Really pleased to be speaking at the ICMA conference in Tallinn, Estonia on May 14th 2009 (International Classified Media Association). The event is titled “SHAPING THE FUTURE OF CLASSIFIEDS” and the session I am speaking at is titled: “Spotlight on innovation”.

It should be interesting as there will be a cross section of publishers present, some who are facing significant challenges to their traditional print revenues and are battling to resolve their online strategy, and others who are very advanced with the execution of an online strategy that is working very well for them.

And what am I talking about: Read the rest of this entry »

UK newspaper The Guardian wrote a piece on local video advertising today.  Journalist, blogger and mega-twitterer Jemima Kiss talks about the Brownbook and Friday Ad alliance to provide local businesses with video ads at a recession-busting price.

See also my other post about local video product here.

Dave

I’m taking a week or so in the Bay Area around May 15th – May 20th.  WANNA MEET UP?

I’m interested in meeting potential partners (local search, SEO, video, classifieds), investors (VC, corporate, or other), movers and shakers (bloggers, journalists, commentators, and more), networking groups, indeed anyone that might have something to offer.

This is a whirlwind trip where the diary is filling fast, so if you’d like to meet up in SFO, Palo Alto or anywhere in the vicinity drop me a line with a short intro

See you then

Dave

dave[at]brownbook.net

I’m always speaking to business owners about how they can get found more on the major search engines, and one topic of a conversation I had last week as Google’s excellent Keyword Tool, and how you can use it to pick UNcompetitive keywords that make you stand out.  You don’t have to be technical to get this.

Read the rest of this entry »

I’m excited to announce that Brownbook and Friday-Ad have teamed up in the UK to provide small businesses with a simple, fast and turnkey online video advertising product.

You can now get 30 second, 1 minute, 2 minute and 3 minute ads from as little as £12 a week, all professionally filmed, edited and produced, PLUS we distribute your video ad on Friday Ad, Brownbook, and over FIFTY other online video and media websites driving you up the search engine results.

Initially we’re piloting this in Sussex and Hampshire, UK, only but in the next few weeks we’ll be rolling it out more widely in the UK, as well as looking for partners in other countries for local production there.

Some interesting stats about video ads

• Video ads increase response rate between FIVE and NINE times, and TWICE the conversion rates
• The second largest search engine, after Google, is YouTube (yes, it even beats Yahoo! And MSN for number of searches each month)
• 15 hours of video are uploaded onto YouTube every minute
• 11 billion videos were viewed online in July 2008
• 75% of all American web users viewed online video in July 2008
• Online video achieves higher attention levels than TV
• Today’s technology has reduced the cost and makes video advertising accessible to all

This is very much like the move from black and white to color ads that swept though the print world when color presses were introduced, it’s an unstoppable movement that local and small businesses are seizing, and you can’t afford to be left behind if you want to be competitive.

Want to know more?

Get a media pack and find out how you can pump up your business with video ads
Drop us a line to videos[AT]friday-ad.co.uk or jerry[AT]brownbook.net

Can you help us?

If you are a freelance videographer or editor and you’d like to be involved in our national and international rollout, get your word in early by emailing me, jerry[AT]brownbook.net now.

Watch the media pack promo

See a few examples

We have products designed to suit every sitaution and every pocket, from simple photo montages, through Q&A or interview styles, to more creative documentary styles with multiple scenes. Here are just a few examples:

Sussex Angling Supplies

Lancing Marine

Jason of Mayfield

Chalk Pit Inn