Alberta Business Marketing

Are websites really relevant in todays’ social web? I subscribe to a great and very informative blog by marketing expert Scott Brinker.   Recently one of his discussion points was on the concept of a website in today’s social web.  Go ahead and check out his article 3 nimble trends changing content and marketing, it makes for some very interesting reading on where we may be heading in the marketing world.

It was Scott’s article that sparked the thought in me about relevance and business websites.

Are these Internet billboards really necessary when we have so many different forms factors online to consume information?

I don’t know the answer to this question or maybe I do and need to write about to figure it all out.  Half of me is torn one way while the other half torn in the opposite direction.  For those who follow this blog and my number of different blogs focused on business in Calgary and Canadian business know that I have a passion for creating content.  So much this is my career, working with small business on crafting and creating their online communications strategy.  I am so blessed to have a faithful following of people who check in almost daily for new information that either comes from my colleagues like Scott or stuff I just think about.  We don’t have a website for these content service, just a blog…and for all argument sakes a blog is really a website with dynamic content.

My argument for business “owning” their website (notice I didn’t say having) is this.  Your website serves a great place for your static business content.  Information about your products and services, history of the company and a run down of all the great things you do.  Some of you even transact through your website.  However, more and more of the leading websites are now combining traditional static information with bits and pieces of dynamic content thrown in just for fun.

Your business marketing site (your website) is your sales and marketing engine online.  David and I work hard each day and focus our services at Ulistic on educating small business owners across North America on the value of investing in the ownership of the entire web presence through our Ulistic Coaching and Online Mentoring Program.  Not just a simple website but an interactive marketing machine that converts visitors to prospects for your business.

The demand for this knowledge of communicating online is overwhelming some days however it is truly rewarding.

What does this really mean?

I believe websites for small business are an investment.  A well performing website is a huge asset to any corporation, especially one that has proven conversion results.  So yes, a business must have a marketing website to market their business online and one that blends all the social interaction required in today’s world.

I think I just answered my own question.

Here is a great quote I pulled off of Scott’s blog and it really sums it up.

Nic Newman of the BBC:
You can’t afford to [create] a piece of content for any one platform. Instead of crafting a website, you have to put more effort into crafting the description of an asset and the different bits of an asset, so they can be reused more effectively, so they can deliver more value.

Tags: blog, business marketing site, Business Success, Business/Finance, Calgary, Computing, Internet billboards, Modal logic, North America, online communications strategy, Online Mentoring Program, Scott Brinker, social web, technology, Technology/Internet, ulistic, web presence, website, World Wide Web
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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
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There has been a number of people claiming to be Social Media Experts who are attempting to capitalize on the  social media craze. Social Media technologies are not going anywhere and now they are woven into the fabric of business communications.  However, knowing this, there are a number of social media professionals in Calgary and I am sure this trend is occurring everywhere in the world.  People looking to make a quick buck on the social media rage out there.

Why your business doesn’t need a social media consultant?

Wait, isn’t this what I do for a living?

Not exactly, David and I are more than just social media consultants.  Ulistic’s focus is on the entire web marketing strategy for small business.  As professionals in the “all up” approach on Internet Consulting, we totally understand that social media is just one piece of a very complex puzzle.  Our complete approach is very different from many of the social media consultants who are popping out of the woodwork, just like a dandelion on a spring day.

Tip:  If you want to know the biggest difference, just look at their website.  This is a strong indication if they are a complete marketing professional or just someone offering to write your blogs, tweet for you or update your Facebook page.

Your business doesn’t need someone to do your social media for you.  This is something the business must own.  Ulistic core message is on helping business owners, directors and executives who have business websites to become owners of their web presence.

When it comes to Social Media, Twitter is merely 140 characters and the truth be told, is a great way to listen and learn about things happening in your community, with suppliers and perhaps learn about events happening around the city.  Some of my clients never send out a tweet, all they do is listen.  Twitter on its own will not sell products or even have some one pick up the phone and call you.  Remember the core lesson of business and sales which I learn learned from Bob Burg.  People do business with those they KNOW, LIKE and TRUST.  Simply tweeting, blogging and Facebook is not enough.

Facebook Fan Pages are also gaining in popularity and once again on its own…doesn’t make me want to pick up the phone and call any business let alone join as a fan.  Just leave your Facebook idle for a couple of days and see how many invites you get to join someone’s fan page.  My own strategy is never to join a fan page of someone I don’t know, never have worked with or don’t feel comfortable endorsing face-to-face.

Familiarization, mentoring and education is the secret

David and I are completely focused on empowering business in Calgary and those across the globe so they take ownership of their entire social media and web marketing strategies.  It is not about doing, it is about empowering and educating our clients so they know what we know and ultimately they can do it for themselves.

At the end of the day it is about lead generation.  You can be the best thought leader, community player or blogger…but if you are not generating leads for your business, what are you doing?  This is what we teach our clients…how to create new lead generation activities, one of my clients just emailed me and told me her new blog has generated her first lead. Love it when this happens.

Sure, we can kick-start a campaign, but at the end of the day…you, the business owner, VP Marketing, Director of Business Development are ultimately responsible for your web marketing and overall business strategy.

Tags: Blog hosting services, Business, business communications, Business/Finance, Calgary, Consultants, Facebook, Facebook Inc, Internet Consulting, Internet Marketing, Media consultant, media consultants, media professionals, Online social networking, sales, Social information processing, social media, social media consultant, social media consultants, social media professionals, Social Media Ventures Inc, The Facebook Era, Twitter, Twitter Inc, VP Marketing Director of Business Development, web 2.0, web marketing, web marketing professionals, web marketing strategy, web presence, World Wide Web
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Starting to get a clear picture on the importance of social technologies in our world today

Over the past three or four days, I have been a very busy boy, preparing lesson plans for our upcoming Ulistic Social Media Workshop in Calgary on Feb 25th. 

The entire team at Ulistic is pretty pumped about serving our community with this course.  It will be a good one, that is for sure. I’m also really looking forward to meeting the 20 or so people who have signed up for our kick off workshop; there are some old friends, and some new names, on the roster.

This is one of the first steps in what we are calling “changing website ‘havers’ into website owners”.

Helping business owners become website owners

I hear it everyday during my travels around Calgary, and the same stories hold true as I criss-cross the country.   Many small business owners admit that they simply own a website, and that it could go down for days without them noticing. This website was made by someone (maybe the kid down the street) who vanished as soon as the site was put together, and hasn’t been heard from since. The truth is, these website “havers” have no idea how this marketing investment is performing, how many visitors they get daily, or how many of those visitors are converted into leads.

Our goal with the entire team at Ulistic is simple. We are here to help business owners realize that it is time for them to take ownership of their web presence, and shoot for real and measurable objectives with their web marketing. This is the mission of our team at Ulistic for 2010.  We have a great challenge in front of us, but I know we can do it, one business at a time.

Over the next few days, I would like to share my own recent insights, as I craft the lesson plans for next week’s Social Media course. The world of Social Media, especially in my new role as a social media consultant in Canada, is a very exciting place, and it is wonderful to focus on something that I love. But what really excites me is helping my clients with their particular challenges, and introducing them to the right people.

One thing is for sure, there is still a tremendous amount of confusion around how these social technologies and services can help a business owner grow their business. This is where I stumbled for a while, until I actually figured it out, and I think I have figured it out. Over the next few days, I will share what I have learned in a series of blog posts.

Social Media is not Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn

Like the phrase says, “social media” is just another way of getting your message out to a potential audience, just like “print media”, “television media”, or “radio media”.  With some social media technologies, it is very much like television or radio — a spray and pray approach, hoping someone heard the message.  However, with some social media technologies, your messaging can be razor-sharp, and targeted.  So in my opinion, social media is the art of crafting a message, and using the services and technologies available to get the message out there.

Social Media is not about Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or YouTube. These services are simply the technology of the day, and they will change, the same way word processing software went from WordPerfect to Microsoft Word, and now to Google Apps (for some). These rapid changes in technology are the reason why you still need the computer fix-it guy. Although we will continue to write letters and emails and use a lot of what we learned some 10 years ago, some people have learned new tricks, while some have not.

When TV changed from rabbit ears to cable, it didn’t make an immediate change to the message. However, as the technologies became more advanced, bringing satellite and online TV into the spotlight, the way broadcasters targeted their audience improved. Today, even though the beer commercials are essentially the same, and the the funeral home commercials are essentially the same, new technologies have allowed them to pin-point their target audience more accurately.

Stay tuned for more…

Tags: Blog hosting services, Business/Finance, Calgary, canada, Criticism of Facebook, Facebook, Facebook Inc, Google Inc., Internet Marketing, LinkedIn Ltd, Online social networking, print media, radio media, Social information processing, social media, social media consultant, Social Media Ventures Inc, social technologies, Stuart's ramblings, Technology/Internet, television media, The Facebook Era, Twitter, Twitter Inc, web 2.0, web marketing, web presence, word processing software, World Wide Web, YouTube Inc
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Congratulations to Velda and her team at Grower Direct in Southeast Calgary. Velda Paynter like many Calgary entrepreneurs took a huge step from being a business owner who simply has a website to a business that owns her own web marketing and web strategy.  There are so many small business owners right here in the city [...]

Tags: business owner, Business Success, Business/Finance, Calgary, Calgary Coast Plaza Hotel, Calgary Flower Store, Creative, David West, Floristry, Google Inc., search engine, search engine optimization, social media, social media consulting, social networking community, Valentine's Day, Velda Paynter, web marketing, web presence, web strategy, website owner
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