Twin Creek Media has been founded on the principle that business should get personal. I mean that businesses should let emotions and tugs of the heart interfere with business decisions.  Why not?  What is the point of pouring our life into work to mine the precious resources of SPARE TIME and MORE MONEY if those resources are not used to MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE FOR ALL.  For our time and money to be spent on things that matter, we have to let our passions mix with our balance sheets, bank accounts, and work calendar.

For some reason I was born with a hopelessly idealistic worldview attached to analytical brain - so for the last 10 years I've been trying to make peace out of many of the conflicts in the business world, political scene, and my own inner life.  Some days are better than others, and I often wonder how a person like Bill Gates sees the big questions in life.  Like anyone, a window into his mind is opened through his actions.... you know how loud actions speak.

The infographic below is so inspiring and seems such a thought provoking expression of my beliefs, that I wanted to share it with the local business community.

~ James Shaw, CEO/Creative Director, Twin Creek Media

Source: frugaldad.com

Social Media is a hot marketing topic this year in Kelowna! The number of inquiries we get about using social media for marketing has quadrupled in 2011. We have seen some media coverage in the traditional press too (see Face to Face is a click away). In the past year, we've had a chance to leverage social media as a marketing tactic for a number of businesses in Kelowna have witnessed very positive results in general. This article digs into some stats about social media's effectiveness vs. other forms of online marketing. It's interesting to see how the different tactics stack up, as well as the shifts over the last year.

In a recent survey by eMarketer.com, small to medium businesses (SMB) in the U.S. were asked several questions about their online marketing efforts and their effectiveness.

Small Business Still Prefer "Traditional" Online Marketing Tactics

From the survey, SMBs are still more likely to say they found new customers by using websites (85.8%), over email (74.3%), and search marketing (74%). Web sites are considered a more “traditional” online marketing tactic and are well entrenched in the marketing programs of most companies whether a site operates as an online brochure, order system or supports the full sales cycle.

Is Satisfaction in Online Marketing Decreasing?

Despite the rise in use of online marketing, SMBs surveyed indicate that satisfaction with many of these channels is decreasing.

Specifically, large decreases in satisfaction were seen in audio podcasts (-53%), webcasts/webinars (-44%), Twitter (-38%), Linked In (-36%), Banner/display ads (-34%) and Blog (-32%).

Are Internet Users Changing Their Behaviour?

While new online marketing programs by inexperienced marketers are going to be less effective, this doesn’t account for such a huge decrease in so many of the online marketing tactics.  Instead these decreases suggest a change in behaviour by Internet users in obtaining information. This change in behaviour is both a reflection on the increased maturity of the average Internet user, the amount of time users are willing to spend looking for something, as well as the ever increasing use of mobile Internet devices.

• Users are more aware of paid advertising including banner/display ads and search marketing (PPC);
• Users are less tolerant of lengthy sales pitches such as podcasts and webinars however informative. Instead users are turning to quicker ways to obtain the information they need, often on a “just-in-time” basis.
• Use of mobile Internet devices has increased to the point where users aren’t looking for information until they actually arrive at their destination, often using tools like Gowalla and Foursquare which alert you to sales and deals near your current location.  This focus on location based marketing is also seen in the popularity of coupons like Groupon and Twongo, as well as the increased use of Google Places.

In fact, the survey statistics show that new channels made up for these decreases, including emailing offers, Google Places, Groupon and other coupon sites, mobile marketing, and location services like Foursquare. These are all new entries on the list for 2011 and yet they all have between a 25% and 50% effectiveness rate according to the SMBs surveyed.

A Key Advantage When Marketing Online: (Nearly) Everything Measurable!

Many of these new marketing tactics are more measurable than some of the earlier tactics. It is far easier to measure the number of Groupon coupons sold or Foursquare discount coupons used over the number of sales resulting from Blog and Podcast consumption. Similarly, savvy Kelowna businesses are taking more interesting email open rates, click-through rates to gauge newsletter performance.  Perhaps this is why small businesses are jumping on these new tactics in such large numbers.

Popular email management tools like Constant Contact have great tracking and measure the number of email opens and internal link clicks on each email campaign. Website analytics software like Google Analytics enables business to see the number of visitors, clicks, time spent, and online purchases.

What does this mean for Kelowna businesses?

The move away from less measurable and out-of-vogue methods of communication towards new and often more measurable methods of communication will help businesses track the effectiveness of their online marketing efforts.  It's easier to justify spending $ on marketing when you can measure the results!

It's Free, right?

Since many of the new digital marketing channels like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and so on are seemingly cheap, small and medium sized businesses in Kelowna should certainly consider them.  Beware that "cheap" and "free" are not really good descriptions of these tools.  Your time is worth money!

Here's a few pointers to get started...

• Create clearly defined goals for your online marketing plan
• Identify your audience (Hint: Use the marketing channels, tools, and websites that your customers are ALREADY using)
• Understand that social media is a 2-way communications channel... it's a party line, not a megaphone
• Do a batch process (eg. write a whole week's worth of content for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn on Monday morning and schedule the release using a tool like Hootsuite)
• Measure the results (Who is clicking on your links in the updates? Do people ask more questions? Do they call for an appointment?  Do they walk in the door?)
• Integrate social media efforts with things like blogs posts, email blasts, in-store contests, special events, radio, print, and video
• Consider hiring a company if your time is better spent elsewhere!

Here are some quick facts about Blogging. More stats on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube by clicking the links.

• 77% of Internet users read blogs.
• There are currently 133 million blogs listed on leading blog directory Technorati.
• 60% of bloggers are between the age of 18-44.
• One in five bloggers update their blogs daily.
• Two thirds of bloggers are male.
• Corporate blogging accounts for 14% of blogs.
• 15% of bloggers spend 10 hours a week blogging.
• More than half of bloggers are married and/or parents.
• More than 50% of bloggers have more than one blog.
• Bloggers use an average of five different social sites to drive traffic to their blog.

Statistics from Technorati's State of the Blogosphere 2009.

Here are some of the latest social media and social networking stats for 2011. Read similar posts on Twitter and Facebook.

• LinkedIn is older than both Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, being created on 5 May, 2003.
• There are  more than 70 million users worldwide.
• Members of LinkedIn come from more than 200 countries from every continent.
• LinkedIn is available in six native languages - English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.
• Oracle's Chief Financial Officer, Jeff Epstein, was headhunted for the position via his LinkedIn profile.
• 80% of companies use LinkedIn as a recruitment tool
• A new member joins LinkedIn every second.
• LinkedIn receives almost 12 million unique visitors per day.
• Executives from all Fortune 500 companies are on LinkedIn.
• Recruiters account for 1-in-20 LinkedIn profiles.

Statistics from LinkedIn press centre and SysComm International.

by James Shaw

If you are dappling into email marketing for the first time, let us save you from making any mistakes.  Here’s your chance to learn from some common mistakes before experiencing them yourself!

It can be so easy to hit that big “Send” button only to realize seconds later that you it was not ready to be sent at all!  Below are things to ensure that you check before blasting out your campaign to your email database.

From Line
Make sure that the from line uses both your company name and your company email address.  If your company has multiple email addresses be sure that you use an email address that will be checked in the event that you receive replies from your customers.

Subject Line
Your subject line should be short and to the point using around 5 to 8 words.  Be sure that your subject pertains to the content inside the newsletter and isn’t too vague or disconnected like “Sale!”.  Give your reader some sense of urgency to open your newsletter and read it.  On the note of urgency, try not to use overly used words like free, guarantee, etc or excessive punctuation like “!!!”.  You do not want people to mistake your newsletter for spam.

Email Copy
First things first, make sure to address the email specifically to the person rather than a generic “Hello”.  Constant Contact allows for you to use this functionality in their newsletters.

No one knows your customers better than you so keep them in mind when writing the content for the newsletter.  What tone of voice do they use?  What would interest them and make them want to come into your store?

Are you offering a promotion or contest in your newsletter?  If so, make sure that it is easy for the person to understand.  How do they participate in the contest?  When does the sale start and end?  Do they need to print off a coupon or mention a promo code?  Make sure that you give them all of the information that they will need so there is no confusion.

If you have a length email newsletter you should divide up the content in sections.  Many of Constant Contact’s newsletter templates allows you to layout your content into a variety of text areas that will make sense for the reader.  Most templates use a sidebar and this is a perfect area to showcase contact information or the company’s social media accounts.

Finally, if the newsletter is text heavy you can easily add in images that fit around the text to make it easier on the eyes.

Final Checks
Through Constant Contact you can send a preview of the newsletter to yourself or fellow coworkers.  Make sure you do this before you send out the newsletter to your customers!

When you receive the preview check the From field and the Subject field.  Are you happy with it?  Is it spelled correctly?

When you open the newsletter spellcheck the newsletter.  Does the newsletter look good?  Does everything make sense?

Finally, if you used any links in the newsletter test each one to make sure they go where they are supposed to.

If you need to make any changes go ahead and do that.

And Voila!  Send out your newsletter to your contact list!

Want more ideas to expand your audience and increase engagement?  Contact us today to set up an integrated marketing campaign that is the perfect fit for your business!

Twin Creek Media uses Constant Contact to manage client email campaigns and was recently named one of Constant Contact's 2010 All Stars.

Social Media Marketing for Kelowna Businesses

The Okanagan newspaper recently published an article on a presentation James gave at  a Kelowna Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting on using Social Media in Business. The article is a great summary of the key points given at the meeting:

• Use your social media accounts - 15 minutes a day is a good place to start (a tool like Hootsuite will greatly help)
• Offer tips, tidbits and advice to build your trust levels - offer real value in the form of free information
• Once you have followers who appreciate what you are putting out there, the odd business pitch is fine - but it's a fine line
• Build brand awareness by digital word of mouth - earn the right to be talked about and your customers will carry your flag
• Use social media to direct people to your website or store - it's a great promotional channel that businesses should use

If you're feeling lost or would rather outsource social media marketing, give us a shout at 250-762-4001.  We'd be happy to help.

To read the article click on it below if you've got a magnifying glass handy.

by Brad Trites, Account Manager, Twin Creek Media

I am going to make a very bold statement: “There is no marketing tool available to small businesses more powerful than Facebook”. I guess after making a pretty big statement like that, I better support it.

As a small business owner, the last time you took out a really expensive full-page ad in your city’s most popular phone directory or ran a TV or radio ad, did it provide you with constant referrals? Did your clients receive timely updates about new products that you are carrying or your daily specials? What about actively building your brand awareness, did it do that for you? A properly managed business page on Facebook has the ability to do all of these things and a lot more without having to be that word that all small businesses dread, “expensive”.

A Trusted Source
For most businesses the best source of new clients is usually referrals. When a friend tells you that they really like a certain restaurant, you are more likely to try it out. On Facebook, you follow a business’s page by clicking that page’s “Like” button. When you do this, your action is posted in the News Feed of your friends. You essentially just told all of those people, “I LIKE this and you should check it out!”. Since you are an interesting person with great taste, some of your friends will do just that, and guess what? If they hit “Like”, they will automatically tell all of their friends. Some of those people will take things one step further and even visit your website and possibly become a real customer.

Daily Special
Most businesses are constantly changing. They begin to carry new products. They run new promotions. They win an award. They have product tips or advice to share. They land new clients. These are all pieces of information that a small business wants their customers to know about as quickly as possible. Not only that, this is information that your customers want to know about! Facebook gives small businesses the ability to communicate in real time to their customers. This is key in helping you strengthen relationships with your customers and build customer loyalty.

Tag you’re it!
Once your small business has it’s own Facebook page and you have managed to get a couple of hundred people to “Like” it, the next step is to engage your fans and turn them into your own marketing army. If you post compelling content on your page, there’s a good chance that some of your followers will repost your items, “Like” it, Tag it, or Comment on it. Every time someone does one of these things, your brand gets placed in front of another large audience. Even if the majority of those people take no action themselves with the content, the more they see your name the greater their awareness of your brand becomes. If you’re business was given the opportunity to place free ads in front of an audience every day, wouldn’t you go for it? That is exactly the opportunity Facebook provides small businesses.

Lasers are cool…
One of the great things about Facebook for small businesses is that ‘friends of a feather tend to flock together’. If your company’s target market is 16 year old males that skateboard, chances are that those kids that “Like” your page have a Friends List dominated by other 16 year old boys that like to skateboard. Facebook provides an extremely effective way to put your brand in front of an extremely focused intended audience. Traditional marketing tools such as TV, radio, and magazine ads command huge premiums to access such focused target markets.

NOTE: Hey marketers! Did you know that the average age of a Facebook user is closer to 40 than 14!

WARNING!
Simply setting up a Facebook business page is not enough to generate results. Like any marketing strategy, your Facebook initiative requires both commitment and planning. Compelling content needs to be regularly created and posted on your page and a two-way dialog needs to be maintained between your business and your followers. There is both an art and a science to using Facebook as a marketing tool. As such, if you are not prepared to learn what needs to be learned or able to commit the time required to manage your page, then you should strongly consider hiring a social media-marketing specialist.

Bottom Line
Social media marketing creates engaging customer experiences, drives website traffic, foot traffic, and email/phone inquiries. Although social media is primarily about sharing & relationships, it ultimately results in more sales.  Don’t forget: online marketing tactics should be integrated with your offline efforts too!

Next Steps...
At Twin Creek Media, we have setup Facebook pages for many businesses... both B2B and retailers selling direct to consumers. Facebook is just one social network among other notable ones: Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, StumbleUpon, etc. It’s best to have an online marketing strategy that defines measurable goals and uses the best tools for the job. For a primer on the big picture, see our Social Media 101 article or download our Social Media Reference Card.

Need more convincing?
A properly executed Facebook strategy has the ability to generate new customers that are well informed on your business’s developments and willing to actively market your brand on your behalf. Let’s see your telephone directory pull that one off! If you want to chat more about this topic, come visit us at the Twin Creek Media Facebook page and we’ll keep the conversation going!

We'd like to take the opportunity to say CONGRATULATIONS to a few of our clients that recently won awards in the Best of the Okanagan Reader's Choice Awards put on by Okanagan Life magazine.  Way to go guys!

	Voted #1 in Home Furniture (North) Voted #2 in Home Furniture (Central) Voted #2 Home Accessories Store (Central)
	Voted #3 in Garden Centre (Central)
	Voted #1 in Hair Salon (Central) Voted #3 in Day Spa (Central)

It's been a very busy Q2 and Q3 at Twin Creek Media.

As a Kelowna marketing agency with a special focus on internet marketing and web design, we never seem to be able to breathe long enough to update our portfolio with new launches and interesting case studies.  In this project update, we'll give a taste of what the team at Twin Creek Media has been doing over the last 6 months.  (We can't tell you all the goodies though... our clients don't want us to spill the beans about their new competitive advantages and we have trade secrets to keep!)  You'll just have to hire us to reap the rewards of an integrated marketing campaign.

We have been creating new brand identities, database-driven websites, corporate brochures, direct mail pieces, running radio campaigns, shooting videos, building blogs, and driving web traffic through email marketing, search engine optimization and pay per click tactics like Google Adwords and Facebook Ads.  Just one item in that list is powerful, but done together, business goals are targeted with a type of marketing synergy that is amazing to watch.

A Sample of Completed Projects

Okanagan Regional Library

Completely redesigned website, photography, animation, print materials, and Facebook and Twitter efforts lead to many people to rediscover the library's relevance in the 21st century | Name the Marmot Contest big hit with 3000+ kids (and their parents!)

Canadian Association of Home and Property Inspectors

Promotional videos and unique email marketing campaigns draw people to national conference at the Delta Grand Okanagan

Case Furniture Gallery

Online contests builds brand awareness & drives retail store walk ins | Local media get VIP treatment at private event

Quantech Software

Online industry survey reveals what customers really want | Targeted email marketing campaign generates many new leads

SJF Sports

Internet marketing strategy leads to blog and intense social media campaign using Facebook and Twitter | Web traffic increased by 109.4% in 2 months

Our Okanagan

New Okanagan business networking website attracts 800+ new business/association sign ups | Employment, investment, and collaboration opportunities excite valley residents Watch the recent by Global/CHBC here.

The Greenery Garden Centre

Massive online photo contest creates a fun customer experience | web traffic soars with 600+ submissions & 3000+ votes

A Sample of Current Projects

Best Western Inn Kelowna

Search Engine Marketing Analysis reveals what Google thinks |Internet marketing campaign begins to take a leading brand higher than ever

Quantech Software

SEO and Website Usability Score Cards uncover the missing ingredients that will turn "tire kickers" into buyers | Web development focuses on amazing user friendly site which supports Sales & Marketing Dept's goals

Impact Radio Accessories

Continued magazine ad design, catalogue, and eCommerce website improvements assist in great sales performance for 2010 | Work done over the last 4 years spur on international expansion

Clement Turf Farms

Strategic research and industry surveys get to the heart of exactly how where the new revenue opportunities lie | Integrated marketing campaign underway involving both digital and traditional marketing tactics

Okanagan College - Green Business Awards

Easy to use Wordpress blog-style website will help students organize and promote the local Green Business Awards competition

Last week Global Okanagan (or what some people remember as CHBC) featured a recent project that we've been heavily involved in over the past year. Called Our Okanagan, the project is a web-based local search engine and business hub that is focused on connecting local businesses and creating new opportunities for collaboration, employment, and investment.

TIP: If your business hasn't signed up yet, click the link above and create your profile!  The site is very powerful and goes beyond what you're used to seeing in a typical "business directory".  Make sure to check out the many advanced features and fill out the different sections of your profile for best results.

The project was a great experience for us and we enjoyed working with the project leaders Okanagan Partnership, and the folks at Community Futures North Okanagan.  The story aired by Global was great, but I believe the way it was edited gives us too much credit.  We were chosen as the development partner, (and Touchpoint was chosen as the branding partner) but we certainly were not the initiators or the driving force behind the project.  We feel obligated to explain these points in case anyone gets the wrong impression.

I'd like to especially thank a couple of our own staff, Thomas Berger and Cara Reed who worked tirelessly on this project and helped make it something we're very proud of.