Tag Archives: Vancouver

Channel Surfing 101: Getting Connected

Blog, , , ,

Image Source: Social Media Wheel With Icons by smarnad

I have been basking in the glow of enthusiasm and excitement after having the pleasure of working with Bigger Bubbles Marketing on their new webinar series on Marketing and Public Relations.  Please contact Clare at Bigger Bubbles if you are interested in this 6 week online course.  I highly recommend it to anyone who might be feeling a bit overwhelmed when it comes to thinking about what it takes to plan and implement a PR and Marketing plan for your venture.  I will be sharing more information later on too, so watch this space and or do get in touch if you are interested in being part of the next one.   The course takes places on Friday mornings via Skype for 6 one hour sessions.

Part of my presentation included discussing the merits of bloggers when it comes to social media marketing.   It struck me that bloggers are the gateway to the rest of the social media world.  Especially if you are a brand looking for affordable marketing buzz.    Aside from personal bloggers, there are blogs dedicated to every single niche topic you could possibly imagine.   That means there are bloggers who write about what ever your product or service does.    Not only are these bloggers your target market, their audience is your potential customer base – your leads.   Not only do bloggers blog, but they are deeply integrated into the various social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter with their own audiences.     Bloggers use those channels to promote themselves and their content and hopefully that content includes your brand.

If you are a total novice when it comes to social media and uncomfortable with engagement on the various channels, I think reaching out to bloggers is probably your first step when developing a social media plan.  Of course, you will probably need to master those other social media channels in order to reach those bloggers, but now you have a project or a reason to talk to me.  :)

This leads me to another venture I am currently involved with.   In Vancouver I am putting together a one day conference – now probably in late April – that will be called Connected West.  You can follow me on Twitter at @Connected_West for more information about the plans for this event.

If you are a BC business interested in the hows, whys, and whats about working with bloggers, this could be the one day event for you.  This could be the perfect way for you to connect with bloggers in your niche who could become your online marketing partners.   There are so many ways for bloggers to work with brands, so many ideas that are useful to both sides of the agreement.

If you are a blogger in the Lower Mainland interested in working with brands and not sure how to connect, then this is the event for you.  Here is your chance.

If you want more information about attending Connected West, please do contact me.  More concrete details about the day will be coming up soon, but if you want to make sure you can attend or even better, be a SPONSOR, do get on my email list.

 

 

 

next-level-badge

Marketing Workshop Presented by SAHMedia & Women in Biz Network

Blog, , , , ,

Last fall I had a wonderful time organizing the Women in Biz Network’s first event in Vancouver.  It was a great success due to our amazing speakers Heather White and Rebecca Bollwitt.  Since then I have been working towards ensuring that we have much more to encourage Vancouverites to join WIBN and provide the type of events that people want.  The next Vancouver event is amazingly sold out already.  On April 12th, we have the pleasure of presenting and evening with author and speaker, Danielle LaPorte at the Opus Hotel.

However, I do have another event coming up on May 5th. This will be a workshop format.   I have had a few people asking me about the ins and outs of YouTube and I was frankly not to sure on the marketing aspect of this, but being that YouTube is HUGE, I knew I had to find people that DID know about it all and could help.  And that I did.

On May 5th between 9 am and noon at the Marriott Pinnacle Downtown we are presenting four amazing speakers who will get you and your business ready for the cyber screen.

Next Level Brand Marketing with Video Internet Radio and YouTube  wants to give you a visual edge over your competitor and  help you engage and speak face to face with your potential customers/clients.  Our speakers will be able to take you through every step to get you ready to shine above your competition.

Christine Till Portraits025FINISHED_PRINTINGChristine Till is with Practical Podcasting. Christine’s goal is to help small business find their unique position in the marketplace through the use of podcasting.  She has 20 + years of marketing experience was a business consultant with the Fraser Valley College and taught marketing and business there. She specializes in podcasting and public speaking. She teaches people how to use podcasting to build relationships with their clients.

 

Mick HeadshotMick Lolekonda is the driving force behind Red Sneakers Mediaworks.  Red Sneakers believes that people have natural gifts that they can leverage to not only lead fulfilling and meaningful lives on their own terms, but to also make a difference in other people’s lives around the world.  They believe that these people and their businesses are worth promoting because the world needs to know they exist.

 

Pamela WisePamela  Wise of Personal Brand Stories.  Pamela Wise is a triple threat expert: marketing people for the screen, lifestyle advertising and the boardroom.  As a talent agent for print and TV, and acting coach specializing in auditioning, she has matched hundreds of people and brands.  In social media our client want to connect with us more then ever thru video and images.  As we emerge from behind our logos, understanding our personal brand and how what we are projecting is paramount to building solid and successful business relationships.

Jaeny Baik says learning how to be great on camera is a crucial life skill that goes beyond video. She’s experienced it herself. As a former CBC TV host and seasoned journalist, Jaeny worked 10 years at the CBC as a host, reporter and producer.  Her first TV program, “Living Winnipeg” won a prestigious Gracie Allen Award from New York City. When she took the hosting helm at “Living Vancouver” viewership shot up by 40%. Jaeny also spent years helping to produce million dollar film shoots for advertising commercials. She knows what to say and how to say it with fun and impact! Jaeny now coaches on-camera performance, creates online video strategy and web videos for businesses through Jaeny Baik Media,http://www.JaenyBaik.com

 

As the Vancouver Director for Women in Biz Network, I want to keep doing more events and workshops.  I urge you to take a look at their membership page and sign up.  Businesses are more successful when we can network and support each other.  WIBN is a great organization for that.   They are also on their second year of their two day conference in Toronto and it would be fabulous to have a similar conference here in Vancouver for us West Coasters.  They key to social media is engagement and that is why I am passionate about organizations like the WIBN and the networking and educational opportunities they allow.

 

 

 

Women in Biz Network

Blog, , , ,

Over the summer, I had the pleasure of striking up a conversation with Leigh Mitchell the founder of the Women in Biz Network.  Women in Biz is a Toronto based network that offers their members various networking and enrichment opportunities both online and off.

I really liked Leigh’s passion for networking and community building and her idea that connecting women and the many women’s networking organizations out there is key to developing a strong basis for entrepreneurship.   When women work together. When we reach out and help another women…..it makes us all stronger and better, no matter our fields of interest.

Our conversation led to her ideas for Vancouver and she asked if I was interested in helping setting up a Women in Biz Network event here.  I said yes.

I am thrilled that I was able to help out with this project.  I will say right away, that I could not have done this without the power of networking. Because of the various organizations like Enterprising Moms Network and Momcafe and tools like Twitter and Facebook, I would never have been able to get such great speakers as we do.

On November 1st at the lovely Opus Hotel in Yaletown, we will have Rebecca Bollwitt of Miss604 fame and the equally amazing Heather White of Ghost CEO and 2020 Communications.   Rebecca is one of the most well known bloggers -about-town in Vancouver.    She has built up her Miss604 brand  and made it work for her and her business.   I follow her on Twitter and have met her at a few events.   In Vancouver, she is a social media mover and shaker.

I first heard Heather White speak at a Ghost CEO seminar.   Boy does she wake you up!  If she could bottle up and market the energy and passion she puts into business ownership, well we would perhaps all be as successful as she is.

For our event, I have asked them to speak about brand building.   Online and off, creating a strong marketable brand is key to building your business.  Social media networks are all about brands…be it your own or your businesses.    Creating an image that works in both mediums is key.    The ladies are going to focus on online brand building.

I do hope you all sign up!

This is an evening event….and we want to have fun.  We will have wine and appetizers and there is a rumor of swag bags too!!