Tag Archives: campaign

0

My X-Mas Gift To You

|


Some of you may remember the Velecta Paramount social media campaign I led in 2011. I was literally obsessed with the idea of having every Canadian woman own the translucid hair dryer in one of seven snazzy shades.

What people did not quite understand is why I was doing this on my own time. I mean, no one was paying me and I already had my own fuchsia Velecta, why bother? And more importantly, “it was only a hair dryer”. Why did I crusade over 20 salons, why did I have hairstylists try it for 2 days at a time, why did I survey my online social groups, why did I post on every social platform, why did I engage in negotiations with the Canadian representative of Velecta?

I am told to be determined when I believe there is a market and so I was. And was I going to be the only woman in Canada to own this truly unique model? Not if I could help it.

It was a long journey. Sure, the market cried out “we want it”, professionals, social media influencers, fashionistas and consumers. But I learnt quite a few lessons on the way, perhaps more in a few months time than I would have in a five year retail career. Entrepreneurship does that to you.

The (Many) Lessons Learned 

I learnt that the largest distributor in Canada (the “monopole”, no pun intended) had privileged relations with the French (European) Velecta manufacturer. I learnt that every other distributor in Quebec had a slim chance to sign a distribution agreement with Velecta directly and that traditionally they would continue buying their inventory through the Canadian monopole. I learnt that Velecta had its own rep in Vancouver that I have never met but have written to often and that adamantly refused to import the colourful designs for no rational reason.

I embrace change and can not leave it at that.

I pursued my path, evangelizing the merits both technical and aesthetic. Then, one day, in the Fall of 2011, I got a call from the Velecta head office near Paris and I quote “Hi Diana, I don’t know what you did but it worked. They [the monopole] have agreed to start distribution in two shades (blue and red) early 2012!”. I was ecstatic and let every know of course.

I embrace change and could not leave it at that.

Why only two shades? Why not the most vivid colours that my social networks have been asking for, such as fuchsia,  canari, lime green?  I asked to meet the CEO of this family-run monopole. His wife agreed to meet with me.

The Meeting

I prepared a deck velecta_campaign_october2011 as I would for a client pitch, and off I went.

After walking them through my 4-month crusade, a certain sentiment of shock overcame her and her assistant. They were not aware of my campaign let alone my discussion with the B.C. rep.

I learnt that they did not wish to cannibalize their own colourful range of hairdryers and hence chose to import only blue and red Velecta models. I learnt that the monopole had no short term intention of joining the social network era and that consumer preferences were the salons’ business. I learnt that if consumers really wanted this, they would have to ask their hairstylist who would then ask their distributor who would then pass it on the monopole. All in all, 4-6 weeks waiting period. This is a far cry from online retail expedite delivery. I realized right there and then that they were beginning to understand the power of social media and were frightened by it. I thanked them for their time and offered to help them in their social media strategy next time around.

I embrace change and could not leave it at that.

Going back to my awareness campaign, I met up with a successful  all-in-one retailer-wholesaler-hairstyler franchise owner. He was immediately sold to the idea. When I informed him that Velecta blue and red were coming to Canada, he was first to carry them in his stores early 2012 without going through the traditional salon-dealer-importer model. He did state however that quantity was controlled and that he did not have a say.

Now you have it. When you offer this gift to the woman of your life, you could tell the story behind it. It’s sure to entertain.

Available here and other Mat&Max retail outlets.

Cheers! And Happy Holidays.

0

Creator of #Tail-Wags, Karyn Climans, Creates a Sensation at Dragon’s Den Marketplace

|


As expected, Karyn is out in the field showing her helmet covers we all love. Only this time, it’s happening at a familiar place, the Dragons Den Marketplace! Best of luck, Karyn. We’re all behind you 100%!


Où est Karyn Climans? Fidèle à elle-même, elle est sur le terrain pour sensibiliser tous un chacun envers la prudence sur nos routes et le port du casque. Pour l’occasion – et c’en tout une ..les retrouvailles avec Dragons Den – elle arbore ces derniers modeles de housse de casque 100% faits au Canada, dois-je le rappeler? Go-go Karyn!

0

The Biking Helmet For All Occasions Including Halloweeeeen!

|

As Fall is offering us a glimpse of automn flavours, biking remains our favorite activity. With Halloween right around the corner, what better way to get prepped up with  Veronica Slater’s talk on Safety and her latest finds.And you guessed it, Tail-Wags is one of them!

.

To your helmets and get noticed on Halloween!

And did you know, shipping is free throughout September! Buy Canadian :)

L’automne se pointe le bout du nez et la pratique du vélo ne se demonte pas pour autant. Avec l’Halloween qui arrive a grand pas, je pense qu’il est tout a fait à propos de se rappeler les consignes de notre bon ami la Sécurité.

Pour l’occasion, j’ai choisi la chronique de Veronica Slater qui nous donne un juste aperçu des bonnes pratiques sur la route et ses dernières trouvailles, dont les housses de casque Tail-Wags.

Alors, à vos casques et faites vous remarquer cet Halloween!

Et saviez-vous que la livraison est offerte ce mois-ci?

Achetez Canadien et suivez nous sur Twitter :)

1

Why We Should Pay Attention to These Women

|

I was asked to moderate a fine group of women entrepreneurs May 17 at Webcom Montreal. I enjoyed hearing their stories during our prep meetings. Each of them have their own unique journey and their reasons to go online. The common driver for them all: Passion. I mean really, we’ve been hearing left and right how it’s important to have a mix of smarts and passion into what we do but there’s nothing more convincing then when entrepreneurs walk the talk.

Starting with our two pure e-commerce entrepreneurs: Karyn Climans, Owner of Tail-wags, offers whimsical helmet covers that fit over any type of helmet used for sporting activities, Tail Wags empowers children and adults all over the world to individualize their helmets, thereby encouraging the use of those helmets. In this age of tech start-ups, Karyn exemplifies the true entrepreneurial spirit. She started out in her basement (remind you of someone?), does everything by hand (100% Canadian made) and is one of Canada’s most influential advocates on safety. Sophie Guinet, co-owner of Mini-bulles, offers a selection of decoration and accessories items -from birth to adolescence- from the best European and Canadian kids’ designers. Sophie has now launched her own collection, the “Triplettes”. One visit at her site and you know you’ve stepped in a world of soothing comfort and high quality standards.  You could tell from speaking with her that she loves what she does. Family is at the heart of her mission.

Now, for our social-sharing stars. Cassandra Girard, founding partner of Buyosphere. Who doesn’t know Buyosphere? As their slogan suggests “Fashion suggestions from real people”, this social platform empowers buyers to find what they want by asking their peers. And it works! Cassandra is a long time veteran in the tech start-up community and she knows that tenacity and determination are key to her success. Lifestyle and entertaining expert Kim Vallée launched At Home with Kim Vallée five years ago.  Kim shares stylish living inspirations, time-saving tips and great finds to busy women from her office in Montreal but the scope of her blog is global. She is very saavy when it comes to detecting new trends in e-commerce and shopping ideas. Her distinctive feature is in the way she stages her finds all in colour and elegance.

They had lots to stay about their business, the future of online stores, the buying behaviour, etc.. Here are some of the highlights.


Facts

E-commerce has gone through more changes in the last year or two than it has from its beginnings back in the 90′s.

  1. Today, launching an e-store takes a few hours with tools such as Etsy
  2. Remember when we used to say that the Web si empowering customers, making them more informed? This has never been truer with tablets and smartphones giving them the leisure to decide in the spur of the moment.
  3. Mobility pushes the limits of space and time. Customers are always connected and e-stores interact with them at all times.
  4. Social platforms are amplifying this phenomenon. In fact, product information found across social networks weigh more than the products themselves!
  5. Women, women and more women are taking that route.
  6. The online communities play an increasingly important role in spreading the word.

E-commerce Today : Four Success Factors

  • Social

Our panelists agree that their active presence on social networks is key. Sophie talks of the community that has shaped around her store, Karyn nurtures the proximity with her customers through twitter and her blog, Kim IS a social network with 65 000 monthly unique visitors to her site and nearly 3 700 fans on Facebook, and Cassandra talks of the many sharing features on the site (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Linkedin) to get the word out on the latest nifty finds.

  • Storytelling

Social isn’t an end to a means. As is having a transactional site or a catchy name.  The distinctive offer remains the main driver and how to best represent the product or service attributes? Our panelists agree: Storytelling. With the creation of a new product or a new line, comes a story, an anecdote, a legacy perhaps. And this is a differentiator, according to Sophie. Today, there are way too many products to chose from. Telling a story around it, adds value to the product and can be a decisive factor. To illustrate :

  • Visuals

High quality photos and  illustrations are a must today, says Kim. People have become more sensitive to visual content and online stores must meet these high standards in order to stand out. That’s why so many are turning to social image-sharing sites, such as Pinterest. Recent study shows that this is the new trend

32% of online buyers in North America have made a purchase as a result of seeing an image on a social image-sharing site, such as Pinterest

  • Work-Life Balance

Another trigger that has contributed to the growing number of women in e-commerce start-ups : the personal-work life balance. For Sophie, managing an online boutique has allowed her to spend more quality time with her family. This has not stopped her from showing creativity and extending her product line because as she says, she’s always tuned in to her customers’ needs.

  • The Physical World

Let us not forget that customers buying online are not digital beings! Our entrepreneurs make it a point to meet with their customers regularly at physical touch points.  Sophie, in collaboration with other Montreal creators,  organizes events in public places to show her latest product lines and chat with her customers. Having a virtual boutique is not enough, she adds, you must go out there. Kim even talks of stores that have started online and now have extended their activities offline, i.e. in retail outlets or coffee shops.

Last piece of advice ?

“Be transparent in your offer, the more information you provide on you, your brand, the better”,

“Shopping remains an emotional experience so build stories and proximity with your customers”

“Passion always. It will transcend online!”

“Be always aware of the upcoming trends and changes in customer behavior. Managing an online business is managing a business. The same rules of thumb apply in both worlds.”

And another one that Karyn has just reminded of and that I rarely see mentioned: “Together, we are stronger…We need to help and support eachother so that everyone thrives.”

Please leave your questions or comments below and our entrepreneurs will gladly answer them.

Thank you, ladies for your insight and wishing you continued success !

Ca vient, ça vient…

4

A look back at LBM Panel – WebcomMtl

|

As previously announced, the panel I moderated at Webcom featured Location-based marketing (LBM) evangelist, Aaron Strout (@aaronstrout) and four of our Canadian thought-leaders on the subject – Sebastien Provencher, Laurent Maisonnave, Mohamed Kahlain. We discussed the future of LBM and how/if Canadian businesses should invest more of their ad dollars.

Here are some key take-aways :

In retail, a distinction should be made between location-based and geo-fencing: one is active, the other passive. One requires the user to engage with the business by checking-in with its mobile device (see my post on the leading check-in application Foursquare), the other requires that the business triggers a text message to a customer entering not a specific location, but a defined geographical area, assuming that the customer has opted-in this feature. This is an important touch point for ALL businesses.  Let’s say you’re entering a pharmacy in downtown Montreal located near one of your favorite retail outlets. If you have activated ge-fencing on your mobile phone, that retail outlet may inform you, as you’re entering the pharmacy, of a special event happening at that moment. This is a great opportunity for businesses to tap into : spontaneous buying, thanks to proximity marketing.

As Sebastien pointed out, local marketing has been around for a long time. For years, storefront advertising and community events and forums helped advertisers spread their messages across neighbours’ fences and into consumers’ homes. What’s different today is mobility. Smart phones have allowed for speedier exploration and buying decisions. Mohamed talks of the new revolution when referring to the 4th P – the Place –  (for more info:  Mediative’s White Paper). Not surprisingly. A look at these statistics and one can understand why mobile marketing is  the primary focus of businesses:

> 80%+ of online consumers use their web-enabled devices to research where to make offline purchases

> 41% of offline retail sales in 2011 (estimated) were web-influenced

> 55% of smartphone owners use their devices frequently while shopping in stores

What about LBM? The market is ripe for LBM also, as the number of mobile users, social network and LB power-users are on the rise.

New study conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that about 74% of smartphone users use location-based services to find out information about what’s around them. In addition, one in five (18%) are checking in to local businesses with geo-social services.

LBM for non-location businesses?

A third point that stood out and that may dissipate the belief that LBM is only for retailers or storefronts: non location businesses, such as TV stations or consulting firms, are also leveraging the potential of Location-based marketing, in a non-selling way. Aaron mentions how USA Today is using a Foursquare branded page to leave tips at locations across the US which  highlight “hidden treasures”.   When a person checks into a location, they get a tip that then drives people to the USA Today website to learn more, positioning USA Today as a helpful expert. See the excellent post from @arnoldmcp on Location as being more than check-ins.  Location marketing here revolves around gamification or rewards as Getglue demonstrates, where users can “check-in” to a show. There is no selling involved, just hints and tips, yet businesses are using this as a way to get to know their customers better.

Key benefit or why should part of marketing dollars be invested in Location

Data, data, data.  This is our last but not least nugget that should create excitement in the advertising community : location data is a real-time, day-to-day, minute-to-minute scoop into customers’ buying habits. When a consumer checks in, we get data, when a consumer leaves a tip, we get data, when a consumer becomes the mayor, we get data. If you claim a business, you get access to a statistics page that show how influential the customers are. Foursquare then suggests to potential customers to reach them via twitter, and based on check-ins data, these are your best customers. Never done before! So it’s not just data but actionable data for advertisers. This spells out l-o-y-a-l-t-y.

This is not to say that TV ads are over. Far from it. Actually, geo data is being used by agencies in their TV programming. Laurent has developed an application for its customers that monitors and analyzes the tweets that are being shared on The Survivor show for instance. These tweets are geo-tagged with the city or the district and this is where it gets interesting : combining traditional media with local data to better cater to geo-sensitive customers. Laurent believes that TV commercials quickly customized to local audiences will be the upcoming trend. See his excellent post on social TV and LB advertising.

All this said, there is perhaps one key factor that may be slowing down the adoption process is fulfillment. Providing local payment features with smart phones is what’s missing from the equation. Geo-couponing apps and virtual stores (see how Well.ca is disrupting retail) are beginning in Canada, where customers scan the item they want and check out on their phone.

Main challenges ahead

  • for geo-fencing: getting users to turn on their mobile devices while still respecting their privacy
  • specifically for non-location businesses, figuring out where customers are going to be
  • at the end of the day: making location a end-to-end pleasant experience

I’ll end this post with one of Aaron’s many quotes that stay with me, taken from our first interview : “If I’m going to take the time to check-in and cross-post on Twitter or Facebook, you should give me something in exchange.” Checking-in to a location, like any other consumer-driven action,  must be of high enough value to users.

So back to our question: Should we invest more ad $$ into LBM?
Check out WebcomMTL Tweets in Summary of this panel and questions from the audience.

 

2

Aaron Strout on Location-based Marketing

|

Hello Community!

I am proud to introduce my first guest, Aaron Strout, co-author of Location-Based Marketing for Dummies. Aaron and I had a long chat on Location-based Marketing and what it means for businesses – big and small.
For those of you who have yet to meet Aaron, he is based in Austin (Texas) and has 17 years experience in the digital world. His bio will be presented in the first segment “About you”. There is lots of data and insight in store so take out your ipads. And, so you know, our conversation was done through Skype and editing through iMovie so please be forgiving ;)

Again,  thanks Aaron for sharing !







Salut la Blogosphère!

J’ai le plaisir de vous présenter mon premier invité, Aaron Strout, co-auteur de Location-Based Marketing for Dummies (Marketing de la géolocalisation pour les nuls). Nous nous sommes entretenus autour de la géolocalisation et son importance pour les entreprises de toute taille.

Pour ceux qui ne connaissent pas Aaron, il vit à Austin (État du Texas), cumule 17 années d’expérience dans tout ce qui est digital. Son parcours est présenté dans le premier segment vidéo intitulé “Aaron, parlez-nous un peu vous” . Dans les segments vidéo suivants, Aaron fait un tour d’horizon des joueurs et des pratiques d’entreprise, nous explique en quoi la géolocalisation est une opportunité intéressante et nous offre quelques conseils pour démarrer. Vous trouverez la retranscription des vidéos en français.  Beaucoup de contenu en vue alors …à vos iPad! Et sachez que cette video a été faite avec Skype et le montage avec iMovie alors merci de vote indulgence ;)

Il ne serait pas impossible qu’on entende parler un peu plus d’Aaron Strout dans les mois à venir!

#1 – Aaron, parlez-nous  de vous 

J’ai débuté dans une petite agence au moment de la bulle, pour me joindre ensuite à une grande entreprise dans le monde de la finance, Fidelity où j’y suis resté 9 ans.

J’ai grandi dans le digital et touché à tout:  la pub en ligne, le search, le courriel,

En 2006, j’ai vu le media social comme l’évolution logique. J’ai rejoint Mzinga en tant que Chief Marketing Officer puis Vice-président média social avec la croissance de l’entreprise. Puis j’ai déménagé à Austin et pris le poste de CMO à Powered. C’est à ce moment, où tu as pris connaissance de la communauté “toothpaste” qui part de l’idée qu’on est tous passionné de quelque chose et qu’il s’agit de trouver le point d’engagement pour créer le dialogue.

Ces derniers temps, je blogue beaucoup autour des applications et des services de géolocalisation et suis à la tête de la pratique de geolocalisation chez  WCG. On a une vue holistique du marketing, en commençant par une analyse en profondeur des clients..qui sont leurs influenceurs, quel type de contenu répondra à leur besoin?

J’ai un nouveau podcast vidéo cette fois qui remplacera le quick n’ dirty.

Pourquoi le livre?

Avec mon ami Mike Schneider, nous pensions que c’était une bonne idée de codifier les façons de parler de la géolocalisation. Nous savions que c’était un peu tôt et qu’il serait plus utile de présenter la géolocalisation sous une forme marketing, et non pas sous l’angle des services car ils évoluent très rapidement. Foursquare est le service de référence et est fréquemment cité dans ce livre.

#2 – La géolocalisation est-elle en phase d’introduction?

Absolument. Alors que les réseaux sociaux atteignent un taux de pénétration de 50-75%, moins de 5% de la population est active en géolocalisation. Les « géo-curieux » représentent 5-10% de la population, ceux qui font des check-ins  de temps à autre et qui connaissant Foursquare.

Dans quelle mesure les entreprises s’investissent-elles dans la géolocalisation?

Les médias sociaux sont au cœur des activités marketing en ce moment. Et c’est compréhensible avec 800 millions sur Facebook, 200M+ sur Twitter and 150 millions+ sur Linkedin, c’est bien là que les entreprises doivent se concentrer MAIS elles regardent aussi ce qui est à venir, à savoir les opportunités du mobile et les services de géolocalisation, le second étant un sous-segment du premier. En effet, être capable de savoir où quelqu’un se trouve à un instant donné, ce qu’il fait à tel endroit, d’avoir ces données supplémentaires, est critique car cela permet aux marketeurs de livrer des messages mieux ciblés et utiles, qui vont à la fois éduquer les clients et promouvoir leur offre.

#3 – La géolocalisation est-ce pour les TPE et PME?

En fait, on peut voir des deux côtés de la courbe. Il y a les Fortune500 qui saisissent les opportunités de géolocalisation, puis de l’autre côté les petites entreprises qui ont commencé aussi à suivre cette trajectoire. Plus souvent qu’autrement, les petites entreprises ont peu de ressources marketing – humaine et financière – et donc cherchent à utiliser ces outils gratuits. Donc s’ils peuvent utiliser ces outils comme Twitter ou Foursquare pour engager la conversation, c’est une solution gagnante. Tandis que les grandes entreprises déjà bien présentes sur les réseaux sociaux cherchent à les optimiser avec la géolocalisation. En fait, leur objectif serait pour une personne qui fait  son check-in d’aller ensuite le diffuser sur ses propres plateformes sociales.

Quels sont les coûts liés au marketing de la géolocalisation?

Réclamer sa page sur Foursquare est gratuit. Les coûts sont liés à la ressource désignée à gérer les actions marketing. Par exemple, une action comme proposer une dégustation de vin et venir rencontre le propriétaire sous-tend peu de frais, ou afficher la photo du propriétaire sur Foursquare, zéro frais. Là où il peut y avoir des coûts c’est sur une autre plateforme comme skvngr.com (prononcé « scavenger ») où il y a possibilité pour les entreprises d’organiser une chasse au trésor.

Et le ROI?

Bien sûr, qu’il y a des opportunités pour le ROI. Se rappeler que le ROI n’est pas synonyme de ventes. Il s’agit du retour sur investissement, e.i. achalandage, augmentation de la part de portefeuille, ou encore plus grande  couverture médiatique. En effet, si vous faites une campagne via Foursquare par exemple et que les médias locaux vous prennent en exemple en faisant mention de votre côté innovant, c’est l’un des avantages qui va à terme contribuer au ROI. Et il y a aussi la loyauté des clients.

#4 - Le rôle du gestionnaire de communauté dans la géolocalisation

Le gestionnaire de communauté sur les réseaux sociaux d’une entreprise est bien placé pour ajouter la géolocalisation à ses tâches. Faire attention cependant à ce qu’il ne s’étale pas sur un trop grand nombre de plateformes. Mais en effet, il est le mieux placé car il sait engager la conversation, augmenter son audience, et trouver l’équilibre entre les objectifs de l’entreprise et les besoins des clients. Donc c’est cet échange de valeur que le gestionnaire de communauté arrive à faire mieux que quiconque.

#5 - Qui sont les principaux joueurs?

On parle beaucoup de Foursquare qui est la référence et que nous citons fréquemment dans le livre. Il y aussi Yelp avec ses 40 millions d’utilisateurs. Il ne fait pas beaucoup de bruit publicitaire mais il est très bien référencé dans les moteurs de recherche. Et aussi skvgr pour attirer les visiteurs à un lieu au moyen d’une chasse au trésor. La durée étant limitée. Gowalla qui s’apparentait à Foursquare ressemble davantage à Yelp aujourd’hui : il met l’emphase sur l’expérience, le partage d’histoire, les passeports plus que sur le check-in.

La géolocalisation : le service vs la fonctionnalité

Et Facebook Places qui se positionne désormais comme une autre fonctionnalité de Facebook. L’idée est de declarer un lieu, de le prendre en photo et de tagguer ses amis qui s’y trouvent (ou pas).

Pensez-vous que  l’utilisateur fait la part des choses, que l’utilisation qu’il fait de Facebook Places diffère de celle de Foursquare?

Je pense que Foursquare est davantage B2C, que ce que nous faisons dans notre day-to-day, on ne voit pas l’intérêt d’en informer nos amis, ça demeure du domaine de Foursquare.  Par contre, on découvre un nouveau restaurant ou un groupe joue à telle place, là c’est tout à fait pertinent de le partager sur Facebook Places. Donc oui, selon les rôles que nous revêtons, nous opterons pour l’une ou l’autre des applications.

Bien que je ne sois pas un fervent défenseur de Facebook Places, c’est tout de meme une façon pratique d’organiser sa vie, ses voyages et loisirs en fonction des photos que l’on poste sur son mur. Mais pour une enterprise, je ne conseillerai pas de commencer par là.

#6 - Prêt à vous lancer? Les premiers pas

1-    Vérifier sur les différentes plateformes que nous avons citées qui fait ses check-ins chez vous ou même si votre lieu a déjà été crée.

2-    réclamer son lieu ce qui vous donne accès aux données d’achalandage, démographiques et autres métriques.

3-    Vérfier que votre marquee/enterprise n’est pas entre les mains de quiconque (autre que vous) qui peut offrir des promotions que vous n’avez pas autorisées, par exemple.

La règle d’or

Conseil aux entreprises : Si je [le client] fais mon check-in chez vous et que je croise cette interaction sur différentes plateformes sociales,  donnez-moi quelquechose en retour (reconnaissance, prime, ..) qui vienne conférer de la valeur à cet engagement de ma part! Autrement, je pourrai me lasser… éventuellement.

Remerciement

Aaron est mon mentor virtuel. Il m’a introduit à Twitter et ses blogs en 2007 alors que je cherchais de nouvelles façons d’animer mes séances de remue-méninge. Je le remercie pour le temps qu’il a mis à me guider dans mes premiers pas sur les réseaux sociaux cette année-là. Une personne qui gagne à être connue au Canada!