The buzz around the CompTIA Breakaway conference this week in San Antonio varies from circle to circle but there are some consistent themes being discussed in the breakouts, keynotes and hallways of the JW Marriott Resort in San Antonio.

• Healthcare IT is one of the hot topics this time around.  Every US MSP is looking at Healthcare and why not, it is almost like the perfect gift.  Now, this Canadian blogger and MSP Marketing Professional needs to learn more about US Healthcare but from what I can understand many Doctors are now mandated to make the move to some sort of EMR solution.  I am sure there is more to it, but a good start for me.
• The next topic is the CLOUD.  What is cloud computing?  How will it impact my MSP business and what do I need to do now.  I know Arlin Sorensen has talked for a couple of years on cloud preparation and I firmly believe the time is now to act on getting cloud solutions integrated into your overall service offering.

What does it take to succeed with MSP marketing especially in these verticals?

Having a plan, strategy and action items are important and a must for every MSP looking at jumping into these new worlds or even simply just getting into managed services….but you also need clients.

How do you find or attract new clients?

Marketing and effective, targeted and well thought out marketing strategies.  Your MSP business needs a marketing coach and someone who has walked a mile in your shoes.  You need to do your homework and get the right solution that meets the needs of your business and meets the needs of the market you are going after.

How do you attract new opportunities?

Simply put…speak their language.  Your marketing must speak the language of the market your going after and your online marketing crafted to attract those looking for exactly what they are looking for.

Keyword Research, Online forums and special interest groups are where you must start.  Having the perfect business blog that attracts and retains those interested in learning from you and buying from you is crucial as well.

Then you must execute!

Need a hand, give me a call at 403.775.2205.

This post is written for Calgary Real Estate Professionals however it applies to every business model

Each week Ulistic, your local Calgary Internet Marketing and Search Engine Optimization team hosts a series of webinars to help Calgary business understand online marketing, social media, Internet Technologies and help debunk some of the myths associated with social media and general online marketing.

This week, our team at Ulistic hosted a webinar for a number of Calgary-based REALTORS® on the power of social media and Internet marketing to help them market their listings more efficiently online.  This was not a hyped up social media discussion and actually social media was just a sliver of what we discussed during the 60 minute REALTOR® webinar.

Here are some of the highlights and what you can do as a REALTOR® to help place your Real Estate business online.

Success online takes commitment, this is the first crucial step towards success in anything we do.  REALTORS® who demonstrate commitment in applying the principles of effective online marketing make great success stories versus those who pay it “lip service”.  This is not something you simply set and forget.  Online Marketing success takes effort, it takes commitment and it takes time. Set up a schedule and commit to keeping that schedule.  For those who were on the webinar, remember F + V = C.

Does your REALTOR® website welcome and convert visitors to potential qualified buyers and sellers?  You don’t need another virtual billboard on the Internet highway.  Personally, I would rather have 10 solid buyers and sellers visit my site each week versus having thousands of visitors who never engage with me.  Does this concept make sense? Your marketing online must attract qualified prospects to your business or why are you doing it?  Numbers don’t matter if no one engages with you.

Experiment with new ways of doing the old things.  We discussed services like Microsoft Tags and other new technologies can offer the same information to a new audience.  Consider attaching tags or bar codes for those interested in learning more about your listings.  With smart phones, a potential buyer can easily research your listings with a click of their camera.  Microsoft Tag is a great way for you to showcase your listings.  Almost everyone today has a smart phone, let’s leverage this for our benefit.

And finally, don’t forget about video.  If a picture says a thousand words, then video must say millions.  Start using video now in your business and use it for your advantage.

These are just a few of the items we covered during our REALTOR® webinar this week.  If you would like to learn more about Social Media for REALTORS® give me a shout at 403.775.2205 and our team at Ulistic would be more than happy to work with you or you can click here to contact me directly online.

Everyday I get asked by someone who is wanting the “quick win” with their marketing.  What do I have to do today to enable the phone to ring tomorrow?  Well, that is a very good question.  I am one hundred percent sure there is some marketing guru out there who can give you some quick win success formula that will enable this happen.  A couple a tweets here, a Facebook status update there and you are off to the races.  You need to simply spend two minutes on Google and you can easily find them, there are lots of gurus and ninjas and self-proclaimed experts who can help you.  Sure get the quick win, lots of promise but they all lack real substance.

Success in marketing doesn’t come overnight, I know…I haven’t been marketing for several years and it takes blood, sweat and tears.  It takes works and it takes time.  It takes patience and most importantly, it takes commitment.  The only thing overnight about marketing is your blunders that knock you down.  Those for some reason they seem to occur overnight, but success doesn’t.

I was reading on the side of my cereal box this morning about healthy eating.  Same thing, healthy lifestyles isn’t a race it is a journey and the same thing can be said about your marketing and especially your social media activities.

Success with social media is definitely not a race.  It is a journey and a tough uphill journey at the best of times.   It takes commitment from you and your entire team.  It takes more than just opening a Twitter account, Facebook Page and throwing up a free WordPress or blogger site.  Social Media takes planning, preparation and it requires everyone in the company to play a role.  I don’t care if you have three employees, thirty-three or three thousand and three.  Everyone must play a part.

This is what we do at Ulistic, everyone plays a role in our social media activities.  David, Frank and myself (soon Melanie) all play our parts and we all have the same goal just different paths that are strategically laid out in our marketing plan.  We all blog regularly and we participate in blog commenting almost daily, we are active on Facebook, Twitter and others and most importantly, we are active in our communities and this includes online and face-to-face.  I mentioned this in my podcast with Daniel Gutierrez and Bob Burg the other night…nothing will replace a face-to-face meeting, your social media fills these gaps and helps you get to face-to-face.

Are you expecting that quick win?  You may be a tad bit disappointed with this mindset.  For those who are out there consistently adding value and enriching the lives of others you will have success and it will take time.  Success with your social media marketing is helping others but also getting paid to help these people.  Bob says’ “Give more in value than you take in payment”.  You need to provide value but don’t do it for free.  Never lose site that you are in business and you must convert visitors, fans and followers to clients.  If you don’t you have a big network.  That’s it.

Need help figuring all this out, give me a call 403.775.2205.

Thanks to my good friend Marcia Johnson for sharing this with me.

Microsoft Tag!

I have been sharing with a number of the small business clients that we work with at Ulistic about the day when tagging comes into play.  Now, it is here with Microsoft Tag.

What do I mean by tagging?  If you check out the Microsoft Tag website you will learn a tonne about what they have to offer.

In a nutshell a Microsoft Tag is something similar to a bar code that you see on any product we purchase at the supermarket.  Traditionally bar codes were used for internal inventory or other systems that a store would use.  Now this is all going to change!

Microsoft Tag now takes what was traditionally an internal mechanism and puts power into the hands of the consumer.  Many restaurant owners, small business managers and those who run hotels may be shaking in their boots or jumping up and down in celebration.

What Microsoft Tag offers now is something like this bar code that a web designer can use on a website, a restaurant owner can post on their menu or a hotel owner can share on the front door of the hotel.  Consumers, readers, information gatherers now with their smart phone or mobile phone can use a special Microsoft Tag Reader to scan the image (see near the bottom of my blog for a functional example) and they ar directed to a mobile website that offers additional information or where you can leave a review or share your feedback.

Where I see this playing a major role in business?  The opportunities are endless..really.  Need to solicit reviews from those who come to your restaurant..put a Microsoft Tag on your credit card bill.  Want to keep in touch with those who purchased products and services from you, get a Microsoft Tag and email the tag to your visitors.  Imagine the potential this can have for small business.

Microsoft Tags are where the fax machines were in the early days….remember what happened with fax machines…now everyone has one.

Over the next few weeks I will learn more about practical uses for Microsoft Tag.  This is so new the exact impact on business is still to be determined but I think it will be huge!  Almost as big as video.  Want to chat about Microsoft Tag, give me a shout at 403.775.2205.

What a pleasant surprise at today’s Mind Over Marketing day here in Calgary.

Greg from “The Engaged Entrepreneur” was a pleasant addition to the speaker lineup at the Mind Over Marketing boot camp today and shared some great strategies on marketing for our small businesses.  Greg had a great question on “Why is so much marketing screwed up?” What a great question!

I shared this belief with a number of my fellow Canadian small business owners on why our marketing simply doesn’t work.  Here is the main issue…we are all focused on “IMAGE MARKETING”.  You know or maybe you don’t know.  Drive down any highway and you will see classic examples of image advertising…just look for all the billboards.  The biggest challenge with image-based advertising is this…you can’t measure it.  Lesson of the day – If you can’t easily measure it…DON’T DO IT!

Here are a few great small business marketing ideas I learned from Greg.

Never drive traffic to your main website – David and I talk about this all the time.  Domain names are cheap and people who specialize in Internet Marketing are plentiful.  When you run a campaign or do some marketing, register a special domain at godaddy.com or your favourite registrar and then have everyone go to that specially registered domain name.  Why?  So you can measure how effective your marketing is.  Ulistic can help with strategy around this.  There are many ways to implement this, so before you spend a dime…call me at 403.775.2205.

Not everyone is your target market – Most entrepreneurs are afraid of limiting their target market.  Well, the opposite is the reality.  With Ulistic, we focus on hi-tech organizations, IT Professionals, Real Estate Agents, Real Estate businesses and keep our focus aligned on what we do best.  Not everyone is in your target market.

Keep it simple – Avoid high prices imaged-based marketing.  Keep your marketing simple and targeted.  Always think about the target market that you are serving and think about them some more.  People are always asking “Who cares, what is in it for me?”. Simple marketing works, put yourself in the heads of the market you are looking to serve and then serve, serve, serve them.

What does this have to do with social media or online marketing?  Lots!

As I mentioned in my talk yesterday at Mind Over Marketing…the barrier to entry is extremely low and never before has access to the market been so affordable for small business.  Don’t bring in the mistakes of image-based marketing into the online world.  Put yourself in the shoes of your prospect and market and then serve them.  Position your marketing, your blogs, and social media to serve and offer great advice and service.

If you need some help with online marketing and position yourself online as a servant to your community give me a shout at 403.775.2205.

I am so pumped about today.

Why?  The Mind Over Marketing Event is being held in NE Calgary and in just a few short hours I will be taking the stage to share so information on Search Engine Optimization and the importance of Social Media in the Canadian economy.

My good friend Teresa de Grosbois decided to put on this event a while back as a way to give back to the community and to share some of her best relationships with us.  I can really appreciate the hard work involved with putting on an event of this magnitude.  Way to go…Teresa! (also Lynne and Jodi).

Thanks Teresa for doing this and thanks for the honour to be speaking to your attendees.

Social Media and Search Engine Optimization in todays’ world is my topic and also my passion.  This is where I have decided to serve the Canadian Small Business community and those who work in the Information Technology community.  So of course my talk to the room of Calgary business people assembled at Mind Over Marketing is on what I am passionate about.

One of the vibes I am picking up from my brief attendance yesterday is the importance of being authentic and also being real. People can spot phonies a mile away.  The importance of authenticity especially in today’s world is crucial and a critical success factor.  You just have to look Apple commercials to see what being authentic is all about.

Over and over again I am seeing examples of where people are immediately tuning out to the hype of sly sales tactics.   You know the ones who use fancy words such as amazing, Limited Time, Hurry, Only a few seats remain…yes, even I have used them recently.  (insert virtual hand slap here).  Authenticity also means admit when you screw up and not being ashamed about it.  After all, we learn all the time don’t we?  I guess I have some baggage from all those free breakfast and lunches I attended here in Calgary a few years back.  Man, the damage those events caused is still unbelievable to your thought patterns.

I will be also be speaking about the importance of SWIPE (thanks Dawson Lane) today.  Sharing with intent, purpose and emotion or sharing with intent purpose and excellence…still trying to shake this one out a bit.   The keywords are sharing, purpose and intent.  A few days ago I shared this concept with many of you on my blog.  The original wording was Steal with integrity, pride everywhere.  Not sure if this really flies in our world today.  I prefer sharing vs. stealing.

For those coming to Mind Over Marketing…I hope you enjoy my talk and for those who weren’t there and are interested in hearing it…call me 403.775.2205.

I was reading a very interesting online article from my very good friend in New York state this morning.  Joe Panettieri is a trusted colleague, friend and someone I take my guidance from when it comes to blog writing, social media and online marketing.  Joe runs a few very successful blogs focused on the IT services industry where he shares news, trends, observations  and a number of other creative topics focused in the vibrant information services world.  Joe has carved out a niche.

In one of his recent blog posts, Joe asks the question “Small Business Social Media: A Noisy Waste of Time?”

This got me thinking in the very early hours about my most recent 24 hours and how my online social media has worked.  In the past 24 hours I was interviewed by “The Canadian Employer” magazine on social media in Canada plus Ulistic is very fortunate to be working with another successful REALTOR in Calgary.

What does this tell me?

When used effectively, respectfully and with purpose…social media can help position your business and generate a buzz about what you do in your market.  However, for some “Social Media” is just a noisy waste of time.  ReTweet this, post this, share that…with no intent or purpose…just adds to the noise.

Here are some things I attempt to do each day that ensures my investment in social media does end up as just noise out there:

• Focus on a niche - Just like my buddy Joe has found success in a particular industry so can you.  You must pick a niche and excel in that niche.  Sorry folks, being spread out across multiple platforms doesn’t work and for those who say “small business” is my niche.  Sorry to disappoint you, but that is just to broad of a focus.  What business models do you know?  What industries can you learn?  Where can you excel?
• Master that market – Once you pick your niche…master it.  Learn everything you can.  How is business done?  How are the movers and shakers in that industry.  What are the terminologies used?  Where do you see gaps  and how can you fill them? (When I started in the IT industry I focused on oil and gas.  I made getting to know what everyone does in a company crucial to knowing the industry…so should you).
• Continue to learn – Never stop learning or never stop sharpening your saw.  Attend their industry trade shows.  Participate at their local events.  Attend their courses.  You must never stop continuing to learn.
• Post intelligence - Don’t post noise (hey, learn from me).  Post relevant observations on what is happening in that market, not just various statements and useless junk.  If you have nothing to say…don’t retweet just to be heard.

Focusing on quality information and post/sharing with purpose will stop you from adding to the noise.  Know your audience and how you can help or assist them.  Seek the advice of an expert to help get you started in the right direction.

Here is a quick acronym to help you with your blog posts, tweets and anything you do online:

S – share
W – with
I – intent
P – purpose and
E – excellence

Can you SWIPE?

Ulistic focuses on working with Technology firms (small business computer consultants and managed services providers) plus real estate agents, REALTORS and those in the Real Estate business (mortgage brokers, agents etc).  We do work with general small business however we know that our marketing needs to focused on our niche markets as well.

Once you get this and you focus on SWIPE….your social media will raise above the noise.

If your IT services firm, real estate brokerage requires help with online marketing, social media or simply getting you found online…give me a call today at 403.775.2205…cheers Stuart.

I am back in my home office after a very busy couple of weeks which saw David and I hit the road to Los Angeles, California and then immediately flip the other way and head to Toronto, Ontario.  I love travel, I love being on the road and love to serve those who need help and it doesn’t matter where they are physically located.  Service is what matters and helping those in need of quality support is my personal number one priority.  Travel puts strains on the level of commitment I promise the clients I serve, so this week is a catch up week on my commitments.

Commitment…what a huge word.  Many say they are committed to a cause, their careers or their family.  But, even more who say they are never truly demonstrate it.

What is commitment? Is it getting up at 5 AM and getting two blog posts done for clients before 6 AM?  Is commitment ensuring your son’s sunburn is OK?  How about your spouse? Is ensuring the needs of the family are taken care of…commitment?  Of course all of the above are great examples of commitment and where we need to be committed.

I am not going to discuss spousal, family, church etc in this post…I would rather keep it on a professional level.  Your business and the success of your business.  We all know that marketing your business, starting a blog, ensuring your sales funnel is healthy and having happy customers all takes commitment but how do you manage this commitment.  Like I said earlier there are many of your peers who pay lip service to the word commitment and never truly understand or really want to know what it really means.

Since I work with small business owners across Canada and the US each day on social media marketing and online success…allow me to slip back into my own comfort zone here.  Social Media success takes 100% commitment.  Like anything in business you can’t go halfway and expect success.  It just isn’t going to happen…just like customer service, you need to commit to servicing your clients in order to truly have success in the relationship.

Here are a few tips to help you with committing to your social media success:

1. Develop a plan and stick to the plan – If it is blogging three times a week commit to it.  If it is tweeting four times a day, then do it.  You need to have a plan and then stick to the plan.
2. Schedule your time – put it in your calendar.  This is part of your business and must be scheduled and then the schedule has to stick.  How many stale blogs are out there?  Started by business owners with great intentions but no commitment?  Start it, schedule it and stick to it.
3. Find help - You need a coach when it comes to this stuff.  Social Media is much more than Twitter and Facebook…do you have someone to help you?

Commitment is a big word to many…even myself, however I am committed to sharing thoughts with you each day…or you wouldn’t get this email or read this post.

What can I do to help you…give me a shout at 403.775.2205, I would love to help you if you require some support and a person to bounce ideas off of.  If you are located in Toronto, Boston, New York or right here in Calgary…it doesn’t matter.  I am here to serve you and the needs of your business.

Over the course of the past 48 hours, one continuous message was almost a centre of discussion at the SESTO show which has recently wrapped up in Toronto was the elimination of spam in search.

The other day I got to see “doorway page” spam at work. I was on a conference call and was fielding some questions about search engine optimization with a potential client of ours at Ulistic. This client has an older site laced with hundreds of links in the footer of their main corporate site and is reluctant to remove them. He believes they work and my guess is some inexperienced SEO guru told him this is what he needs to do in order to succeed online.

Well, nothing is further from the truth in today’s search world. Those links at the bottom of your page are not scoring high in the Google world and they may be flagged as spam and will potentially harm your overall page ranking. Driving off page one instead of keeping you at the top.

What works? This list is quite a lengthy one but I will touch on just a couple of examples right now:

Keyword Rich Content – I preach about then importance of balance of design and content. Your website needs to work for the reader and for Google. Balancing the design of your site with well-written and keyword rich copy is crucial to attract qualified prospects from the search engines.

Be personable – This point is very important. You need to be personable online. Blogs and social media are wonderful ways your business can “have a face” online. Using Facebook, Twitter, video and blogs are key important personable tools all business must embrace.

There is more to life than self-serving links, especially spam-filled self-serving links…this is from the horse’s mouth and was shared with us SEO professionals at the Search Engine Strategies show in Toronto. Stop the cycle of pages filled with spam.

Get personable and educated your followers. Share your insight and share your knowledge and you just may rise to the top of the table.

My company Ulistic works with business across Canada understand SEO, social media and the importance of doing business online today. Give us a ring at 403.775.2205 with any questions you may have.

Greetings from Toronto and the floor of SES 2010 Toronto.

During the next couple of days the members of Ulistic are wearing our “press and PR” hats.  David and I have been invited to cover in our blogs, all the great things going on at this years Search Engine Strategies Toronto conference.  This is my first time ever at this event and I am very excited to be back in my hometown.  It is truly an honour to be working in this industry and very excited to be reporting on all the great things happening in and around this two-day conference.

I was shocked to hear that this year’s SES 2010 Toronto event is the 7th annual event.  It only seems like yesterday that search engine optimization became such a big deal.  But it is for many Canadian small businesses?  I believe that effective SEO strategies are a big deal and it is now a very crucial component to any marketing and sales plan.  It is time for Canadian business to execute on creating vibrant SEO campaigns to help market their business in the highly competitive online world we live in.  I am not going to start my rant about planning again today, however if you are not thinking about your search positioning on the major search engine engines you maybe missing out on opportunities out in the market.

SEO is especially important since I just learned that the Yellow Pages Residential directories are going to stopped in seven cities across Canada.  They are urging people to go online and search for information.  Wait a second, they are encouraging you to do what?  Yes, search for information online.  Now do you get the importance of SEO.

Ulistic is a Calgary-based Search Engine Optimization firm specializing in helping your business gain exposure online and David and I are here in Toronto attending and covering the SES 2010 event.  Need some help to figure out SEO for your Canadian Small Business…give me a ring at 403.775.2205.