Alberta Business Marketing

This Calgary Consultant was schooled on the Art of Leadership.  It is always wonderful when I have an opportunity to learn from others in our business community.

I first met Angel Rodriguez through my good friend Shawne Duperon and then through Daniel Gutierriez.  Now, My good friend and trusted colleague from Frito Lay, Angel Rodriguez has taught me a thing or two about the art of leadership and how leadership skills for highly trained executives in business actually works.

During my short 45 minute call with Angel we discussed social media and it’s role in larger organizations. The conversation quickly woke me up a bit when Angel and I were chatting about how our colleagues in an organization such as Frito Lay where Angel served as an executive VP for a number of years use social media.  They don’t use these services the way many small businesses use social media.

It is not uncommon for a company like Frito to obtain large followings on many different social media platforms and have groups where former employees, current employees and fans of their products gather to keep in touch with each other and to continuously network.  Pepsi has over 800,000 followers and I believe Coke has something like 2 million.  Coke’s story on social media is truly unique. It is actually run by fans of Coke from what I understand during my research on Facebook Fan Pages.

Angel shared with me, true leaders, inspire and provide a platform for others to excel.  In the social media world, this translates to education and sharing.  Social Media for any type of leader provides an easy to access and readily available platform for business leaders to excel.  However, the business leader must be open to trying new things and be open to teaching others, just like Angel taught me.

I believe a number of small businesses can also use this philosophy and have success with it.  Instead of the usual messaging we see on Twitter, Facebook and others where small business are always pushing.  Maybe it is time to let the guard down and show our human side and offer to teach.

In my role as a social media consultant I have an opportunity every day to help business owners and marketing professionals around the world learn how to truly inspire those in their communities and markets.  Angel taught me a couple of things today around leadership and some of his lessons from Frito Lay.

How can I take this leadership lessons and put them into practice in my social media consulting role.  It is about leadership and making a difference.

Tags: Angel, Angel Rodriguez, business leader, Business/Finance, Calgary Consultant, Daniel Gutierriez, executive VP, Facebook Inc, Frito-Lay, guard, leadership, Mass media, media consulting role, media platforms, media world, Pepsico Inc., Shawne Duperon, social media consultant, Social Media Ventures Inc, Television, Twitter Inc, VP for a number
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As the world continues to struggle with a social media definition, anxiety is building at an alarming rate on how your small business can leverage social media.  Almost everyone I speak with during my travels right here in Calgary but across our entire client base is challenged with these same thoughts.

How can we really use social media and how can we profit from the use of social media?

These questions are fantastic and genuine.  We can measure some marketing and some companies are spending thousands of dollars on marketing that doesn’t work with no real measurement.  I would be better off sometimes driving down Deerfoot Trail here in Calgary and throwing my business cards out the window.  Oh yeah, and then trying to follow up with every one who picked one up off the side of the freeway.

Concern and the pursuit of figuring our social media, tough economic times and constant bombardment from gurus is causing more and more social anxiety to occur.  Leaving Small Business owners to feel like their heads are going to explode.  They won’t explode and you can always call me if it feel like it will.

It is no secret that communication strategies are evolving.  Some may see this as change while others see it is a natural evolution on how people communicate.  I believe most people are resistent to change as well.  They don’t like it, maybe they don’t accept it and it could be the alarming pace of change that may also lead to anxiety throughout Canadian business.

After all, we had telephones, fax machines, cell phones, email, cell phone with email and now social media platforms.  Change is all around us.

Is the rate of change that is fueling the anxiety or even adoption of social media in the workplace?

I am shocked every time I learn about a firm who block services like Facebook, Blogs, Twitter from their employees?  Why?  Are you position them to fail in one of most critical parts of your business.  Creating rapport and communicating with clients, customers, prospects and the community?

Recently, I learned of a friend who left his Calgary car sales job because his employer wouldn’t allow him to use these new social media tools to help build his following and use social media services to increase awareness about the cars the dealership was looking to sell into the Calgary market.  He was told that he had to do this work from home and the dealership wouldn’t allow it on their business network.  I am not sure if you are aware how car sales work?  The hours are long and you are exhausted at the end of the day. Plus it is very competitive.  Any leg up may just be the advantage they were looking for.

Did this lead to social anxiety?  You bet!  Someone who wants to take it to the next level and an organization that doesn’t back it.

Here is the way I see it.  Social Media is here to stay.  Each and every day social media services are weaving their way into the fabric of our communications.  Definitely at home and now moving into the workplace.  Don’t get hung up on the tools is something I coaching our Ulistic clients on.  The tools may change but the core philosophy doesn’t.  Look at your cell phone, it doesn’t matter if it is an iPhone, HTC, Blackberry – the core principles are in place.  Do you have anxiety over your mobile phone?  For most no, why?  It is part of the way we communicate today and so will social media…it will become part of the way we communicate.

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Ulistic focuses on serving the needs of Canadian Small Business, REALTORS, and Information Technology firms across Canada and United States. Helping your business understand, deploy and leverage social media, search engine optimization and online communications to generate business opportunities and make an impact inside your community and industry.

My business partner David and I are business professionals first. We understand what it takes to run a successful small business.

I invite you to reach out to me personally at 403.775.2205 or email Stuart at scrawford@ulistic.com.

Tags: Anxiety disorders, Anxiety/Uncertainty Management, Calgary, car sales, car sales job, cell phones, cellular telephone, Facebook Inc, Health Tech Corporation Limited, Human behavior, iphone, Labor, media definition, media platforms, media services, Mobile phone, Phobias, Psychology, Social anxiety disorder, Social information processing, Social Issues, social media, Social Media Ventures Inc, Social psychology, Technology/Internet, Twitter Inc
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