I feel sorry for Tish Harkus, Manager at Canadian Club Whisky for it’s obvious she has a real passion for this beverage, and a powerful gift for communicating the essence of the Canadian Club experience, but sadly, even her professionalism and compelling stage presence couldn’t cut through the lunacy of the Apr 18 tasting event. On April 18th 2013 Praxis PR invited me to join the Canadian Club Chairman and share his Whisky Whisdoms at the inaugural #CanadianClub national meeting in the Great Hall at Hart House. It was a boondoggle. Honestly, I would like to report nice things, and ‘give back’ to the PR community, but it was like this gathering was organized by people who had never thrown a party before. There were so many rookie mistakes. The huge Twitter wall was impressive, and I liked the Prezi style presentation. Congrats @TheDanLevy who won a nice prize for composing… Read more »
Posted in: Friends of Smojoe, Interactive, Personal Blog, Photography, Toronto, Video
Taged with: #CanadianClub, Canadian Club whisky, Chairman, no common sense, Praxis PR, rookie event mistakes, Tish Harkus, Whisky Whisdom
I got a new job. Last week I accepted a role in the marketing dept of a tech company called Transparent Inc. They’re located in the King Dufferin corridor, and like so many other companies down there its hard to tell exactly what they do for a living. I’ve been here a week and still don’t know. This firm is part of another enterprise called LAUNCH!, an experiential advertising agency. I have new responsibilities, input into the design of some really interesting things being built, and a clean window overlooking the shifting digital landscape in Canada; the company chair gives me a fresh perspective and a lofty perch from which to study the art and science of web marketing in the early 21st century. I’m the Content Manager at Transparent I came up with the title ‘Content Manager’ myself. They wanted to label me the Social Media Manager but I… Read more »
Posted in: Actually sharing secrets, corporate social responsibility, Search Engine Marketing, Social Media, Toronto, Web Marketing
Taged with: Andrew Dick, dog app, King Dufferin corridor, Mike Smith, Toronto, Transparent Inc
Famous all over the world for their high quality, air tight, glass and stainless steel food cans, Onyx Containers recently asked Rob Campbell of Smojoe to put together a rich media content marketing strategy to help them launch their new retail website e-store The Tickle Trunk . Now anybody, anywhere in the world can buy Onyx Containers and have the units shipped to their homes! Watch below how Rob Campbell sets up keyword targets, and then creates useful, contextual media, business stories, that will put his clients on pg1 of Google where they will enjoy traffic and sales for free, for the rest of time. TheTickleTrunk.com website is well stocked to sell Onyx’s signature air tight food containers, lunch containers, steel popsicle molds and ice cube trays direct to the public. Starting Jan 1st 2013, Rob’s primary goal is to increase traffic and sales at this brand new property. Smojoe… Read more »
Posted in: Canada Blog Friends, Friends of Smojoe, Search Engine Marketing, Toronto, Uncategorized, User Submitted Content, Web Marketing
Taged with: airtight glass containers, bloggers, content marketing, discussion forum posts, ice cube trays, Meme Weaver, Miss Teen Canada, Onyx Containers, popsicle molds, stainless steel, The Tickle Trunk, Toronto Zombie Race
Earlier this week I published an inspired piece of content entitled Find me a dentist on Dr. Archer’s website blog. The long copy article was reasonably well researched and expertly fashioned to be really findable as it explores the various different dentist index websites that have evolved to help consumers secure appointments with nearby dentists. But how do these services collect the rich data they need to make useful results? The data they purvey, the source of the information and its deliverance is the primary distinction we can use to judge these local search providers; deep down inside these small competitors, they have to believe they can create an information delivery system that surpasses Google’s own local search abilities. As in most business niches, Google is the market leader in connecting Canadians with their dentists, but that hasn’t stopped half a dozen competitors from trying to do it better… and… Read more »
Posted in: Actually sharing secrets, article marketing, business storytelling, Future Technology, Interactive, Search Engine Marketing, Toronto, Web Marketing
Taged with: Canpages, dental referral, dental services, DentistFind.com, Dr. Archer, find me a dentist, local search
Earlier this week I reported on the 2012 Say Media Christmas Party on the Distillery District blog. The event was held inside The Fermenting Cellar on Thursday Dec 6th 2012. It started at six pm and carried on until well after midnight, and the walls were indeed red with cheer. Say Media is a digital publishing company that creates cool media brands. Through its technology platform and media services, the company enables content publishers to build passionate communities around key consumer interests such as Food, Technology and Lifestyle. Say Media provides an easily measured means by which the world’s biggest brands are best equipped to engage with influential audiences. Content is social currency. It’s what most brands use to build their identities, and it’s what we all trade and share in social networks – good content gives us a reason to communicate with each other. Follow Paul Coulter on Twitter… Read more »
Lenzr is back. Its up and working well to provide the 2012 Toronto Christmas Market with everything it needs to run a custom photo contest and make a page full of pictures for the purpose of marketing their holiday event and website. This is a digital marketing attraction, and Lenzr is working as a catalyst to spread sponsors’ messages. Advanced SEO link building practices make the marketing win win for sponsors. This is why we created this custom photo contest website in the first place. In the next few days I will be working through my content distribution route and leaving story bytes describing this contest attraction. Winner will receive a $250.00 cash prize, 2nd place will receive a $250.00 Distillery Restaurant gift certificate 3rd place will receive a $150.00 Distillery Restaurant gift certificate. Upload original photos now and until December 25th Voting begins December 15th and ends midnight Dec… Read more »
Posted in: business storytelling, Interactive, Lenzr, Photography, Search Engine Marketing, Smojoe Clients, Toronto, User Submitted Content, Web Marketing
Taged with: Distillery District, Lenzr, photo contest, Toronto Christmas Market, Toronto.com
On Monday April 16th 2012 there will be a third Search and Social Rank Symposium held at Archeo restaurant in the Distillery District of Toronto. People like this event because it’s easy to come here and eat and drink and talk and learn a bunch of helpful new sites and new tools they can use in their own homemade marketing solutions. You can get $30 tickets for #SSRS3 here, or check Facebook for even more details. Search and Social Rank Symposium #3 will be both mental and physically nourishing. Attendants will get a tasty HOT meal from a buffet table with lots of selection, alongside a delicious alcoholic beverage of their choice. Most importantly, they get a nice cushy seat at a long wooden table surrounded by peers. Wireless internet access will be available, of course and indeed some folks open their laptops and take perfect notes, and some even… Read more »
Posted in: Actually sharing secrets, business storytelling, Friends of Smojoe, online business, Search Engine Marketing, Smojoe Events, Social innovation, Social Media, Toronto, Web Marketing
Taged with: Alex Blom, Brad Gosse, City Events, Deb Lewis, Distillery District, search engine optimization, SEO, social relevance, Symposium, Toronto, Web Marketing, webmaster
Story Funnels to Buckstops for Bar and Restaurant Owners, looks the same as it would for mining companies or fashion magazines or fruit beverage vendors. Every online business in every niche can use this basic model to build relevance and increase traffic and conversion on their websites. Once again I got a chance to explain this diagram above to a room full of curious people. My only reward was the sound of their ballpoint pens scribbling notes on paper as I passionately imparted the wisdom of building incoming links as part of a prolonged SEO campaign, manifesting itself as warm and fuzzy social media stories. I filled the talk with web URLs they can visit and little tips and tricks they can use to improve their search engine rankings while telling their own informative and emotional stories. I crammed three hours of tactics into a forty minute talk in the… Read more »
Posted in: Actually sharing secrets, business storytelling, Smojoe Events, Social Media, Toronto, Web Marketing, workshop
Taged with: Buckstops, CRFA, presentation, Rob Campbell, SEO, Social Media, Story Funnels, tactics, tarde show, tips, Toronto
On Jan 23rd 2012 myself and David Shephard from Jib.ca along with Deb Lewis of Toronto City Events and some other principals organized another better Search and Social Rank Symposium at Archeo in the Distillery District of Toronto. $25 ticket bought hot food, cold beer and fresh ideas (and not just sales pitches, although there were a few of those). We invited everyone we knew, and used the occasion to promote our brand of science. I debuted a rather sticky piece of content called Who to Follow on Twitter in The Distillery District which I had just posted on The Distillery District blog. This in my mind exemplifies SEM and SEO because sharing the document spreads my links. I went about a rather backward route to explain this to the audience and ended in kind of murky water with a question about canonical script. People came from miles a around… Read more »
Posted in: Actually sharing secrets, Friends of Smojoe, Future Technology, Interactive, Queen West Girl, Smojoe Clients, Smojoe Events, Social Media, Toronto, Web Marketing, workshop
Taged with: Alex Blom, Archeo, Benjamin Allison, Craig Backman, David Shephard, Geoff Whitlock, Joey deVilla, Search and Social Rank, Symposium
On January 23rd at Archeo restaurant in The Distillery District, 55 Mill St, Toronto, there is to be held another Search and Social Rank Symposium. Visit here to GET TICKETS! On this evening Rob Campbell of Lenzr Corp, and David Shephard of Jib.ca will have gathered together some of the brightest thinkers and builders in Toronto’s internet technology community to share their thoughts and ideas on ‘social rank’ and how it affects search results. This is what we mean by ‘search and social rank’, how social media is now skewing search engine results, and vice versa. Guest speakers include Joey DeVilla (the Accordian Guy) from Shopify.com, Geoff Whitlock of Click Clip Deals. Craig Backman the president of McLellan Group , Benjamin Allison, myself and one more speaker, To Be Determined . You can see all their faces and read their biographies and subject lines on the Search and Social Rank… Read more »
Posted in: business storytelling, Canada Blog Friends, Future Technology, Interactive, Lenzr, Search Engine Marketing, Smojoe Events, Social Media, Toronto, Web Marketing, workshop
Taged with: Accordian Guy, Benjamin Allison, City Events, Click Clip Deals, Craig Backman, David Shephard, Deb Lewis, estore, Geoff Whitlock, Google Algorithm, Jib, Joey deVilla, Lenzr, McLellan Group, Rob Campbell, search engine, Shopify, Toronto
