SMBME 30 – Looking Ahead to 2012

We did this last year with 2011 and thought it was pretty fun so we decided to do it again. For this breakfast we had some local experts come and reflect on the year that is passing us by and make some predictions on the year to come.

We started this breakfast with Rich Brooks from flyte new media. Rich took us through some of the most popular social media tools of 2011 and discussed whether we should Buy, Sell or Hold the initiative going into 2012. Rich’s presentation was smart and funny and just the wake up a lot of us needed first thing in the morning.

Our second presenter was Monica Wright from Hall Internet Marketing who presented on probably the biggest change we will see in the internet marketing landscape for 2012 – Google+. Monica explained why Google+ is so important and how it not only effects our social profile but also our search profile. She also gave us a lot of things to look for with Google+ in 2012. Her presentation is below.

Our final presenter of the morning was Marc Pitman. Marc and his family took a big risk in 2011 and put all of their efforts into Marc growing his business. We asked Marc to take off his expert hat, put on his case study hat and to tell us what this past year was like for him and his family. Marc shared some of the biggest surprises he found along the way, some bumps in the road and some very moving points on what it takes to ‘go it alone’ and come out on top at the end. You can read more about Marc’s journey over the past year on his blog.

Our Speakers:

Rich Brooks

Rich Brooks is founder and president of flyte new media, a Web design and Internet marketing firm in Portland, Maine. His monthly flyte log email newsletter and company blog focus on Web marketing topics such as search engine optimization, blogs, social media, email marketing, and building Web sites that sell. He is currently an Expert Blogger at FastCompany.com and a regular contributor at SocialMediaExaminer.com.He is a co-founder of Social Media FTW, an organization putting on conferences and events to educate small businesses and non-profits about the power of social media marketing.He is a nationally recognized speaker on blogging, internet marketing and social media. He is the “tech guru” on WCSH Channel 6’s evening news show, 207, and teaches Web marketing and social media courses for entrepreneurs at the University of Southern Maine’s Center for Continuing Education.

Marc Pitman

Marc A. Pitman (@marcapitman) is the author of Ask Without Fear! and founder ofFundraisingCoach.com, a website dedicated to practical ideas for fundraising more effectively. He also teaches internet marketing at Thomas College.

Marc’s expertise and enthusiasm has caught the attention of such organizations as Reuters, Fox News, and the Chronicle of Philanthropy and gets him invited to speak to groups all over the world.

Marc’s experience also includes pastoring a Vineyard church and managing a gubernatorial campaign. He is the husband to his best friend and the father of three amazing kids. And if you drive by him, he’ll be singing 80’s tunes loud enough to embarrass his family.

Monica Wright

Monica Wright is a veteran online marketer specializing in SEO and social media, and has worked with national and regional clients in a wide variety of industries including hi-tech, medical, hospitality & tourism, higher education and media companies. Her core strengths are building audiences and visibility using search, as well as diagnostic SEO. Monica is a nationally recognized search marketer who has spoken at SMX East, SMX Advanced, and contributes to internet marketing sites across the web. When she is not busy working with Hall clients, she serves as Community Editor for Search Engine Land, the leading online publication for search news, research and anaylsis, commentary and expert advice. You can always find her causing trouble on Twitter (@monicawright).