The Drupal Business Summitis coming to Vancouver in June, to explore the many ways Drupal enables businesses to create vibrant communities, get closer to their target audience, and improve their overall business ROI.
A panel of international speakers will uncover the advantages to businesses offered by Drupal in the areas of customer experience management, interactive media, social and digital media, web application management, marketing and branding, internal communications, and content management.

Drupal is a leading open-source web content manage platform that is maintained and developed by a community of 630,000 users and developers. This open development model means that people are constantly working to make sure Drupal is a cutting-edge platform that supports the latest technologies the web has to offer.

The Vancouver Drupal Business Summit takes place on Friday June 1st at UBC Robson Square, featuring a host of international speakers (see schedule here). Tickets are $49; register soon as the event is expected to sell out.

Merging Media 2011 audience favourite Scott Dodson will return to Vancouver to provide an in depth session on how to use gamification to increase ROI. Taking place at the SFU Woordwards Complex, Merging Media’s ACCESS 360 Workshop will tap into the best practices of gamification and how to incorporate the ecosystem of the game layer and business together.

Scott is known as one of the top three “Gamification Gurus” in Seattle.  He founded and funded Flying Rhino Studios in 1994 and ran the company until its sale in 2005,  producing award-winning work for clients including: T-Mobile, Microsoft, and Wizards of the Coast.  He led the Seattle Advertising Federation as President (2001-2002) and in 2004 he became President and CEO of Tenacious Games, bootstrapping for two years, before funding it in 2006 and 2007.  Tenacious Games developed and published the internationally acclaimed trading card game, The Spoils™, launching to a top ten position in ten countries, before selling to Arcane Tinmen (Denmark).  In May 2008, Scott joined the founding team of Divide by Zero Games and led its first two tranches of VC funding before taking on operations as COO.

Joining Scott at ACCESS 360 is Rochelle Grayson, CEO of Vancouver-based BookRiff. Rochelle will be focusing on the topic of monetization via social media.

For more information or to register for ACCESS 360, visit: mergingmedia.ca

There are trendsetters and then there are It Girls, the most influential of trendsetters. You might think of an “It Girl” as an elite young starlet or fashionista with amazing powers of attraction. That’s the common use of the term, which was originally coined by 20th century pop culture icon, British novelist Elinor Glyn, pictured here (herself a major It Girl).

In our world of marketing and PR, we use the term to apply to ANY person (older gentlemen included) with the ability to powerfully influence your target market.

To illustrate the importance of these people, consider Malcolm Gladwell’s Hush Puppies story as told in The Tipping Point. If you haven’t read this book, here’s how the story goes: The Hush Puppies company was on a downward spiral to bankruptcy until a small group of fashion industry hipsters in Manhattan started wearing them. Practically overnight, the company was a raging success.

Whether you’re in fashion, technology, accounting or the non-profit world your marketing plan should include a strategy to reach your Industry It Girl(s). This shouldn’t replace your other marketing and PR efforts, but is definitely worth addressing.

The question to ask yourself is, who are the *major influencers in your industry? These are the people who, if they love what you’ve got, will advocate for you and influence others to follow suit. There are media, and then there’s that one column that nobody misses.

You see these It Girls in action every day. They are the bloggers who tout new technology like Pinterest and are effectively shaping that company’s future. They are the Activists like Laurie David, who decided to throw her weight behind the Family Dinner Movement, effectively attracting millions to this cause. They are the “Real Estate Experts” speculating on the six o’clock news, leading thousands to put their home-searches on hold.

Note: In most cases, you’ll most benefit from reaching out to the It Girls in several areas: Newsmedia, The Social Media/Blogosphere, and Executive Level (Award-Givers, Trend-Analyzers, Business Association Leaders, etc.)

Once you’ve identified your It Girl(s), the next step is getting noticed.

But first, a branding moment of truth: Does your website, webcopy, Twitter profile, FB page and other collateral effectively present you the way you want to be perceived? This is where a skilled design team is of the utmost importance. We’ve seen many amazing projects fail to attract attention simply because of poor branding. Please, let the talented designers out there help me help you.

Lights, Camera… Creative Action!

If you’re looking for that magical tipping point effect, you might need to up your marketing ante. Here are a couple of innovative approaches I’ve recently seen that reaped great results:

LOL YouTube Video: Vancouver-based comedy writer Chris Cannon successfully gained a TON of media attention (CBC, Globe & Mail, Seattle Stranger) for his YouTube video, entitled The Canada Party, a super-funny response to the American Presidential Candidacy Race. What better way to showcase your talents as a comedy writer? In this case, he achieved recognition from some of the Nation’s most noted political commentators AND comedy writers, while at the same time marketing his work to the public at large.

Strategic Referral Program: If you’re a corporate service provider, Your It Girl might just be that one client you’re working with who has the power to bring you a LOT more business, with the help of a little incentive. Last year, Wardell Professional Development successfully developed a referral program with their most influential client, leading them to triple revenues in 2011. Could this be a successful strategy for you?

The best approach for YOU will of course depend on the nature of your business and who you’re trying to reach. Thoughts? Questions? Send me an message!

Here are a few questions to consider, to help you get you ready for a successful 2012.

1. (Duh) What do you want to achieve in 2012?

A higher business profile? More PR coverage? Stronger social media engagement? As you carefully consider what you want to achieve via marketing in the coming year, take a look at some of the weak spots that may need addressing.
We often find the biggest culprit is less-than-effective branding. Be honest: Does your branding need help? Do your website or even your logo need a makeover in order to reflect who you are as a business? These are fickle times we’re in and if your corporate look isn’t strongly reflecting your expertise and offering, you may be loosing out on an important segment of your target audience.

Next, take a closer look at the platforms you’re currently using. Are they effective? Are you on Twitter, FB, Flikr, Google +, have a website and a blog but not enough time to attend to all of these platforms?

This brings me to question #2…

2. What do you have the budget and time to do … really?

Many of us have a tough time grasping what we really, actually have the time to accomplish. We want to do it all, but sometimes this comes at the expense of doing anything really well. For some projects and businesses, it makes more sense to focus on one or two areas and get really strategic i.e.  Focus on managing a regular blog post and Twitter account or on a traditional PR strategy and maintaining a great website.

I recommend you develop a 2012 Marketing Calendar and map out all of the marketing activities you plan to pursue next year. Don’t leave anything out. Include your scheduled blog posts, advertising, special contests, community partnerships, events you’ll participate in, speaking engagements and any other activities you’ll pursue. When you see it all on a calendar, month by month, week by week, the overview will help you to get realistic about the time and budget you’ll need to invest in all these activities and you’ll soon see clearly what it makes the most sense to focus on.

3. Have you considered all your options?

It’s true, the marketing world is changing at a rapid pace. We see new tools and technologies emerging daily, promising to make our endeavors easier. However, the principles of marketing remain the same as does your ultimate objective: to reach and engage your target audience, and to set yourself apart from your competition in a meaningful way.

Before 2012 hits, take some time to brainstorm all of the marketing strategies available to you and consider if there are any that could serve you well in reaching your goals. Perhaps it’s time to shift your priorities.

Here are a few questions to help you consider your options:

• Are there any awards you or your business could apply for?
• Is there an exciting media story (ies) on the horizon that you could be creating a PR campaign around?
• Do you need to start advertising or consider new ad outlets- perhaps online magazines, industry-specific magazines, or smaller, more niche publications or blogs?
• Have you considered developing community partnerships or a cross-promotional campaign as a way to promote your company while also building valuable partnerships?
• What about writing an advice column for an industry publication or newspaper?

When it comes to marketing, it sometimes seems like the sky’s the limit. However, you are indeed limited by the amount of time and budget you have at your disposal. Invest some time now in making the most of what you’ve got to work with in 2012 and at this time next year, you’ll be toasting your 2012 marketing accomplishments!

1. There’s some seriously awesome speakers.
From homegrown talent like Stewart Butterfield, Alexandra Samuel, Jason Bailey and Darren Barefoot to imports like Erik Blachford and Mark Johnson, the mesh speaker list is inspiring on its own.

 
2. You don’t have to fly to Toronto.
This is the first time mesh will be held on the west coast so you really should take advantage of getting to attend this fantastic event without the cost of traveling across the country to get there.

3. Connect. Share. Inspire.
The mesh tagline really does sum it up nicely.

4. It’s at the Salt Building.
You know you’ve always wanted to check out that cool red building in False Creek. Here’s your opportunity.

5. A chance to meet the mesh gang.
The 5 founders of mesh are a pretty impressive group on their own. meshwest is your chance to have a drink with these guys!

Branding is not just for businesses anymore. These days, personal branding has become critical, and it’s no surprise why. We live in a time when a future employer has only to do a Google search to find out almost everything they need to know to make a decision about hiring YOU. I recently attended the Mom Inc Movement event in Vancouver where Heather White from 2020 Communications did a presentation called “Brand You”. It made me realize that while the steps to effective personal branding might be simpler than those required to develop a strong business brand, personal branding itself can be more challenging to carry out. Here are the five steps that I learned matter most.

Taking stock of things in your life that make you happy (and those that don’t) is key to the development of a personal brand. We are defined not only by the things that we are, but also by the things we are not. If you love to cook and hate to dance, stay true to that. Offer advice on how to make a delicious meal and not how to do the tango.

If you try to brand yourself as something you’re not, you will make the creation and maintenance of your personal brand that much more difficult. Stick to what you know and love best. And, if some self-discovery time is in order, this post by Scott H Young will certainly help.

When up keeping your brand, be sure to maintain consistency. If you have a personal blog, update it regularly. Make sure that your updates and replies on Twitter are timely. This is not to say that you have to spend all of your time online, but make up a realistic schedule of frequency of updates and stick to it.

Another key part to maintaining a brand is to stay up to date on things relative to your industry. Having a strong knowledge base of current information simply makes you a more credible source of advice. Some great places to find industry-relevant articles include Alltop and LinkedIn Today.

This is one of Heather’s key points about developing a personal brand. When you are out and about, living life, always be sure to put out your best effort to showcase who you are. If you’re going to go to a networking event, then do it! Chat with as many people as possible and get to know them. Make every outing an opportunity to reinforce your brand with the public.

These are just some tips to keep in mind when it comes to personal branding. The most important takeaways are to be honest and think in terms of sustainability for the entirety of the branding process. If anyone has anything to add, please drop us a comment!

The Social Agency is a social media marketing and public relations company based in Vancouver, BC. We take the “why” out of “why social media” and the “what” out of “what is pr” by providing our clients with top-notch Vancouver internet marketing services. Let us get people talking about your next big thing!

In just about a week, social intranet experts from across North America will converge in Vancouver for the Social Intranet Summit.

Hosted by Vancouver-based ThoughtFarmer, this year’s summit (happening September 28th) is all about the bottom line. Although early adopters and innovators have been reaping the benefits of social intranets for the past few years, the focus now shifts to the mainstream, as a growing number of companies seek ways to improve communications and boost productivity using this tool.

This year’s line up is certainly impressive. A host of big names from around the world will speak about topics including Surviving The Contest Crisis by Shel Holtz, The Purpose of Social by CV Harquail, and, one we find particularly interesting by local communications expert Ron Shewchuck, An Emerging New Model for Internal Communications, described below. Oh and this just happens to be the topic du jour among the tech companies we’ve crossed paths with lately.

What will become of employee communication — and the people who manage it — when information sharing in the workplace becomes as easy as hitting a “like” button and intranets are built and maintained by their users? Ron will explain how old-school intranets and an overreliance on e-mail have contributed to employee disengagement; why the tools and technologies of Web 2.0 hold so much promise, yet inspire fear and loathing in corporate leaders; who will lead the communication revolution, and who needs to follow those leaders to make it happen. Ron will also share a different way of thinking about the role of communications inside today’s enterprise. This new business model will help the builders of next-generation intranets avoid dangerous pitfalls and embrace innovative ways to engage employees in the new “social workspace.”

The social intranet isn’t just for high tech companies and Gen Y employees anymore. Organizations like Mountain Equipment Coop, eHarmony, Oxfam and many government groups are leveraging this tool as a way to more effectively engage their people, and build a more lucrative enterprise.

To find out more about this year’s Social Intranet Summit and to register go to: http://www.socialintranetsummit.com/

The Social Agency is a social media marketing and public relations company based in Vancouver, BC. We take the “why” out of “why social media” and the “what” out of “what is pr” by providing our clients with top-notch Vancouver internet marketing services. Let us get people talking about your next big thing!

After a very successful launch event in 2010, Merging Media, Canada’s premier cross-media conference, is back! Merging Media 2011 takes place from October 27th to 28th at the SFU Woodwards Complex in downtown Vancouver. This event will bring together some of the world’s front-runners of transmedia production, including keynote speaker Curt Marvis, the digital media visionary behind “Madmen”, “Weeds” and “Nurse Jackie”. Top speakers from Google, Microsoft, YouTube and Amazon.com are also on the agenda.

From now until September 23rd you can actually enter to win one of two full passes to this year’s Merging Media Conference. Here’s how:

• Like Merging Media on Facebook and fill out the sweepstakes entry form.

OR

• Follow @mergingmediabc and enter on Twitter

In addition to a stellar conference, the Merging Media Masterclass and Pitch 360 sessions will also be taking place, showcasing up and coming transmedia projects.

For more information or to check early bird rates, visit www.mergingmedia.ca or follow @mergingmediabc on Twitter.

Hope to see you there!

The Social Agency is a social media marketing and public relations company based in Vancouver, BC. We take the “why” out of “why social media” and the “what” out of “what is pr” by providing our clients with top-notch Vancouver internet marketing services. Let us get people talking about your next big thing!

We are very excited to once again be working with Better Together on their second annual Hands-On Cook-off, a fun “star in your own cooking show” contest that celebrates families enjoying time together in the kitchen.

As the Hands-On Cook-off gets rolling in its second year, we thought it would be fun to do a post about the beauty that is do-it-yourself video production. I’ve found some pretty handy resources and tips that will help with your Hands-On Cook-off submissions, or any other home video project that comes your way!

For the purpose of this post I have decided to focus on two video editing softwares: Windows Live Movie Maker and iMovie.

Windows Live Movie Maker

 
• This is a great software that is free to download, easy to use and is perfect for beginners. First things first, you need to download the program here.
• Next, I suggest you watch this video. It goes over the basics on screen so it is a great tool to reference.
• If you want to rotate a clip, an easy way to do so can be found here.
• Add some background music, as shown here.
• Once you have edited your movie, and feel the urge to add that little extra something, here is a short video of how to add visual effects.
• Last, but not least, don’t forget to add in credits at the end. This video will show you exactly how to do it.

 

Next up is iMovie for those of you that are Apple users.

 

iMovie

 
• iMovie should come pre-installed on your Apple computer. If you find that it is not already on your Mac, just head to this link and hit “Upgrade Now.” This download does cost $14.99, but it is well worth the investment if you plan on making more family videos in the future.
• Next, you will need to start a new project. This video goes through the step-by-step instructions on how to get begin.
• Adding titles to a movie is so helpful for various reasons. For example, if the audio is too low at points in your footage it can save you from re-filming. We know you are busy people, who has time for that?! Watch here to learn how to incorporate titles into your project.
• With 24 separate visual effects, how can you not add some into your pièce de résistance? Become a special effects master here.
• Who doesn’t love a little song here and there in a made-at-home projet. Add your very own soundtrack to your video using these easy steps.
• And finally, you’ve worked hard: some artistic credit is in order! See here how to add credits at the end of your iMovie project.

And voila! Look out Spielberg, there is a new audio visual powerhouse in town. Whether it be Windows Live Movie Maker or iMovie, you are more than ready for this family-friendly challenge. If you find yourself wanting to learn more about do-it-yourself film production, I’ve found this great blog that has 50 tips about video editing that you should definitely take a peak at.

Don’t forget to enter your submissions on the Hands-On Cook-off contest page for a chance to win up to $2000 in Overwaitea gift cards!

Cheers and happy filming ☺

The Social Agency is a social media marketing and public relations company based in Vancouver, BC. We take the “why” out of “why social media” and the “what” out of “what is pr” by providing our clients with top-notch Vancouver internet marketing services. Let us get people talking about your next big thing!

Our client Better Together has just announced that the second annual Hands-On Cook-off Contest is back! This contest is open now until August 31st and there are some really great prizes to be had. If you’re a BC resident, this is the perfect summer activity with some big payoffs….

Why is this contest important?

The research shows that eating together as a family or other group leads to significant social, physical and academic benefits, such as improved communication skills and other important skills that benefit children for life. That’s why Better Together started the Hands-On Cook-off, a competition where families become the stars of their own cooking shows! This is a fun way to celebrate the family meal!

How to Enter

Entering is simple; all you need is one of your favourite recipes, representation from two generations, and a little inspiration to create you own cooking show (in three minutes or less) demonstrating you and a friend or family member preparing a meal together.

Judging criteria can be found on the contest page. This year’s panel of judges includes Michael Eckford, co-host of Urban Rush, David Robertson, Executive Chef at the Dirty Apron Cooking School and Kia Robertson, Founder of Today I Ate a Rainbow.

Prizes up for grabs include $500, $1000 and $2000 Overwaitea gift cards (or you can choose cash options of slightly lower value) and a special early bird prize if you enter before August 1st!

With the weather we’ve been having lately, this is the perfect family activity. Check out the contest page for past entries and inspiration for your own unique creations. Can’t wait to see this year’s submissions!

The Social Agency is a social media marketing and public relations company based in Vancouver, BC. We take the “why” out of “why social media” and the “what” out of “what is pr” by providing our clients with top-notch Vancouver internet marketing services. Let us get people talking about your next big thing!