Alberta Business Marketing

Tags: search engine optimization, technology, Video
Posted in SEO | | Comments Off

I don't know about you, but I was certainly excited this week when the City of Edmonton named Roland Pemberton - aka the incomparable Cadence Weapon - as their new poet laureate. His Afterparty Babies and Breaking Kayfabe albums are in heavy rotation on my iPod.

He is a fantastic choice because much of his music is ABOUT his experiences living in Edmonton. (His song Oliver Square is a personal favourite of mine.)

That got me thinking about who Calgary could have as our poet laureate. If we even had a poet laureate. So, props to @AvenueMagazine for turning me on to Dragon Fli Empire. After listening to their songs "Mount Pleasant" and "CGY" I'm sold. They would be a great fit.

But I can't do much about the poet laureate gig but I can buy their albums and put them in rotation on the iPod too. Done.

I'll through out the call for a Calgary poet laureate again though. (Regardless of who you think would be a good fit for the job.) This was floated by Council last year and didn't gain any traction. I imagine the number one reason was because people felt the $5,000 honorarium for a two year commitment and a minimum 6 poems was too much.

But look at how much attention Cadence Weapon is getting Edmonton? I'd guess any tourism agency would kill for that kind of play over that long of a time for a miniscule $5k investment.

Tags: Avenue Magazine, Cadence Weapon, calgary city council, Dragon Fli Empire, poet laureate
Posted in Alberta Business | | Comments Off

Just as companies are struggling to grow their customer base, professional Associations are trying to grow theirs (by attracting and retaining members).

The battle for membership is becoming increasingly fierce for Associations and their associated offerings as companies are tightening budgets and demanding increased ROI from all aspects of marketing spending. As such, many Associations are re-positioning their offering to more directly impact their members’ bottom line (through re-branding the Association profession with the end goal of increasing demand for members’ services).

In a recent survey, the four main draws for members of Association membership were identified as: (1) Professional Development, (2) Access to Information/Knowledge, (3) Networking, and (4) Advocacy. But Associations are asking themselves, are these more traditional benefits/offerings sufficient to grow membership? Members must feel that their immediate needs are being met (advocacy, networking, industry news, etc.); however, they must also believe that their Association has the capacity to help their bottom line in the long-term. As a result, we have found that Associations are expanding their offering to include building their Associations’ profession brand. Associations are assuming a support role, ensuring that their members have the resources (information/knowledge, marketing materials, and training) to deliver the new profession brand.

For example, the Appraisal Institute of Canada recently re-branded the ‘appraiser profession’ with the goal of enhancing public perception – thus giving members the opportunity to expand their service offering should the opportunity arise in the long-term. They re-branded the profession from ‘the foremost authority at estimating market value of Canadian real estate’ to ‘accredited members who are qualified to deliver analytical advice and professional opinions across a wide spectrum of services’. Another example is the demand-generating initiative recently launched for the Certified General Accountants profession brand.

Does anyone have another recent example of a really good professional Association branding initiative?

Tags: Branding
Posted in Alberta Business | | Comments Off

I saw this tv spot for Air New Zealand last night on Youtube and thought it was hilarious. The airline has a humorous delivery on the idea they don’t have any hidden fees when it comes to additional charges for services such as food and drink, booking seats online and baggage allowances.

Created by .99 New Zealand. Music is “Under My Skin” by Auckland singer Gin Wigmore.

A cheeky approach that gets the point across.

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Of the different types of people your tourism business interacts with on the Web, the most important are Fans.

Deerhurst Resort engages with their fans

Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville, Ontario will be hosting the G-8 in 2010. With this important international gathering the resort is undergoing a number of upgrades and improvements.

The enhancements included renovations to the Deerhurst Highlands golf pro shop and modification of the dining area, establishing a new Highlands Lounge for the golfers. And with that, came the annual task of deciding on the new menu for the lounge.

Where to get New Menu Ideas?

Ask the Fans

Instead of asking the chef to come up with a new menu, they went to the members first!
I was delighted when I received this email invitation from Simon Bevan, director of golf to offer my advice on the new menu.

To which I wholeheartedly replied!

But would they take my menu suggestion seriously?

You bet, not only can I get the grilled veggie wrap my way, I can get it on toasted flat bread or a swiss triangle too.

How do your fans feel when you engage them?

Let’s just say the club is going to serve up a few more lunches to members this year.

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Posted in Communication, CRM | | Comments Off