Alberta Business Marketing

Is Social Media for Marketing an effective strategy for your Calgary business?

As your Calgary social media specialist I am often thinking about how social media communications impacts my peers and those Calgary business our team at Ulistic works with each day.

This weekend has been a weekend where I caught up on some blogs for my clients that needed a refresh on their design and also some quiet time to plan where the social media consultancy market is heading.

A quick review of the Google Keyword Research Tool shows that there isn’t as many folks searching for a social media consulting firm in Calgary and throughout Canada.

What does this mean?

Does this indicate that Social Media is really a passing fad?  This professional is beginning to wonder.  Are Calgary small business tired of all the so-called Social Media Guru’s out there?  Is business finally tired of all the social media hype?

The good thing is this, Ulistic focuses more on Internet Marketing as a whole.  Social Media does play an important piece of a complete online marketing strategy however it is just a piece of the pie and not the entire pie.

How does your outside signage enhance your online marketing?

Where is the market heading?  Is business finally saying enough?

I am not one to throw in the tool just yet but I fully believe the market is shifting just a bit and business executives are getting tired of all the social media hype and want real numbers based on real returns.

How about you?

Tags: Business, Business/Finance, Calgary, Calgary social media specialist, canada, Hype cycle, Internet Marketing, media communications, media consultancy market, media consulting, online marketing strategy, social media, Social Media Ventures Inc, technology, Technology/Internet
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Once again I get to work directly with my good buddy Erick Simpson and his team at MSP University.  This week Ulistic released this press release outlining how our team is expanding the reach of our Calgary Search Engine Optimization and Social Media Consulting services into the Managed Services community.

Ulistic and MSP University announce Strategic Partnership

IT VAR and Managed Services Providers win as two marketing leaders join forces to offer a comprehensive, effective online marketing solution to the channel

Ulistic, a leading Internet consulting firm based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and an organization focused on delivering valuable online marketing services and education within the IT VAR and Managed Services Community, today announced their strategic partnership with MSP University. MSP University is the largest consultancy and online resource dedicated to business transformation and improvement strategies for information technology (IT) professionals and managed services providers globally.

This strategic alliance will offer the IT VAR and Managed Services community a robust, complete and well-rounded marketing solution leveraging MSP University’s traditional and website marketing services with Ulistic’s Search Engine Optimization, Social Media and Internet Marketing and consulting programs.

Ulistic will offer in-depth search engine optimization services built on proven SEO best practices to MSP University’s channel of over 7,000 members. This will allow each member to leverage advanced web marketing and coaching services geared at positioning their businesses ahead of their competition in online search and provide a foundation to take their Internet Marketing to the next level.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for managed services providers and IT professionals globally to have a well-rounded marketing solution that balances traditional marketing techniques with today’s required and often overlooked search and social strategies,” states Ulistic Senior Partner and 15-year MSP veteran Stuart Crawford. “MSP University continues to lead the IT channel in business improvement education, strategy and fulfillment services for the technology community. It is wonderful to be part of the MSP University team going forward.”

MSP University provides IT business operations, sales and marketing and technical service delivery improvement education, training, fulfillment and consulting services to IT service organizations in over 100 countries worldwide, and trains thousands of attendees each year at its international IT Solutions and Managed Services Boot Camps.

“Adopting and integrating Ulistic’s proven approach into an IT solution or managed services provider’s marketing strategy greatly improves their results and ROI”, said Erick Simpson, Vice President, MSP University. “MSP University’s member channel looks to us to continually seek out and engage with strategic business partners whose products and services will add value to their businesses, and our alliance with Ulistic is yet another example of our meeting this expectation.”

About MSP University

MSP University (www.mspu.us) provides IT business operations, sales and marketing and technical service delivery improvement education, training, fulfillment and consulting services to Fortune 50 manufacturers, distributors, membership organizations, vendor channels, franchises and thousands of independent IT service organizations worldwide. MSP University is the ultimate resource for IT solution providers, whether preparing to transition to an annuity-based Managed Services delivery model, or who are already delivering Managed Services, and wish to increase their knowledge of IT and Managed Services vendors, services, solutions and business, technical and sales and marketing best practices to drive revenue and increase profitability. MSP University helps solution providers succeed…period.

Tags: About MSP University, Business, Business Partnership, Business/Finance, Calgary, canada, Erick Simpson, fulfillment services, in-depth search engine optimization services, information technology, International trade, Internet Marketing, IT channel, managed services, Management consulting, Master managed service provider, MSP Partners, MSP University, online marketing services, online marketing solution, online resource, online search, overlooked search, search engine, Senior Partner, social media consulting, stuart crawford, Stuart's ramblings, supply chain management, technology community, Technology/Internet, ulistic, Ulistic and MSP University, Vice President, web marketing, website marketing services, well-rounded marketing solution
Posted in Alberta Business, Marketing | | Comments Off

Once again I get to work directly with my good buddy Erick Simpson and his team at MSP University.  This week Ulistic released this press release outlining how our team is expanding the reach of our Calgary Search Engine Optimization and Social Media Consulting services into the Managed Services community.

Ulistic and MSP University announce Strategic Partnership

IT VAR and Managed Services Providers win as two marketing leaders join forces to offer a comprehensive, effective online marketing solution to the channel

Ulistic, a leading Internet consulting firm based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and an organization focused on delivering valuable online marketing services and education within the IT VAR and Managed Services Community, today announced their strategic partnership with MSP University. MSP University is the largest consultancy and online resource dedicated to business transformation and improvement strategies for information technology (IT) professionals and managed services providers globally.

This strategic alliance will offer the IT VAR and Managed Services community a robust, complete and well-rounded marketing solution leveraging MSP University’s traditional and website marketing services with Ulistic’s Search Engine Optimization, Social Media and Internet Marketing and consulting programs.

Ulistic will offer in-depth search engine optimization services built on proven SEO best practices to MSP University’s channel of over 7,000 members. This will allow each member to leverage advanced web marketing and coaching services geared at positioning their businesses ahead of their competition in online search and provide a foundation to take their Internet Marketing to the next level.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for managed services providers and IT professionals globally to have a well-rounded marketing solution that balances traditional marketing techniques with today’s required and often overlooked search and social strategies,” states Ulistic Senior Partner and 15-year MSP veteran Stuart Crawford. “MSP University continues to lead the IT channel in business improvement education, strategy and fulfillment services for the technology community. It is wonderful to be part of the MSP University team going forward.”

MSP University provides IT business operations, sales and marketing and technical service delivery improvement education, training, fulfillment and consulting services to IT service organizations in over 100 countries worldwide, and trains thousands of attendees each year at its international IT Solutions and Managed Services Boot Camps.

“Adopting and integrating Ulistic’s proven approach into an IT solution or managed services provider’s marketing strategy greatly improves their results and ROI”, said Erick Simpson, Vice President, MSP University. “MSP University’s member channel looks to us to continually seek out and engage with strategic business partners whose products and services will add value to their businesses, and our alliance with Ulistic is yet another example of our meeting this expectation.”

About MSP University

MSP University (www.mspu.us) provides IT business operations, sales and marketing and technical service delivery improvement education, training, fulfillment and consulting services to Fortune 50 manufacturers, distributors, membership organizations, vendor channels, franchises and thousands of independent IT service organizations worldwide. MSP University is the ultimate resource for IT solution providers, whether preparing to transition to an annuity-based Managed Services delivery model, or who are already delivering Managed Services, and wish to increase their knowledge of IT and Managed Services vendors, services, solutions and business, technical and sales and marketing best practices to drive revenue and increase profitability. MSP University helps solution providers succeed…period.

Tags: About MSP University, Business, Business Partnership, Business/Finance, Calgary, canada, Erick Simpson, fulfillment services, in-depth search engine optimization services, information technology, International trade, Internet Marketing, IT channel, managed services, Management consulting, Master managed service provider, MSP Partners, MSP University, online marketing services, online marketing solution, online resource, online search, overlooked search, search engine, Senior Partner, social media consulting, stuart crawford, Stuart's ramblings, supply chain management, technology community, Technology/Internet, ulistic, Ulistic and MSP University, Vice President, web marketing, website marketing services, well-rounded marketing solution
Posted in Alberta Business, Marketing | | Comments Off

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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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.

Tags: 403.775.2205, Business, Business Success, Business/Finance, Calgary, Engaged Entrepreneur, favourite registrar, image advertising, image-based advertising, Internet Marketing, Marketing research, online world, Positioning, Return on marketing investment, social media, speaker, Technology/Internet
Posted in Advertising, Business Marketing, Marketing, Online Marketing | | Comments Off