Alberta Business Marketing

Curb appeal, what does this mean? It used to mean at one time when I drove up to your office or store that your business looked appealing, it was professional and it was clean.  Your business created a powerful first impression and perhaps even sold me before I walked through the front door. What does curb appeal mean today? Do you still need to have your bushes trimmed and the trash picked up in the areas that your clients or customers will walk through? Absolutely…however, curb appeal goes much deeper, long before someone gets in their car and drives to your business.

Your business online.  Great curb appeal online will position you well ahead of your competitors before I even pick up the phone.  Curb appeal has now extended to the online world.  Stop reading this and have a look at your website, blog or social media sites, do they portray the professionalism that you want your business to show the world?  Does your great curb appeal lower your Google bounce rate?

I am very picky about the look and the feel of a blog, social media site and even your business’ main marketing website. The smallest of things get my attention in a positive way.   Alignment, font size, images and ease of use are critical success factors in creating a web presence that draws people in to do business with you.

Have a look at your site again.  Is it professionally done or are you using some $75 theme that you pulled off some template site?  Sorry folks, but I care about your image enough to sometimes point out how great your site is or where it may need a complete redo. Does your online activities mirror your physical activities?  Are you telling the world that you wear a suit online but show up at the office with track pants?

There is a lot to be said about you and your business by the way it is presented.  Remember the saying “How you do anything is how you do everything”.

When your business has curb appeal you open yourself up to going after those larger clients and bigger opportunities. Doors have opened because of the way your business is presented and the professionalism you want to portray.  Your website, blog, Facebook Page and Twitter wallpaper are your new business cards, how are they looking?  Is your brand consistent through.  Sorry folks the free blogger and WordPress sites with the free templates no longer cut it.

In my travels as a Calgary Search Engine Optimization professional I see lots of great examples of what businesses are doing today to attract new opportunity out in the market today.  There are tonnes of opportunity if you know how to present yourself and can position yourself well amongst the red ocean out there.

Are you ready to take that first step?

Tags: Appeal, Appellate review, Business Success, Business/Finance, Curb, Facebook Inc, Google Inc., Human Interest, Law, Lawsuits, Legal procedure, online activities, online world, search engine, social media, social media sites, Technology/Internet, template site, Twitter Inc, USD, web presence
Posted in Alberta Business | | Comments Off

Does Facebook ever stop being in the Canadian news?  I am sure the guys at Facebook head office would wish the Canadian Privacy Commissioners office would just go away.  But, maybe the PR is something they enjoy as well.

Last week I shared with you some information I found in the Calgary Herald on the Canadian Privacy Commissioners latest challenges with the online giant, Facebook.  There is a buzz in the Canadian press right now on Facebook privacy, not sure if it actual real news or simply propaganda generated by the Privacy Commissioner’s office.

Here is what I think about this whole privacy debate.  Facebook still has never come to my Calgary home and put a gun to my head and said “Open an account or die”.  Even since I have been in the States they have never tracked me down to go through this registration ritual.  It is a total voluntary thing.  You open an account, you understand the risks associated, you agree by reading the terms and conditions…and away you guy.  You click upload, you click “like”, you click “share”….you do things, they don’t do things on your behalf.

Why the big mess about Facebook?  I haven’t seen any news in the US Papers this week about Facebook and privacy.  Is it only a Canadian concern?  Perhaps, is it valid…of course to some who have kids and perhaps they share every bit of information about what they are doing online.  Just like many, I am  disgusted that some pervert would take Facebook pictures of kids and post them on some website for him and his buddies to enjoy…but is that a fault of Facebook?

Actually, in a recent Facebook article from Vancouver Sun reporter Gillian Shaw, many online services are mentioned, not just Facebook.  Flickr and the list goes on.  Can Facebook tighten their security, of course…so can Microsoft, Apple and everyone else in the IT world.  But remember, you don’t have to be on Facebook to survive in today’s world.  You still elect to open your account.

I do recommend that you put online the files, pictures or status updates that you feel comfortable with.  This is what you get with a free service.  Want more security, want more privacy…it is time to open your wallet and maybe fork over a few dollars per month to ensure you have the heightened security you are comfortable with.

Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook has been quoted in the papers and stating he doesn’t believe in privacy.  I think privacy in the free online community is long gone as well.  No one wants to take ownership of privacy, so they leave everything wide open…it is the wild west in the social media world today.  I think we need to get over it or simply turn off the computer.  Like I said, no one is holding a gun to your head forcing you to create an account, post pictures and share information.

Here is an interesting email that came from a friend in the nursing industry in Ontario.  Their licensing agency is also concern professionally about the whole online world…driving professionals underground!

Unfortunately being a nurse and being out here on a public forum don’t always go together. The College of Nurses, the regulatory body, that issues our licenses to us each year sees our professional and private lives as a bit of a grey area, especially when it comes to social networking.  It is for this reason that I have decided to merge my two face-book accounts. I have one under my pen-name and one under my birth name. Now they’ll both be under my pen-name.

Where do you stand with this whole online privacy thing? Would love to hear what you have to say?

Tags: Calgary, Calgary Herald, College of Nurses, Criticism of Facebook, Facebook, Facebook Beacon, Facebook Inc, founder, free online community, Gillian Shaw, Human Interest, Internet privacy, Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft Corporation, nurse, online giant, online privacy thing, Online social networking, online world, Ontario, privacy, Privacy Commissioner, reporter, Social information processing, social media world, Social network service, social networking, Technology/Internet, the Calgary Herald, the Canadian news, the Canadian press, Vancouver Sun, World Wide Web
Posted in Alberta Business | | Comments Off

Whenever you speak with a Calgary Social Media Consultant many of my peers in the industry will tell you about the importance of using Twitter in your business.  This is a true statement, however I look at tweeting in a very different way compared to what I once did.  One question you must ask yourself is this, are you tweeting with purpose or are you simply making or adding to the noise?

In my early days of using Twitter, I was simply about making the most noise out there.  I once thought if I made enough noise I could rise above the noise and in reality I simply added to the noise that was out there, and you know something – people will turn you off.  Picture the loud mouth at your business networking club who always boasts about how great their business is or how well his kids are doing in school, you know that person…what do you do?  Most of us avoid him or her.  You know the noise I am speaking of in the online world it could be mentioning that you are at the local Starbucks on Foursquare, tweeting useless bits of information and retweeting other people’s noise.

I do like the idea of retweeting other people’s useful information, however the question I have to ask is this.  Are my tweets enriching someone else’s life or business?  If the answer is no, I really need to think long and hard about sending out more noise into the Twitter universe.

Twitter is such a powerful tool but often abused by many small business owners because of the advice of some social media professionals out there.  How about this advice?  Instead of simply sharing a link to someone else’s article using Twitter that really has no value or broadcasting to the world something they really don’t care about.  Can you not write your opinions about what the other person’s article, blog post or link meant to you on your own blog.  Offer your own insight and opinion using your own platform.  Position yourself with your own thoughts instead of simply tweeting without any purpose.

Can you use Twitter effectively?

Tags: business networking club, Calgary social media consultant, foursquare, Human Interest, Noise, Online social networking, online world, Real-time web, social media, social media professionals, Starbucks Corporation, Twitter, Twitter Inc, web 2.0, World Wide Web
Posted in Alberta Business | | Comments Off

Many of our clients who are deeply engaged in our Ulistic Internet Mentoring Program, a program made up of 8 to 12 one-on-one mentoring sessions that is designed for small to large business.  Our program guides business owners or marketing teams through the entire process of their online marketing.  Our program enables teams or individuals to understand the inner tickings of their online marketing and provides strategies on how they can go to market in our online world.   We have a tremendous amount of interest on this program and if you would like to learn more, just give me a call at 403.775.2205 option 2.

Back to our topic of the day…

One of the questions that consisting percolates its way to the top of the FAQ pile is around looking professional on Facebook.  There is no doubt, Facebook’s popularity has shot through the roof with more and more people coming online to hook up long-lost friends from school, people who they have worked with and yes, even a small bit of business occurs on Facebook.

More and more companies, large and small are now setting up Facebook pages and groups to enables them to have another conduit to those who maybe interested in what they have to offer.  I still believe Facebook has a small bit of some merit with business.  I encourage everyone to look at their business goals and really have a crystal clear vision of who they want to do business with and once they know this, where do they hang out.  Is it Facebook?  Perfect, carry on…if not, let’s look at other places.

One tip I would like to share with you today is around your Facebook URL.  When you setup your personal account and your Facebook Page, you will given a URL with can look like this:

http://www.facebook.com/yourname/5848596854

Are you aware that Facebook provides you the ability to customize your URL?   This allows you to dump those nasty numbers that no one will ever remember which normally appears at the end of your facebook.com URL.  Here is an example using my own personal page and my own account on what you can do.

http://www.facebook.com/stuart.crawford.calgary – My personal Facebook account

http://www.facebook.com/stuartrcrawford – My Facebook Page

For your personal account or company page, it is easy for you to set up something like this.  To accomplish this goal, you simply need to navigate to http://www.facebook.com/username/ and set the vanity URL (web address) that suits you.  Caution, once you set the URL, it is not an easy task to change it and you may not be able to.  Choose wisely.

Tags: 403.775.2205, Blog software, Business/Finance, Criticism of Facebook, Facebook, Facebook features, Facebook Inc, Internet Mentoring Program, Online social networking, online world, Social information processing, social media, Technology/Internet, web 2.0, web address, World Wide Web
Posted in Online Marketing | | Comments Off

And he should be!

I still listen to news radio (only when I am not in the mood for my usual selection of 80’s hair band metal) when I am driving to our Ulistic office in Southeast Calgary.  It is only for the 15 minute drive, just enough to get the latest traffic, stock market information and news headlines.  Sometimes, I will even tune into Dave Rutherford to hear his daily rant on QR77 or listen to what Charles Adler has to say in the afternoon.  That is the extent of my news watching, listening or reading.

I read the Calgary Herald Business Section the odd Monday morning just to see what new small businesses are starting up and the odd time will I read or even glance through the entire morning paper.  When I travel in the United States, the hotels deliver USA Today or Wall Street Journal or other US Papers which usually end up in a pile in one corner of my hotel room.  Goes to show that the news in print for me is just something I am not interested in reading.

I, perhaps like many of our colleagues are electing to tune into online sources for news.  Why?  Perhaps it is the grass-roots reporting, the real story without the right or left-wing opinions attached with the story.  I will however tune into my niche blogs on the industries I work with and have Twitter alert me when something happens which requires my attention.  How about you?

This weekend I read an interesting article online on how the President of CNN is concerned about Social Media.  I am not shocked by this concern from a major US media source and I am sure others in the world share this concern.   CNN and all major news outlets should be concerned on the power of social media has for sharing of news related items.  There is an old saying, see it in the paper tomorrow, see on TV later in the day, hear about it soon on radio or get notified immediately on social media.  This is where news is now breaking and you just need to turn to the US Airways crash in New York for an example of the power of Social Media in the news world today.

Today my news sources are guys like Chris Brogan, Joe Panettieri, Larry Walsh, Bob Burg – just to name a few.  These guys are now journalists in our online world. I truly trust what they have to say for the niches I follow.

Who is Stuart Crawford

“Stuart is the go-to person for anything social media. He has an in-depth knowledge of not only all the parts that make up social media, but also how to make them work together for you. He is an entrepreneur to the core and he understands that whatever is implemented: twitter, blog, rss, video, etc. it has to be streamlined so that it takes the least amount of time possible and yet still be laser sharp as far as effectiveness goes.

Stuart is great to work with and if technical roadblocks occur, he is an out of the box thinker when it comes to remedies.”

Service Category: IT Consultant
Year first hired: 2009 (hired more than once)
Top Qualities: Personable, Expert, High Integrity

Monica Santiago, On Page Productions

Tags: bob burg, Calgary, Calgary Herald, Charles Adler, Chris Brogan, Consultant, Entrepreneur, hair band metal, Joe Panettieri, Larry Walsh, laser, New York City, Online social networking, online sources, online world, President, Real-time web, Social Landscape, social media, Social Media Ventures Inc, stuart crawford, The Wall Street Journal Online, Time Warner Inc., Twitter, Twitter Inc, United States, US Airways Group Inc., USA Today, Wall Street Journal, web 2.0, World Wide Web
Posted in Alberta Business | | Comments Off