Alberta Business Marketing

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

Declaring Foursquare is officially removed from my iPhone!  But why?

I have officially pulled off Foursquare this week.   I am working hard and continuing to determine what social media services work best for business and of course those business who put their trust in Ulistic for online marketing recommendations.  Foursquare on the surface appears it can attract restaurants, hotel owners and retail stores who can jump all over it and offer some great specials and draw in visitors who check-in with close proximity to their business.  However, for me and for some others the novelty and quirkiness of the check-in process, points and badges is something that quickly became boring and really pointless.

What was it that killed the novelty of Foursquare with me?

Is it a simple lack of adoption in the business community or was it just a lack of value and results.  Was Foursquare just a few months or a year ahead of its time?  I still believe location aware services are the up and coming thing when it comes to online marketing.  Just look at Google’s initiatives around “click to call” with mobile browsers.  For business to adopt leveraging these services it needs to be able to draw in prospects who are looking for what you have to offer, not just visitors who perhaps don’t have the dollars to spend on your products and services.

Where I see location aware services really working is in making recommendations based on your location.  If I go to Toronto and want to get a listing of restaurants close to where I am and meet my budget I can easily open up Yelp and it knows where I am and what is close by.  This can easily work for Realtors with open houses, restaurants with specials, hotels looking to fill up some empty rooms or any other retail shop with specials or sales going on.  There are lots of opportunity but it has to show return for business to adopt it full on.

I think at the core this would have worked well with Foursquare but its major flaw is business relying on folks checking in.  I guess we still need some kind of opt in and as long as we rely on people to opt in, this will continue to be a flaw.

Foursquare you are out…my iphone Starbucks application stays.

Foursquare rating for small business = To early and needs to attract those with real dollars to spend, not just those of us who like to play a quirky game.

Tags: Apple Inc., Business/Finance, foursquare, Google Inc., Internet Marketing, iphone, location aware services, Online social networking, retail shop, Social Issues, social media, starbucks, Starbucks Corporation, toronto
Posted in Marketing, Online Marketing | | Comments Off

The other day I was having coffee with my good friend and trusted small business partner, Dr. Leslie Roberts.  Leslie is a brainchild behind Calgary small business training organization, GoForth Institute.

Our conversations usually cover many topics ranging from hockey to business when we grab our Starbucks and catch up.  On this day we focused on the importance of small business training, education and what the average business owner needs to do to keep their skills sharp, we were really focused from a couple of entrepreneurs.  One question that came up in our coffee chat was, what is a suitable investment for the average small business to make in continuous learning and team development?

I know when I was running IT Matters with Rob Hay and Tony Mah, we invested up to $5000 each year per employee in training our staff.  It was a very critical part of our employee retention program and important to ensure every member of our team had the skills they needed to do their job.  If you read all the books or listen to all the CDs from the world’s renowned authors such as Jeffrey Gitomer, Harv Eker and others.  These authors are always speaking on the importance of continuous learning and education.  We understood this at IT Matters.

Now, in my new career as a Calgary Search Engine Optimization and Online Marketing professional I have to continuously invest in my own learning and always sharpening my own saw.  Leslie confirmed this during our conversation about the importance of small business training in Canada and especially here at home in Calgary.

I have to give kudos to Leslie and her amazing team at GoForth.  They ensure the Canadian Entrepreneur has the right tools in their business toolbox so they can become successful.  Give them a call at 403 242 2546 to learn more.

Tags: 403 242 2546, Business Success, Business/Finance, Calgary, calgary small business training, canada, canadian small business training, Entrepreneur, GoForth Institute, I T MATTERS, jeffrey gitomer, Leslie Roberts, Online Marketing professional, search engine, Skill, small business training calgary, Starbucks Corporation, T. Harv Eker, USD
Posted in Alberta Business | | Comments Off