Alberta Business Marketing

Calgary Search Engine Optimization Specialist hits the road for CompTIA Breakaway.

I value my time out of the office and I truly love being a road warrior.  Travel and seeing new parts of the country and combine this with an opportunity to serve small business across Canada and United States is what truly gets me up every morning.  This is what we are all about, service and making sure our clients get the right social media, search engine optimization and online marketing consulting, education and result their business craves. This is what Ulistic is all about.

Ulistic is off to one of the IT communities leading trade shows in San Antonio.

Visit us at booth 417

From coast-coast-coast-coast we cover North America helping small business (managed service providers, real estate professionals and general small business) use the right social media strategies and get real benefits from search engine marketing and optimization services, no fluff and no BS…we shoot only for results.  Our unique approach of educating and mentoring small business owners and teams throughout Canada and the United States has allowed many entrepreneurs and business owners to really make an impact in their business by blending online marketing strategies with their existing marketing solutions.

Who said the Internet would cut down on travel? I would like to meet this person.  Business in North America still requires the “human element” and this sometimes requires travel.  If it is a quick trip across town or a flight across the country, we will need to meet people and thoroughly understand their needs.

What does my portable office look like?

• Mobile Phone – My mobile smart phone is an essential part of my portable office.  Having the correct plan is also essential.  Having freedom to work from anywhere is crucial in my business where clients can call on us at anytime with any need.  A great mobile phone with a flexible plan is essential.
• The Right Laptop – I currently use a MacBook simply because it works without a hitch and if I have an issue with it, well I can take it to any Apple Certified repair shop and get it fixed.  Having the right equipment is very important whether it is a MacBook or DELL Latitude laptop running Windows 7, you need to have something that work and works for you.
• Cloud Technologies – My company Ulistic is a firm that teaches people to leverage the Internet therefore we need to have access to technologies no matter where we are.  The right cloud solution is just as important as your mobile phone or laptop.  There are many great solutions out there, do your homework and get one that works for you.
• Mobile Internet – Last but definitely not least is the importance of  mobile Internet.  Hotels, Airports and Coffee shops offer Wi-Fi however for me I need something fast and reliable.  My TELUS Mobile Internet service gives me the reliability that this road warrior requires.  I may forget my phone or my server maybe down, but without my mobile Internet from TELUS I would be crippled.

No matter where you work you need to right tools to do your job.  For this Alberta-based road warrior without my tools…well I would be lost and lose my competitive advantage.  What would hurt the most…I wouldn’t be able to serve my clients and take care of them.

Tags: Business Success, Business/Finance, Calgary Search Engine Optimization Specialist, canada, Internet Marketing, North America, on travel, online marketing consulting, online marketing strategies, optimization services, real estate professionals, San Antonio, search engine, Search engine marketing, search engine optimization, social media, social media strategies, United States
Posted in Alberta Business, Marketing | | Comments Off

Be careful what you wish for eh!  Ulistic is having one crazy busy week but we are having a blast.

My blogging has been pretty light this week, some of you may actually be happy about this.  It is simply because we have an abundance of proposals and training sessions going on this week.  In the past week Ulistic has brought on two new mentoring clients in the US, working with firms in Houston and Seattle and most recently speaking to another firm in Tampa about how we can help them win new opportunities with effective online marketing strategies.  Combine this with our local obligations…well it is amazing and we are very blessed to say the least.  I simply love to serve those companies interested in learning more about how their business can prosper by leveraging online marketing.

I started a Facebook debate on Wednesday evening around the “Social Media Expert” topic.  For those who follow my blog know that I absolutely detest those who claim to be social media experts and have no business substance or experience to support their claim.  This Facebook discussion focuses around those who claim to be social media experts however lack business acumen on how social media can actually fit into their business model and the actual goals of the corporation.

Want to the join the discussion, visit Stuart Crawford Facebook profile to join in.

Tags: blog, Blog hosting services, Business/Finance, collaboration, Criticism of Facebook, Facebook, Facebook Inc, Houston, media experts, online marketing strategies, Online social networking, Seattle, Social information processing, social media, Social Media Ventures Inc, stuart crawford, Stuart's ramblings, tampa, The Facebook Era, United States, web 2.0, World Wide Web
Posted in Online Marketing | | Comments Off

I am reading a very interesting white paper today on “10 Key Marketing Trends in 2010″ which covers the overall adoption of online marketing strategies in small business.  Number 9  jumped out and hit me on the side of head and something that at one time in my life was very near and dear to me.  Last week when I was at Spring Training For Business in Arizona with MSP business coach Stuart Selbst I mentioned during my lunch presentation on exactly this topic.

IT Bottlenecks Drive adoption of on Demand Marketing solutions

In this published report (you can download here) the author report on the disconnect between IT and Marketing, especially how IT and marketing are not seeing eye to eye on the whole online marketing momentum.  The marketing folks see IT as a complex bottleneck and IT sees marketing/sales as an expense or risk to the organization.  To be completely candid in my opinion, no wonder so many small business IT shops are horrible in their own marketing efforts and struggle with this important part of business.

Also in the report, the author identifies how more and more marketing folks are starting to use software as a service (SaaS) offerings where the IT departments, MSP or IT Pro are bypassed and not involved in the process of choosing a solution.  67% of those surveyed complained about their IT service provider (or in-house IT) and are moving towards other online or web-based solutions to bypass the complexities put in place by IT and also the high costs demanded by some technology firms.  Marketing solutions are moving towards the “on demand” model vs. the old on-premise models.  These include social media platforms, CRM solutions and even email technologies.

By the way, how does IT respond – they invest in more complex solutions to block applications or web services, building more of a separation in the organization.

During Spring Training I mentioned to the group that consulting with their clients on marketing and removing the barriers will bring additional value to those they serve and position them truly as a business consultant and not just another techy firm.  This is why Ulistic launched the Ulistic Partner Program to help those Managed Services Providers and IT consultants help serve their clients in a different way and with services they are looking for.

Tags: Arizona, author, Business, business consultant, Business/Finance, even email technologies, Internet Marketing, MSP business coach, online marketing momentum, online marketing strategies, Social Issues, social media platforms, Stuart Selbst, technology firms, Technology/Internet, web services, web-based solutions
Posted in CRM, Marketing, Online Marketing | | Comments Off