Looking Forward to Canada 3.0 2013
Posted by The Running Start in Uncategorized on May 9, 2013
Hi Everyone, I know it’s been a long time since my last post. I am still on maternity leave (and 
enjoying every minute with our new son) but I do plan to attend Canada 3.0 2013 in Toronto next week! I’ll be there on Tuesday to check out some amazing speakers like Amber Mac, Chris Anderson, Michael Serbinis, Reed Hastings and many more. You can find the full list of speakers at www.canada30.ca.
I hope to see you all there so we can catch up! Also, look out for my summary post from the event in the next week or so. I look forward to sharing even more posts with you in the near future.
Stay tuned!
The Year Ahead
Posted by The Running Start in Entrepreneurs, Random Thoughts on January 9, 2013
Happy 2013 everyone! I’m excited to start another great year of blogging and sharing my personal 
business stories, challenges and ideas with you. This is a very special year because my husband and I are expecting our first child. I am extremely excited and can’t wait to meet our little one.
While I plan to take some time off to bond with my newborn when they arrive (thanks Canadian government for providing EI for the self-employed), I do intend to continue to blog on this website, albeit a little less frequently at first. I will also continue to participate in social media discussions on Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
It’s was a tough decision to take a break since I just started my business two years ago. However, I know that I would regret not doing so.
I really appreciate all of the people who continue to read and share my stories online and I thank you in advance for your patience while I am a little slow responding to e-mails and comments. Please continue to send me your story ideas and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
I wish you all a very successful new year!
Sh*t Memes Say About Your Brand
Posted by The Running Start in social media, Storytelling on January 2, 2013
From the Sh*t Girls Say video series, to Big Bird, binders and bayonets images created during the 
recent U.S. presidential debates, Internet memes have become an extremely popular way to influence and participate in social discourse and pop culture.
There have been a lot of articles written lately about what it means for a brand to “memejack” or hitch a ride on a popular meme to raise awareness and associate your product with a cultural idea that has spread virally.
How memes can help or hinder your marketing efforts
A lot of meme marketing success relies on timing and execution. When used properly, memes can help a brand to resonate with a particular audience, making its personality seem more humorous, playful or youthful in nature. When done wrong, the joke can turn very quickly on your brand and potentially damage your company’s reputation.
Even worse, a brand could get innocently dragged into a meme, forcing companies to react quickly to control the narrative.
Below is a look at some recent meme marketing hits, misses and innocent bystanders of 2012.
When a marketer hits it out of the park
A ‘memenouncement’: Rather than issue a press release in May 2012, SEOmoz, an SEO software company, used a series of memes (with images of the Dos Aquis “most interesting man in the world” character, Willy Wonka and Jean Luc Picard) to illustrate its recent success in raising $18 million in series B funding. Check out thefull memenouncement here which received a lot of positive reviews.
Memevertising: Often, viral images or YouTube videos become memes and inspire marketers to create ads that resonate with the message. A recent example is Virgin Mobile’s Success Kid campaign which ran earlier this year. The company did a great job tying the marketing message to the meme which represents either “success or frustration,” according to KnowYourMeme.com.
When good memes go bad
Poor timing or taste: Some brands are often just too late to the meme marketing party. For example, there were hundreds of parodies created of the Sh*t Girls Sayvideo series that launched in late 2011/early 2012. The brands that followed the trend early on got lots of positive reactions from their customers and followers (like this video for Sanuk Footwear). Those that posted videos much later, or didn’t quite hit the mark, seemed either offensive or caused Sh*t People Say fatigue. This parody video says it all.
Mixed messages: Earlier this year, McDonalds tried to create its own meme and get people to share nostalgic stories about Happy Meals with the Twitter hashtag #McDStories. Unfortunately, as Forbes puts it, the hashtag became a “bashtag,” where many people used the opportunity to air their customer service complaints and other grievances about the fast-food restaurant chain.
When your brand is just an innocent bystander
Amazon and Avery binders:Shortly after U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney mentioned in the second televised debate (this past October) that he had been given “binders full of women” to hire for his cabinet when serving as governor of his state,fake customer reviews started popping-up on Amazon.com product pages for Avery binders.
While many of the jokes about binders were hilarious, it’s tough to say whether the reviews helped or hurt the brand’s reputation. According to this article, the company’s stock price closed lower on the NYSE on the days following the debate. However, the company reacted a shortly after the hoax by posting a joke on its Facebook page, saying “we’re hearing a lot about binders today!”
This tongue-in-cheek comment garnered lots of likes and showed that the company was being “good sports” about the incident.
These are just a few examples to get you thinking about how meme marketing could work for your business. Do you have any best practices to share? Please post them below.
A version of this post was originally published on the Jugnoo blog in November 2012 and has been republished with permission.
Happy Holidays and Thank You So Much
Posted by The Running Start in Entrepreneurs, Inspiration, Online businesses, Random Thoughts on December 12, 2012
Wow, I can’t believe another year has passed! Where does the time go? During the holiday season, I like to look back and appreciate all of the things that I am thankful for having received and accomplished in the past twelve months.
I am so thankful for the opportunity to share my stories with you on this blog. I plan to continue to share my insights, ideas and personal challenges and successes as I work to grow my business. I am so grateful that you read, share and comment on my posts. It definitely keeps me motivated.
I am also thankful for all of the new people and clients that I have met and worked with in the past year. You have pushed me to work harder and to do things that were often out of my comfort zone. Thank you for inspiring me and teaching me new things about digital media, startups, small businesses and about myself.
Finally, I am thankful for having the privilege to work for myself and to be able to experiment and to drive my career in whatever direction I feel that it needs to go next.
I want to wish you all a very happy holiday season and best wishes for a successful and exciting New Year! See you all again in 2013.
I’ll leave you with my favourite holiday 2012 viral video, courtesy of Jimmy Fallon, Mariah Carey and The Roots. Warning: This song might inspire you to put on an ugly Xmas sweater, drink some boozy eggnog and generally feel warm and fuzzy. Enjoy at your own risk!
Warm regards,
Andrea
Tips from Canadian Startup Founders on Measuring Social Media Success
Posted by The Running Start in Entrepreneurs, Online businesses, social media, Storytelling on December 5, 2012
There’s been a lot written about whether or not it’s possible to truly measure the return on 
investment (ROI) of a business’s social media efforts – especially with a limited marketing budget.
Meanwhile, many marketers argue that the impact of social media transcends the hard numbers or conversions that they are currently able to analyze.
“We know that there are many qualitative benefits that are difficult to measure effectively,” says Alyssa Richard, founder and CEO of RateHub.ca, a Canadian mortgage rate comparison startup.
Still, companies continue to invest time and resources into social media. To find out more, I recently spoke with a few Canadian startup founders and CEOs to find out what they’ve learned as they’ve built their brand online with limited resources, using social media as an essential ingredient in their marketing mix.
Below are some of their tips and tricks for measuring success.
Experiment and Set Benchmarks
“It’s all trial and error at the end of the day,” says Kelly Fallis, CEO of Remote Stylist – an online service, based out of Toronto and NYC, that offers free help from their designers, less-than-retail furniture prices and $1 shipping to Canada and the USA. “We set benchmarks for each of our programs and then measure against them. However, it doesn’t always work out the way we want. So, we have to adjust.”
“At RateHub, we set targets like reaching 5,000 Twitter followers by Christmas. Then, we work back what we’re going to do daily, weekly, etc. to get there,” says Richard. “We know that reaching that number will help us with more than just traffic to the website. It also has an impact on who advertises with us, as they know [with more followers] that we’re able to get their message out to more people through our social media channels.”
“We had no marketing budget when we launched,” says Matthew Slutsky, co-founder of BuzzBuzzHome, a Canadian destination for listings of new construction homes which just expanded into New York City. “So, we tried all sorts of content marketing strategies like question and answer discussions on Facebook and viral YouTube videos to see what would drive the most inbound links back to our website – both from social media and from traditional media sources. One of the most impactful ways that we’ve driven traffic to our site is through the development of infographics that raise questions and controversy.”
A recent infographic that BuzzBuzzHome created pitted Toronto real estate developer Brad Lamb against Donald Trump and sparked an online discussion around whether Lamb is the “Trump of Toronto.” Ultimately, this drove more traffic to their website.
Measure community engagement with content
All three business owners measure the value of their community and the impact of their content online.
Slutsky suggests that the measurement of community participation with social media content can be referred to as “‘proof of engagement.’ One of our biggest goals for BuzzBuzzHome is to build a community around real estate development – our user growth depends on it. So, if we get zero comments on a post on Facebook or Twitter, we know that we did something wrong and that the community wasn’t engaged.”
Richard’s team learns from their web analytics platforms (by looking at the most popular blog post categories and keywords that refer traffic to RateHub.ca) to determine future content marketing topics.
“We use Facebook Insights and CrowdBooster to look at community engagement (through comments, likes, shares and more) with the content that we post on various social media platforms,” says Richard. “We also use Google Analytics and a Jetpack plugin for WordPress to measure the engagement and popularity of the posts on our blog.”
Let audience feedback influence your brand and product development
Pinterest has proven to be a great resource for the Remote Stylist team to not only to drive traffic back to their website (an important metric for the company) but also to gauge audience interest in trending styles, designs and furniture that they should source for their customers.
“Pinterest helps us gather intelligence on what kind of furniture our customers are after,” says Fallis. “Most of what we pin on our Pinterest inspiration boards is in our furniture database of over 500,000 items. When users pin design photos to their boards, we’re able to pass that information on to our designers to source designs that resonate with our target market. By showing us who they are, we can ensure greater results for the customer.”
“We often crowdsource photo captions and designs from our community for our ‘Leonard the Bee’ brand mascot,” says Slutsky. By involving their audience in the evolution of their brand, BuzzBuzzHome is able to increase customer loyalty, engagement and drive repeat website visits.
These examples are just some of the ways startups are measuring the impact of social media on website traffic, engagement and product development. Do you have a tactic that works well for your business? Please share in the comments section below.
A version of this post was originally published on the Jugnoo blog in November 2012 and has been republished with permission.
Help is There When You Need it
Posted by The Running Start in Uncategorized on November 28, 2012
Dear readers,
I apologize for not posting on my blog last week. I threw my back out with a herniated disc and have
been placed on bed rest for a few weeks. This has definitely been the first major set back to running my own business. Luckily, I have amazing friends, colleagues, family members and clients who have all given me their support as I take time off to heal.
The experience has definitely taught me a lesson that help and understanding is really there if and when you ask for it. It has also humbled me as I realize that I really do need to ask others for assistance when I’m in a jam.
I appreciate your patience in the next few weeks as I recover from my injury. I continue to learn what it means to run my own business and am so thankful for your continued support.
All the best,
Andrea
Can Coca-Cola Compete with Traditional Media Publications?
Posted by The Running Start in Inspiration, Online businesses, social media, Storytelling on November 12, 2012
About a year ago, I was having lunch with an old colleague in the digital advertising industry who 
asked me where I thought the Internet was headed. Now, I am not a visionary or web guru of any sort. However, knowing that I had to pivot my business in the past year towards content marketing (because that’s what everyone was requesting from me), I told him that I thought that big brands would start to create their own web-based publications that might soon rival those of traditional media publications online. He, being a digital advertising salesman, was somewhat skeptical.
I recently wrote a blog post commenting on Coke’s big plan for digital storytelling which revealed details on how the company would develop creative content for the web. Well, according the NYTimes.com, the company is re-designing it’s website to reflect something “more akin to a consumer magazine than a business portal.”
So, I guess my prediction, if Coke is successful, is on its way to becoming a reality. It’s not a big surprise. As I mentioned in this post from July 2011, social media has basically become the soap opera of the digital age. As such, brands are developing web-based media publications and channels where their stories can be shared and commented on to spread virally online. Whether all of them will succeed in this pursuit is not yet clear. However, I think we’ll see a lot of other companies following Coke’s lead in the near future.
Do you agree? Please share your thoughts below.
How Far into the Future Can we Make Predictions about Technology?
Posted by The Running Start in Inspiration, Random Thoughts on November 6, 2012
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Yesterday, I stumbled upon details of a new book coming out from John Battelle, the co-founder of Wired entitled What we Hath Wrought which will, according to his blog, “give us a forecast of the interconnected world in 2040, then work backwards to explain how the personal, economic, political, and technological strands of this human narrative have evolved from the pivotal moment in which we find ourselves now.” So, I tweeted out an interview from 2011 with Brian Solis asking Battelle about the book.
Then, to my surprise, someone on Twitter commented that 30 years into the future is too “far-fetched,” as he believes that we really can’t correctly predict what’s going to happen in 5 or 10 years in the technology industry. Fair enough. But with 2012 drawing to a close, I’ve already noticed some of the 2013 technology prediction blogs surfacing on the web. So, it’s got me thinking. How far into the future can we really predict what’s going to happen with emerging technologies?
Should we even bother trying to predict what’s going to happen (even a year from now) at all? Or, are all prediction articles, books and blogs merely “sex and fluff,” as my Twitter commenter put it, that sell well or get re-tweeted frequently (guilty as charged)?
I still think it’s worth it to provide a vision of what might happen. It can only help others to dream up new ideas that push the envelope even further. But maybe I’m just one of a small few who likes to think about that stuff. What are your thoughts? Please share your comments below.
Can the Old Become New Again Online?
Posted by The Running Start in Online businesses, Random Thoughts, Storytelling on October 30, 2012
Last week, WSJ.com published a story on how the education system is facing a massive shift due to 
the impact of the web. The fact that do-it-yourselfers can promote their own services online today (like the guitar teacher mentioned in the article who streams free video lessons to up to 1,500 people from his basement), coupled with the new ways that young people learn in a digital age, poses a potential threat to the number of teachers and educational institutions that will be needed in the future.
Yet, it appears that almost every major industry has been impacted by the web in some way – from music to publishing, banking and business, healthcare and education. But does this mean that there will be fewer jobs in the future? Or, will jobs simply change and adapt as a result of new technologies?
The CBC.ca recently posted a video from its 1960s archives which discusses automation and how computers could eventually wipe out millions of jobs in the future. But that’s not exactly what happened. Instead, many jobs that existed in the 1960s simply shifted and evolved as new technologies made way for different career paths. Thankfully, the “calamitous unemployment” crisis, as the video suggests would happen by 1970, was averted.
The publishing industry is an interesting example of how old jobs (like those of long-form feature writers that have disappeared to a certain extent) may simply be transformed as a result of new digital technologies. Over the past ten years, news publications were pressured to offer their web content for free because online advertising revenues were skyrocketing and the expectation was that digital ads would supplement a sharp decline in print subscriptions (because everyone was going online). As a result, online content shifted to a shorter, more blog-style format – partially due to the timeliness of the web, users’ attention spans and competition from people who were publishing their own blogs for free (using new self-publishing platforms like WordPress).
However, thanks to the introduction of social media and tablets, which played a role in the increase in readership of publications like The New Yorker, the demand for longer form content is growing online, as this PandoDaily story implies. Consequently, an entirely new generation of long-form feature writers may soon emerge to produce “New Yorker-style” content for publications that might soon be able to pay for it.
You see, because online advertising revenues have not kept pace with the needs of news publications to stay afloat, pay walls are about to go up on almost all of the major online Canadian news publications (TheStar.com is the most recent publication to announce that it will follow suit). And if these publications see a turn-around in subscription revenues, as the New York Times has recently achieved, people may finally be forced to pay to access content on the web – as they did in the past with newspapers. Although, I believe that the way that people pay for online content could still evolve.
So, it seems that the more some things change because of the Internet, the more they may return to the same as before – just slightly altered or enhanced for a digital audience. Do you agree? Will the Internet wipe out jobs or just create new demands for skills that have been temporarily lost? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Two Toronto Real Estate Agents on Keeping it Real in Social Media
Posted by The Running Start in Inspiration, social media, Storytelling on October 24, 2012
Many real estate agents and developers use social media to attract new business. But is there a right
way and a wrong way to build customer relationships online?
To find out, I spoke with two Toronto real estate agents Chris Borkowski (@CondoChris) and Mark Savel (@SavelSells).
I was curious on their insights into what works and what doesn’t when it comes to growing your business and staying true to yourself in social media. Here are their thoughts.
Build relationships by sharing your passions
Both Borkowski and Savel believe that it’s important to build one-on-one customer relationships by sharing your passions and interests.
Borkowski, a former night-club promoter, likes to share his love of tattoos and hip hop music with his network. “I talk about what I’m into with people and comment on their posts if they mention something we have in common.
That’s when I might start the conversation about where they’re living, etc. But I don’t think you should be too direct about what you’re selling.”
Savel says that “people do business with people they like.” He also shares his love of music with his social media connections. “I once got a deal on Twitter because I jumped in on a conversation about a Black Keys concert that I had just attended.”
Sharing your passions attracts more customers than talking about your business and what you do.
Turn haters into customers by having a conversation
When it comes to receiving negative comments online, Borkowski and Savel have both turned haters into fans by continuing the dialogue.
“It’s just like dealing with an argument in real life,” says Savel. “If you approach it with an open-mind and have a conversation, rather than barking back at them, it’s amazing what opportunities you can uncover.”
Likewise, Borkowski once addressed a naysayer’s comments on his video blog (or vlog) CondoChris.ca by sending a personal letter to discuss their remarks further.
By taking the time to write a letter, build a bridge with that person and turn an enemy into a fan.
“It’s better to kill them with kindness, rather than calling them out.”
Keep it real by being true to yourself
Everyone uses different tools and approaches to social media marketing. But both Borkowski and Savel agree that you should be true to yourself when sharing your views and personality with followers.
Borkowski prefers to speak directly to the real estate industry and potential customers on his vlog. “I don’t like to sit and write and I like to show a lighter side of myself – that’s why I prefer video as a platform,” he says. “I keep my videos informative and (mostly) unscripted. I do have some points and stats on-hand to call-out but I like to be real and share my views on what’s going on in the industry. That’s how I build trust with other realtors and customers.”
Here’s a video of Borkowski sharing his insights on an up-and-coming neighbourhood in Toronto – The Junction:
Savel, on the other hand, likes to write commentary about current real estate news articles and conversations happening on Twitter on his blog SavelandtheCity.com. “I track keywords on Twitter to see what people are talking about. I then use the platform to attract readers to my blog and have conversations around the news stories that I write,” says Savel.
Catch people’s attention with off-beat titles and stories. It’s wrong to only talk about your accomplishments and your business.
Experiment and don’t be boring
Both real estate agents insist that you must experiment and see what works for you. Savel says that whatever you do, “Don’t be boring. Successful online marketers are usually successful offline ones too. Just because your profession is real estate doesn’t mean you need to talk about it 24/7.”
Likewise, Borkowski believes “it’s important to keep your blog posts and Tweets positive – especially when you’re starting out and trying to build relationships with new followers.”
If you’re a real estate agent or developer, we want to hear about your successful social media marketing strategies. Please share your tips and tricks in the comments section below.
A version of this post was originally published on the Jugnoo blog in September 2012 and has been republished with permission.
A Leap of Faith has Raised the Bar for Content Marketing Success
Posted by The Running Start in Inspiration, Online businesses, Storytelling on October 16, 2012
Felix Baumgartner’s space jump got a lot of press this week because of his heroism and 
his contribution to science. But it also received a lot of coverage from traditional media and on social media channels because of Red Bull’s genius sponsorship of the jump and their content marketing strategy before and after the leap occurred.
I’ve written a lot about content marketing on my blog in the past two years. And I continue to observe what stands out in a sea of social media content creation and sharing – both for client strategies and for stories about good content marketing. But few stories ever receive the praise from marketers that this stunt achieved.
So, it seems that Red Bull’s leap of faith in sponsoring Baumgartner’s jump certainly paid off and will continue to do so. Meanwhile, it has raised the bar as far as what it takes to catch people’s attention both online and offline.
If you don’t have millions of dollars to sponsor such an event, here are some great summaries of how any business can learn from Red Bull’s strategy:
- Five content marketing lessons from the red bull stratos jump (via Econsultancy)
- 6 Ways That Red Bull Absolutely Killed It With Stratos (via Business2Community)
- What Red Bull can Teach Content Marketers (via Digiday)
- How Red Bull Stratos Successfully Soared Across Social Media (via Salesforce)
I’m always looking for inspirational stories about content marketing. If your business has done something daring in the name of great content, please share your story in the comments section below.
Using Social Media to Manage Relationships Through the Sales Funnel
Posted by The Running Start in B2B Marketing, Online businesses on October 10, 2012
Are you trying to win new clients and keep them coming back for more? Social media provides new channels to attract, influence, engage and convert prospects into loyal customers through the sales funnel.
There are many different ways to do this. Let’s take a look at a few commonly used tools and tactics for selling enterprise software direct to clients.
Attracting customers and generating leads
The first step is to generate awareness of your business to peak a customer’s interest – so they’ll ask for more information about your product or service. But don’t be too forward here.
A “soft sell” approach is better with social media because the customer can find your business through online channels while seeking out insights and advice.
A great way to influence a customer to provide their contact information (through a form or e-mail) is by creating compelling content on your website via blogs, downloadable whitepapers, e-books and more.
To promote enterprise software, you can produce content focused on emerging technology trends or new research in your industry, host video chats with thought leaders who write and speak about technology and more.
It’s helpful to use social media analytics tools (or even search.twitter.com) to see what conversations are happening in your industry and to inspire your spreadable story ideas which you can then share on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
For more information on the pros and cons of using digital storytelling to generate sales leads, read this post from July.
Qualifying leads and engaging with customers
Now, it’s time to follow-up on new leads from your website. You can begin to follow your customers and engage in online conversations with them about technology through social media channels.
At this point, your sales team should be gathering as much information about your customer’s software needs as possible – get to know what makes them tick!
You don’t want to be doing a “hard sell” here either. Social media can be used to share information and ideas with your customers. Once you’ve made contact, you can send links to relevant articles and studies about enterprise software, host Twitter chats and webinars about technology best practices and more.
You can also listen to customer conversations, answer questions and overcome objections about your product to influence their purchase decision.
The pitch and closing the sale
By the time you’re ready to pitch to the customer, your sales people will have done all of the information gathering they can (via social media and other sales channels) to understand your customer’s needs and how your enterprise software can best serve them.
To take your information gathering efforts for the pitch to the next level, grow your customer relationships offline.
As I mentioned in this post about the importance of building in-person social media relationships, ask lots of questions like their short and long-term needs (for software customizations), their budget (for offering tiered services) and more.
Meeting face-to-face will help with closing the sale as you’ll build greater trust with your customer.
Post-sale customer relationship management (CRM)
Finally, we’ve reached the customer retention stage which can start the sales funnel process all over again. At this point, your team will be:
- Continuing to build customer relationships (in-person and online),
- Listening to customer feedback about your products and service,
- Acting on feedback (both pro-actively and re-actively) to ensure a positive outcome, and
- Rewarding customers for their loyalty.
Again, you’ll need a social media monitoring platform to identify and engage in key customer conversations. Also, make sure to participate on the social networks which your customers prefer to have contact with your business.
This way, you can keep them informed of key industry trends and software updates, and promote exclusive deals for future sales opportunities.
These are a few social CRM strategies I have picked-up from my own experience working in sales and B2B marketing.
What tools and tactics work well for your business? Please share your thoughts below.
A version of this post was originally published on the Jugnoo blog in September 2012 and has been republished with permission.
You Know Tech Startups are Hot When…
Posted by The Running Start in Entrepreneurs, Online businesses, Random Thoughts on October 3, 2012
Earlier this year, I wrote a story for TORO Magazine entitled “Are Tech Devs the New Rock Stars?“
Well, it seems my hypothesis in that story has not only come true but it has now reached “X Factor” status. According to this story from BetaBeat, even Simon Cowell and Will.I.Am are jumping on the tech startup bandwagon.
I know that Will.I.Am is a big supporter of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education for youth. But will an “X Factor” type of show really send the right message?
Likewise, as the BetaBeat article suggests, how can one really test the skills and success-potential of a tech entrepreneur in that type of an environment? And who will judge this talent competition?
The details aren’t out yet. So, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
I’d be interested to find out what type of companies try out for the show and how it will fare compared to a Shark Tank or Dragon’s Den format. I’m also curious to see what else transpires as the popularity of tech startups continues to explode.
As always, your comments are welcome below.
Bold and Unapologetic: The Rise of Self-Employed Canadians
Posted by The Running Start in Entrepreneurs, Inspiration, Random Thoughts on September 25, 2012
Canadians have often been stereotypically described as apologetic and passive. But according 
to a recent CIBC study, reported yesterday in the Globe and Mail, that perception may be in need of an overhaul.
According to the article, “more than half a million Canadians said they had begun their own business over the past two years.” This is apparently a “record number” that is expected to increase in the next ten years. Likewise, the Globe and Mail article suggests that “80 per cent of those who started their own business, did it willingly – not because they couldn’t find a job.”
So, what does this say about Canadian stereotypes?
It takes a lot of will power, stamina and determination to start a new business. Plus, it requires that you be bold and unapologetic for trying to succeed on your own. I like to think that the recent increase in risk-taking by Canadians reflects the desire to no longer passively let someone else decide the fate of their careers. Instead, they are taking their future in their own hands – in turn, creating new jobs and opportunities for others.
Now, that’s a stereotype I can stand behind.
Do you agree? Please share your comments below.
Random Thought: How Much More ‘About You’ can Twitter get?
Posted by The Running Start in Random Thoughts on September 18, 2012
Have you read about the new Twitter profile changes that were announced yesterday? According to
Mashable.com, the new re-design puts your profile photo front and center – pushing your Tweets downwards – to make room a bigger background image that looks a lot Facebook’s timeline feature. While I like the idea that Twitter is all about promoting yourself (especially if you run your own business), sharing your thoughts and ideas and connecting with other businesses and colleagues in an immediate fashion, I’m not so sure I need my photos to be bigger and more prominent in order to do so – especially my profile image.
I suspect that this change has much more to do with competing with Facebook’s timeline features, rather than it being about “adding more personality” to a profile page. Isn’t that up to me to add personality through my tweets (the content that I want to share) – which have now been pushed further down the page? Don’t get me wrong, I do love Twitter. It’s one of my favourite social media platforms. However, I’m just not sure that the changes will really reflect more of me than it already does.
I guess I’m now one of those people who’s complaining about changes to a free service that I willingly opt-in to using. I just liked Twitter for what it already was – is that so wrong?
Do you agree? Please share your thoughts below.
Five Ways that Moving is Just Like Starting a Business
Posted by The Running Start in Entrepreneurs, Inspiration, Random Thoughts on September 12, 2012
A few weeks ago, my husband and I moved for the second time in two years. We needed more
living space and it was time to experience a different part of the city.
While preparing and unpacking from a move is hard work, I’ve come to realize that it’s a lot like starting a new business. It’s not that long ago that I launched The Running Start. So, here are five ways that I’ve found that moving and starting up are similar:
- Put together a plan but be prepared for the unexpected. When I first started my business, I drafted a rough business plan. While I didn’t end up doing all of the tasks on my list (some of my priorities changed along the way), I did stick to my key goals and adapted the plan whenever necessary. The same can happen when moving – put together your list of things to do but be prepared to switch gears when things change (i.e. the landlord wants to show your old place while you’re in the midst of packing, etc.).
- Weed out unnecessary tasks (less is more). A key lesson that I’ve learned in running my own business is that there are only so many hours in the day. So, it’s important to focus on the “must haves” and let everything else fall into place when you have time. It’s the same challenge when moving. You know that it’s important to pack-up all of your boxes before moving day or you’ll run out of time. If you focus on being prepared for the move, you can deal with changing your address with Canada Post and other tasks the day after.
- Take it one box (or day) at a time. It can be pretty overwhelming to move into a new place (or start a new business) and look at all of the boxes (or tasks) that you need to unpack/tackle. If you just take it one box (or project) at a time, you’ll feel a lot less overwhelmed and will be amazed by how much you can accomplish in just one week.
- Collaboration is key – accept that you need help from others. My husband and I decided to hire movers this time, as we had accumulated a lot more stuff (i.e. wedding presents, new furniture, etc.) over the past two years. It was such a wise decision as the move went a lot faster. Over the past year and a half of running my business, I have also learned that you need to work with others (either outsourcing or being the person outsourced to other freelancers) to complete projects that have a tight deadline. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and build that into your project budget.
- Adapt and move around obstacles. If there is one guarantee in business, it’s that you’re going to face some obstacles. Whether you’re moving or starting a new business, be flexible and ready to change paths on the fly. For example, we didn’t expect to have to remove the door in our new place to fit our couch through but poop happens. Luckily, our movers were very skilled and they got everything in without making a scratch. Be prepared to move around perceived barriers (there’s always a solution) in your business and you’ll be just fine.
Explaining What You Do While Captivating Your Audience – That’s Edutainment!
Posted by The Running Start in B2B Marketing, Online businesses, Storytelling on September 5, 2012
In July, I posted a story on the Jugnoo blog about the pros and cons of using digital storytelling to 
generate sales leads.
One of our readers, Elliot Dwennen, made a very good point in his comment on that blog.
Elliot’s point?
Story is more compelling and brings an emotional attribute that content marketing cannot live and breathe by itself.
Elliot is absolutely right and of course, a good story needs elements like a setting, plot and characters to make it come alive.
But I want to focus on two ways that one can apply those elements to work for content marketing in this week’s post: education and entertainment (or “edutainment” as we clever folks in the media world like to call it).
A Brand is a Living Thing
Terry O’Reilly, host of the CBC Radio One show The Age of Persuasion, recently explained in a June 2012 podcast that “a brand is a living thing. It’s an idea or a promise residing in your imagination. But it needs help getting there.
It has to grab your attention…and to win a place in the consumer’s imagination, you must also offer a reason why.”
In essence, the “why” is done by educating the customer about the features and benefits of your product or service and how it helps to solve a problem. How the “why” is communicated to the customer is where story and emotion (via entertainment) come into play.
The Power of Explainer Videos to Educate and Entertain
In a digital age, there are many tools available for marketers to use to educate and entertain customers, while answering the question “why.”
Consider the recent popularity of online explainer (or demo) videos that have been used both by large companies and SMEs to do everything from introducing a new product to the marketplace, to describing how a technology startup’s complicated software works.
Online video is a great medium to both entertain and inform your customers in less than two minutes.
According to a study by Forrester Research that was referenced in a recent blog by Canadian video animation company Switch Video, “a single minute of video is worth 1.8 million words.” This means that you can capture a lot of information and ideas in a short period of time.
Plus, you can use the power of sight, sound and motion to tell a very compelling story that “can increase conversion rates by 20 per cent, providing a high return on investment (ROI),” says Tony Marik, Sr. Account Manager at Switch Video.
There’s An App For That
Last week, Swedish furniture retailer IKEA launched a new augmented reality mobile app for its catalogue.
The app will enable IKEA catalogue readers to view films, photos and other interactive features to get ideas for home decorating without having to visit a retail store – all by simply scanning your phone or tablet over pages that are marked with a special app icon.
I love this video because it combines education (by explaining how the customer can use the augmented reality feature on their smartphone or tablet) with an entertaining story about the history of the IKEA catalogue. The video also inspires emotion through a nostalgic account of how the company has evolved over time.
There are many other ways to educate customers through content marketing while also entertaining them. Some examples include: tie-ins between social media and live events, interactive games, podcasts and webinars with engaging guest speakers (who tell great stories about your industry) and much more.
Do you have an edutainment strategy that works for your business? If so, please share in the comments section below.
A version of this post was originally published on the Jugnoo blog in July 2012 and has been republished with permission.
How a Digital Advertising Sales Consultant Became a Content Marketer
Posted by The Running Start in B2B Marketing, Entrepreneurs, Inspiration, Online businesses on August 29, 2012
It’s been a while since I’ve shared a personal story on my blog and I feel the need to explain who I 
once was and how I became a content marketer and freelancer writer. The funny thing is that I didn’t set out to be a writer when I first launched my business.
In the summer of 2010, I quit a cushy job in digital advertising sales. Although it was an extreme decision, I listened to my gut which was telling me to get out of a job that was making me miserable – immediately! It was a really tough thing to do and I second-guessed myself incessantly at the time. But today, I know for certain that it was the right decision.
After I quit, I was feeling very lost. So, I turned to friends and colleagues for advice. I even went to see a career coach to try and gain some perspective on how to find the right job for my expertise and talents.
The best thing that happened to me was that a friend of mine, who had just started-up her own online business, asked me to help her with her digital advertising sales “go to market” and B2B marketing strategy. I loved working with her because I felt like I was really making a difference to her business and enjoyed watching a fledgling company grow.
So, I decided that I was going to start my own business, consulting with emerging digital media and technology companies to help them “get a running start” with their online advertising sales and B2B marketing efforts. I did make some money doing this for a while but along the way, I discovered a hidden career that was better to suited to what I enjoy doing the most – writing and talking about digital media trends, entrepreneurship and emerging technologies.
You see, to promote my ad sales and marketing consulting business, I started a blog and experimented with social media platforms to reach out to potential customers. With a strong background in B2B marketing for digital media businesses like AOL and Google in Canada, I knew I needed to write about trends and insights that prospective clients would find intriguing enough to want to learn more about who I am and what I do. Once I started t0 gain traction by writing stories about the digital media and marketing industry, people began to ask me to write for their websites and blogs. That’s when I discovered how much I love the writing process and coming up with creative ways to help businesses attract new customers and partners through compelling online content.
So, I eventually pivoted my business away from digital advertising sales to focus more on B2B content marketing. It’s been a very exciting journey and I continue to learn new skills and strategies to perfect my craft. Most importantly, I’ve seen first-hand how taking a leap of faith in myself and in my career can pay off.
I would encourage anyone who knows in their gut that they are in the wrong place to take a chance and change paths – knowing that the right support system will make itself available to you if and when you need truly need it and ask for it.
I love hearing personal career stories and would enjoy yours if you’re willing to share. Please post your thoughts in the comments section below.
The Pros and Cons of Using Digital Storytelling to Generate Sales Leads
Posted by The Running Start in B2B Marketing, Inspiration, Online businesses, Storytelling on August 22, 2012
Digital storytelling, also known as content marketing, has become the foundation of a strong social 
media strategy.
It helps businesses attract more followers, people to link back to your blog and website, and generates word of mouth and sales leads.
A blog, for example, is a great way to have a continuous dialogue with new, potential and existing customers, while positioning your business as a trusted resource in your industry.
For instance, let’s say your company sells automotive parts. Rather than just writing posts about the products you sell, you can share do-it-yourself (DIY) stories about automotive maintenance, provide your readers with tips on finding a good car mechanic, and much more.
The key is to position your business as an authority on all subjects related to your product/service, and to provide interesting and engaging stories that educate your customers and keep them coming back for more.
The New Thought Leadership
Before social media existed, this type of educational content was often referred to as thought leadership marketing. Webinars, in-person customer events, and e-newsletters have traditionally been part of the thought leadership marketing mix. Now, with the added bonus that social media provides to spread stories through word of mouth, the concept has evolved.
It’s important to be aware of the pros and cons to developing a successful digital storytelling strategy. Here are a few things to consider if you’re just getting started:
Pros
- Great stories build trust and loyalty with your customers
Through digital storytelling, you are not seen as trying to selfishly push your products. Instead, you’re supporting and empowering your customers to become more informed consumers or users of your product(s). You can also have an open conversation with your customers about their concerns or needs for future product enhancements, which will help you become a leader in your industry .
- Content marketing improves your search engine rankings
Search engine optimization (SEO) is reliant on providing relevant keywords in your content and having many links back to your website from valuable sources. Digital storytelling therefore helps to boost your efforts in this area by enabling your stories to be shared through social media platforms.
- Your stories have legs
Why tell a good story just once when you can cross-promote your content in your newsletter, via e-books, webinars, events and more. And as your story spreads, so will the word of mouth about your product.
Cons
- It takes time to build an audience and search engine rankings
The impact of digital storytelling does not happen overnight. At first, you’ll feel like you’re speaking to a very small audience (maybe just your friends and colleagues). But if you’re patient, the rewards will be tremendous as you’ll start to generate more and more sales leads and have the opportunity to truly connect with customers across the country or globe.
- Good content is not free
Just because you can start a blog, Facebook page or YouTube channel relatively cheaply does not mean that you will instantaneously drive people to those platforms. Whether you are developing the content for those channels in-house, or outsourcing to another person or business, there are costs (i.e. time, money and resources) involved to produce great content that builds an audience.
Do you have a content strategy that works well for your business? If so, please share any tips or insights about good digital storytelling strategies in the comments section below.
A version of this post was originally published on the Jugnoo blog in July 2012 and has been republished with permission.
Can a Behemoth Company Reclaim its Underdog Status?
Posted by The Running Start in Entrepreneurs, Inspiration, Online businesses, Random Thoughts on August 15, 2012
Everyone loves a good underdog story. In the tech world, we adore small startups that take on big 
companies and win. But what happens when a startup grows and starts to look a lot like its Goliath-like competitors? At some point, our perception of that company changes and we sometimes lose the love that we once felt for them.
When a big company starts to fall, the media and investors/industry analysts begin to examine what went wrong and criticize their leadership – as is the case with companies like RIM and AOL. In both instances, those businesses lost their entrepreneurial edge and didn’t innovate as quickly as their competitors – resulting in the loss of millions of customers to the competition. And down with those customers went AOL and RIM’s stock and media praise.
But sometimes those companies make a comeback and, in the case of AOL, they start to regain the media, analysts’ and investors’ love for them.
Earlier this year, I wrote a post about whether AOL was making a comeback. Well, it seems that my assumptions might be right – and I’m not the only one to think so. Just last week, Mitch Joel commented on a recent Business Insider story which confirms that AOL’s stock and media love is on the upswing.
After years of changing strategies and trying on different CEOs for size (finding a fit with former Google Executive Tim Armstrong), AOL finally got its groove back. So, it seems that with time and the right vision, a behemoth company can reclaim its underdog status. I, like Mitch Joel and many others, am rooting for an AOL victory.
I also hope that in time RIM will make its way back onto the right track. But its future is still a little cloudy right now. Like AOL did in the past, RIM will likely shrink in employee size and re-think its direction in the years to come before growing again. So, let’s not lose all hope in the Canadian company just yet.
What do you think? Can former underdog companies be re-born? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Image source: iStockPhoto.com
Lessons in Personal Branding from Canada’s @CocktailDeeva
Posted by The Running Start in Entrepreneurs, Inspiration, Online businesses on August 9, 2012
We all know the story of Gary Vaynerchuck (@GaryVee on Twitter), and how he grew his parents’ 
wine business by sharing his dynamic personality with the world through social media and his WineLibrary TV video website.
(And if you don’t, check out the Social Mix 2012 conference web site for more information).
But Gary is not the only person to use the power of social media and our generation’s love of booze to grow an incredible personal brand.
Canada’s very own Dee Brun (@CocktailDeeva on Twitter) is an award-winning author, TV personality, celebrity event planner, Cocktail’ista, food & drink stylist, home entertaining maven, writer, humorist, wife, mother of 4, TV junkie, shoe-aholic, borderline George Clooney stalker and so much more.
She’s also a sucker for a good Mojito cocktail.
How do we know all of this about Dee? Because she lives those personal brand characteristics on her social media profiles, blog and TV appearances, every day.
We caught up with Dee to get the scoop on how she built her personal brand and what advice she has for others who are trying to craft a persona for themselves online.
Q – Why did you decide to become a Cocktail Deeva?
A – Before becoming the Cocktail Deeva, I was working in sales and marketing in the consumer packaged goods space for companies like Coke and Mars.
When I fell in love with my husband, he convinced me to go after my dreams. So, I quit my job in 2005 to write my first book, Libations of Life – a Girl’s Guide to Cocktails.
It was actually on my book tour in 2006 that a Breakfast Television host in Calgary gave me the idea for my personal brand name. I was breastfeeding my six-week-old child at the time and wanted to look good for the camera. So, I got all glammed up for the interview – wearing diva’d up bold earrings and makeup.
The host said “wow, look at you. You’re a cocktail diva.” The name stuck. I went home that day and bought the URL and signed up for all of the social media profiles with that name that I could get.
Q- Can you describe the process of how you built your brand?
A- Changing the name of “diva” to “deeva” was a really big part of personalizing my brand – because it represents my name.
A lot of business people actually told me not to change the spelling because it would make it hard for people to find me. But I ignored their advice because I believe that as long as your name says what you do, you can make it work.
I also really wanted to live the brand that I’d created for myself within my book.
In 2005, the Sex and the City TV show was really popular and I was inspired by how Carrie Bradshaw had built her brand as a writer.
I really saw myself in her. I built my persona around three things that I love: booze, shoes (just like Carrie) and George Clooney. People know that’s what I like because I talk about it all the time.
It’s amazing how people now want to share links to stories on my Facebook page about those topics. So, I’ve learned that it’s really important that people know everything about you in one to two clicks. Society has no attention span.
Q – What social media tools and platforms do you use to share your brand story and attract new followers/fans?
A- There are so many new tools coming out. But I don’t think you need to be on everything. I say, pick your three favourites and give 100 per cent to what you choose to use.
Twitter is huge for me because I can say what I want and be myself.
Whatever products that I Tweet about are 100 per cent what I use. It’s important to be honest in social media, and I don’t work with anyone except great brands that I love. I’m also a big fan of Facebook and YouTube for sharing my videos and videos from others.
Pinterest is also a great tool for sharing home entertainment tips and ideas.
Q – What are some simple steps or best practices for anyone who is just getting started in building a personal brand?
A- You get one shot to make a first impression and you need to stand tall on your stilettos from the start.
I recommend putting together a uniform package (i.e. your logo, your website and your social media profiles and bios) and launch everything all at once. Get everything uniform and always speak with the same voice.
Also, don’t pay someone to write your bio/social media profiles because it has to come from you and sound like you to give it the full effect. In addition, make sure that the URL that you’re linking to from your Twitter or Facebook page is your website.
I want to know what you do and what you’re all about. Send me there directly. Don’t waste the clicks.
Q- What lessons or mistakes have you learned from along the way?
A – Ha! I often say that the reason I wear fabulous shoes is because I always have my foot in my mouth. So, I’ve learned a lot of lessons.
I guess my biggest challenge when I got started was that I didn’t reach out for resources or ask other people about building my brand. I just didn’t know who the right people to ask were at the time. Now, I use social media resources and connections every day.
I say that if you really like what someone is doing, ask them how they did it. Get as many tips as you can. Again, don’t pay someone to write or Tweet for you. Just get feedback from the people in your social network to help you refine your story.
A version of this post was originally published on the Jugnoo blog in June 2012 and has been republished with permission..
Re-Charging My Batteries
Posted by The Running Start in Uncategorized on August 1, 2012
Yep! It’s actually gonna happen. Over the next week, I’m going to do what once seemed unthinkable
as someone starting her own small business. I’m going to (gulp) take a vacation. It’s been long overdue and I’m so excited that I just had to share it with you.
I’ve been told by many of my colleagues that taking a break is an essential part of running your own business. Without stepping away for a while, it’s sometimes hard to envision what you need to do next. So, I’m taking their advice and unplugging (as much as I can) from the digital world. Although, I can’t imagine not having my mobile phone with me. But we’ll see how it goes 
So, I will admit to you all that next week’s post might be a bit late. But I promise to continue to share weekly posts with you as soon as I return. I hope that everyone has a fantastic August long weekend and I look forward to connecting when I return!
In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a hilarious video (compliments of a story from The Atlantic) about actors performing dramatic readings of Yelp reviews. I do hope that they make more of these.
Do’s and Don’ts for Expressing Your True Personality Online
Posted by The Running Start in B2B Marketing, Online businesses, Random Thoughts, Storytelling on July 25, 2012
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
― Oscar Wilde
When it comes to sharing your thoughts and feelings with the world online and through social media, it’s important to just be yourself.
Not only will this set you apart from everyone else (because no one else is just like you), but the more your Facebook fans, Twitter followers and blog readers get to know you, the more likely they will be to support, follow and interact with you.
But you should proceed with some caution. There are cases where showing too many of your true colours can get you into trouble.
Below are some simple do’s and don’ts for sharing your individuality with the world.
Do be sensitive about current news stories and media events.
Making jokes about serious situations can get you into trouble.
In March 2011, comedian Gilbert Gottfried received media and public scrutiny and lost his sponsorship contract with insurance company Aflac (as the voice of their duck mascot in their TV commercials), when he made a series of unwise cracks online after the devastating earthquake and tsunami hit Japan:
“Japan called me. They said, ‘Maybe those jokes are a hit in the U.S., but over here they’re all sinking,’” tweeted Gottfried. His jokes were way too soon and way too crude for most people’s tastes.
Do apologize if you make a mistake.
In 2011, Kenneth Cole sent the Twitterverse into an angry frenzy when he tweeted this statement during the revolution in Egypt:
“Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard that our new spring collection is now available online.”
After social media watchdogs pounced on his comment with an assault of outraged blogs, Facebook and Twitter remarks, Cole quickly deleted his Tweet and issued a sincere apology on his Facebook profile. The public eventually accepted his remorse and left him alone.
Don’t be like Debbie Downer.
If you’ve ever seen the mid-2000’s Saturday Night Live Debbie Downer skits, you’ll recall that she was always sharing bad news about herself and the world around her. Each time she made a negative comment, sad music would play.
The same reaction can happen in the real world if you’re only sharing negative stories with your social media friends and followers. You won’t hear sad music, but you might hear the sound of crickets from a lack of anyone wanting to join you in the conversation.
Aim to be more positive and people will be more interested in hearing and commenting on what you have to say.
Don’t over share. Or, at least be aware of where you are sharing.
While you may want to share every idea and thought that comes to mind, remember that everyone has their limits of how much they want to hear from you.
Some social media platforms, like Twitter, are more accepting of frequent sharing. However, you may want to limit how many pictures and comments you share daily on other websites like Facebook and LinkedIn.
These are just a few ideas to consider when expressing your personal brand online. Do you have suggestions on how to communicate your individuality through social media?
If so, please share them in the comments section below.
A version of this post was originally published on the Jugnoo blogin June 2012 and has been republished with permission. Image source: iStockPhoto.com.
The Globe and Mail Experiments with eBooks and I Like it
Posted by The Running Start in B2B Marketing, Inspiration, Online businesses, Random Thoughts on July 18, 2012
In May, I wrote a post about whether or not The Globe and Mail should adopt an eMarketer style 
content marketing strategy. In that blog, I suggested that the popular Canadian news publication should sell short, downloadable eBooks – especially for its business and technology readers. This could potentially help to attract new readers and supplement revenue shortfalls from paper subscriptions and advertising.
Well, it looks like The Globe and Mail is, indeed, experimenting with that format and is testing it out with its Report on Business (ROB) publication. I just downloaded “The Lunch” for $2.99 CAD which is now being sold as an “eBook featuring lunchtime interviews with the world’s top business minds” and is a collection of the most popular interviews from the Globe’s Report on Business column.
I have to say that I love this concept because gives legs to stories from The Globe and Mail’s ROB archives which readers may not have previously seen. I really hope that this format takes off as it will provide a new revenue stream for the news publication. In addition, as I mentioned in my previous blog post, I hope that The Globe and Mail continues to experiment and tries offering deeper analysis reports for its popular technology, finance and politics sections for use by business and political analysts.
What do you think? Could custom eBooks and reports help to save the newspaper industry? Please share you perspective in the comments section below.
Build Stronger Relationships: Meet Social Media Contacts Face-to-Face
Posted by The Running Start in B2B Marketing, Entrepreneurs, Online businesses, Storytelling on July 11, 2012
There are so many ways for business-to-business (B2B) marketers and sales organisations to find 
and stay in touch with customers online. For example, social media platforms like Twitter, Google+ hangouts, Facebook conversations, LinkedIn Groups and many more.
But if you’re not using social networking tools to meet potential customers in-person, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to build long-lasting relationships.
Here are four reasons why you should meet with your social media connections face-to-face:
People buy from those they know and trust
Meeting in-person gives your prospective customers an opportunity to get to know your true personality. So, what are you waiting for?
Send an invitation out to people with whom you’ve built an online rapport, via direct message on Twitter or Facebook, and ask them for coffee. Or, if they live in another city or are too busy, consider a face-to-face video chat using free tools like Skype, Google+ Hangouts, Apple’s Facetime or Facebook Video Chat.
There is really no excuse not to use these free face-to-face meeting tools!
Your industry passion is contagious
Meeting your social media contacts in-person for the first time shouldn’t translate into a hard-core sales pitch. Instead, use the opportunity to show your enthusiasm and industry expertise.
To prepare for your meeting, make sure to research and understand your customers’ needs and challenges, then be prepared to share relevant and interesting news stories or factoids.
The goal is to convince your contacts that you are a go-to resource for their future needs and questions.
Understand your customers’ pain points without the limitations of 140 character questions and answers
Use your first meeting as a way to learn about what interests your potential customers, and what common likes and dislikes you both share. It’s just like a first date, so make sure to ask them lots of questions!
This will open the door to future conversations, where you can follow-up and send your customer relevant news stories, videos and trends online.
The more you share valuable tips and insights with your clients, the more they’ll trust that you can help them with their business.
Create a lasting impression
One of the keys to building a good business relationship is helping your customers put a face to your name.
This means more than just posting your photo on your Twitter or LinkedIn profile. You also need to shake your customer’s hand and get to know them one-on-one.
Making an in-person connection will ensure you are top of mind the next time your customer needs help from someone with your expertise.
Remember that above all else, it’s important to just be yourself – whether you’re meeting customers online or in-person. But be patient, as good client relationships take time to ignite and flourish.
Show them your energy and love for what you do and they’ll be excited about the prospect of working with you!
A version of this post was originally published on the Jugnoo blogin May 2012 and has been republished with permission. Image source: iStockPhoto.com.
God is in the Details
Posted by The Running Start in Random Thoughts, Storytelling on July 4, 2012
For the past few weeks, media publications have been promoting today, July 4th, as the day that 
researchers from CERN in Switzerland would announce the discovery of the “God Particle,” also known as Higgs boson which has been touted as “one of the biggest scientific discoveries of the 21st century.” But the scientists who developed the presentation forgot to consult a marketer or PR professional to help with the design and delivery of their message. Instead, they used their own judgement and crafted the presentation using Comic Sans font. According to this story from CBC.ca, their poor taste in graphic design sent the Twitterverse into a frenzy. Just check out the screenshot of today’s trending keywords on Twitter (to the right) to see what I mean.
While the announcement was remarkable, the message got lost (in some people’s minds) because it was delivered in an unprofessional manner with the use of a font reserved for kindergarten classrooms and children’s birthday parties. It’s a reminder that god is in the details – especially when you’re announcing such a huge accomplishment to the world. While your story is important, it’s also necessary to ensure you are delivering it in the right format. Otherwise, the message may get lost in translation.
If you’re not 100 per cent sure about your message delivery, make sure to ask someone who specializes in that area. Do you agree? Please share your thoughts below.
Proud to be Canadian
Posted by The Running Start in Random Thoughts on June 27, 2012
Canada day is just around the corner. In order to celebrate that day, I thought I’d share some of my
favourite video tributes to being Canadian.
I know that I usually write about digital media, startups, marketing and social media but it just wouldn’t be write not to address the fact that I am and always will be proud of my country. Besides, all of the examples that I am sharing are available online, so I’m technically still writing within my genre.
1. I know that you want to be “Canadian, Please.” This video is a few years old but I still get a kick out of it:
2. “Shit Canadians Say, Eh?” This video from earlier this year follows in the footsteps of the ever popular Shit Girls Say meme:
3. Molson’s “I AM CANADIAN” video. This one is an oldie but still a goodie:
4. In the spirit of the video above, and to celebrate one of Canada’s most famous techie-related celebrities (I’m talking about Star Trek of course), here is William Shatner with his version of I AM CANADIAN:
Do you have a favourite video or website which celebrates being Canadian? Please share the link in the comments section below. Happy Canada Day everyone!
How to Take a ‘Workation’ this Summer
Posted by The Running Start in Entrepreneurs, Online businesses, Random Thoughts on June 20, 2012
As the weather in Toronto is expected to reach a balmy 34 degrees celcius today, I thought it would 
be a good time to write about entrepreneurship and summer vacations. The kids are out of school and the beach is calling but does that mean we small business owners will be taking time off? If you can’t take a true vacation, you do have some options.
According to Regus Canada, “a recent survey that found 41 per cent of entrepreneurs will be dealing with email, making calls and attending to significant pieces of work while on their summer vacation.” This is often described as a “workation.” But in order to do this, you need to be well-prepared. Below are some tips and tools you can use to support your workation:
- Be prepared with virtual office tools. Here’s a recent blog that I wrote about how to setup an “anywhere office.”
- Set expectations with customers that you will be away and that you might be a little slower to respond to e-mails and calls. Or, let them know far enough in advance that you can deliver on major projects before-hand.
- Have a back-up plan in case you wifi or computer goes down. Is there an internet cafe or library nearby that you can use to check-in on your e-mail? Also, back-up your files on a USB stick or in the cloud so that you can access them on another device.
- Try to win a free virtual office! Regus Canada will be giving away five virtual offices until the end of 2012. Visit the Regus Canada Facebook Page to enter the “I’d rather work virtually anywhere than the office this summer” contest.
Do you have a workation tip for other small business owners? Please share in the comments section below.
Can we Truly Live in a Paperless World?
Posted by The Running Start in Entrepreneurs, Online businesses, Random Thoughts on June 13, 2012
A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog for TELUS about the benefits of working from what I call an 
“anywhere office.” Because of new innovations in mobile and cloud-based collaboration technologies, small business owners can now work from almost anywhere – eliminating the need to be in a physical office space or to have physical documents and files. So, does this mean that we will soon live in a truly paperless society?
Today, PayPal Canada shared the results of a Leger Marketing study which indicate that ”71 per cent of Canadians are comfortable with never having to handle cash to make a purchase, up 27 per cent from 2011.” In addition, “a full quarter (25 per cent) of survey respondents go more than a week without using cash.” So, it would seem that the more we become comfortable relying on digital tools to process our payments and save all of our information, the more likely we are to reduce the amount of paper (or cash) that we use.
Yet, banking “paperwork” in its most literal form, is still a necessity. When I first signed up for a small business account with my bank, I decided that I’d go paperless and rely on my online account for all of my monthly statements. However, when tax season came around, I still needed to print out all of my monthly statements to give to my accountant. Ironically, I might as well have had my bank statements mailed to me in the first place.
So, until the banks and the government can allow me to access all of my statements online (without having to print-out copies down the line), I still need to keep paper files of all of my expenses for auditing purposes. Even though I’m very pro-digital, I’m still skeptical as to whether the world can truly go paperless. I do carry less cash around these days but still feel that I need some cash on hand for using the subway or for when I need to lend someone ten bucks. Maybe having a little cash/paper around is a good thing for now – especially in case of a zombie apocalypse. What do you think? Please share your perspective in the comments section below.
Image source: iStockPhoto.com
Reach Out and Tweet Someone
Posted by The Running Start in B2B Marketing, Inspiration, Online businesses, Random Thoughts on June 6, 2012
According to this Globe and Mail article, Venus (the planet of love and relationships) was perfectly 
aligned between the earth and the sun yesterday. This rare phenomenon is known as a transit and apparently happens only once every 100+ years. So, we will never see it again in our lifetimes – unless modern medicine allows us to live a lot longer in the future.
While I’m no astronomy or astrologer, I do believe in good fortune. I also believe in the power of the Internet and social media to build stronger, more aligned relationships through effective communication. So, in the spirit of Venus’ transit, why not take this opportunity to become better at using some of these tools to meet new customers or build better relationships with existing customers.
Need some inspiration? Here are some great blogs to follow to get started:
- Getting Started With Social Media: A Resource Guide from the Social Media Examiner;
- Jugnoo Blog – a new social media monitoring and engagement platform in Toronto;
- Sysomos Blog - another Toronto-based social media monitoring platform;
- Hubspot Blog - which recently partnered with Vancouver-based HootSuite’s social media monitoring platform; and
- The TelusTalksBusiness blog is featuring social media best practices this month as well.
Should Google+ Focus on Enterprise Collaboration Instead?
Posted by The Running Start in B2B Marketing, Online businesses, Random Thoughts on May 29, 2012
This week, a social media contact of mine tweeted a message saying that “Google+ is a ghost town.” I will admit 
that I use Google+ less frequently than other social media platforms, simply because most of my contacts are already on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. However, I do admire the platform for its intuitiveness and have read reviews from popular social media evangelists like Guy Kawasaki praising the platform for providing “a religious experience.” So, I have not yet ruled it out as a contender in the B2C social media universe.
Still, I think Google+ is missing out on a huge opportunity to capitalize on the enterprise market. An article written yesterday by Kim Davis on InternetEvolution.com suggested that many conversations and moments of deep engagement on Google+ happen in private – via hangouts and circles that not everyone else can see. Ironically, that is exactly what major corporations are seeking for their internal social networking platforms, as they work to foster internal and partner cloud collaboration – partly because their employees demand it and partly because that is the way that people now expect to work with each other. And you can’t do that on Facebook.
There are a number of enterprise products emerging in the market that offer custom-built social networking platforms for businesses. And Since Google+ is struggling to steal eyeballs in the consumer space from Facebook, they could consider this alternative. What would make Google+ even better than competitor enterprise social networking platforms is its potential to integrate with Google Docs, Picasa and Google Drive – creating a seamless team collaboration platform.
Google+ could be making a boat load of money from selling platform customization and per user logins via a private B2B tool. But will they? Can they turn their focus away from trying to eat Facebook’s lunch? What do you think? Please share your opinion in the comment section below.
Disclosure – I worked at Google in advertising sales prior to starting my own blog/company.
Celebrating My 100th Post: Who Would Have Ever Thought…
Posted by The Running Start in Entrepreneurs, Inspiration, Random Thoughts on May 23, 2012
I am excited to announce that today marks my 100th blog post on this website. As I look back over the past year and a half since I started this blog (and my own business), many exciting things have happened. It truly is amazing to see how my small business has evolved as a concept and through relationships with new and existing customers. And I have so much more to look forward to in the future – all because I simply started a blog.
Because today is such a momentous occasion, I think it’s necessary to look back on what has been accomplished since my first post. Without trying to sound like I’m to0ting my own horn, here are the top five things that I’ve been pleasantly surprised by and am proud of having experienced since my very first blog post.
1. Meeting and connecting with amazing people in the Canadian digital media industry who share the same passion and drive for entrepreneurship and a better digital world. Again, I don’t want to brag but Canada has a remarkably close-knit community of startups, freelancers and consultants who all want to see our nation become a global leader in the digital economy.
2. Either discovering or being discovered by new customers who also share the same interests as I do and using my blog and their blogging platforms to share that enthusiasm and knowledge.
3. Being inspired to go back to school to get a Certificate in Freelance Writing at U of T to continue my new-found passion for writing and discussing digital media trends and key issues that shape my world.
4. Working with creative and intelligent Canadian startups, small businesses and small business supporters in the digital space who seek to tear down walls/barriers and replace them with their own unique solutions.
5. Continuously being pleasantly surprised that where I initially thought I’d be at this point in the game is much different from where I thought I’d end up. However, I am ecstatic and optimistic that where I am is exactly where I should be.
Thanks to everyone who reads my blog and for your encouragement via e-mail, Twitter/LinkedIn and in-person comments. I appreciate your support and will continue to share my thoughts, tips and ideas with you on this platform.
Image source: iStockPhoto.com
Should The Globe and Mail Adopt eMarketer’s Content Marketing Strategy?
Posted by The Running Start in B2B Marketing, Online businesses, Random Thoughts, Storytelling on May 15, 2012
Last week, one of Canada’s most prestigious national newspapers, The Globe and Mail, announced 
that the business was moving to a “metered pay wall system this fall, asking online readers to pay if they read more than a certain number of articles each month.” This bold move by the Toronto-based publisher follows a trend that was started by the New York Times last year.
Many critics and loyal Globe and Mail readers were obviously outraged by the proposed changes. Some argued that they “would not pay unless the content is unique and valuable.” This got me thinking about successful strategies where publishers have provided some of their in-depth research and objective analysis for free, while also charging a premium for deeper, extended coverage. The best example that came to mind was eMarketer which offers research and analysis on Digital Marketing and Media from 4,000 sources worldwide.
eMarketer content is distributed to its customer base for free through newsletters and blogs – both of which have high readership and subscription levels. These free stories provide objective, analytical perspectives from eMarketer consultants and writers who cover hot trending topics or breaking news stories in the online marketing world. The blogs and newsletters often use research snippets from eMarketer’s premium, pay-per-download reports to help support the story.
Not only do these channels inform eMarketer customers of newsworthy trends and topics, they also spark the reader’s interest to then purchase reports which provide deeper coverage and context for the stories. The downloadable PDF reports can range in length from a few 8.5×11 printable pages to a mini e-book for which customers pay premium price.
The Globe and Mail is in a unique position to follow this model because of the popularity of their Report on Business (ROB) Magazine and Technology coverage. The heavy readership and quality content of these channels make The Globe and Mail a national resource for in-depth analysis on business and technology trends and issues in Canada. And the publication is already on its way to becoming an eMarketer-type service by hiring consultants, like Duncan Stewart from Deloitte Canada, to write about Canadian and global technology trends.
If The Globe and Mail was to provide even deeper analysis (i.e. custom research studies and eMarketer-style aggregated reports from partner consulting firms) on a particular tech or business trend, readers would very likely pay more money for access to that information.
Of course, the news must always be the news. And the Globe ROB and Tech (possibly even Politics) reports would have to be slightly more evergreen in style and content – providing context where needed for breaking news stories.
I do realize that my suggestion goes against traditional journalism values. But in a world where news breaks faster on Twitter and Facebook than the print publishers can cover the story, I think it’s time to re-think the news publication and reporting model all together. Perhaps the solution is not to charge your readers to pay to read a news story. Instead, consider opportunities to provide deeper insights and data that no one can truly get anywhere else.
This idea would ultimately transform a publication like The Globe and Mail into part consulting firm, part news resource. But the upside is that it could create a reporting service that business, technology and political analysts can use to do their jobs better. It also takes the burden away from relying solely on advertising and creates a product that The Globe’s already loyal readers might actually want to purchase.
I think that the pay wall model is a short term solution for an industry in serious distress. Long term, I think newspapers need to experiment with new business models that will provide a different kind of service to their readers – just like what eMarketer and GigaOm are already doing. Do you agree or disagree? Please share your thoughts on other ways that The Globe and Mail could charge their readers for content that is unique and valuable.
Image source: iStockPhoto.com
Coke’s Big Plan for Digital Storytelling
Posted by The Running Start in Inspiration, Online businesses, Random Thoughts, Storytelling on May 9, 2012
Yesterday, I read a blog entitled “Ten Brands Doing Post-Advertising Right.” I recommend that you check it out to see how companies around the world are using digital storytelling platforms to spark conversations and generate awareness of their brands.
The example that I enjoyed the most was a series of videos from Coca Cola, describing their goals for global content excellence by 2020. I loved the storyboards that Coca Cola used to illustrate, rather than just tell their story about digital storytelling and conversations. It’s so simple, yet so creative. I’ve re-embeded the videos below for your viewing pleasure.
What I love about their strategy is that even though Coca Cola is a big, global brand, even a small business can easily adopt some of the tools and tactics that they are using. I also dig that they are being completely transparent about their plans, letting the world know their intentions to use technology to enable consumer empowerment, build emotional connections and meet the needs of an on-demand culture.
Check-out 2:45 in the first video (Chapter 3) for Coke’s rendition of “The Evolution of Storytelling,” and the different types of storytelling that Coke will use to build their brand in the next 8 years. But it’s also worth taking the time to watch both videos in their entirety, if you can. Enjoy!
Will Advertising Ever Really Fit into the Social Media World?
Posted by The Running Start in Uncategorized on May 2, 2012
Yesterday, CNET posted a story entitled Frustrated advertisers to Facebook: Take our money — 
please! The article explained that many large advertisers are annoyed because (a) there aren’t bigger display ad opportunities available on Facebook (think homepage takeovers and big box banners), and (b) they do not always get the same level of service with Facebook that they currently experience with other large, more established media companies.
“The problem is that Facebook isn’t willing to do anything different for the client that wants to spend $10,000 versus $10 million,” said a NYC ad executive to CNET.
As a former Google sales employee, I think that Facebook is just at a place where Google was about five years ago. The company is growing so quickly and probably has to achieve a certain level of revenue to justify hiring more sales people to support their ads. So, I definitely feel for their growing pains. However, I still question whether advertising has a place in social media.
I don’t need to quote statistics to explain that people trust brand and product referrals from their friends and people they know and trust, over ads they see on a website. Facebook has been very careful so far to make sure the user experience is as “ad intrusive-free” as possible - knowing that users want to hear from the people in their lives, not advertisers, on their platform.
But if a brand is looking to engage in a dialogue with their customer on Facebook, that’s a different story. So far, the conversational approach has been somewhat successful as many people “like” their favourite brands and are willing to share feedback with companies when prompted on Facebook. But are all brands spending the advertising/marketing dollars they should to capitalize on that dialogue? Of course, that money wouldn’t currently go to Facebook but rather to people who manage those conversations. Still, those marketing dollars could be maximized by supporting the creation of engaging Facebook conversations all the same.
In a media world where niche targeting is everything, and algorithms are focused on helping people to refine the reach of those niches, it’s surprising that advertisers want to spend so much money on the website – just because it reaches 900 million people. Hasn’t the ad world been preaching targeted vs. mass reach advertising over the past 10 to 20 years anyhow?
Still, to make those mass reach advertisers happy, perhaps Facebook could offer more premium customization of their timeline profiles – similar to how YouTube provides advertisers with premium brand channel opportunities in exchange for a bigger ad spend. I also wouldn’t be surprised to soon see the opportunity for brands to pay for richer customer dialogue and analytics features in the near future. But when it comes to increasing big brand ad exposure alongside user-to-user dialogue, I think Facebook is wise to keep the user experience focused on the “social” rather than the “media.”
What do you think? I’d love to hear about your experience in advertising vs. engaging in customer dialogues on Facebook.
Image source: iStockPhoto.com
Why Writers, Musicians and Artists Need to Think Like Digital Entrepreneurs
Posted by The Running Start in Entrepreneurs, Inspiration, Online businesses, Random Thoughts on April 26, 2012
I just got back from two invigorating days at Canada 3.0 2012 in Stratford, Ontario. During the 
keynote presentations and break-out sessions, I was inspired by two very important events:
- A Canadian indie rocker named Hannah Chapplain, who performed on the first night of the conference, competed in the Road to Banff startup pitch-off competition that was happening in tandem with Canada 3.0 2012. She was there because she considers herself a digital media entrepreneur. It makes sense since she is publishing and marketing her own content to promote her talents.
- A break-out session in the Content stream at Canada 3.0 2012, featuring GigaOm’s Sr. Writer, Mathew Ingram, and The Globe and Mail’s Editor-in-Chief, John Stackhouse, raised an important issue: just like with music, people might want to pay for access to certain writers in a newspaper. Apparently, the Globe and Mail has been researching the pay wall model – where people might be willing to pay on a per-article basis – just like a music download.
What this made me realize is that Canadian writers, musicians and artists should adopt a more entrepreneurial mindset. In the world of journalism, newspapers are struggling to develop a business model that attracts more viewership, and ultimately more premium advertising dollars. Right now, news publications are relying heavily on columnists and popular writers to help them do this. Whether they like it or not, journalists now need to learn how to market themselves online in order to attract a following.
The same is obviously happening in the music world. We already have great examples of Canadian musicians (think Justin Bieber) who have proven that this model works. Ms. Chapplain is very smart to be pitching herself like an entrepreneur as well.
This is the new world that we live in. Old business models, which relied heavily on distributors and corporate marketing to do the selling for musicians, writers and artists are slowly declining. The content marketing tools are there, at your disposal, for free. Your success lies in your own hands.
Image source: iStockPhoto.com
The Final Countdown: One Week to Go Until Canada 3.0 2012
Posted by The Running Start in Entrepreneurs, Online businesses, Random Thoughts on April 17, 2012
I’m very excited to be participating once again in the Canadian Digital Media Network‘s (CDMN) 
Canada 3.0 Digital Media Forum on April 24th and 25th in Stratford, Ontario. This year, CDMN is focusing on five key industry streams: Capital, Connectivity, Content, Productivity and Talent – all of which will help to achieve Canada’s Moonshot goal: To ensure that anyone can do anything online by 2017.
Over the past few months, I’ve written a series of blog posts which examine some of the key trends and issues surrounding each of the industry themes. You can read those posts on the CDMN and Canada 3.0 websites.
There are some amazing speakers scheduled to attend this year’s event, representing Canadian industry, government and academia. I hope that you can attend Canada 3.0 2012 and play your part in ensuring Canada’s place at the forefront of the global digital economy.
If you’re a startup, you might also want to take a look at the Road to Banff Pitch-Off Competition that is happening simultaneously with the conference. The winning team gets an all-expense paid trip to the Banff Venture Forum in October. Sweet!
I can’t wait to see you in Stratford!
Image source: iStockPhoto.com
Being the Boss You’ve Always Wanted
Posted by The Running Start in Entrepreneurs, Inspiration, Random Thoughts on April 10, 2012
As the sole proprietor of a small business, you get to be your own boss. But this privilege can also be a curse. It all really depends on
how hard you are on yourself. If you’re a bit of a type A personality (like I personally am), then you may start out being harder on yourself, as your employee, than you would be on anybody else.
Here are some tips that I’ve discovered about being the boss that I have always wanted for myself:
Be gentle on yourself
To be a small business owner, you have to be self-motivated and work hard. But that doesn’t mean that you need to work yourself into a frenzy (which I learned the hard way early on). It’s important to know your limits and seek support and help from others when you know that things are becoming too much for one person to handle. After all, you are the guardian of your own personal health and happiness – which leads nicely into my next point.
Reward yourself and celebrate your achievements
This doesn’t necessarily mean going out and spending a ton of cash when you win a big client or reach a new milestone. However, you should recognize that you have reached your goals and do something good for yourself – like treat yourself to a small indulgence. I sometimes take “my team” out for ice cream on a Friday if I have something to celebrate – or for a $20 pedicure. I also make sure to go to the gym regularly to keep up my spirits and motivation if I’ve had a tough day.
Continue to raise the bar
It can be easy to be satisfied with the way things have been rolling and get into a routine. But you need to remember that a good boss pushes you beyond your comfort zone. So, be sure to set goals for yourself to stretch to the next milestone.
Have a tip for being the boss you’ve always wanted? Please share in the comments section below.
Image source: iStockPhoto.com
Freelancers are Stronger Together
Posted by The Running Start in B2B Marketing, Entrepreneurs, Online businesses, Random Thoughts on April 4, 2012
Over the past few months, I’ve made it my mission to meet with other freelancers in my industry to learn how they manage their own 
businesses and get their feedback on what I’m doing right or wrong. The more I meet with other freelancers, the more I realize that no one can run a business completely alone. That’s why I truly believe that freelancers are stronger if they work together.
So, if you’re just getting started in the freelance game, here are some recommendations that I have collected and learned from my first year of running my own small business:
1. Grow your network and form a support group.
It’s important to meet regularly with other freelancers or small business owners to share ideas and get advice on how you can improve your business. There are now plenty of events and conferences in Toronto that facilitate meeting other like-minded professionals. A few examples are SproutUpTo, FreelanceCampTO, Enterprise Toronto and more.
2. Follow and engage with other freelancers through social media.
Building online relationships is just as helpful as building in-person relationships. It’s important to develop a good rapport with a few other freelancers on platforms like Twitter, Quora and LinkedIn so that you can pose questions to your colleagues when you’re in a jam and/or can’t find the answer yourself. To find other freelance professionals, you can use tools like Search.Twitter.com (search for keywords and hashtags related to your profession), or search for other freelance professionals on LinkedIn. But always remember that your relationship will grow even further if you eventually meet in person.
3. Read and comment on blogs and articles from other freelancers.
Many freelancers (including myself) write about their experiences to share with others. So, make sure you visit and comment on their blogs and articles to build a relationship with them (and even share your own advice). Here’s a great resource that was recently Tweeted by one of my social media friends @thecoffice: The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Successful Freelance Marketer http://freelanceswitch.com/freelance-marketing/beginner-freelance-marker/. Even though the guide is geared to marketers, there’s some useful information in there for any freelance professional.
Have a tip on another way that freelancers can work together to help each other grow their business? Please share in the comments section below.
Image source: iStockPhoto.com
Patience and Perseverance are the Keys to Content Marketing Success
Posted by The Running Start in B2B Marketing, Online businesses, Storytelling on March 28, 2012
Many of my friends and colleagues ask me why I blog so often (on my own blog and on other channels). As many social media and content marketing 
gurus will tell you, it’s extremely important to be consistent and have patience when it comes to generating sales leads via blogs.
Building an audience and rapport/trust with potential customers through content marketing is a huge time investment. But the payoffs can be quite amazing. Just remember that no blog or social media profile is ever an overnight success. Just like Tweeting and posting updates on Facebook, it’s important to stick with it – even if you feel like you’re just talking to yourself in the beginning. Over time, it truly is amazing how many people will start to recognize your efforts and contact you to find out more about your services.
For best practices on what type of content marketing stories can help to generate sales leads, check out some of my previous posts:
- Why Digital Storytelling is Just Like Being Single
- Seven Thought-Provoking Corporate Storytelling Ideas
- Influential Corporate Storytellers in the Digital Space
Good luck with your content marketing commitment. Just remember to think like the tortoise and not the hare! Good customers come to those who persevere.
Image: http://www.veezzle.com
Deals for Canadian Startups and SMEs: Preview of the GaggleBiz Launch
Posted by The Running Start in B2B Marketing, Entrepreneurs, Online businesses on March 20, 2012
On April 2nd, Toronto-based group buying startup GaggleUp Inc. and Post Media (Financial Post) will launch a strategic partnership called GaggleBiz. The new service will offer
business
to
business
daily
deals,
targeted to small
to
medium-sized
Canadian businesses.
I asked Mark Skapinker, founder of GaggleBiz a few questions to find out how his company will stand out in a sea of group buying websites, and why it will be a hot destination for Canadian SMEs and startups.
How will GaggleBiz differentiate itself from other daily deal sites out there?
The group buying space is finally growing up. It is no longer what the Groupon clones do: “throwing together a deal and buying some consumers”. Merchants are looking for the long‐term value in group buying, customers are looking for new and different deals. GaggleBiz will sit between the small business and the merchant trying to cost-effectively reach small businesses. By using the power of group buying and pulling together many small businesses, we facilitate a much lower cost interaction – this leads to much lower prices for small businesses.
Why go after the small business market?
Small businesses usually pay a premium for everything: be it products like coffee supplies or paperclips, services like IT services, insurance, cell phones or backup. The main reason is that they are making much smaller purchases than larger corporations and it is expensive for sales forces to reach them and service them. GaggleBiz is focused on delivering low-cost products and services to small
businesses.
What do you anticipate to be your biggest challenges in growing an audience/user base?
From the start, GaggleUp has offered a differentiated service. However, the crowded nature of the group‐buying market means that we need to constantly get beyond the noise of the Groupon clones. As we partner with more large corporations and our offers become further differentiated, it becomes easier.
GaggleBiz be offering great deals from top national and regional business brands to small-medium size businesses across the country, ranging from 50% to 90% off. From deals on office supplies, to maintenance and operations services, to technology and software solutions – there will be something of value for any SME or startup in Canada. Visit http://gagglebiz.com/ to enter to win fabulous prizes and get exclusive deals.
Why Digital Storytelling is Just Like Being Single
Posted by The Running Start in B2B Marketing, Online businesses, Storytelling on March 14, 2012
When a man or woman is dating, their friends will tell them to just keep themselves busy, do activities that they love, and show the world that 
they are fun, well-rounded and approachable. But this strategy takes time as a person builds up their confidence, gets out there to meet a lot of potential suitors, and inevitably makes the right connection, at the right moment, with the right man or woman.
The same can be said for digital storytelling through social media and blogs. When a company is trying to attract new customers, it’s extremely important to peak your target audience’s interest. This requires that the business shows the world not just what its key product features are, or where you can buy the product — it’s necessary to make a lasting impression with that audience by sharing what really makes the business, and it’s people tick. This involves telling many different stories and sharing many different details about the business, and its industry, through a variety of channels and touch points.
In a real-world situation, you would never walk up to a perfect stranger and tell them all of your personality traits and your interests without getting to know the other person better. You would ask them questions to find out who they are and where their interests lie. From there, you would naturally share information and personal stories that relate to them specifically.
That’s what makes digital storytelling through social media and blogs such an organic way to attract new customers. As you share stories that describe the heart of your business and your industry expertise, your customers will share their interests in specific topics (via comments and social media channels) – to help you create and share even more stories that inevitably attract the right customer, at the right time.
So, when you’re crafting your next corporate story, think about how you would want to tell it to someone on a first date – it might just be the spark of a new customer connection.
Image source: http://www.freepik.com/free-vector/magnet-clip-art_397476.htm
Will our digital memoirs ever tell the real story?
Posted by The Running Start in Random Thoughts, Storytelling on March 7, 2012
In the past year, a number of new online tools have emerged to help catalogue and track a user’s digital memoirs. From the launch of Facebook’s new timeline feature, to the growing popularity of pinning our hopes, memories and dreams to Pinterest, to the ability to collect and weave your favorite photos, Tweets and social streams into a tale on Storify, the possibilities to recount a sequence of events seem endless.
But these digital scrapbooks of one’s personal history likely do not reflect the real, or whole story. I see it more like users are revealing a scattered collection of moments online. If this isn’t the case, then many of my friends’ lives could be summarized on Facebook timeline as follows: you are born, you attend university and a few major events, you randomly “like” some cat videos, photos of friends’ vacations and children, to be continued…
As privacy concerns grow online, my compulsion to share personal experiences and memoirs on sites like Facebook and Google+ seems to be fading – especially when I know that these companies plan to share my personal data to advertisers.
Therefore, like true human memories, there are many holes in my digital story. And until my online privacy is better protected, my timeline will remain a mystery, rather than a biography. Let me know your thoughts about sharing your personal story online via social media.
Image source: iStockPhoto.com
Why It’s Ok to Promote the Competition Via Digital Storytelling
Posted by The Running Start in B2B Marketing, Entrepreneurs, Online businesses, Random Thoughts on February 29, 2012
When I played competitive soccer growing up, our club coaches would sometimes share their best players up an age group if they were short on numbers for a game. The same rules can apply to digital storytelling.
I often link to competitive blogs, videos and presentations when doing content marketing for my business. You may think that it’s wrong to send your social media followers and blog readers to competitive stories or websites but I see it differently. Here are my main arguments for why you should promote the competition via digital storytelling:
- Focus on growing your market. As a small business owner, it’s in my own best interest to grow my market. If my competition is contributing to the conversation about digital storytelling and B2B marketing, then I feel that it is necessary to share links to their stories with my potential customers and followers. The more that your customers and industry are informed and interested in your services, the better it is for everyone. This leads nicely into my second point about collaboration.
- “Collaboration is the new competition.” This statement has been discussed a lot lately in blogs, keynote presentations at events and social media. What this statement means is that we can no longer work in silos. We all need to collaborate on occasion in order to complete a project or achieve a goal. In fact, I’ve personally started reaching out to other professionals who do the same kind of work as I do in order to find partners for future projects. So, by promoting your competitors, I believe that you are leaving the door open to attract future collaborative efforts.
- Your customers will thank you for it. I often share competitors’ blogs, research and whitepapers with my current and potential customers. If there is data out there that will help your customer to succeed, then it doesn’t matter who the information came from. Yes, there’s a risk that your customer might leave you for the competition – that is always a risk. But if you put the customer’s needs first, you are setting yourself up for success.
Image source: iStockPhoto.com
A Woman’s Obsession With Pinterest Explained
Posted by The Running Start in Inspiration, Online businesses, Random Thoughts on February 21, 2012
Over the past few months, I’ve read a number of articles about the female obsession with the popular social photo sharing tool called 
Pinterest. A recent Washington Post article dubbed it “crack for women.” So, I was reluctant to try out the new platform for myself, thinking that the last thing I need to worry about is another social media platform to manage.
However, after dedicating a few hours of my holiday Monday to playing around with the tool, I am now hooked. Although I know that there are more productive things I could be doing with my time, I predict that I will spend many more hours completing and updating all of my virtual Pinterest pin boards – selecting images of my favourite recipes and home decor items to stick under different category headings.
But why did I so quickly become hooked on Pinterest? Basically, I see it as a virtual scrapbook which allows me to arrange all of my favourite hobbies and interests in one place. So, if you like to organize and categorize your life in a visual fashion, this platform is definitely for you. It’s just like rearranging your closet by colour coding – something that many women enjoy and attempt to maintain.
While there are other social media tools and apps that enable people to arrange and share photos, Pinterest is extremely user-friendly. Plus, many people have now enabled their “pins” (i.e. images they’ve attached to their virtual pin board) to be shared in their Facebook timeline. So, the Pinterest user base is growing rapidly as women share their interests with all of their Facebook friends.
I predict that consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers and marketers will be flocking to this tool in droves to better understand their customers. That’s because I believe that Pinterest enables you to capture a glimpse of a person’s psyche – identifying the items and activities that they covet and enjoy.
As a blogger and small business owner, I see a lot of promotional benefits to using Pinterest. I can organize and promote stories that I have written, or link to ideas and images that have inspired me to write future stories. I can also see what my followers or the people I am following are interested in and then tailor stories and images to suit their curiosities. One important caveat to note is that the image that bloggers use to promote stories on Pinterest needs to be extremely visually compelling. It’s just like judging a book by its cover – you need to entice people to find out more.
It’s also important to note that you need to copy and paste the URL of the blog post or website that you’re referencing into the comments section when you pin your image. Unfortunately, the images that you select don’t automatically link back to the website from which you’ve pinned them to your board.
So, if you’ve created a Pinterest board worth noting, please send me a link. I’d love to find out how other people are using Pinterest to share ideas, products and more. In case you’re interested, here are the boards that I’ve started. Stay tuned for more photos as I visually make sense of the things that Pinterest me.
Image source: iStockPhoto.com
The Plot Thickens for Social Content Sharing
Posted by The Running Start in B2B Marketing, Online businesses, Random Thoughts, Storytelling on February 14, 2012
Over the past year, I’ve written a number of blogs about social media as it relates to content and 
website traffic referrals. My post from last November talks about the phenomenon that Mashable calls the “Sharepocalypse,” which is basically the growing social compulsion to share content just for sharing’s sake.
In September 2011, I questioned whether word-of-mouth social media referrals would soon eclipse search as the leading source of traffic to websites. After reading a recent eMarketer article entitled “With Referral Traffic, Social Media Sites Build Up Connections,” I suspect that the plot is thickening. Not only is website traffic increasingly being driven from big social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, but the smaller social media platforms like Tumblr, Pinterest and Meebo are now collectively helping to drive traffic right back to those platforms.
What I think will be really interesting to watch is how big social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook react to the allegations that Google is favouring search results for its own social network, Google+, over its competitors. Will they form an alliance with smaller social networks to create an ecosystem that is increasingly less reliant on search to drive traffic to websites? Likewise, if the “Sharepocalypse” continues to grow and thrive, how will this impact brand investments in search over social media? Let me know what you think.
Image source: iStockPhoto.com
My Quest to Become Hyper-Organized
Posted by The Running Start in Entrepreneurs, Inspiration, Random Thoughts on February 9, 2012
Part of my decision to run my own 
business was to have flexibility and control over when, where and how I do my work. But the busier that I get, the more I find that I need to become what I call “hyper-organized.” That means, I want to be so insanely organized that I get every task done without sacrificing my work-life balance.
So, over the past few months, I’ve been speaking with friends, colleagues and mentors to find out how they manage their time efficiently.
I find it fascinating that everyone has their own personal system for managing their time. Some people only check e-mail at specific times of the day – in order to avoid spending all day in their inbox. Other people only make phone calls at the time of day when they are the least productive.
Since I found it really useful to hear other people’s advice on what they do to stay on top of their game, I thought I’d share my own tricks for keeping myself organized.
1. Block off specific times in your calendar for specific projects. If you stick to these times and don’t do anything else, you’re more likely to finish each task. When I used to work for larger companies, blocking off my calendar also forced people to come to me to find out when I was free to meet – rather than having an open calendar where anyone can book a meeting with me at anytime. It definitely made me feel more in control of my meeting times vs. work time.
2. Set regular times to do weekly tasks. For example, I schedule Wednesday afternoon/early evening to write my weekly personal blog. If I get to it sooner than that time great! If not, then I know that Wednesdays are blog days. So, I dedicate that time to getting that task done. This definitely helps me to stay consistent and dedicated to my blog.
3. Plan out and track your hours at the beginning, middle and end of each week. I start a weekly project list every Monday morning and assign estimated hours to complete each project. I then check-in again mid-week to see how I’m tracking against each goal. Then, on Fridays, I try to anticipate what needs adjusting for the following week. Using a tool like Freshbooks.com is a huge help in this area. Their “time tracking” feature for projects is my saving grace!
4. Schedule breaks. When you’re super busy, it’s extremely important that you set aside time to take a breather. I’m notorious for working straight through a day without taking a break. However, since I started putting reminders in my calendar to take a break, I’ve found that I am way more productive. Make sure that those breaks mean time away from the computer – like going for a walk outside, or going to the gym. This is much better for me than watching a bunch of funny YouTube videos. But everyone is different. Just make sure that you do something that will get you re-energized and re-focused.
5. Weed out the “must-haves” versus the “nice-to-haves.” Of course, there are a million things that I’d like to accomplish each week. However, it’s very important to weed out what’s going to help you to get where you need to be today versus a month, six months or a year from now. Being realistic about what you can accomplish, and breaking goals into daily or weekly chunks, will make life a lot easier and happier for you
These are just some of the ways that I’ve been able to stay on top of my work when I’m super busy. I’d love to find out what works for you?
Image source: iStockPhoto.com
Is AOL Finally Making a Comeback?
Posted by The Running Start in Online businesses, Random Thoughts on February 1, 2012
About a year ago, I posted a story about AOL’s new large display ad format called “Project Devil.” In that blog, I speculated over whether this new format would help change the game for the online media company.
Today, it appears that my predictions may be coming true. According to Marketing Magazine, AOL managed to see growth in the fourth quarter of 2011 - “with display ad revenue – the present and future of its business – up to $363.8 million, up 10% from $331.6 million a year ago.”
With the recent acquisitions of online media heavyweights like The Huffington Post and TechCrunch, I think this is going to be the year that all of AOL’s hard work finally pays off. Tim Armstrong, CEO at AOL was quoted in the Marketing Magazine story — saying that “the hope is to return all of AOL to profitability by the end of 2012.” I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if he’s right.
As a former employee of AOL, I am definitely hoping that they do turn the ship around. My colleagues and I all saw the potential for the company to be great again one day.
AOL and other Internet pioneers, like Microsoft, have been playing second fiddle to heavyweights like Google and Apple over the past five years or so. However, I predict that we may see a comeback from both of these giants in the next few years. Only time will tell whether I am right.
Which other online media or technology companies do you think are headed for a comeback? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Feel the Fear, Then do it Anyways
Posted by The Running Start in Entrepreneurs, Random Thoughts on January 25, 2012
Earlier today, I read a great blog post entitled “Nice People Don’t Change the World,” by Joel Runyon on his Blog of Impossible Things. 
I love his message that we are trained from a young age to learn how to be nice. But the act of always trying to fit in and go with the flow often gets you nowhere fast. In order to “do something that matters,” you need to go against the grain and take a chance. This means that you may not always be perceived as “nice” or “compliant” in some peoples’ eyes.
As a small business owner, one who has only been self-employed for about a year now, I have learned that being courageous doesn’t happen overnight. Instead, it happens in small, tiny steps. Each time I push my own boundaries, I gather-up the courage to go one more step beyond.
In the meantime, I’ve faced many naysayers and people who have told me that I am “too nice” to run my own business, that “I don’t strike them as a hunter,” that what I am “trying to do is hard,” or that “I’ll just see that it can’t be done.” To that, I say, I’ll do it anyhow.
While I won’t say that I am changing the world just yet, I have managed to create a new reality for myself — within a career of my own imagination. I wouldn’t trade the experiences that I’ve had in the past twelve months for anything.
Likewise, I certainly wouldn’t have the courage to keep going today, had I not taken the initial first step to go against the traditional way of earning a living.
A friend of mine has recently started her own small business – selling unique paper from all over the world. Yesterday, she told me that she is going to exhibit for the first time at a wedding tradeshow. She wants to target her product to brides and wedding invitation designers – an excellent place to start. Her biggest fear is that no one will like her product and that she won’t succeed. However, by never taking the chance to find out if people like her product, she might never learn what works and what doesn’t. Just by going through the experience for the first time, she will learn so much about what she needs to do next in order to succeed. I know she’ll be a great success if she just takes a chance.
So, what are you waiting for? It’s a new year and a new opportunity to finally take that tiny first step. If you do one small thing that gets you closer to that goal that you keep postponing, you’ll have the courage to go even further. As my old competitive swim coach used to tell me, “feel the fear, then do it anyways.”
Image source: iStockPhoto.com
Supporting the US Anti-SOPA Blackouts
Posted by The Running Start in Inspiration, Online businesses, Random Thoughts on January 18, 2012
Yesterday afternoon, I read that many Canadian websites would be joining in the US online protest against proposed anti-piracy laws today. Here’s a link to an article from the Winnipeg Free Press that lists some of those Canadian websites and why they’re joining in the cause.
Such laws terrify me as a participant in the social web. Although I am not turning my website off today, I do want to show my support for my fellow Canadians and US colleagues. Why? Because if the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) passes in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) passes in the U.S. Senate, to quote Wikipedia “it would seriously damage the free and open Internet.” That’s enough reason for anyone to support this protest.
Here’s the message from Wikipedia explaining why their English website has gone dark today: http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/English_Wikipedia_anti-SOPA_blackout. Please share your support and stand up against SOPA as well.
In the spirit of sharing, here’s a great video which explains SOPA in more detail:
Free Presentation
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