“Social Media Is Not About Management” 5 Ways Brands Can Develop their Social Media Right Now

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Category: Social Media Marketing

Most organizations today have invested in all the foundational social platforms. These social platforms have become as necessary as having a website, and they’re usually up and running on a consistent basis. However, handling them all is extremely time consuming, hence, employees are hired just to manage these platforms. The problem is, organizations spend so much time and money emphasizing the importance of “managing” the numerous platforms that they forget all about the real opportunities that social media provides. After all, social media shouldn’t be something you just “manage”, it should be a constant portal for brands to effectively and creatively communicate to their customers. (For more information on defining an effective communications strategy, see our post on “How To Improve Your Organization’s Communications”) If you’re following the same communications plan you did last year, that’s enough to know that it’s time you bear down and rekindle the fire.

Here are 5 ways that brands can energize their social media communications:

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4 Things Restaurant Owners Should Learn from the Dine Out Vancouver Festival

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Category: Marketing Strategies & Tips

Hundreds of restaurants have signed up for this year’s Dine Out Vancouver Festival. If you’re one of these restaurateurs partnering with Dine Out Vancouver, you probably know that your margins will be relatively low during the two week festival, however, you will be receiving higher traffic volumes as well as the ability to leverage a marketing campaign without spending too much of your time and money. All in all, it’s a marketing maneuver, and I’ve read and heard about several instances where it’s been both a hit and miss decision. Most importantly though, Dine Out is a big deal in Vancouver. Even if you’re a restaurateur that’s not participating this year, you can still learn several things from one of the few popular local events that focuses solely on culinary experiences. Here are 4 things a restaurateur should learn from the Dine Out Vancouver Festival.

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How Brands Can Learn From My 3 Worst Customer Service Experiences

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Category: Branding

Customer Service is an essential differentiator and a big part of the future of marketing. With the dominance of social platforms, the two-way conversation between brand and customer are the building blocks to long-term customer retention. Brands have fallen on both ends of the customer service spectrum, with some relying wholly on customer service to build their business, and others suffering in embarrassing public displays.

I’ve personally dealt with some great businesses that have failed on the customer service front, and ultimately lost me as a supporter and customer. Here are some examples and how brands can learn from them:

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6 Steps To Write a Marketing Strategy Outline

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Category: Marketing Strategies & Tips

There is a difference between marketing and marketing strategy. Marketing is your general branding, the mediums you reach out with and the messages you relay through those mediums. Marketing strategy focuses on making educated decisions on what your branding should be, what are the best mediums to choose from and what message will resonate most with your target audience. It’s important to differentiate the two as most people we encounter have marketing – but no marketing strategy.

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We’re Grateful For…

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Category: News & Culture

At the beginning of every week, our team kicks off Mondays with a Weekly Meeting. At the end of these meetings, each of us must “check out” of the meeting by telling the team one thing that they’re grateful for. Of the list of 50 or so things that each team member has mentioned this past year, each has chosen one or two to be featured in this blog post.

We hope you enjoy it! Happy Thanksgiving, Canada!

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