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:

About to speak at #CMA dinner in Calgary. Topic at dinner table is dental hygiene. Now I need to go check my teeth!less than a minute ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®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

The Art of Marketing Event in Calgary

The Art of Marketing Event in Calgary
Presented by Microsoft Dynamics CRM
Full Day Marketing / Social Media Class

Okay Calgary, we have been asking for it....more Marketing and Social Media conferences. The Art of Marketing is coming to Calgary! A line up of influential marketers will be in Cowtown on June 14th, 2010.

It is a one day conference that features six different speakers. Tickets are $399 or $499 for preferred seating.

I was sold on the event when I saw that Gary Vaynerchuk and Mitch Joel will be speaking. If you haven't read Mitch's Marketing blog check it out, it's one of the best: http://www.twistimage.com/blog/, and his book: Six Pixels of Separation: Everyone Is Connected. Connect Your Business to Everyone. (affiliate link)
And check this video out on You Tube of Gary Vaynerchuk: http://bit.ly/9uHPsk , and Gary's book: Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion
(affiliate link) I prefer the Audio Version, his voice, and he talks a bit more than just what is in the book.

Here's the full line up of speakers:

• Mitch Joel - Digital Marketing & Social Media http://www.twistimage.com/blog/
• Sally Hogshead - Persuasion & Influence http://sallyhogshead.com/
• Chip Heath - Strategy & Communications http://heathbrothers.com/
• Gary Vaynerchuk - Personal Branding in the New Media Landscape http://garyvaynerchuk.com/
• Max Lenderman - Branding & Experiential Marketing http://www.experiencethemessage.com/
• Sir Ken Robinson - Innovation & Creativity http://sirkenrobinson.com/skr/

I hope the conference is as good as I am expecting it to be... see you there.

Follow @TheArtOfEvents on Twitter
www.theartofmarketing.ca
Twitter hashtag: #taom

by Shannon (aka: SBK) Twitter: @sbkelsick
contact me: sbk@MondayMarketingTools.com

photo from Flickr Creative Commons

http://creativecommons.org/ns#" about="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ben-zvan-photography/468487548/"> rel="cc:attributionURL" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ben-zvan-photography/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/ben-zvan-photography/ / http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">CC BY 2.0

Don't Hate Me Because I Tweet

A Change In Culture: Getting Used To And Appreciating The Use Of Mobile Technology

I had to laugh at a Tweet Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan co-author of Trust Agents) had a week or so ago. He is a man who has made a very successful career sharing his thoughts about business development and customer service - and how technology and the internet enables us to do that. He Tweets alot, and has over 115,000 followers. He tweeted that he was in a coffee shop, working on his mobile, when an older gentlemen looked at him and said something like "is there no limit anymore!" obviously frustrated with him punching away on his mobile.

But little did this gentleman know that Chris was actually working.

Sure he may have been "just" giving a shout out to a friend, or letting us know how CES was going. But this is all work as he is creating his loyal tribe of followers.

I often wonder what people are thinking when I am walking and typing away on my mobile - do they think I am crazy? Do they think I am just sending notes to my friends? Or do they realize that I am actually working - and working very hard?

Some interesting numbers:

• There are 4,100,000 million active mobile phones in the world (ranking: China, India, US, Russia, Brazil)
• 2.3 billion text messages are sent each day
• Standard Life in the UK changed out worker laptops to Blackberrys
• There are, on average, 357 texts in one month versus 204 phone calls

Mobiles are a vital piece to all businesses and non-profits today. Organizations that are embracing the technology are benefiting from it. Those organizations that are hesitant due to a misunderstanding or fear of the additional costs are loosing ground quickly.

When I got my first Blackberry I had no clue what I was going to use it for, I already had a cell phone that I barely used from my employer. I just knew that I needed a smart phone because I was missing out on a community of conversations and connections. It was one of the smartest purchases I have made. I am more upto speed on the web and new technology than I have ever been - which is very important to my business. And my smartphone has positively affected my stream of business, allowing me to grow my network and connect with clients and peers.

So the next time you see young kids "playing" on their mobiles or adults in coffee shops "texting", stop for a moment and consider they may be doing something very very productive, appreciate the culture change mobiles are creating - it is very interesting, positive, and it sure can be fun!

SBK (Shannon) contact me: sbk@mondaymarketingtools.com

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_mobile_phones_in_use

http://www.blackberry.com/newsletters/connection/business/i709/standard_life.shtml

Twitter Quotes By Some Brilliant People

I am inspired by those around me. By reading books and blogs, watching podcasts, videos, and reading Tweets I learn every day. Here are some social media (mainly Twitter) quotes I have come across online in my search for knowledge - thank you to everyone that has a positive presence online and thank you for sharing your wisdom, or your humor ;)

Quotes about Twitter:

"How do you get 100,000 Twitter followers.... it doesn't matter if there's 100,000 if they are not paying attention to you, it's just matters the devotion that each of those people have" Julien Smith, Co-Author Trust Agents

"For the uninitiated, here’s how Twitter works – I have no f***ing idea. I have no idea how it works – or why it is." Jon Stewart, comedian and host of The Daily Show

"The only reason to bother getting 100,000 followers... is so you could shine your spotlight brighter on other people" - Chris Brogan - Co-Author Trust Agents

“The qualities that make Twitter seem inane and half-baked are what makes it so powerful” – Jonathan Zittrain, Harvard Law Professor & Internet expert

"Twitter is a filter for opinionated relevancy" Marc Meyer, Direct Marketing Observations

"If you try to tweet the same message consistently over time, I can tell you safely that I will be the first one to unfollow you! I am in Twitter to enjoy myself, while you are out there to hard sell me something!" Liz Stauss, Successful-Blog.com

“Twitter lets me hear from a lot of people in a very short period of time.” Robert Scoble, Blogger

And one focused on social media for social change:

"I...want people who want the world to change to have a tribe... who have something to say to make a change to make things better" Seth Godin - Author

SBK (aka Shannon) contact me: sbkelsick@gmail.com

Photos by Scott Prince www.inthepitchblack.com

Why I Give a Tweet

The most common comment I get about my profession is “Why would I care about things like Twitter”.

So here I ask myself the same question: “Why give a Tweet? ”

Here's why I Tweet:


I found the Marketing Community

The number one reason I Tweet is because I live in Calgary, Alberta – and we do not have a very strong Marketing Community – what I mean by that is I have found it hard to connect with other Marketing professionals. We do not have very many options for courses, seminars or conferences – although this is improving. So I Tweet to meet other Marketing Professionals in Calgary and other areas that I can learn from and relate to – it’s kinda like finding your long lost family. I also get great event postings and course postings, and that is valuable to me.

I don’t want to be left behind

Look, I am in my thirties and felt like I was loosing ground on being “in the loop” and “cool” because I did not have a smart phone and had no Tweeps to speak of. This was a bit terrifying to me. I look at our current older generation and feel they are missing out on some pretty cool things if they have not fully embraced technology. I can say that my smart phone and all of the other cool technologies I use make my life interesting, fun, and efficient – but most of all they have allowed me to feel like I am in the loop – and that is valuable to me.

I am building my network

I think that following valuable** people and them following me is like meeting someone and exchanging business cards. We exchange cards, check out our websites – and now we have another contact to refer work to, ask for quotes, buy products and services from etc. But this is even better than just having someone’s card to pull out and maybe call, I follow their business (or life) on Twitter and see what they need, do they all of sudden need a new computer? Graphic design? A good restaurant? Maybe I can offer my services or refer a friend? That is valuable to me.
** valuable people to me are people that I want to connect with – either to learn from their postings, or to see what my customers are doing to ensure I understand them.

I think Twitter is fun. If you try Twitter and hate it – it is not going to work. It should be a fun and entertaining activity that you get something out of.

SBK (Shannon)

contact me: sbkelsick@gmail.com