Your questions answered: Can social media actually drive sales?

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social media marketingToday’s question comes from Kevin who writes, “Can social media actually drive sales?”

That’s a great question, Kevin. If you’re looking for the answer for this, too, then keep on reading.

1. Social SEO

First of all, social media absolutely does drive sales because a lot of social media sites—Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest & Linkedin— show up on Google search results.

In fact if you have social media profiles, you can search your company name on Google right now and see that not just your website, but … Continue reading →

3 Tips to Grow and Enrich Your LinkedIn Network

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building-your-linkedin-networkHaving a strong LinkedIn network is very beneficial to your professional career. It can help you land a job, learn new things and make new connections that you never thought would be possible. Although many professionals have a LinkedIn profile, many are still not taking full advantage of the social network. The following are three proven ways to grow and enrich your network on LinkedIn:

1. Go to Events & Take People for Coffee (Add people in the moment)

The most fundamental way to grow your LinkedIn network is also the most old school, … Continue reading →

Optimize your Marketing Strategy with this Free Web Tool

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marketing strategyAlthough the entry barrier to online businesses such as e-commerce is lower than for their offline equivalents, making a success of your enterprise is far from guaranteed.

Fortunately, there are countless web tools that you can use to help you get your business where you want it to be. Not all of these tools come cheap though, which can be off-putting for a fledgling project unsure of how much they can afford to spend on something that might prove unnecessary.

Thanks to the people behind our favourite search engine however, … Continue reading →

3 Simple Ways to Help your Blog be Found and Read

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digital marketing blogThe societal shift towards instant gratification in our media has completely altered the way we think about producing and digesting the written word, with online blogs in particular being a major force in the changing habits of both writers and readers.

When people say they want to read an epic blog post, they’re no longer talking about the length. As sad as it might sound to those with dreams of grandeur, unless you are a specially talented … Continue reading →

Tweet like a Rock Star – 3 tips for easy Twitter Marketing

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marketing campaignSince its genesis in 2006, Twitter has become a global stage that anyone can step onto, grab the mic, and sing to their own audience. Thanks to the potential for easily reaching such a wide array of fans, it has become an integral part of most small business marketing campaigns today.

The only problem is, with so many voices vying to be heard, how can you make sure you don’t become just another brick in the wall?

Being … Continue reading →

The Essential Social Media Camp Attendees Checklist

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Whether this is your first time attending Social media camp, or your 6th, here’s a handy checklist to help you make the most of your time at camp.

Before Social Media Camp

Plan your itinerary:

This is North America’s biggest social media conference offering 60 speakers in just 3 days, with many concurrent sessions in one of three main salons, as well as other events offsite and in smaller rooms.

If you haven’t already, check out the schedule of events before hand on the social media camp website interactive scheduler where you can plan your attack- and save the  sessions and workshops you plan to attend.

If you’re … Continue reading →

3 Reasons Your Business Needs A Mobile Friendly Website

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mobile content marketingThe sight of commuters on the train, coffee drinkers in the cafe, or employees on their lunch break engrossed in their smartphones or tablets has become ubiquitous through recent years, and is a social trend that should force business owners everywhere to take their mobile content marketing seriously.

However, the single most important aspect for any business with aspirations of engaging with a mobile audience is to have a mobile friendly website that seamlessly resizes all … Continue reading →

So your website has been hacked- now what? + a guide to preventing the worst case.

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Getting hacked seems like an improbable occurrence, especially for a small or micro sized local businesses.

However, in 10 years or so in this industry, I have seen it happen to a handful of Calgary and area small and medium sized business.

What does being hacked look like?

In one case, the website was replaced by a merry, if not loudly playing song and a cartoon that said “You’ve been hacked from Tunisia.” This was the least serious of the cases.

In another case, the website had a hidden page that was selling generic pharmaceutical products, to which the … Continue reading →

Embracing the Art of “Not Knowing” in Business

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in-the-unknownBusiness is a funny thing. It’s a space where knowledge, expertise, and excellence are revered more so than any other facet of our lives. We all strive to become the experts in our industries, the “thought leader.” But what happens when our know-it-all attitude becomes stale and we find ourselves bored in our work? What happens when we no longer feel challenged? It’s a dangerous position to find ourselves because when we are no longer challenged, we also lose motivation for creativity and innovation. Finding yourself in that place … Continue reading →