Alberta Business Marketing

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.

Tags: 403.775.2205, Calgary, canadian social media speaker, dawson lane, Human Interest, information technology, Jodi, Lynne, mind over marketing, search engine, search engine optimization, social media calgary, social media canada, Teresa de Grosbois
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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.

Tags: 403.775.2205, blog, Business/Finance, Calgary, canada, it consulting, Joe Panettieri, leadership, managed services, mspmentor, online article, real estate agents, real estate brokerage, social media, technology
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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.

Tags: 403.775.2205, Boston, Calgary, California, canada, Los Angeles, media marketing, media success, New York, New York City, online success, Ontario, toronto, Uncategorized, United States
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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.

Tags: 403.775.2205, canada, Computing, Doorway page, E-mail spam, google, Google Inc., Google search, important personable tools, Internet Marketing, main corporate site, search engine, search engine optimization, search engines, search world, social media, Spam, Spamming, Technology/Internet, toronto, Twitter Inc, ulistic, website, World Wide Web
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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.

Tags: 403.775.2205, Business, Business/Finance, Calgary, canada, Internet Marketing, online world, Organization of Search Engine Optimization Professionals, search engine, search engine engines, search engine optimization, Search Engine Strategies, search positioning, toronto, ulistic, World Wide Web, Yellow Pages
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