Tag Archives: Business

thirdoceanTV – in conversation with Jaime Stein

The following interview first appeared on the thirdocean website. thirdocean is a boutique social media and digital communications agency that I am partner with.  I also have the privilege of being the host of  program called thirdoceanTV.

This year’s first guest is Jaime Stein of ING.  Jaime currently leads the social media strategy for ING DIRECT here in Canada. Prior to that he was the Canadian Football League’s head of digital and social media where he was in charge of content strategy for CFL.ca.  Jaime also launched the CFL’s involvement in social media.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=424rS2CWqu4?rel=0]

You can follow Jaime Stein on Twitter and on his website.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel and stay up to date with our conversations with North America’s leaders in Social Media and Digital Communications. Follow us on Twitter @wearethirdocean, and Like us on Facebook.

social media workshop at PwC

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to lead a workshop focusing on social media as it relates to the business-to-business realm. It was a lively 75 minute workshop mostly filled with discussion and interaction amongst the attendees who were all from the marketing department at PwC (Price Waterhouse Coopers).

We didn’t video tape the workshop, but I do have the presentation below. I hope you enjoy. And if you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment or find me on Twitter

social media and business-to-business [slideshare id=11943108&w=425&h=355&sc=no]

View more presentations from Karim Kanji

Social Media Masters: Toronto

Unlike traditional events that attempt to satisfy the needs of all levels of practitioners, the Social Media Masters Series goes beyond typical introductory courses, and provides advanced social media sessions for practitioners from true social media Masters. With the Social Media Masters Series, we are progressing the social media dialogue from the “why” to a more technical understanding of how to execute social media programs in key areas with an emphasis on engagement marketing.

Produced by Social Media Club, the world’s leading association of social media professionals and Sensei Marketing, a firm specializing in customer acquisition and social engagement for the enterprise, Social Media Masters is a premium event for leading brands and social media strategists.

The event takes place this Friday, October 7th in Toronto.

If you are a Social Media Professional wanting to take your skills to the next level, or an online marketer expanding your capabilities, this program is your chance to go beyond a typical introductory course and get advanced training from true Social Media Masters. This conference is a unique opportunity to develop your own mastery of social media for Marketing and Communications, with an emphasis on engagement. Whether you are in charge of a department in a large organization, you are responsible for multiple clients within an agency, or you are an independent professional deepening your skills and knowledge, this event will help you advance your career and accomplish your goals in key areas of social media marketing.

Produced by Social Media Club, the world’s leading association of Social Media Professionals and Sensei Marketing, a firm specializing in customer acquisition and social engagement for the enterprise, Social Media Masters is a premium event for leading brands and social media strategists.

Register today and save 20% by using code ‘karim’.  Social Media Club is also hosting a cocktail party the night before. You can register at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2275211218.

See you there!

Growing at GROW

Atlantic Canada Entrepreneurs @ GrowConf
Image by bmann via Flickr

I’m typing this blog post on my Dell Inspiron Mini on a West Jet flight some 40,000+ feet over the Canadian Prairies.

I don’t usually use this space to blog about my professional life. So I hope you don’t mind if I make an exception today.

This week I’m proud to represent thirdocean and XConnect at Canada’s top technology and start-up conference in Vancouver: GROW Conference.  If you’re a regular here you probably already know that I am a co-founder and partner of both thirdocean (which is a social media and community management agency) and XConnect (which we’re building into Canada’s top technology and new media resource).

Both companies are less than one year old. Which makes this trip all the more important from a business perspective.  Not only am I in attending GROW in order to learn from some of the top entrepreneurs and business minds across North America but I’m in Vancouver to network and solidify some professional relationships.  The goal, obviously, is to grow both of our businesses.

So I hope to be able to share some good news with everyone soon after I return from this trip.

For the rest of the week I’ll be blogging over at XConnect.  I’ll be sharing my thoughts on both what I’ve learned and whom I’ve met.  If you’re a fan of our XConnect Show (live every Wednesday at 11am EST) this week we’ll be chatting with Alyssa Richard and Matthew Slutsky.  Both Toronto-based entrepreneurs are disrupting the national real estate industry.  Rachel McConnell (our Community Manager) will be filling in for me as host of the show.  I hope you’re able to watch.

If you want to receive this blog post in your email click on the button on the right hand column that says sign me up under the Email Subscription header.  In the meantime, please feel free to register on our communications system.  You will be able to easily follow my journey here in Vancouver as well as everything else we’re doing at thirdocean and XConnect.

Why Klout (aka influence) is Important

Like it or not influence matters.  And chances are you’re not sitting on the fence on this one.  Especially when it comes to online influence. You either love Klout or you hate Klout.  

You love Klout because you either understand what they are trying to achieve.  Or if you’ve received a free bag of chips.

You hate Klout because you’ve never “won” anything in your life or your score is lower than 50. Or you don’t believe in what Klout is attempting to build.

But if I asked you if influence matters you would have to agree with me.  Think about it for a moment:

  1. have you “liked” something on Facebook?
  2. ever “retweet” something on Twitter?
  3. have you ever forwarded an email or online article?
  4. do you refer products or services you enjoy to your friends?

You answered yes to at least one question above.  And by doing so you’ve exerted your influence over someone else.  And I believe this is what Klout wants to capture:  The influence you, others and myself have in comparison to others.

Is Klout perfect just yet?  Of course not.  And it may never be.  But here’s the question you should ask yourself:

Will you stop forwarding good content to your sphere of influence?  Of course not.  And that’s why Klout is important.

What say you?

The Canadian Queen of Apps Answers 5 Questions

Melody Adhami (@MelodyAdhami on Twitter) 
is 
the 
co‐founder
 and 
COO 
of
 Plastic 
Mobile, an 
award‐winning 
mobile
 marketing
 agency.
  Melody co‐founded
 Plastic
 Mobile 
in 
2007 and
 only 
three 
short 
years 
later 
was 
featured 
in 
a 
national
 newspaper,
 The 
Globe
 and 
Mail, 
and 
named the
 Queen 
of 
Apps 
in 
a 
series 
about
Wired
 Women.  Today she has reached the pinnacle of her career by being featured in 5 Questions! 😉  

What motivates you to do what you do on a daily basis?

Innovation is one of the biggest motivating factors for me.  To know that every day I go to work and do things that are at the cutting edge of technology makes every day more exciting than the day before.  I love the fact that what I do surprises and amazes so many people.  Making an impact also motivates me to continue to do what I do. When I know that our initiatives change the way people conduct business or the way consumers conduct their daily lives, any amount of hard work seems entirely worth it.

If you had 30 seconds to impart your wisdom on a classroom of soon-to-be graduates, what would you say?

Do what you love because then it doesn’t feel like work.  If you find yourself in a job you hate, re-evaluate and make a change.  Work hard and play harder.

In your opinion, what has been one of the most important technological developments over the past 12 months?

Tablet technology and their proliferation/mainstream adoption. The tablets are changing the way consumers are digesting content both in the types of content and the location in which they consume.  So what I mean is that people don’t have to be limited to watch YouTube clips or reach the news at their desktops.  They can do it virtually anywhere.

If you had a crystal ball, what would you say will be the most important technological development over the next 12 months?

NFC technology and the effects that can be anticipated in the next 12-24 years.  Ultimately, all payment transactions can take place in one single mobile device.  Your phone will not only be your email client, your internet, but also your wallet.

Who is one of Canada’s tech stars and why?

My personal favourite tech star is Amber Mac. I had the opportunity to meet with her a few months ago and I love her energy, enthusiasm and overall tech knowledge.  She is definitely a great Canadian tech star. 

5 Questions with Mitch Joel

Marketing Magazine dubbed him the “Rock Star of Digital Marketing” and called him, “one of North America’s leading digital visionaries.” In 2006 he was named one of the most influential authorities on Blog Marketing in the world. In 2008, Mitch was named Canada’s Most Influential Male in Social Media, one of the top 100 online marketers in the world, and was awarded the highly prestigious Canada’s Top 40 Under 40. Most recently, Mitch was named one of iMedia’s 25 Internet Marketing Leaders and Innovators in the world.

Joel is frequently called upon to be a subject matter expert for Huffington Post, BusinessWeek, Fast Company, Marketing Magazine, Profit, Strategy, Money, The Globe & Mail and many other media outlets. His newspaper business column, New Business – Six Pixels of Separation, runs bi-monthly in both The Montreal Gazette and Vancouver Sun. His first book, Six Pixels of Separation (published by Grand Central Publishing – Hachette Book Group), named after his successful Blog and Podcast is a business and marketing bestseller.

You can hear him speak tomorrow in Toronto at the Science and Art of Social Business conference.

What motivates you to do what you do on a daily basis?

A love and a passion for marketing, communications and new media. While others watch dance competitions on TV, I love to read the Blogs, tweet the tweets and fumble around on Facebook. Some call it work… I call it love. I also wake up every morning and I’m thrilled that I’m back

If you had 30 seconds to impart your wisdom on a classroom of soon-to-be graduates, what would you say?

I would tell them to read this:

http://www.twistimage.com/blog/archives/what-advice-would-you-give-yourself-as-an-industry-rookie-given-what-you-know-today/

In your opinion, what has been one of the most important technological developments over the past 12 months?

The growth of tablets and iPad in particular. Now, we just need the usability and new marketing excitement to catch up!

If you had a crystal ball, what would you say will be the most important technological development over the next 12 months?

The continued growth of touch and I’m hopeful we move toward complete connectivity (a hybrid of wi-fi and an even faster LTE network).

Who is one of Canada’s tech stars and why?

I think the folks at Radian6 deserve a big standing ovation.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zQnfnKBZLg]

creating community: part 2

Money Mart
Image by Thomas Hawk via Flickr

Just over a month ago I blogged about creating community: part 1.  The beginning of this story was a refresher on my experience with GREENtuity and my first lessons in creating communities online.

The next step of my journey brings us to a company I used to work for called RealCash.

RealCash was a finance company in the residential real estate space.  They factored a portion of an agent’s earned commissions.  In short, RealCash was the Money Mart equivalent for real estate agents.

My role with the company was in marketing.  I put together email campaigns, trade show strategies and even set-up strategic partnerships with major real estate companies across Canada.  After a while, due to market conditions, I was forced to slash our budget and look for creative ways to market for free.

Enter social media.  Here are some lessons I learned:

Blogging:

Almost everyday I blogged.  And the results were phenomenal!  Searching for “commission advance in Canada” on Google resulted in RealCash moving from the 5th page to the 1st page.  Not bad I’d say.  Remember, we had a zero budget for marketing at this stage.

Active Rain:

Active Rain is the social network for professionals involved in the real estate space in North America.  After leaving RealCash more than six months ago I STILL receive calls from people finding the RealCash profile online through searching online.

Facebook:

Would you ever tell your professional friends, family and close friends that you use “Money Mart”?  Neither would I.   Facebook didn’t result in any community traction at all.

Twitter:

A great tool that RealCash used to promote itself as a thought leader in the real estate social space.

Overall, RealCash had success at creating an online community online.  So much so that potential clients called alot.  How much?  Too much. RealCash advanced more financial resources than they had access to.  Now they’re out of business.  Yikes!

What’s the overall lesson:  Don’t make promises (on social media or otherwise) that the company’s bank account can’t cash.

To be continued…

how to twitter

Follow me on Twitter logo
Image via Wikipedia

I always get asked, “How do I get more people to follow me on Twitter?”  I figure I get asked this question because these same people have yet to meet folks like @unmarketing, @clickflickca, or @erinbury.  All these folks have more “followers” than I will have in several lifetimes.

I also get asked this question because my clients (through thirdocean) and potential clients aren’t heavy personal users of social media tools.  They are more interested in how to leverage these tools to grow their already successful businesses.  I’m not the biggest dude on Twitter and I don’t pretend to be.  However, because I’ve been asked, allow me to share with all of you what I’ve been doing on Twitter.

Follow To Be Followed:

This is the easiest way to gain a following.  It’s not based on anything you’ve created or the value that you give to others.  It’s only based on you following other people.  Follow me and there’s a chance that I might follow back if I like your tweets and content you are creating.

Cater To A Specific Crowd:

There was a time when I was live-tweeting a Toronto Maple Leaf open practice.  And guess what happened?  My follower count went through the roof over a two-day period of time.  Again, I wasn’t trying to gain more followers and those that did follow me have probably left.  Why? Because I don’t generally tweet about the Leafs.

Provide Valuable Content:

Content is King. Content leads to conversation. Conversation leads to engagement. Engagement will lead to so much more than followers on Twitter.  It can lead to opportunities: both personal and professional.  Be human and be valuable.  Not all your tweets have to be mind-blasting or inspirational.  But please try to provide content that people will want to read and share.

@reply:

If you read a tweet that you like take a moment and share it with your followers.

Don’t Buy Followers:

Yes it is possible to buy followers.  Not only does it cost you money.  But, long-term, it will cost you credibility.

Well, these are just some of my recommendations.  What are some of yours?

Related articles

President and CEO of L’Oreal Canada provides some ‘Food For Thought’

Yesterday I had the good fortune of being invited by Aditya Shah of Loose Button to their Food For Thought series at the La Maquette Italian restaurant in downtown Toronto.

This particular series featured guests from companies such as Syncapse, AshCity, TIFF, LinkedIn Canada, Guardly, Rogers, and Environics.  Representing thirdocean and XConnect at this luncheon with these other companies was exciting and humbling to say the least.

This month’s featured speaker was Javier San Juan, President and CEO of L’Oreal Canada.  To give you an idea of how large L’Oreal Canada is, they have sales of over $1 billion in Canada with a market share of over 30% which leads the entire beauty market in Canada.

The talk of the afternoon, however, was not on the state of the beauty and cosmetics industry in Canada.  The discussion was on the reason L’Oreal has pursued a digital and social strategy.

Javier discussed 5 points on L’Oreal and social media:

  1. Internal Culture and Communications.  Previously, communications was a top-down activity.  With the integration of internal social tools, however, employees are now obligated to voice their views.  Said Javier, “We listen to our customers and our employees.”
  2. Brand Ownership. “We don’t own our brands anymore.  But we can shape the discussion and conversation that is taking place about our brands.”
  3. Relevancy.  Unlike traditional push-marketing social media marketing is more about discussion.  As a result, messaging has become more relevant and more about conversations.
  4. Content Revolution.  Today when you watch or listen to a commercial, or drive by a billboard there is almost zero chance of that content spreading.  The very definition of social media includes the ability to share and discuss this content with friends, family and acquaintances.
  5. Connect.  L’Oreal decided to become involved in social media not because it was sexy but because it allowed L’Oreal to connect, communicate and share with their employees and consumers.
Why does your company use social media and how does it approach a social strategy?