Alberta Business Marketing

Nothing better than investing an hour with two of your best friends.  It is always great to have allies and friends across the globe who share the same mindset and goals in life.  This is what happened on July 28th, my good friend Daniel Gutierrez who hosts a business webcast each week on blogtalkradio.com invited me and my mentor Bob Burg onto his program.  Danny’s show is similar to what I do with the Ulistic Orange Files, a small business webcast focused on delivering practical business advice to small business owners globally.  I was blessed to be even consider by Danny for his show.

You can listen to Daniel, Bob and I by tuning into the recording of the show.

Besides listening to Bob and Danny speak on the Go Giver philosophies and the critical stratospheric laws of success.  I had 30 minutes to chat with Danny about social media and the future of online marketing.  Lots of stuff to cover and 30 minutes is hardly enough time to really dig deep into the key points that business must really look at in order to really hit a home run with social media and all their online marketing.

I did share with Daniel the importance of having your business plan and your marketing plan figured out first.  I may sound like a broken record here and I know I have mentioned countless times on my blog about the importance of your plans prior to moving to execution phase.  However, many still simply jump to execution and have no real business plan.

Another topics we discussed was the continued importance of meeting people face-to-face and how we can leverage social media and other strategies to enhance our overall business communication strategies.  Social Media doesn’t replace face-to-face, it enhances what we do today with our business communications and even those relationships outside of business.

I also shared with Daniel on the importance of your small business doing your homework before rushing out and hiring the first living or breathing social media consultant.  You need to do your homework and find the right fit for your business.

Thank You Danny and thanks Bob for being my partner in crime.

Tags: bob burg, Business, business plan, Business Success, Business/Finance, Daniel Gutierrez, Danny, Homework, Human Interest, Management, social media, social media consultant, Strategic management
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What a concept, is your social media generating revenue for your business?  Directly or indirectly?  Are you making a return on your social media efforts either a return on the investment or a return on the opportunity.  We are in business to serve the community and to get paid for providing these services, correct?  Enough of the fluff.  Is your social media activities generating leads, prospects and interest from those who will buy your products and services.

When did this “group hug” thing start to over take good business decisions with social media?  Many of my colleagues in traditional marketing may never say “Go ahead and send out your postcard campaign and share information on what someone else is doing”.  So why is this acceptable behaviour in social media?

When did we lose our focus around what are business is truly here for?  Was is Napster?  Was it software piracy?  Was it this Freemium mindset? Was it illegally downloading movies?  Is it this lifestyle or behaviours that have swung our society into this mindset about not promoting our organizations or offering our products for sale.

Sure, you know what…believing others before the corporate message has been around for a long time.  It is called “word of mouth” and referrals from colleagues is nothing new, we have been doing it long before Facebook or even computers were on every desk.  But, some folks out there are telling business that social media is not for promoting your business or attempting to reach new markets.

Hey, I even drank that kool-aid until I met with my banker and he told me…great stuff Stuart but how are you going to pay your mortgage?  We don’t accept your goodwill here?  That was all I need to hear!

Your business is in business to serve the community and to get paid accordingly for these services you provide.

BTW, I am not talking about a free ticket to SPAM but we need to make sure our messages are around service, education and then “YOUR CALL TO ACTION”.

I highly recommend we focus on serving our community and also focus on the bottom line of our business.  Understand real marketing metrics and not some “social currency” that is truly worthless in the real business community.

You are in business to serve and get paid for the services you provide.

Tags: banker, Business/Finance, Computing, Facebook Inc, Napster, Social Landscape, social media, software piracy
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Some times the best view of Calgary is from the rear view mirror

For those of us who live and work in Calgary, here is the perfect brunch getaway for your Sunday mornings.  Invest some of your well-earned time and hop in your car and drive west about 45 minutes from the city. You are aiming for Exshaw/Seebe.  When you get to this exit, right after the Hey 40 turn off for Kananaskis Country, exit off the highway and head south towards the Rafter Six Ranch.  There you will find the best kept secret in the entire Province of Alberta.

Last Sunday my wife and I decided to just this, we got in our car headed towards the mountain parks for the day.  I have often heard to the awesome brunch at the Rafter Six Ranch and thought this was the perfect way to start the day.  I wasn’t expecting the awesome service and hospitality we received when we arrived and throughout our 3 or 4 hours we spent at the ranch that day.  The service is amazing and these folks truly understand Western hospitality.

Be warned…The Cowboy brunch doesn’t start until 11 AM…really 11:30 but who cares when you are out there, if you are the type to get upset because your schedule is out of whack…then don’t go, it is truly a laid back Western way of life out on the ranch and those who are in a rush, you will go crazy.  Just sit on the patio, enjoy a cup of coffee and watch the horses, the dogs and the clouds go by against a wonderful Rocky Mountain backdrop.

This is one of Alberta’s gems nestled in the Canadian Rockies.  Need a stress-free day come and experience the laid back Alberta lifestyle and get out of the city for a little while.

I know where I am going on my think days from now on.  I think I will take one day in August to go out and just think.

After our bunch and our wagon ride around the ranch, we managed to strike off something off of our “100 things to do” list.  In all the time we have lived in Calgary we have never driven the Spray Lakes Trail from Canmore to Hwy 40.  This is worth the 70 km of dusty road as well.  Want to experience the mountains close up and the freshness of the air and the lakes…do this drive.

What is the reason for this post…sometimes we need to take a break from being a social media consultant and enjoy the beauty that is around us.

Tags: Brunch, Calgary, Exshaw Alberta, Hospitality/Recreation, Rafter, Rocky Mountain, Seebe Alberta, social media consultant, Spray Lakes Trail, Stuart's ramblings, Trans Canada Highway
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Saturday, July 24 is the only date on the CFL regular season schedule this year that typical normal everyday Calgarians turned into green monsters from Saskatchewan.   The Saskatchewan Roughriders played the Calgary Stampeders at McMahon and lost 40-20 to Henry Burris and the Stamps.  To put this game into perspective for my readers south of the border or outside Canada…Henry Burris says this game is as big as Florida vs. Florida St in College Football.

Back to the fans…it is true…Saskatchewan fans lurk amongst every day Calgarians and once or twice a year they come out of the closet to support their “GO RIDERS”.  Look over your shoulder and you will see Roughrider fans mixed into everyday Calgarians.

Have you heard of Saskatchewan? It is the only province in Canada that is easy to draw but extremely difficult to spell for the non-Canadian, in our schools we learn how to spell Saskatchewan…sometimes over and over and over.  OK, I am poking fun at the thousands of Saskatchewan transplants now living in Calgary and according to the Edmonton Eskimos President, the same thing goes up in the only CFL team not to have a win so far during this season’s campaign.

I am talking about Football and our game, the CFL.

Rider Pride…for those who support it is a beautiful thing and those who don’t well they may not be the biggest fans of the cutout watermelons and the strange get ups that come out of the closets to those who support the green.

RIDER PRIDE IS A MARKETING SUCCESS STORY!

Why is Rider Pride important?  Like many CFL teams, they had their struggles when it is uncool to like Canadian Football. Their has been a tremendous amount of change in the CFL since those days across the entire league.  Maybe we owe Saskatchewan some credit.  CFL football is once again cool, fun and extremely exciting to watch.  3 downs, 110 yard field and 12 guys banging it out on our turf.

Here is an interesting fact about Saskatchewan though.

Did you know that the Saskatchewan Roughriders (aka RIDERS) sell more merchandise than all the other CFL teams combined!  Why is that?  What is happening in those small towns and in their big cities throughout our central prairie province?  What did the Riders do to attract raving fans?  And what can we learn in our own businesses to do the same thing?

As a Calgary consultant who focuses on marketing the Riders just maybe a great study.  One thing I can assume very easily is that the Rider brass doesn’t care about logo infringement with their fans who paint the Rider “S” on almost anything that can hold a coat of paint.  Cars, houses, chests, Pilsner boxes…you name it, if it can hold an “S” it gets painted on.

I see so many companies and recently had a discussion with a colleague of mine who works for a MLM.  The directors of the Multi Level Marketing firm have dictated to their loyal supporters that they are not allowed to use logos, verbage or product descriptions on any outside marketing material.  Here they have an army of sometimes brainwashed raving fans who can’t share their story online or make their own marketing materials.

This I simply don’t understand and never will.  It is mind-boggling when you look at what happens in Saskatchewan and how the fans are raving about their team and organizations like Harley Davidson who never frown upon people painting their bodies with Harley tattoos.

It is obvious Raving Fans are the best thing for your business.  Never, ever stop them from promoting you in their own way.  Let them rock and roll and make things happen.

Tags: British Columbia Lions, Business Success, Calgary, Calgary Consultant, canada, Edmonton, Edmonton Eskimos President, football, Harley Davidson, paint, President, Pride, Rider, Roy Shivers, Saskatchewan, Sports
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This post may ruffle a few feathers especially here in our Calgary Social Media consulting world.  But what the heck, sometimes I learn from Vladville and gotta upset the apple cart from time to time.  I am only writing this because I care enough about Canadian small business to raise a flag on all the “so-called” gurus out there ready to take your money and give you nothing in return.  Buyer Beware and do your homework before giving your credit card number or writing a cheque.

How does the average Canadian small business see Social Media? What does your business think of those feverishly running around or continuous tweeting looking to pitch their services?  $100 off a strategy session here and promises to manage a company’s social media there. There is still a lot of promises about experts looking to fill the pipelines of Canadian small business with endless referrals become of their social media activities.

Sorry, I have to throw my BS flag here. Just because you have a website and sent out 5 tweets doesn’t make you a marketing expert.  Our team at Ulistic are serious and professionally trained consultants and a team who works strategically with business across the globe.  We take an exception to those social media gurus out there who think they can save the day with a simple Facebook Page and Twitter account.  Sorry, social media success is part of a greater marketing strategy and business plan loaded with KPIs and objectives.

There are some markets our team has a wealth of experience and some we simply have a basic understanding.  We know our strengths and appreciate our weaker areas.  I can’t promise that we will fill your pipeline with gobs of referrals.

What if no one is looking for what you are offering?
What if your sales team can’t follow-up on leads?

What if…what I can promise if you do things right and follow the new rules of marketing you can position yourself to win new potential opportunities, but I can’t promise you the phone will ring off the wall.  Those who promise this, sorry I simply don’t understand it.

With that, more and more social media consultants are popping up on the landscape claiming to save the day.  It is almost embarrassing.  The social media consulting space here in Calgary and across all of Canada is becoming extremely crowded.  Crowded  with social media consultants and self-proclaimed experts.  Those who have a family businesses to former golf ball and promotional products experts flying in to save the day with Social Media.

Wait a second here!

Here are a few things to watch out for when hiring a social media consultant for your business:

• Is your social media consultant going to educate you and your team.  Your team must own your strategy.  A great consultant will share everything they know and use to help position your business for success.  Speaking from experience, our Ulistic Social Media Coaching program is in hot demand simply because we coach and work with the clients we serve to position themselves and be in the right spot, hopefully at the right time.
• You as the business owner or leader must own the strategy, outsource the tactical but the business owner must own the strategy.  I can’t tell you what going to happen in your market.  But I can help you formulate and then execute a plan based on your own business intelligence.
• Do your research.  When finding a firm to work with check some basic things.  Does their website look like some cheap or free template?  Does your social media consultant have a professional image?  How do they show up at your office?  Suit and Tie or T-shirt and shorts.
• Never, Ever hand over any money without doing your background check.  Ask for references, talk with those in your industry and most importantly do your own Google search on the firm you are looking for.  If your social media expert is going to position you for online success, they better be high on the first page of Google.
• Does your social media professional have deep strategic relationships?  What industry groups do they have membership in?  Who endorses their work?  Do your homework and ask the right questions.
• Ask your social media expert for their P and L and income statements to prove they are a legitimate business.  Nothing wrong with asking for proof they are running a successful enterprise.

Real business needs real world consulting. Not someone who will tweet your specials and start a fan page on Facebook.  Your business is not going to win with social media alone, social media must be integrated into your overall marketing strategy.  A strategic marketing coach with specialities in online marketing, social media and search engine optimization can help your business understand this part of the strategy but also have resources outside of the online marketing world to help with the overall marketing strategy and business execution.

That is the end of my rant…here is my last tip to the business owner…Do Your Homework and Buyer Beware!

Tags: Business, Business/Finance, Calgary, canada, Consultants, Internet Marketing, Media consultant, media consultants, media consulting space, online marketing world, sales, search engine, search engine optimization, Social information processing, Social Issues, social media, social media consultant for your business, strategic coach, Stuart's ramblings
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