Hello! I have moved my site to a new domain: www.sbkelsick.com
Please visit me there.
Cheers!
Shannon Bowen-Kelsick (sbk)
sbk@sbkelsick.com
Twitter: @sbkelsick
Monday, May 24, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Calgary Marketing Meetup Summary - Oh My!
The Calgary Marketing Meetup Group, “MySpace, YouTube, Identica, Twitter, FriendFeed, Facebook and LinkedIn..... Oh my!”
One of the best attended Calgary Marketing Meetup Group events occurred on Tuesday, May 11th. Six panellists spoke to over 60 attendees, Conversation was spurred by reviewing Backbone’s “Technology Test” - an online multiple choice test that “will give you insight into the areas in which you are strong and those in which you could use some improvement. Consider it a health check: wire your company up to the virtual ECG and see how it performs”.
An attendee, who works in the automotive repair industry stated that due to the high level of competition in his industry, his company needs to respond very quickly to customer inquiries that come in online. Referring to an Inside Sales report, a customer is 100% more likely to use your services if contacted within 5 minutes of hitting your website.
The audience was mostly interested in the technicalities of online marketing. When the panel was asked about preferred web analytics tools Roger Kondrat of West17Media mentioned Crazy Egg and Clicktale, Yves Matson of Found Pages also stated that “there is hardly a drawback of installing Google Analytics". Statcounter was also a suggested tool for those that prefer an “analytics for dummies” type tool. A key area to check in analytics is your exit pages. “Pay attention to them, unless it’s your contact page” Michael C. Breuer, Technical Director, Calin Daniel Creative.
Attendee Jackie Dumaine, with The Stillness Room endorsed Facebook Advertising, Facebook Analytics and the new Like page. “Facebook gives extreme demographic data, for $5 a day the advertising is amazing”.
What to watch out for? “Mobile Marketing is in it’s infancy” – stated Steve Joyce of Local Search Heros. And apparently “Flash intros are dead!" Ernest Barbaric , Digital and Social Media Marketing Trainer and Consultant “they stall the customer’s need to get what they want”.
Mail Chimp was also mentioned several times as a worthwhile email marketing tool and service that can help companies avoid getting slammed into the Spam garbage pail.
Attendees also wanted to know what your home page MUST have. “It must have a call to action”. Ernest passionately stated. What do you want your customer to do? Buy your book? Book a meeting? It sounds simple, but this call to action is often missed.
The event was so jam packed with meaty and technical information that there was not enough time to delve into how to use Photography and Video online to market your business. Although the topics were touched on, both panellists Brett Gilmour of Gilmour Photography and Tish Bell of BizBoxTV didn’t get the opportunity to share their experience and knowledge...
Overall a fabulous event and fabulous info from a power panel, and all for only $10.
Thank you to Sandra Schultz of Ad Spots who helped organize and emcee the event.
Follow the Panellists on Twitter:
Tish @Tishsdish, Brett @ brettgilmour, Ernest @ebarbaric, Roger @Roger, Steve @localsearchhero, Sandra @sandraschulze, Michael – sorry I couldn’t find him on Twitter, leave a comment if you know his handle.
Join the The Calgary Marketing Meetup Group if you would like to attend future events.
by Shannon (sbk)
Twitter @sbkelsick
Monday, May 17, 2010
The Art of Marketing Calgary TWEETUP!
The best part about attending events and conferences is the networking. Are you attending “The Art of Marketing” (TAOM) in Calgary on June 14th? Well let’s TWEETUP before the event! Come by for an evening of socializing and meeting other TAOM attendees. This is a free, un-hosted, unstructured event. Please RSVP on EventBrite so I can prepare the venue appropriately, and spread the word!
- Location: TBA (will be downtown Calgary)
- Tuesday, June 12th @ 7:00pm
LinkedIn: And be sure to join join the LinkedIn Event for TAOM. It is a good way to see who is attending, and also stay connected after the event.
If you would like to donate any doorprizes to this event please let me know.
See you then!
Shannon Bowen-Kelsick (sbk) - just attending the event, not affiliated with the organizers
sbkelsick@shaw.ca
For more info on the The Art of Marketing Events please visit the website: The Art of Marketing
Photo by: flickr.com/photos/sverrir_thor/ / CC BY 2.0
Sunday, May 9, 2010
What did Arlene Dickinson have to say about Social Media?
On Thursday, May 6th Arlene Dickinson spoke about ‘The Future of Social Media' to a room full of surprisingly dressy (I thought we would see more artsy and/or jeans and blazer type Calgarians, there sure were a bunch of suits) marketing related professionals, put on by the Calgary Chapter of the Canadian Marketing Association.
Strange topic for Arlene Dickinson? I think so, she is clearly a marketing expert – no question, but Arlene on Social Media (SM)? She started the night off by indicating it was an odd topic for the CMA to ask her to speak about.
I follow @ArleneDickinson on Twitter, she posts several times a day, but one thing that is evident is that she doesn’t engage with her audience, and that is what SM is all about, engaging, and that is what she told us throughout her talk. But then again – she already has a TV show....maybe there is not enough time in the day to do it all!
A shocking stat from the night, when asked how many people in the room were on Twitter – less than 25% of the people in the room raised their hands. We are marketers, we should be testing all the tools, Arlene was adamant about that, “because I don’t want someone talking for me”. “We can’t keep up with most of it, but we have to participate with most of it”.
Arlene pointed out that an established online presense (that includes social media) can help balance some of the negative online talk about brands.
I would rate the event an 8.5 out of 10. The room (Palliser Hotel) was nice, but it was a long room so the tables were far back, there was a screen at the front of the room that I hoped would project Arlene’s image out to us, but it was not used, so Arlene was very far away and it was difficult to see her.
Arlene was kind, honest and very humble. “Calgary should be proud of our marketing talent” was a message she hit on several times, noting that Canadian marketers need to believe in themselves and tell the world that we are here, and we can market!
I found that hypocritical when we hit the Q&A session, when asked “what has made you the icon you are today” Arlene struggled to answer that, she quietly and humbly said “I don’t know the answer to that question, a bit of luck and being in the right place at the right time”.
Really? It may have more to do with hard work, intelligence and determination! Arlene, Arlene, Arlene we don’t believe it was luck ;)
After the talk and the Q&A she stayed after the event and spoke with many attendees. The best laugh of the night....
When asked by a young entrepenuer: “Arlene what advice could you give to yourself when you were just starting your entrepreneurial efforts?”
Arlene responded: “Don’t get married”.
The room broke into laughter, and I have to say Arlene has one of those laughs that just makes you laugh even more.
A tweet from Arlene during dinner:
I spoke with a colleague that works at a very successful local advertising agency, his comments “she was preaching to the choir”. That is true, I would have preferred to hear about her personal stories of entrepreneurship and what she has learnt, but she was still delightful and hit home the reason to have a personal online presence that YOU own.
As it goes with most events, it is the interaction with other attendees that can put the icing on the cake. I was able to meet up with a handful of colleagues (thank you Twitter!), and I also lucked out and sat at a great table, we had a great night, and connected with some pretty cool people. A fabulous night.
Thank you Calgary CMA, Arlene and my Twitter connections.
Follow on Twitter: @ArleneDickinson @Cdnmarketing (Canadian Marketing Association)
by Shannon (aka: SBK) Twitter: @sbkelsick
contact me: sbk@MondayMarketingTools.com
Strange topic for Arlene Dickinson? I think so, she is clearly a marketing expert – no question, but Arlene on Social Media (SM)? She started the night off by indicating it was an odd topic for the CMA to ask her to speak about.
I follow @ArleneDickinson on Twitter, she posts several times a day, but one thing that is evident is that she doesn’t engage with her audience, and that is what SM is all about, engaging, and that is what she told us throughout her talk. But then again – she already has a TV show....maybe there is not enough time in the day to do it all!
A shocking stat from the night, when asked how many people in the room were on Twitter – less than 25% of the people in the room raised their hands. We are marketers, we should be testing all the tools, Arlene was adamant about that, “because I don’t want someone talking for me”. “We can’t keep up with most of it, but we have to participate with most of it”.
Arlene pointed out that an established online presense (that includes social media) can help balance some of the negative online talk about brands.
I would rate the event an 8.5 out of 10. The room (Palliser Hotel) was nice, but it was a long room so the tables were far back, there was a screen at the front of the room that I hoped would project Arlene’s image out to us, but it was not used, so Arlene was very far away and it was difficult to see her.
Arlene was kind, honest and very humble. “Calgary should be proud of our marketing talent” was a message she hit on several times, noting that Canadian marketers need to believe in themselves and tell the world that we are here, and we can market!
I found that hypocritical when we hit the Q&A session, when asked “what has made you the icon you are today” Arlene struggled to answer that, she quietly and humbly said “I don’t know the answer to that question, a bit of luck and being in the right place at the right time”.
Really? It may have more to do with hard work, intelligence and determination! Arlene, Arlene, Arlene we don’t believe it was luck ;)
After the talk and the Q&A she stayed after the event and spoke with many attendees. The best laugh of the night....
When asked by a young entrepenuer: “Arlene what advice could you give to yourself when you were just starting your entrepreneurial efforts?”
Arlene responded: “Don’t get married”.
The room broke into laughter, and I have to say Arlene has one of those laughs that just makes you laugh even more.
A tweet from Arlene during dinner:
About to speak at #CMA dinner in Calgary. Topic at dinner table is dental hygiene. Now I need to go check my teeth!
Arlene Dickinson
ArleneDickinson
I spoke with a colleague that works at a very successful local advertising agency, his comments “she was preaching to the choir”. That is true, I would have preferred to hear about her personal stories of entrepreneurship and what she has learnt, but she was still delightful and hit home the reason to have a personal online presence that YOU own.
As it goes with most events, it is the interaction with other attendees that can put the icing on the cake. I was able to meet up with a handful of colleagues (thank you Twitter!), and I also lucked out and sat at a great table, we had a great night, and connected with some pretty cool people. A fabulous night.
Thank you Calgary CMA, Arlene and my Twitter connections.
Follow on Twitter: @ArleneDickinson @Cdnmarketing (Canadian Marketing Association)
by Shannon (aka: SBK) Twitter: @sbkelsick
contact me: sbk@MondayMarketingTools.com
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Inaugural Calgary Women in Business Luncheon, Secrets of Being Highly Productive and Happy
On May 19, 2010 four accomplished female leaders will be addressing the question: How do we empower not only ourselves but also the next generations to create change?
Location: BMO Centre (Stampede Park), Calgary
The non-profit Women in Leadership is presenting this inaugural event to help promote thier mission: to create inspirational programs that bring women together in developing their leadership skills and creating positive change in the future of women's leadership in Canada.
The speakers are Laurie Stretch, Margot M. Micallef, Paula Ierullo and Susan MacKenzie.
Laurie Stretch
Vice President, National Relations Team
Laurie’s background:
Margo M. Micallef
Founder and President, Oliver Partners Inc.
Margot’s background:
Manager of Business Development, Kantera
Sorry I could not find an online bio for Paula. I have contacted her via LinkedIn and requested some bio info.
Susan MacKenzie
Chief Operating Officer, Oilsands Quest Inc.
by Shannon (aka: SBK)
Twitter: @sbkelsick
contact me: sbk@MondayMarketingTools.com
Other articles / sources:
Location: BMO Centre (Stampede Park), Calgary
The non-profit Women in Leadership is presenting this inaugural event to help promote thier mission: to create inspirational programs that bring women together in developing their leadership skills and creating positive change in the future of women's leadership in Canada.
The speakers are Laurie Stretch, Margot M. Micallef, Paula Ierullo and Susan MacKenzie.
Laurie Stretch
Vice President, National Relations Team
Laurie’s background:
- Senior communications practitioner, with 18 years of experience spanning the private, public and not for profit sectors
- Specializes in energy and environment issues
- Skill set that includes strategic counsel, issues management, investor relations, corporate communications, government relations, employee communications, media relations and crisis communications
Margo M. Micallef
Founder and President, Oliver Partners Inc.
Margot’s background:
- Counsel to Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLPAdjunct Professor in governance and ethics for the MBA Program at the University of Alberta
- Senior Vice-President, Law, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Shaw Communications Inc.
- Partner with Russell and DumoulinCo-instructor for the Faculty of Law at the University of British Columbia
- Appointed a Queen's Counsel in 2002
- Served on board at ENMAX Board
- Chairs the Corporate Governance Committee and is a member of the Enterprise Risk Management and Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability and Communications Committees
- Chair and CEO of Vista Broadcast Group
Manager of Business Development, Kantera
Sorry I could not find an online bio for Paula. I have contacted her via LinkedIn and requested some bio info.
Susan MacKenzie
Chief Operating Officer, Oilsands Quest Inc.
- VP of Human Resources, with twelve years operational and technical experience with Petro-Canada
- VP and GM of In Situ Oilsands Development and Operations
- Fourteen years experience with Amoco CanadaHolds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from McGill University and a Master’s degree in business admin from U of C
Registration: www.womeninleadership.ca
Sponsors: Brett Gilmour Photography , TD Financial Groupby Shannon (aka: SBK)
Twitter: @sbkelsick
contact me: sbk@MondayMarketingTools.com
Other articles / sources:
- http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Calgary-Business-Women-Share-Secrets-of-Being-Highly-Productive-and-Happy-1156501.htm
- http://ca.news.finance.yahoo.com/s/30032010/30/link-f-cnw-oilsands-quest-appoints-susan-mackenzie-chief-operating-officer.html
- http://www.enmax.com/Corporation/About+Enmax/Direction+and+Leadership/Board+Members/default.htm)
- http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/WorldSkills-Calgary-2009-An-Inside-View-1064282.htm
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Ticket Winner - Calgary Marketing Association Ticket with Arlene Dickinson, May 6, 2010
Last week I ran a contest to win a ticket to an upcoming CMA (Canadian Marketing Association) event ticket, an evening with Arlene Dickinson (http://www.calgarycma.com/).
It was a really fun contest, and as expected it was really tough to pick a winner.
This applicant stuck out in my mind. The winner wrote "I need a few refreshers".
When we go events like these, or when we attend expensive conferences we don't always walk away with the sense that we learned 20 new things, often it is hard to articulate what we did learn.... In my experience it is all about the little nuggets, refreshers, or just a few different thoughts that makes it all worth it.
Most times it is about the experience rather than the content. I think the experience is what Lori would like, please read her submittal - congratulations Lori!
By Lori:
Why should I win it? Let me tell you........
I am Mom, I am Maid, I am Working Woman -- I am woman in need of a night out with real people, learning about the real possibilities of success. Who better than THE DRAGON LADY herself can pump me up and kick start my mentality back to the focus it needs.
I recently returned to the workforce after an extended leave. I was blessed with the birth of one girl - three years ago, got ready to return to work and SURPRISE - this is not early menopause - you are pregnant again. Regrets, no - life altering change - absolutely!!
I have been a successful business owner, a Senior Executive Manager, and recently hired as Centre Manager at Athene. Returning to a world of adults, dressing up in something other than my cleanest dirty shirt or hole-y housecoat - I need a few refreshers.
Would I benefit from the opportunity to tune up my skills and hone in on one of the greatest marketing minds out there... YES!! YES!! YESS!!
Pick me and not only would it be a huge honour, it would be an unforgettable opportunity.
Thank you.
Lori
Congratulations Lori, and thanks for "playing". I will get your ticket to you!
by Shannon (aka: SBK)
Twitter: @sbkelsick
contact me: sbk@MondayMarketingTools.com
picture by www.inthepitchblack.com
It was a really fun contest, and as expected it was really tough to pick a winner.
This applicant stuck out in my mind. The winner wrote "I need a few refreshers".
When we go events like these, or when we attend expensive conferences we don't always walk away with the sense that we learned 20 new things, often it is hard to articulate what we did learn.... In my experience it is all about the little nuggets, refreshers, or just a few different thoughts that makes it all worth it.
Most times it is about the experience rather than the content. I think the experience is what Lori would like, please read her submittal - congratulations Lori!
By Lori:
Why should I win it? Let me tell you........
I am Mom, I am Maid, I am Working Woman -- I am woman in need of a night out with real people, learning about the real possibilities of success. Who better than THE DRAGON LADY herself can pump me up and kick start my mentality back to the focus it needs.
I recently returned to the workforce after an extended leave. I was blessed with the birth of one girl - three years ago, got ready to return to work and SURPRISE - this is not early menopause - you are pregnant again. Regrets, no - life altering change - absolutely!!
I have been a successful business owner, a Senior Executive Manager, and recently hired as Centre Manager at Athene. Returning to a world of adults, dressing up in something other than my cleanest dirty shirt or hole-y housecoat - I need a few refreshers.
Would I benefit from the opportunity to tune up my skills and hone in on one of the greatest marketing minds out there... YES!! YES!! YESS!!
Pick me and not only would it be a huge honour, it would be an unforgettable opportunity.
Thank you.
Lori
Congratulations Lori, and thanks for "playing". I will get your ticket to you!
by Shannon (aka: SBK)
Twitter: @sbkelsick
contact me: sbk@MondayMarketingTools.com
picture by www.inthepitchblack.com
Monday, April 26, 2010
Why Do I Follow A Blogger I Despise?
Nearly everyday I subject myself to reading posts by a blogger that ticks me right off.
The content he publishes is ok (I would say a 7/10 – pretty good right?) and he is definitely knowledgeable about certain topics. And I have to say he works hard because there is a stinking post nearly everyday.
So everyday I see the post, I try not to read it, but the next thing you know it's up on my screen, I am reading it and getting bent sideways and making scoffing noises – bleh, whaaat, argh!
What ticks me off is that it is all about self promotion. Sure there are a lot of kudos given to business partners and clients he serves – so that seems quaint, but it’s a feeble attempt to try to hide what is really happening.
WHY does one have to mention their business, their title, their history and their expertise every single time they write a post?
Come on, I read certain blogs for a reason. I think they are either entertaining or they provide information I am seeking. When we want to know someone’s credentials we seek that out, but normally we just want to read the post. And if the post is well written we will know the person has some credentials, no need to flap them in my face every single day.
It may be for SEO (search engine optimization) reasons, if we determine winners by that alone I guess I will say this blogger wins. Let’s hope he is different in person than online.
For now I will continue to subject myself to this pain and misery, I think I can learn something from it, how not to blog.
by Shannon (aka: SBK)
Twitter: @sbkelsick
contact me: sbk@MondayMarketingTools.com
photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/dantaylor/ / Flickr Creative Commons:
The content he publishes is ok (I would say a 7/10 – pretty good right?) and he is definitely knowledgeable about certain topics. And I have to say he works hard because there is a stinking post nearly everyday.
So everyday I see the post, I try not to read it, but the next thing you know it's up on my screen, I am reading it and getting bent sideways and making scoffing noises – bleh, whaaat, argh!
What ticks me off is that it is all about self promotion. Sure there are a lot of kudos given to business partners and clients he serves – so that seems quaint, but it’s a feeble attempt to try to hide what is really happening.
WHY does one have to mention their business, their title, their history and their expertise every single time they write a post?
Come on, I read certain blogs for a reason. I think they are either entertaining or they provide information I am seeking. When we want to know someone’s credentials we seek that out, but normally we just want to read the post. And if the post is well written we will know the person has some credentials, no need to flap them in my face every single day.
It may be for SEO (search engine optimization) reasons, if we determine winners by that alone I guess I will say this blogger wins. Let’s hope he is different in person than online.
For now I will continue to subject myself to this pain and misery, I think I can learn something from it, how not to blog.
by Shannon (aka: SBK)
Twitter: @sbkelsick
contact me: sbk@MondayMarketingTools.com
photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/dantaylor/ / Flickr Creative Commons:
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