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E DMO N TO N J O U R NA L e d m o n t o n j o u r n a l .c o m
CAPITAL QUESTION:
Entrepreneurs share what promotional tactics have worked for them Kristen Mackie, owner and creative director of Eliasz and Ella (eliaszandella.com), says that for her business, it’s all about earning a positive reputation. “Credibility is a foundational building block for our brand, achieved through our interactions with clients, suppliers and partners. Having a reputation as a credible and trusted brand leads to exponential brand awareness growth in today’s social networkcentric market; others talking about and promoting your brand holds the most credibility.” PH OTO BY SA M BROOKS/ C A PI TA L I D E AS
“Building brand awareness isn’t just about creating advertisements and putting posters or stickers everywhere. It’s more about how you as an individual represent your product and your company. It’s about being professional and personable in a way that makes your customers feel confident in you and your products. That is what keeps people coming back and telling others about you and your products.” — Jim Ackney, dealer of Amsoil Synthetic Oil and Lubricants Dealer — 4syntheticoil.com “When we first started, no one knew we existed, so we placed our name all over our warehouse and our cars. Next we joined some small wedding trade shows to get our name out, along with taking out some Google ads. Then we emailed every large company and school we could think of to let them know what we could offer them.” — Suzan Burtic, president of Legends Limousine Ltd. — legendslimousine.ca “I’ve tried to be an active participant in a number of business and community events, making Edmonton a better place to live and work. By being present in the community, online and off, we can deliver our message of value to people directly.” — Desmond Chow, senior financial advisor at ATB Securities Inc. —is.atb.com/poitraschow “To build brand awareness, we speak and attend industry events where we believe our expertise has value for attendees and potential clients. This gives the customer an opportunity to see us in action and get to know us. It also educates us about the trends and new information arising in the industries where we do business. Finally, we use social media to leverage our appearances at these events.” — Michelle Devlin, partner at Creating People Power — creatingpeoplepower.ca “Creating results is the best way to create brand awareness. Those testimonials of happy customers are the best way to get free advertising and brand awareness. Another great way is to get in the community and help as many people and charities as possible.” — Chris Gowing, team co-ordinator at Dynasty System — dynastysystem.org “My approach to build brand awareness involves multi-faceted promotion, including TV and radio appearances, writing for newspapers and magazines, presenting cooking classes in Edmonton and throughout Alberta, speaking at conferences and workshops and judging food events locally, provincially and nationally.” — Gail Hall, owner of Seasoned Solutions Cooking School and Culinary Tours — seasonedsolutions.ca
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UPCOMING:
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“A great way to build brand awareness is to get involved with events. Sponsor a community event, host your own event for a charity or donate your product or service to silent auctions. When running a small business, it’s super-important to give back to the community, but it’s also an excellent way to get your name out there and let people know who you are and what you are about.” — Stacey Hogbin, owner of Wevive Fitness — wevivefitness.com “Personal brand will always trump professional brand, so know yourself, your passions and your values. This is your personal brand, which will ultimately drive your choice of branding tactics to create awareness … For me, it’s all about being my personal brand and what I want people to say about me and my business.” — Robert Manolson, creator and facilitator of Powerful Play Experiences — powerfulplayexperiences.ca “It’s important to have a strong online presence, and leverage your social media. A great way to get a brand known is to find a cause your customers and your team can get passionate about; maybe it’s a local charity or a really great cause. Work with the community to build support for that cause, and your brand will become known and, more importantly, associated with doing good.” — Ashif Mawji, CEO of NPO Zero — npozero.com “I truly believe one of the best ways to build brand awareness is to provide exceptional client service. Once you have shown a client the value you can add by solving a key problem, it’s amazing to see them spread the word. Let your work sell itself!” — Hussein Poonjani, managing director of Grant Thornton Corporate Finance Inc. — grantthornton.ca “Our brand represents a service, and as such, our brand awareness starts with the people providing that service. Therefore, we have taken a significant amount of time to create standards and processes into how the brand is to be represented, to allow for consistency in awareness creation. Every interaction is a moment of truth in building awareness, and consistency is key, regardless of the customer interface.” — Darryl Moore, vice-president of marketing and communications at Executrade — executrade.com “We started using social media every day! It’s been fun engaging with our followers on Facebook, and even more fun meeting them when they visit us at our new studio space.” — Leslie Redshaw, owner of Unfauxgettable Interiors — unfauxgettable.ca
These answers are in response to a question posed by Wellington Holbrook, executive vice-president of ATB Business. Here’s his take: “Brand awareness is a challenge for most businesses, but can certainly seem like a more difficult challenge for entrepreneurs and small-business owners. Probably the most successful thing I have seen from my customers over the years has been an ability to tell a consistent and compelling story that team members rally behind and feel proud of. When it is genuine, customers know it, and they will support you and tell others about you. And this is the kind of awareness that money can’t buy. As big as ATB might be, what we aspire to do every day is build a brand that you haven’t just heard of, but one that you know is sincere and genuine. ATB believes in Alberta entrepreneurs, and I promise you, that is right from the heart.”
JAN
Workplace Wellness Bootcamp
FEB
Learn from Alberta’s Best
FEB
Alberta’s Best — Nominee Reception
29 11 11
A full-day workshop focusing on challenges, trends and solutions for workplace wellness Where: Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre (11000 Stadium Rd.) When: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission: $150. Tickets at wellnessbootcamp.ca
Alberta Women Entrepreneurs’ full-day program for entrepreneurs who want to take their businesses to the next level Where: Shaw Conference Centre (9797 Jasper Ave.) When: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission: $135. Tickets at aweinspiringentrepreneurs.com
An event to honour AWE’s 2015 Celebration of Achievement Award nominees Where: Shaw Conference Centre (9797 Jasper Ave.) When: 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Admission: $60 to $75. Tickets at aweinspiringentrepreneurs.com
For more great events, visit capitalideasedmonton.com/edmontonevents.
“I rotate among my retailers, doing demos of the different items we offer. This gives my customers a chance to connect with who is behind the product they’re patronizing, and gives me the opportunity to acquire valuable consumer feedback.” — Jerson Reyes, owner of Rey Sol Mexican Foods — reysolmexicanfoods.com “I’ve been very lucky in that I get to partner with a local TV station on a monthly segment related to my work. I find the key is to offer something that isn’t a commercial; something that will provide genuine value and interest for the viewers.” — Nadine Riopel, founder of The Savvy Do Gooder — nadineriopel.com “I think the key is utilizing your brand name wherever you go physically or on social media. Senior entrepreneurship is the new ‘retirement lifestyle’ trend, however, the Boomers group is not the same throughout the marketplace. As a result, we need to use our imagination about how we can stand out and have some recognition before we conduct any serious relationships with our clients.” — Joe Wasylyk, founder of the Seniorpreneur Project — seniorpreneur.ca
COMMUNITY QUESTION: What has your company done to be involved with your community? Getting involved with one’s community can make a significant impact on business, which is why Daniel Dromarsky, capital partner at Enviro-Plus Business Services Corp (enviro-plus.ca), is curious to hear from you: What has your company done to be involved with your community? You can answer the question in two ways: • Open today’s Capital Ideas email if you’re a member, or • Visit capitalideasedmonton.com We’ll publish the best answers, along with your business name and website address, on Feb. 4.
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