Rick Kettner’s Personal Blog

I just launched my YouTube channel. Check out the welcome video and subscribe to future videos. They will be covering Internet Marketing tactics, Social Media strategies, and other related topics.

Please leave your questions and comments in reply here or on the YouTube video page. Thanks!

It’s easy to analyze and critique the failure of record executives to identify shifting trends in their industry. Modern Internet marketers wonder how they could be so blind to have missed the opportunity to ride the Internet wave, rather than be pummeled by it. However, many of us are falling into similar ruts, and are failing to identify shifting trends.

In this article, I want to review the importance of diversifying your traffic strategies. More specifically, we are going to analyze shifting trends within the social media space. I think the most important trait an Internet marketer can have is ‘agility’ to deal with an ever changing game. Settle into one way of doing things, and you risk losing your audience. More »

Search Engine Optimization has been around since the the first search engine was created. It may seem odd to predict the death of something that has continued to evolve for decades, but the game has changed. Search engines will continue to power the user experience in new and unique ways, but the algorithms that provide their results will never be the same again.

In this article, we will review the inevitable changes to the modern search engine, and how you can take advantage of the unique opportunity that will result. This revolution will destroy the value created by people that aren’t willing to keep up, but will greatly reward those that are ready to accept the new system. More »

In Linchpin, Seth Godin successfully turns modern business theory upside down. He quickly highlights the flawed mentality of businesses that are founded on automation and dispensable workers. This, he explains, is a race to the bottom. We need to bring the human element back into business. This will allow us to deliver true art with everything we do.

Note: This is actually the first book I have read from Seth Godin. He has written a number of best sellers including Purple Cow, All Marketers Are Liars, Tribes, and Dip. While I plan on reading these in the near future, this review is based on Linchpin alone. More »

Google recently launched their new “Google Buzz” social media network. It has received a massive amount of attention, and has managed to steal the show from another important launch. Google Profiles, while not entirely new, received an important update. This subtle change has actually set the stage for Google to dramatically change the social media scene.

Google Profiles isn’t designed to be your social network. Instead, it will allow Google to harness the power of the other social media networks you are already using. In fact, this single strategic move may have just turned the social media tide in Google’s favor, as they no longer have to compete head on with Facebook or Twitter. More »