBSR and interviewed a few of its members.

Personally, I think MEBSR has a perception problem. The "social responsibility" in the name leads some business owners to think that MEBSR wants businesses to become some sort of charitable organization, or doing things that cost them money.

That's NOT the purpose or mission of MEBSR. I'm a member of MEBSR (and now vice-president) because I believe it's essential for businesses--big and small--to be sustainable. To be able to survive in a global economy. To reduce costs and improve profits by reducing waste. To have long-term vision.

MEBSR's not about scoring karma points. It's about networking with like-minded (and unlike-minded) people who have reduced turnover, lowered costs, and built a more sustainable business that they can grow, sell or handover to their children. It's a facilitator of great ideas that can help Maine businesses grow and prosper.

Pick up any business magazine--BusinessWeek, Business 2.0, Inc., Entrepreneur, Fast Company, Forbes--and you'll find article after article, sometimes even cover stories, on how companies are going green and making money at it. How consumers are demanding more accountability. And how talented employees are leaving for companies who "get it."

MEBSR's goal this year is to facilitate these conversations, these learning opportunities, through events both in the real world and online. Not to preach that social responsibility is important, but to help Maine businesses network and teach each other best practices to run a sustainable business over the long haul.

MEBSR members are going to learn how to run a business with less waste, less employee turnover and more and prolonged profitability.

Now tell me: are you in?

By the way, if you have any questions on MEBSR, or want to join up or renew, feel free to contact me direct: 207.523.5141.

Rich Brooks
MEBSR Vice-President

Building a Web Site with Search Engines in Mind

While it's never too late to optimize your site for search engine visibility, the best time to do it is before you build it (or rebuild it.)

Why? For the same reason it's better to plan the electrical system before you build your house; it's less expensive to build the electrical system into the house rather than tear down walls to install the wiring.

At the most recent Search Engine Strategies seminar in San Jose, there was a session entitled Search Engine Friendly Design with a panel made up of Shari Thurow, Founder & SEO, Omni Marketing Interactive and Maine's own Anne Kennedy, Managing Partner, Beyond Ink.

The entire session has been documented and can be found at the SE Round Table Web site at Search Engine Friendly Design.

Rich Brooks
Maine Search Engine Marketing

How to Show Your Google Ads Only in Portland, or Bangor, or Lewiston...

There a good post on How to Geotarget Your Google Ads to a Specific City over at SE Round Table.

Why would you want to geotarget your Google Ads? The real question is why wouldn't you? Since every time someone clicks on one of your Google Adwords Ads you pay Google money, you want to make sure that it's a qualified lead. If you're a Bangor dentist, a click from a Portland Web site visitor--no matter how poor her teeth--probably won't land you a new client.

While in the past you could only limit which state the searcher was for, now you can control by city, region and more. If you're going to spend you ad dollars on Google Adwords, spend them wisely.

Are You an Authority?

There's a good article over at copyblogger called "How to Become an Authority Blogger" by Ryan Imel. While it's specific to becoming a blogger with authority, it can really be about becoming an authority or an expert on just about any subject, in just about any medium.

One thing that I've noticed about the people around me is that they're all experts, at least in one or more fields. I have friends who are sports experts, shopping experts, technical experts, Simpsons experts, music experts, real estate experts, b.s. experts...the list goes on. I'm always thinking that any one of them could start a blog writing about what comes naturally to them, sell some Google ads, and make some residual income.

What makes someone an expert--or an authority--is that they know more than the person they're talking to. What you may consider common knowledge is only common to you; I've seen that people are often amazed at the information in my head that I think is rudimentary, and I know that position has been reversed more often than not.

While blogging is a great way of promoting your authority, expertise or credentials, you could use speaking engagements, email newsletters and even press releases as well. The media is always looking for "experts" for a story. I was quoted as a podcasting expert in Inc. magazine because a reporter Googled the term and my name came up. At that point I had about two podcasts under my belt. In other words, compared to most of the readership at Inc. at that point, I was an expert.

Now, go out there and make someone respect your authority.

Why You Should Keep That Old Domain

Often a client may pick up an extra domain or want to promote a new domain as their business focus has changed. There are negative search engine ramifications when you move domain names, but they can be overcome...over time.

However, it's a good idea to keep your old domain pointed to your Web site. That URL may still exist on the business card you gave someone last year, or there may be incoming links to it. The other day I went to what I thought was a client's Web site; I forgot that they were now promoting a new URL, but I didn't realize they had let the old one lapse. Here's what I found:

Yikes.

Not exactly what I'd want people to find when they came looking for me. For a few bucks a year they could have kept their old domain, helping old contacts find them again. That certainly would have paid for itself.

If you did want to shed a domain, you might even try selling it yourself, especially if it's broad enough for another business to take it over.

Rich Brooks
Master of My Domain

Nine Indispensable Online Tools for Your Web-Based Business

Is it plagiarism when you steal from yourself? No, it's re-purposing.

I was on vacation last week, relaxing with the family on Little Sebago in Maine, when I realized I still had to write this month's flyte log, flyte's monthly Web marketing email newsletter. So, I started with my list of Entrepreneurial Web Tools, expanded on each one, added a few new items, and presto! I had a new issue of flyte log.

This month's flyte log also sports our new look, meaning we can finally get back to designing Web sites, business blogs and email newsletters for clients again!

If you don't subscribe to flyte log, you can read Nine Indispensable Online Tools for Your Web-Based Business at our Web site or listen to the audio at flytecast, our Web marketing podcast. You can also subscribe to flyte log and then download for free:

• 10 Questions to Ask Before Setting Up a Web Site,
• The 11 Biggest Mistakes Small Business Bloggers Make, and
• The 11 Commandments of Writing Web Copy for the Non-Copywriter

And, if you want an email newsletter as smart looking as this one, or if you're looking to increase the subscriber base to your email newsletter, just drop us a line.

Rich Brooks
Email Marketing for Small Business

Yes, Virginia, Maine Does Need More Cell Phone Towers

I saw this editorial cartoon today here at MaineToday, where a baby leaned out the car window behind a smoking, cellphone chatting driver and said,

My chatty driver has the same attention/reactions as a legally drunk driver. Does Maine really need more cell phone towers?

Talking on a cell phone while driving does lower your reaction time, but that has nothing to do with the number of cell phone towers in Maine.

I'm just about finished reading The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman. In one chapter he's enjoying uninterrupted wi-fi while zipping through Japan on a high speed train through some very rural areas. He compares that to traveling from Baltimore to Washington, D.C., with cell phone reception that regularly drops as he hits dead zones.

This is what we're competing against, and what our children will be competing against. Yes, drivers shouldn't be chatting on cell phones while driving, but choosing not to improve our telecommunications infrastructure isn't the answer.

More cell phone towers will better connect us to the rest of the world, allowing us to compete on the international stage.

What will you tell that child in the backseat when he/she grows up, that all the good jobs are overseas because their governments invested in the tools to keep their children competitive? Well, you better plan on calling them on a land line.

Can Blogging Help Maine's Tourism Industry?

The Press Herald ran a big article on the current state of Maine's tourism on Sunday with Overnights Up, Day Trips Down.

It was a mixed bag, with the coast seeing some increases and the rest of the state seeing a downturn.

Midweek bookings at motels and campgrounds are lower than
usual, [Vaughn Stinson, executive director of the Maine Tourism Association] said. Inland areas that typically struggle to attract
visitors, such as the Moosehead Lake and Rangeley Lakes
regions, also are reporting slower-than-normal business.

"It's not a robust season by any means," he said.

Earlier there was some talk about sending the current tourism ad campaign out to bid, but it was decided to not make a change now:

The preliminary...data indicate that the state's
advertising and promotion efforts are bringing results, according
to Patricia Eltman, Maine's new tourism director.

That got me to wondering whether any money or training goes to individual businesses that rely on the tourist trade, whether it's lodging, amusement parks, or adventure sailing vacations.

Search engine optimization, email marketing, and especially travel and tourism blogs could go a long way to help attract out-of-staters to spend time and money here in the Pine Tree State.

Lately I'm seeing a lot more innkeepers blogging, which I think is a great way to both increase one's search engine visibility and to promote local businesses such as restaurants and shops. By blogging, innkeepers are doing over the Internet what they've been doing in person for so long: making their guests feel welcome and helping them get the most out of their stay.

Innkeepers should keep in mind what their future guests are searching for at Google or Yahoo when they write their posts:

• Top Five Ogunquit Museums
• Where Can You Rent Kayaks in Kennebunkport?
• Want to Visit an Island Lighthouse?

Blogs can also be used to feature weekend (or midweek) specials, capitalize on traveling art shows, or drum up business during normally slow times. For inns that have a lot of repeat visitors year after year, a blog can be a great way of keeping guests up-to-date with changes and improvements to the facilities, and even be a place where guests can keep in touch with fellow travelers.

Like anything else, the more time and effort innkeepers (and any other business owner for that matter--whether you're involved in tourism or not) put into developing their blog, the more results they'll see from it.

Web Marketing for Entrepreneurs: 4 Week Class at University of Southern Maine

The third time's a charm.

I'll be teaching Web Marketing for Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses at the University of Southern Maine's Center for Continuing Education this fall. The classes will be Thursday evenings from 6pm - 8pm, September 20th - October 11th.

To crib from their site (which I think I wrote originally, anyway):

Your Web site is the hub of your marketing universe. In this four-class
course, you will learn how to build an effective Web site that will
attract qualified prospects and convert them into customers and
clients. You will learn how to optimize your site for the search
engines, utilize e-mail marketing, plan, build, and promote a business
blog, and use other Web marketing techniques to attract clients to your
business. Time will be spent each class reviewing Web sites and
providing feedback on students' Web sites and Web practices.

The cost is $205, there's 8 contact hours (no touching--don't worry) and you can earn .8 CEUs. To learn more and register be sure to visit the Web Marketing course page at the USM site.

Can't make it? Be sure to check out the Web Marketing Seminars section of our Web site.

Rich Brooks
Web Marketer