Falling back on clichés to communicate makes us come across as superficial
The next time you're going through a really tough time and some perky little twit says to you, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” or “It’s always darkest before the dawn,” try to resist the temptation to stuff a carrot muffin up his or her nose. That person probably has the best of intentions.…
Know your target audience, do your keyword research, use all of this research on your website
I’ve talked a lot about the different forms of paid advertising for web and social media platforms. For the next few weeks, I’m going to switch gears and talk more about organic online traffic. This is website traffic that finds you through searches for something in Google organically, not through paid advertising. I use a…
If we fail to implement best practices, the results are going to be predictably unhappy
There’s a certain adrenaline rush you get when you go over the handlebars of your bike and are flying through the air, as I did recently. That thrill (and pain) is hard to replicate except maybe by riding bulls or broncos at a rodeo. The result, however, is certainty predictable: you’re going to hit the…
Hashtags tie public conversations from different users into a single stream, which you can find by searching for a hashtag
Hashtags are a way for people to discover certain topics that are posted on social media platforms. As an entrepreneur, you can use hashtags so people who are new to your audience discover your product or service. Instagram is well known for its use of hashtags, and although they seem random and off the cuff,…
Be very clear on what you’re selling, target audiences to match your products and use separate landing pages for everything
Online advertising continues to rise globally. It’s where the money is being spent. Online advertising has saved some businesses during COVID-19. Some were already using online platforms to promote their services or products, and some started Day 1 of COVID-19. Either way, they’re using the new way of advertising to stay in business. And now everyone…
Marketing wins outweigh limited economic benefits for city, province and Oilers, according to U of A sports management researchers
If Edmonton is selected as one of the two host cities for the 2020 National Hockey League playoffs, the big winners will be the province's health-care system and its ability to attract talent, according to a pair of University of Alberta sports management researchers. However, with no fans in the stands and participants all but…
Online marketing is very visual. The graphics and text are what catch your customer’s eye. Here are three tips to get started
I’m sure it’s happened to you: a great image passes by your screen and you stop scrolling. Boom – you find something you didn’t even know you needed. Online marketing is very visual. The graphics and text are what catch your customer’s eye and make them stop scrolling. I create a lot of images and…
In order to survive and thrive, you need to clearly understand the marketplace and come up with a strategy that will differentiate you from your competition
How often to do you get mixed up with someone else? Sherry and Margaret are two good looking women of a similar age who get mistaken for each other frequently. They have similar builds, similar hair styles, and similar smiles. Although unrelated, they’re often taken for sisters when they’re together. It’s not that they’re trying to…
As you start to use online advertising for your business, you’ll need to know how much to budget. As a general rule, you should spend five per cent of total revenue on marketing. That will maintain your current position (in this case, on your online platforms). If you want to grow or gain greater market…
Hashtags require a lot of research so you’re using a variety of strategies, such as your location, industry trends, popular sayings
The last of the big four platforms I want to talk about is Instagram. Instagram started in 2010 (it was purchased by Facebook in 2012) and was primarily a photo sharing app. At that time, it wasn’t easy to share photos; phones didn’t have an easy way to share, and other social platforms weren’t designed…