Every week Techvibes republishes an article from Business in Vancouver.
This article was originally published in issue #1064 - March 16-28, 2010.
The Internet is typically seen as a tool to connect people at the global level.
Many retailers in Vancouver, however, are boosting efforts to grab the online attention of the local rather than the international community. A number of online applications and search tools are sprouting up in Vancouver to help retailers ensure that when a local is looking for a little nightlife or a nearby place to grab a bite, their location stands out online.
For example, Capones Restaurant & Live Jazz Club in Yaletown saw web traffic increase five-fold and traffic to its reservations page triple after it boosted its online presence through Google Local, which is Google’s online local mapping search engine.
Rick Momsen, Capones’ owner, estimated that the restaurant has experienced a 300% increase in customers as a result of its boosted local online presence.
6S Marketing Inc., a Vancouver-based online marketing firm, has helped approximately 80 Vancouver businesses, including Capones, increase their local online business in the last year though Google Local. Roughly 10 of those businesses boosted their online search presence in January, to ensure that their location would be among the first spotted online by Olympic-goers looking for things to do aside from attending sporting events while in Vancouver.
Chris Breikss, 6S’s director, said businesses don’t necessarily need to hire a marketing company to tweak their Google Local account, although 6S and other online marketers know the nuances of search-engine optimization.
If your business has an existing Google account, you simply have to sign up for Google Local and enter relevant information about its location. This can include the address, hours of operation and optimal transit routes for getting there. As well, customers can provide reviews of your business on Google Local. It’s important to ensure that your business classification is also included.
For example, most of Capones’ new customers found the restaurant and jazz venue by searching for “Vancouver jazz.” Capone’s address and information is the first listed in that search, and its location is among the most prominent, marked by a map-pin, on Google’s map of Vancouver.
Breikss noted that many businesses aren’t aware of Google Local. If your competitors aren’t updating their account, it’s more likely that updating your account will boost your online presence in local online maps and searches.
“Basically, the top 20% of businesses are using Google Local,” said Breikss. “So there is still a huge opportunity for businesses to capitalize on this.” Breikss noted that “going local” is also increasingly important as more people adopt smartphones. A strong local online presence can help retailers grab more spontaneous business from smartphone users who search for nearby places to eat, drink or shop while walking the streets.
Vancouver’s Chicwalks Media Inc. has created a mobile application that lists more than 1,000 fashion, food, spa treatment, home decor and jewelry retailers in Vancouver. The Chicwalks app helps consumers plan shopping tours in eight different neighbourhoods in Vancouver and one in Whistler. Retailers can boost their prominence on the Chicwalks directory and map through advertising and gift offers.
Karen Heinrich, Chicwalks’ CEO, got the idea for the Chicwalks app after moving to Paris, France, to become a shopping tour guide. When she first arrived there, she couldn’t find any comprehensive websites or information about shopping in Paris’ many neighbourhoods. As of mid-February, more than 3,000 people have downloaded the Chicwalks app since it became available March 2009.
The app’s popularity skyrocketed during the Olympics. It was downloaded as many as 350 times a day during the first days of the Games. “Everybody wants to walk around with [information] on their mobile now – they don’t want to carry maps,” said Heinrich.
Kristie Thomas, owner of Cranberries Spa on Robson Street, said that being listed with Chicwalks has helped boost business from Vancouverites who live beyond the Robson district. “You know how Vancouver is: people stay in their neighbourhood,” said Thomas. “But you download the app and see that there are all these places just outside your neighbourhood.”
6S Marketing Inc. is a leading Vancouver Internet marketing company with hundreds of clients, both large and small, across a wide variety of... [more]
Business in Vancouver is an award-winning weekly newspaper serving Greater Vancouver since 1989. Targeted at business decision-makers, it provides... [more]
In the past, Chris Taylor has been mistakenly referred to as Chris Anderson, which although is not a cardinal sin (he suffers fools gladly), it does make the conversation a little bit more awkward for him to relate some of his experiences.
After all, not many people can claim to have rubbed shoulders with Seth Godin, or have crushed goals and grapes (in that order) with Gary Vaynerchuk, that too, in personal, private face-to-face interviews. And that's only a start.
As the President and Co-Founder of Toronto's Goose Educational Media, Chris has managed to funnel his love for business literature into building up a company, and a personal brand, that's dedicated to helping businesses accelerate their personal development and tweak business processes towards higher grades of efficiency.
He ploughs through some of the leading business and personal development books released on the market, gleans the core messages from them, and then works on them to turn them into actionable insights for businesses to adopt. Using this knowledge, and his site, he then offers consultancy services to businesses that want to push themselves towards more efficient operational activities.
I recently got in touch with Chris - long enough for me to fire 5 questions at him.
As the President and Co-Founder of Goose EMI, you regularly generate synopses of influential business books, and interview key players and thought leaders in the business and marketing disciplines - how has being in regular contact with these influential figures shaped your worldview?
Speaking and working with some of the big name authors of our time is inspiring, but not in the way I'd originally assumed it would be. Getting to spend some time with these people reminds me constantly how we're all human - we all have fears, concerns and aspirations. The people who rise to the top are those who are crystal clear in their objectives and push through the fear. Since starting "The Goose", I've seen countless examples of Zig Ziglar's quote, "You can have anything in life if you help enough people get what they want." Success truly goes to those who are passionate enough about their cause to help others around them whenever they can. I strive to live that philosophy every day.
Are there any sources of inspiration or key figures who have significantly influenced both your personal and professional lives? How?
Seth Godin has been a hero of mine since I read Tribes 2 years ago. His approach to life is one that I aspire to emulate as much and as often as I can. One of the biggest things I picked up from him during our time together in January {link to interview} was the fact that he spends a solid portion of his day not doing; not responding or developing. Instead, he consciously chooses to disengage from his work and look at it with perspective and an inquisitive mind. His work, as a result, is always poignant and built with laser focus. I have a lot of respect for that ability and willingness to constantly look for ways to improve the effectiveness of his message.
You attended the Art of Marketing conference a few weeks ago, were you introduced to any new insight and thought-processes that were new to you, but were logical and actionable enough to stick with you immediately? How do you plan to proceed with them?
As with all the workshops I attend, books I read and authors I speak with, I find the sheer volume of potentially useful information can be enough to put us in a state of "analysis paralysis". My #1 tip to everyone (myself included) is to takeone message from each encounter and find a way to make it actionable today. It's the small, 1% changes that, over time, can completely rework the way we interact with the world around us. Think about it - if you were to make one small behavioral or attitudinal change every week, you could effectively reinvent the way you interact with the world over the course of a year. I went on that mission in 2008 and it's held me in good stead.
Are there any companies you can cite that have implemented your business insights successfully and rewired their processes for the better?
I get emails regularly from Goose readers who have found ways to increase their enjoyment, performance or confidence in their jobs and lives due to our free weekly articles. It's an honor to be able to take material from leading thinkers, make it actionable (and bite sized) and then hear of real world success from people who have taking the initiative to change their habits.
On your website, you retrace the inspiration that led you to start Goose EMI - what are your future plans for it? Where do you see your business going in the next 3-5 years? Beyond that?
My goal with the Goose has always been to make actionable the core messages from leading business and personal development books. There are some great books out there, but not all of us have time to read them. If I can distill an actionable takeaway that impacts those who might not otherwise have had a chance to find it themselves, I'm satisfied.
I do want to explore new mediums moving into the future. We recently launched the "From the Horse's Mouth" author interview series, where we're travelling around North America and video-interviewing leading authors. I'd like to continue to grow and expand that program. These are some very smart people, and their books - however great - are mere snapshots of their ideas. I'd like to create something less static and more fluid moving forward.
We're also (very soon) introducing a program that will allow team leaders to quickly and easily share (and make actionable) the messages from the Goose articles with their team members. We're calling it InFlight Leadership - employee engagement on the fly, and it will provide people who want to be strong leaders with the tools to do so.
Goose EMI is a company dedicated to simplifying and making actionable the core messages from leading business and personal development books. [more]
Late last year Toronto-based Globalive launched it's WIND Mobile brand in Canada. It was hoped that the emergence of new companies would force companies like Bell and Rogers to lower their fees in the face of new competition.
However, earlier this month, the wind stopped blowing in WIND's favour. It has been widely reported that WIND has failed to sign up even 30,000 consumers. Chris Robbins, WIND's popular Chief Customer Officer, also left the struggling company as well.
Now, this latest news may be the final straw.
It was once thought that Google's Nexus One would be available through WIND's network as they were the only one capable of handling Nexus' 3G requirement.
Today, Mashable broke the story that "Google announced that it is now selling a new version of the unlocked Nexus One that will work on AT&T and Rogers Wireless in 3G."
What does this mean for Toronto-based Globalive? Is this the beginning of the end? We would love to hear your thoughts.
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Who really provides the best deal in Canada? When it comes to wireless the debate, in public at least, has been going on for years. Rogers Wireless recently called themseves the MOST relieable network. Telus filed a complaint. Now Rogers is just reliable. Did anything really change. Probably not. You still get the same service and the same rates, right?
However, consumers have always wanted to know where can they get the biggest bang for their buck.
With a little help from some friends, Techvibes has been able to source out how much the average customer pays on Rogers, Bell and Telus. According to the latest data, these are the three biggest wireless carriers in Canada.
Tired of being mis-led through their advertising? Want the truth? Let's get down to the real numbers....
Rogers Wireless:
The average Rogers Wireless customer spent $63.23 a month on wireless services in the fourth quarter of 2009. The average post-paid customer spent $73.42 a month versus just $16.39 per month for pre-paid customers. During the same period, the company had 8,494,000 wireless customers which consisted of 1,515,000 pre-paid customers and 6,979,000 post paid customers.
Bell Mobility:
The average Bell Mobility customer spent $51.08 a month on wireless services in the fourth quarter of 2009. During the same period, the company had 6,833,000 wireless customers which consisted of 1,792,000 pre-paid customers and 5,041,000 post paid customers. The average post-paid customer spent $62.47 a month versus just $18.45 per month for pre-paid customers.
Telus Mobility:
The latest numbers Techvibes was able to obtain were from the first quarter of 2009.
The average customer paid $62.73. This resulted in an average decrease in what a Telus cellphone customer spent in 2008 from 2007 of 83¢. That's a -1.3% "growth" in all of 2008 in the amount of money Telus was able to extract from its wireless customers. The reason? KOODO (their discount carrier) apparently took a lot of Telus business.
Telus Wireless had 6,129,000 customers. 4,922,000 post-paid while 1,270,000 pre-paid. The average Telus Wireless customer used 411 minutes per month and spent 15¢ per minute.
How much did you end up paying and which carrier do you use? Do you think there is a benefit or using a pre-paid plan versus a having a contract? We were unable to obtain numbers from other carriers such as Solo, Fido or even WIND. If you use these carries please tell us about your experience.
A special thank you to Rizwan Kheraj for directing us to this data.
Technology is a key enabler for TELUS and our customers, providing advantage and differentiation in the marketplace. By managing the life cycle of... [more]
Bell Canada, Canada's national leader in communications, provides connectivity to residential and business customers through wired and wireless... [more]
We are a diversified Canadian communications and media company. We are engaged in wireless voice and data communications services through Wireless,... [more]
Every year, millions of North American callers jam phone lines of telethon switchboards to contribute to worthy causes. Some enjoy the personal interaction over the phone, but most of us - especially younger generations - would rather not wait on the line.
With this in mind, the upcoming University of Ottawa Heart Institute’s annual telethon on Sunday, March 28th on CTV is offering its viewers the opportunity to donate using their iPhone and a mobile barcode payment system developed by Vancouver's Mobio Identity Systems.
For the first time in history, viewers will be able to make a real-time donation right off of the TV screen using Mobio. During the 10-hour telethon, a customized Mobio barcode will be displayed on screen to allow iPhone users to scan and donate instantly.
A telethon viewer points their iPhone at the Mobio barcode on the TV screen to activate the system, they enter the payment amount on their screen, press a button and that’s it. The donation is processed and confirmation receipt is emailed instantly back to the viewer.
If donors are unable to watch the telethon, they can visit the Ottawa Hearts or Mobio website and scan the barcode anytime. In addition, barcodes will be distributed in local publications as well as over Twitter, Facebook and email for “anytime” donations before, during and after the event. As an example of the technology, Mobio has provided us with a customized barcode (right) that will allow Techvibes readers to instantly donate to Ottawa Hearts.
It's great to see a little innovation injected into the traditional telethon space as a way to engage younger audiences and appeal to Gen X and Y.
Mobio Identity Systems, Inc. is a Canadian Corporation located in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company started its operations in 2007. The... [more]
In the context of worldwide consumption patterns, females comprise 80% of the decision making behaviours and actions in a household. If this is the case, then we are surely losing a large part of the market share and focus on this portion of the population as a whole. Enter Jill Nykolitan, of Juniper Park. Nykolitan understands this sector of society and the human motivators behind these actions better than most. On March 25th, the creative and strategic force behind the irreverant advertising agency, Juniper Park is set to share her learnings and insights on the careful balance, depth of knowledge and strategic thinking that must be taken into account when marketing to the female.
I had the chance to hear Nykolitan at another industry event this year where she pointed to the fact that in business and in life being a female should never hurt you or hinder you. There must be a neutrality to which you bring your ideas and focus in a business context in order to really understand the crux of of a decision. With this understanding, Nykolitan has built her career on assessing and analyzing the triggers that are inherent to the female psyche and recognizes this demographic as an economic powerhouse.
If you’re interested in delving into to this layered and meaningful discussion, then join The Institute of Communication Agencies (ICA) and Ad Women of Toronto in the event: Marketing to the New Economic Powerhouse: Women on Thursday, March 25th 2010 at Toronto’s Drake Hotel, 1150 Queen Street West, from 5:00 – 7:30 PM.
For more on Jill Nykolitan:
In three years, Jill and her firm Juniper Park (www.juniperpark.com) have achieved unprecedented growth. Recognized as a finalist for Agency of the Year by Marketing magazine in both 2008 and 2009, Jill was named to Ad Age’s 2009 Women to Watch list, and the company swept the 2010 CASSIES, winning the Grand Prix and two Golds. Juniper Park is an agency that brings the disciplines of strategy, design and advertising together for its enviable North American client roster, which includes Frito Lay US, Quaker US, Virgin Mobile, Chicago Tribune, Astral Media and EOS. Jill’s passion for creating brand platforms was cemented through her work at Kraft Foods as co-creator of Kraft’s award-winning CRM initiative, in addition to other brand management roles. Jill is a graduate of Queen’s Business School.
Click here, for more information.
Toronto based Filemobile just recently launched a new suite of products that is designed to power and harness the growing popularity and use of social media tools.
Many corporations and brands are using social tools like Twitter and Facebook to monitor and sometimes engage with their customers and audience. These companies see a value in joining the online discussions and commentary that surrounds them.
Filemobile hopes to help companies attract this same sort of discussion onto their own internet and mobile properties. Steve Hulford is Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Filemobile:
Companies realize that they can’t build their business exclusively in public social networks. They need to include social networking and rich media on their own web and mobile applications as well as interact with public sites. This empowers companies to manage branding, terms of use, privacy, content, user information and analytics.
For a full demonstration of these new applications, please visit: www.filemobile.com/products.
Filemobile is a media management and social media platform, providing services and tools to enable social media and networking. Filemobile’s... [more]
With the emphasis on understanding the highly integrated environment that surrounds us, it’s no wonder that during the wide array of anticipated technology and marketing conferences of the year, the decisive notion that the 'future is now' is more relevant than ever.
As far as marketing strategies are understood in a highly digitized environment, it’s no wonder that the discourse around this subject matter is only on the rise. There is an implicit understanding that given the way media consumption patterns have changed from a corporate and consumer vantage point, ideologies, learnings and strategies must then change rapidly, in tandem.
Next: 2010, which will be running from May 26th-27th at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre is taking a broad overview of the changing online setting and offering what should be a highly influential and timely affair.
The impressive panel of keynote addresses, ranging from comedian and tv personality Howie Mandel, co-host of ET Canada Rick Campanelli, Design Guru Debbie Travis and author and evangelist Avinash Kaushik of Google, is the exact combination of thinking that is intended to serve the marketing and advertising community in better understanding the future of this business.
For more information on this two day affair, check out the event site, and keep in mind, that whether you’re at the top of your career or on the cusp of change, sessions are designed to facilitate a myriad of conversations. So why wait until tomorrow to make changes you desire in your strategies and thinkings? Act now, and act today.
The Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) embraces Canada’s major business sectors and all marketing disciplines, channels and technologies.... [more]
Last week Vancouver's Wavefront invited wireless developers to attend its network test lab launch event featuring Ericsson. The new lab allows developers to test new wireless applications on a carrier grade HSPA+ mobile network connected to Ericsson’s leading edge Montreal Test Facility.
In addition to getting a sneak peak into what Ericsson believes the future mobile ecosystem will look like, attendees learned how to leverage the test facility and were introduced to the Ericsson Developer Program.
A number of videos were take at the event and posted online. Below is a quick tour of the Ericsson facility by Alan Swain, Director of Engineering Operations at Wavefront.
Wavefront is the commercialization centre supporting the growth of British Columbia’s more than 1,000 wireless and new media developer companies.... [more]
Mitch Joel, journalist, publicist, president of Twist Image - a digital marketing agency - and author of the book Six Pixels of Separation, elaborates on the need for marketers to embrace the paradigm-shift afforded by social media tools.
Joel contends that marketing will never be the same again, and that not only do marketers need to learn to experiment with social media tools as channels through which to ply their trade, but to also enrich and augment their traditional methods through them.
Social media has connected people in ways that they couldn’t have dreamed of before. This presents a huge opportunity for marketers to apply their existing tactics towards a whole new avenue of communication, starting real, meaningful conversations with real people who are willing to be engaged – but only if you make the effort to meet them on their terms.
According to Joel, what marketers need to do is invest a little time and energy into developing their social media presence, and also be prepared to take risks. If they choose to enter the social media sphere, there’s no going back. Indeed, Joel contends that there really is no choice here; in order to keep going forward with their marketing efforts, marketers are necessarily going to need to forget about going back.
And in order to forget about going back, they’re going to need to take a leaf (and a risk) from Hernan Cortes – and burn their boats.
Abandon the tactics of the past, and embrace the strategies of the future.
itbusiness.ca's Brian Jackson recently chatted with Joel and his interview is available online here.
