There’s no doubt about it; online video marketing is on the rise. Many experts have said that 2012 will be the year of video. I wholeheartedly agree with this. As recent as 5 years ago, creating a marketing video would have cost thousands (or even tens of thousands!) of dollars. Even then, you would be hard pressed to have anyone see it. In today’s world of social media and SEO, getting your video some airtime is easier than ever, but there are some guidelines to follow in order to be effective and stand out.

“First, do no harm”

Know when to call a professional. A mentor of mine taught me that the first rule of medicine is the same as the first rule of marketing, “first, do no harm”. Your brand is the most valuable asset your business possesses, so tread carefully. This blog series focuses on do-it-yourself options and tips for creating engaging video materials, but you must remember to “first, do no harm” to you brand. Don’t create something that will make your business seem amateur or cheap. Know when to call in a professional. Like doing your own website or accounting, you need to know when you need something only a professional can provide.

“What do I want to accomplish?”

Answering the why before the what. Before the cameras start to roll, you need to establish why you are creating your video. What are you trying to accomplish? What is the end goal? Some possible goals include:

• Establish yourself as a “thought leader” in your industry
• Engage your customers and prospects with informative content
• Promote your product/service
• Create a “website hook” that will explain your business in 60 seconds
• Create a new opportunity for SEO

It will also help to take a look at your skill set:

• Do you carry yourself well in front of a camera?
• Are you good with bullet points or with a word-for-word script?
• Are you tech saavy or do you need a simple solution?

Determining your goals and existing skills will help you figure out what form your video should take.

“Examples”

What you can create. We will be looking at a few examples of effective video marketing in future articles, but you can start by exploring what other people are doing. Hop on YouTube and see what you think works and what doesn’t work. Here are a few general styles of DIY videos we are going to explore in future posts:

The Screencast/Webinar are quick & easy videos that are created using Powerpoint, keynote or screencast software.  Most people are already familiar with these programs that allow you to record vocal narration simultaneously.  This style of video is good for visual or conceptual information.

The Video Blog is a personal and engaging video created using a webcam/video or camera/smartphone.  It's best used for short videos as they are generally taken in one shot.  It may take a few takes before hitting the mark.  This type of video is great for those who speak well from bullet points, scripts are difficult to pull off.

The Website Hook or Product Video can be done as a screencast or video, but is short and general and shows off what your business is all about.  It should be handled carefully as this is the first thing people will click on your website.  These videos take more work and planning but can be a dynamic add to your website.

This is a great time to be creating video content. It can be a powerful tool to engage your audience, establish your credibility and to get you discovered in search rankings. The next article takes a look at some of the tools and secrets of the trade that you can use to make your videos more professional.

Nelson Dunk loves movies. He is a filmmaker and owner of Skylight Productions, helping companies across North America convey their message in a creative and cinematic way. Nelson started creating videos in the Non-profit sector and quickly discovered that HOW you communicate is just as important as WHAT you communicate. Nelson is always looking for opportunities to create impacting and creative films, whether in the creative or corporate arenas. Capturing and conveying stories is what he finds most exciting.

Canadian Youth Business Foundation's (CYBF) Linda Morana Discusses the Qualities of Good Mentors

Linda Morana’s new job as Mentor-in-Residence at the Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF) is to act as mentor to the mentors. “It’s a unique role that focuses on the mentoring methodology as opposed to business skills and business techniques,” she says.

The CYBF – which provides comprehensive support in the form of coaching and financing to Canada’s young entrepreneurs as they launch or build their business – has 2,000+ active mentors and is always seeking business professionals looking to make a difference.

“A mentor is not a consultant,” Morana notes, “They are there to ask questions and help the entrepreneur think out of the box.” TTB spoke to Morana about the mentors training program she is designing, which focuses on soft skills.

How does your role help CYBF mentors?

From a mentor survey, we saw that 72% wanted mentor resources, best practices and learning opportunities. In response, the Mentor-in-Residence role was created. I’m creating and designing an online, self-paced learning program, in a modular format that will help mentors enhance their mentoring skills. Some of the training covers role clarity; how to build trust; and help the entrepreneur find the motivation.

How do you determine the needs of CYBF mentors?

On a quarterly basis, our mentors give a status update through an online forum and they share their challenges and needs. We also have a peer-to-peer networking event called Entrepeer Experience and this is where mentors and entrepreneurs and community partners of CYBF meet and network.

What are some of the challenges?

At around the six-month mark, entrepreneurs get into a challenging time because they may have started testing out their business and they may have to rework it or find a new model. Sometimes they lose sight of the big picture and that’s when the mentors provide a supporting role and encouragement. And if they were keyed into the motivation of the entrepreneur at the beginning, then they can remind the entrepreneur of why they’re doing what they are doing.

What do mentors take away from the experience?

They tell us that they’ve learned to be better leaders. There’s an inter-generational exchange that takes place where mentors are exposed to new technology as well as social media and new business trends that entrepreneurs are introducing to the market; innovative strategies to gaining new business; new business development.

What are the qualities of a good mentor?

One of the key qualities of a mentor is having patience and understanding that it takes time to build a strong trusting relationship. Sometimes it takes time for the entrepreneur to share all the details of the dream they have as its something they’ve been working on for a long time.

Second, be willing to be vulnerable. When mentors share what’s worked for them and, more importantly what hasn’t worked such as recent mistakes and failures, it helps bring the mentoring relationship to an equal plain. It helps the entrepreneur understand that failure, sometimes, is a part of being successful. That opens the door for the entrepreneur to share their current challenges and they don’t feel embarrassed.

We really encourage the mentor to help the entrepreneur solve their challenges and problems so that they aren’t dependent on the mentor for advice and solutions at all times. It’s about giving them options about the process that one would take to solve a problem, so they can be independent and empowered. Also key, the ability to listen and question.

What are the first steps in establishing a successful mentoring relationship?

At CYBF, before the match is official, the mentor and mentee have an introductory meeting to see if there is good synergy; if not, either can opt out. From there it’s about setting expectation and accountability. We have an online orientation program called Meant To Be, which they complete together. It helps them set the stage for the mentoring relationship, [and] it identifies the expectations for the mentor and entrepreneur and helps clarify their objectives.

Sometimes we don’t put thought into the logistics [such as] how often will we have meetings and how long will meetings be and who is accountable for what, so Meant To Be takes them through that. At the end of the online program both have a customized mentoring agreement, not a legal contract, but they agree to do certain things. A development plan is also key; the entrepreneur has an opportunity to discuss what his or her goals are. Ultimately they have a plan about how they are going to achieve these goals and it helps create direction for future mentoring meetings.

For more information on CYBF's mentoring program or to start the process of becoming a mentor, complete an online application form.

Amber Nasrulla is an ex-pat Canadian writer based in L.A. who specializes in profiles from business leaders and scientists to Hollywood celebrities. Her work has appeared in numerous publications including the L.A. Times, The Globe and Mail, Los Angeles Magazine, ELLE Canada, Chatelaine and Reader’s Digest Canada.

How Angela and Justin Quinton used their $100,000 TELUS Challenge prize money to dramatically lift productivity at their Lethbridge, Alberta soil and feed testing business.

Angela Quinton isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. Not ankle-deep-in-mud dirty but more comfortable taking chances in business, which helps set Angela Quinton apart as she and husband Justin Quinton run Sandberg Labs, a soil and feed testing lab in Lethbridge, Alberta. “It’s a little scary at times. But you have to be willing to take risks. What do you have to lose?” Quinton told TELUS Talks Business.

If you feed and water your summer lawn and garden, you have an idea what the Quintons do.  A farmer seeding his fields for a bountiful harvest can’t control the weather. But if the soil is not sufficiently rich, the farmer must make it so. That’s where Sandberg Labs comes in. Today’s farmer needs soil testing for crop production and want a quick, reliable and detailed report on their samples, complete with findings and fertilizer recommendations for a maximum yield come harvest time.  Although many Alberta soil testing labs have been increasingly bought up by big multinationals and turned into testers oil patch samples, the Quintons bucked that trend.  “We’re committed to staying with agriculture. Everyone needs to eat,” Quinton explained.  

But the challenge was, as local farmers showed up on the doorstep at Sandberg Labs for soil and feed testing, the Quintons had to turn them away.  Having invested their life savings to buy Sandberg Labs from its founders two years prior, the Quintons found themselves owning a dinosaur, with outdated equipment and a cramped workplace. “We were running at full capacity as it was. We’re passionate about agriculture, and decided we needed to step up and serve the new customers. But we didn’t have it in us to do that,” Quinton recalled. 

But thanks to the $100,000 TELUS Challenge, a partnership between TELUS and The Globe and Mail newspaper to help small businesses meet their goals, that’s history.  The Quintons last year sat down one weekend to pen an 800-word entry into 2011 TELUS Challenge contest.  They focused on their changing industry, and what made Sandberg Labs different from the competition as it pursued innovation and customer service, while others bowed out.  “Here’s the problem. Here’s what we want to do. And here’s what’s keeping us back,” Angela Quinton recalled, summing up her Challenge entry.

(Photo: from left to right, Blair Kellington, TELUS, Justin & Angela Quinton, Sandberg Labs)

Among their first moves in using the grant was purchasing new equipment to increase the speed, volume and accuracy of soil crop sampling. Before, much of the soil testing at Sandberg Labs was done manually, and was chemical-intensive. “So we’ve been able to bring in more customers without a lot of difficulty since acquiring the equipment,” Quinton explained. The lab’s capacity has now significantly increased as it today runs 144 tests a day, instead of 10.

Using the $100,000 prize money on new equipment purchases and other productivity gains has the Quintons and Sandberg Labs well on their way to doubling the company’s overall revenue line to $1 million by 2015.

There’s also benefits for the local environment. “We can help farmers optimize their production and help with the environment. When they test, they are certain of what needs to go into the soil. So they’re not adding more fertilizer into the earth than they need,” Angela Quinton argued. What’s more, Sandberg Labs is a better place to work in as an employee, and be serviced by as a client. “It’s a much more pleasant place to work. We take customers on tours of the lab, and we see where their samples go, and it’s as if lightbulbs go off and they say that makes total sense,” she added. 

Etan Vlessing is a Toronto-based writer and business correspondent for TELUS Talks business.

For more information on the #challengecontest, visit: www.theglobeandmail.com/thechallenge. The deadline for submissions is May 28, 2012.

In addition to the annual The Challenge contest, TELUS hosts a year-long series of Challenge events that feature speakers, information sessions and vendors. The objective is to help small companies overcome business challenges to achieve their goals.  Yesterday’s event at TELUS house Toronto was standing room only and focused on how innovation can grow your small business.

(Photo: standing room only crowd at TELUS Challenge event yesterday, TELUS House Toronto)

After winning $100,000 to transform her agricultural testing lab, Angela Quinton on Thursday recalled the moment a business grant changed her life, as if by Godsend.

Quinton remembered standing in her office at Sandberg Labs in Lethbridge, Alberta with a stack of unpaid bills in her hand, and looking skywards for help, before a phone call to indicate she was a contest winner came. “I was actually praying, saying ‘Oh God, we need somebody,” she recounted, while attending a standing room only TELUS Challenge event on innovation at TELUS House Toronto yesterday.

Sandberg Labs had been chosen over 800+ other entrants to win the Challenge contest, an annual competition by TELUS and the Globe and Mail newspaper to identify and help a small business achieve its goals. The $100,000 prize, combined with new technology and innovation, boosted the sampling capacity at Sandberg Labs so it can better meet business demand from regional Alberta farmers and feed manufacturers.
“We’ve been able to bring in a lot more customers, without a lot of difficulty, because we got new equipment,” Quinton insisted.

(Photo: Angela Quinton, Owner, Sandberg Labs, winner of the 2011 TELUS & Globe and Mail #challengecontest)

Innovation

  But Sean Stanleigh, editor of the Report on Small Business properties at The Globe and Mail newspaper, while finding inspiration from Sandberg Labs wringing impressive growth from innovation, adds this is not a familiar story for Canadian mom and pop operations. “There’s no bigger buzzword in small business than innovation,” Stanleigh told the TELUS Challenge event attendees. While talk of innovation is heard all the time from politicians and business leaders, what’s missing in the debate is identifying which SMBs are truly innovative, where they are and what public and private financing can make them still more productive. “I think of innovation as a process, one that requires many steps,” Stanleigh added.

The first step for Sandberg Labs to innovation involved not just telling the TELUS Challenge judges about one or two business problems that needed quick solutions. Quinton recalled instead sharing the overriding challenge and solution for them – an inability to meet increased business demand, and the promise of technology and innovation to surmount that hurdle. “Here’s the problem, here’s what we want to do, here’s what keeps us back from doing that,” she said of the thought and structure behind her winning 800-word submission, which she completed with husband and business partner Justin Quinton.

(Photo: Sean Stanleigh, editor of the report on small business properties at the Globe and Mail)

Being able to see what others cannot see is also the story behind another young Canadian entrepreneur,  Armen Bakirtzian, co-founder and CEO of Avenir Medical. His Waterloo, Ontario-based company has developed a medical device, PelvAssist, that allows orthopedic surgeons to line up hips during replacement operations.  Bakirtzian, who also addressed attendees at Thursday’s event, said 95% of orthopedic surgeons still eyeball alignment when replacing hips.  And if they get the alignment wrong, the result could be expensive follow-up surgery. “So we provide them (surgeons) with the tools they need to put the implants in correctly,” Bakirtzian, whose company has received start-up financing and mentorship from the Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF), explained.

Mentorship

To encourage still more young entrepreneurs to launch new businesses, TELUS and the CYBF have partnered to raise up to $150,000 to help another seven young Canadians get their business ideas off the ground and to market. “TELUS is built for business, the Canadian Youth Business Federation is built for starting businesses. So together, we share a passion for where young businesses can go,” Vivian Prokop, CEO of the CYBF, told the TELUS Challenge event after accepting an initial cheque for $21,000 from Jim Senko, Vice President of Small and Medium Business Marketing at TELUS.

(Photo from left to right: Armen Bakirtzian, co-founder and CEO of Avenir Medical, Vivian Prokop, CEO of the CYBF, Jim Senko, VP of Small & Medium Business Marketing, TELUS and Hugh Johnson, VP of Sales, TELUS)

That’s much-needed support to help close a yawning financing gap for Canadian small businesses, the G&M’s Stanleigh told the TELUS Challenge event. “The Canadian economy is full of emerging technology that needs capital for commercialization,” he argued.  Stanleigh also recommended SMBs develop a comprehensive growth plan that fully outlines how they intend to reach their business goals, and to connect with business advisors, mentors or anyone else who can point the way forward. Hence the rationale for The Challenge, an annual contest that invites Canadian entrepreneurs to share their business challenge to possibly win a $100,000 business grant.

Overcoming Challenge

Hugh Johnson, TELUS Vice president of Sales, agrees a winning Challenge entry needs to fully outline how an SMB is strategically planning for growth.  “Marketing is only one piece of the puzzle,” Johnson insisted.  He urged Challenge contenders to show creativity and a case for innovation as they explained in 800 words why they should receive support to get their business to the next plateau.

The G&M’s Stanleigh agrees, as he defined innovation for SMBs as an ability to spot a business challenge, find the solution and new customers, and to reach them as fast as possible. “Coming up with new ideas is half of the battle. You also need to implement the ideas,” he argued.
  
Back at Sandberg Labs, Angela Quinton insists her recent business transformation after winning the Challenge contest has made all the difference. “We take our customers on tours of the lab and say, this is where your sample goes and this is what happens, and it’s like little light-bulbs go off and they say, yes, that makes total sense,” Quinton said proudly.

Etan Vlessing is a Toronto-based writer and business correspondent for TELUS Talks business.

For more information on the #challengecontest, visit: www.theglobeandmail.com/thechallenge. The deadline for submissions is May 28, 2012.

No-one enjoys tax season except perhaps bean counters at Revenue Canada and cheerful accountants. The rest of us sweat pellets. And entrepreneurs who hustle year-round to be innovative don’t always have time to wrestle with the additional burden of accounting. Consider turning to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to stay organized and more nimble. For months, Jean-René Halde of the Business Development Bank of Canada has been urging SMB to include ICT in their business strategy.

TTB spoke to Kirk Simpson, CEO and co-founder of Wave Accounting in Toronto, for ideas on how ICT can be used to increase competitiveness and innovation. For instance, Wave’s free online accounting software eliminates the time spent on manual entry, by connecting to bank statements or online banking accounts. Leaving time for Step One: maximizing your social networks.

What steps should a SMB owner take for making the right ICT purchase?

Leverage their networks. Ask questions on Quora, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter –wherever you talk to your peers. Leverage their experience so you don’t have to do the research on your own. And be specific! Ask them, “Is Product X or Product Y better for the following scenario...” Odds are, someone has already done the same comparison.

And avoid analysis paralysis. At Wave, we’ve learned that sometimes you could study a decision longer before making a purchase, but will a 5% advantage in cost, for example, offset the time and effort and delay in making the decision? If not, just pull the trigger and don’t agonize over the consequences. Better to get it done now and move on to something more productive.

In what specific ways can an ICT purchase become a vital tool for competitiveness?

Anything that simplifies and streamlines can be useful to a small business owner. If a tool can save you time, keep you organized, make you more nimble... those are all things worth considering.

Depending on your business, also consider your quality of life on a personal level. Will a given purchase allow you work remotely, for example, and spend more time with the family? That can be a huge asset. I use a variety of tools and applications that allow me to do a ton of work on the road, at home, waiting in airport lounges, and so on.

What are some things a SMB owner can do to create urgency for innovation in the team? 

Instill a sense of ownership in your team. They need to know that their innovations matter, that their creativity is valued, and that it’s part of the reason you chose them to fill the role they're in. Set up a way to recognize and reward innovation, whether that’s connected to a tangible payoff or just bragging rights. And make the feedback loop a short one. When a great idea comes up, acknowledge and reward it quickly so that more innovation can be inspired in its wake.

The scenario: you're talking to a SMB owner who isn’t in the technology sector but needs innovators…what advice would you give around hiring?

Tough question. I’d suggest that they ask for real-world examples of the candidate’s innovation in action and then follow up with those employers to see if their vision for what they accomplished matches up with how their employers viewed it.

Also, if possible they should see if a friend or a friend of a friend with technical expertise will sit on their interviews with them. The coffee, beer or dinner that it would cost would be worth it!

Everyone is tangling with tax returns this month – how is Wave Accounting taking away the pain for small businesses?


Wave is all about taking the pain out of accounting and bookkeeping, and that pain is largely around the time it takes to get the job done. With Wave, you can collaborate in real time with a professional advisor, like a tax preparer or accountant. The whole process is smoother and easier than anything involving spreadsheets and shoeboxes full of receipts. Our customers save time and spend less to get their taxes done. And since Wave is free, and offers special deals on other products and services, our customers wind up with even more money in their pockets at the end of the day.

We’ve also created a Year-End Survival Kit to walk business owners through the process of getting organized and filing their taxes, whether they’re Wave customers or not.

Amber Nasrulla is an ex-pat Canadian writer based in L.A. who specializes in profiles from business leaders and scientists to Hollywood celebrities. Her work has appeared in North American and British publications including L.A. Times, The Globe and Mail, Los Angeles Magazine, ELLE Canada, Chatelaine and London Weekly Times.

Why do good employees quit? How can organizations reduce burnout, improve productivity and, ultimately, keep workers from jumping ship? Bailey Vaez, founder of Toronto-based Proactive Movement, a strategic workplace wellness and productivity firm, looks for teaching opportunities in stressful situations, even when it seems inevitable the employee will leave. For example, if a worker is having a hard time working with a difficult client, yet enjoys all other aspects of the job, Vaez says, “The best thing to do is to recognize the interactions with a client as a personal learning opportunity to enhance patience, communication and conflict resolution strategies.”

TELUS spoke to Vaez, an industrial engineer, for ideas about employee retention. Proactive Movement’s onsite services include de-stress workshops and health challenges. Its diverse clients include Novartis Health, Harlequin Novels, and Esso, among others.

Let’s start with the basics, what are the factors that make employees stay put at a small to mid-size company while others move on?

By comparing our employee opinion survey results from one organization to the next we’ve seen how much organizational culture truly matters. Sure, rewarding work, compensation, and personal development are vital to employee retention; however, being valued and recognized as a part of a bigger movement with positive culture is key.

The way I see it, if the leaders and management groups of an organization truly care about the advancement and well being of their employees, their employees will replicate and go above and beyond what is expected of them.

At my small company I recently had to lay-off three people. What are some affordable wellness initiative options to head off burnout in the staff that remain?

Keys to success are to get employees to eat right, rest and keep physically active and they will thrive no matter what type of environment or workload.

From a programming perspective that involves awareness, knowledge and action.  First, implement a health-check survey to evaluate current stress and energy levels and to identify if employees are at high health risk. Second, empower employees by giving them applicable tools and knowledge on what to do with regards to burnout; suggestions on what to eat (or avoid) in highly stressful times, how to manage stress when working on tight timelines, quick steps to enhancing energy levels, and time management tips. Third is action. As an employer, enable healthy activity for your employees such as a 30-minute lunchtime yoga class, after-work group boot camp or a 10-15 minute chair massage at the office.


What are the tangible benefits of employee wellness programs?

At the organization level there are cost reductions. Healthier employees translate into a reduction in the use of benefits and drugs and less sick days. Employees, meanwhile, can achieve a personal health goal (losing weight; becoming more active) through workplace services or simply feeling better.

How else do you recommend I keep employees motivated?

Employers can keep motivation high by listening, communicating, recognizing, and connecting with their employees. High impact, yet low effort suggestions for organizations include:

• Personal & Career Development leading to advancement opportunities
• Regular feedback and dialogue with superiors
• Positive working relationships with peers, superiors, and subordinates
• Inspirational leadership equipped with effective internal employee communications
• Recognition for great work done and rewards to motivate
• Celebrating success & failures
• Creating balance and enabling opportunities to renew in the midst of the day

I manage 30 remote workers around the country. What can a company do to retain them?

Create human connections: Working remotely can create isolation so it’s best for organizations to include remote workers as often as they can in both business and off-hours events and activities. For our clients we’ve created company-wide online/mobile health challenges, which advocate employee engagement, team work and healthy competition and gets all business units and employees involved.

Keep a culture of learning: Often remote employees can’t reap the benefits of onsite training but it’s vital that the organization includes remote employees in its training and development plans.

Amber Nasrulla is an ex-pat Canadian writer based in L.A. who specializes in profiles from business leaders and scientists to Hollywood celebrities. Her work has appeared in North American and British publications including L.A. Times, The Globe and Mail, Los Angeles Magazine, ELLE Canada, Chatelaine and London Weekly Times.

Angela and Justin Quinton from Sandberg Labs in Lethbridge, Alberta are likely having a hard time counting all the changes that have happened to their business since winning the $100,000 grant from the TELUS challenge contest. It has provided much needed capital to purchase and update equipment but it also has allowed them the opportunity to access business resources. As a sales and marketing consultant I was tasked with marriage marketing with technology to enhance the business’ relationship with current and potential customers.

Did you know that when the telephone service changed from operator service to the “dial” phone, instructions were shown in movie theatres about how to use the actual dial?  Surprised? See it on Youtube:

Technological advances are a little scary and confusing when first introduced for both consumers and businesses – but they don’t need to be. Here are three tips on how to not be afraid to use current technology in your marketing.

1. Be professional. Having a website has now become the #1 sales and marketing tool a business can have. Most businesses, even Mom and Pop shops, realize the importance of having a website but many don’t recognize the importance of hiring a professional to build the site. You only have a few seconds before visitors decide if they will stay on your site and so an amateur-looking website or, one that is hard to navigate around, is a guaranteed way to make potential customers click away. Most amateur websites are created by people who don’t want to pay for a professional but gone are the days of having to hire a webmaster and then pay high maintenance fees. Thanks now to technology, websites can be developed using content management software (CMS). This allows a professional to create a properly designed site with effective navigation, and then turn it over for you to update. Check out http://www.joomla.org or http://www.concrete5.com.
2. Don’t know... don’t guess. Many people find the sales and marketing activity of running their business frustrating because they don’t know if what they are doing is working. So, monitoring of these activities is essential. If you have a website or a blog, you must have Google Analytics engaged. This free tool allows you to know when people visit your site, what pages they look at and even what city these visitors are living in. If you are participating in a trade show or put an advertisement in a medium, then monitor your analytics before and after will allow you to gauge if that activity was effective in driving people to your website for more information.
3. Get social. Yeah, I can hear you screaming “Social Media is just a bunch of work and I don’t care if someone is having lunch at XZY restaurant.”  Social Media for personal use can be a fun way to keep in touch with people, but it can also be a time gobbler.  Social Media is here to stay whether you like it or not but it can be a very cost effective way to create awareness for your business. An entire generation is getting information on products and services only through Social Media sites, but they aren’t alone. The under 35-aged crowd is the largest growing demographic segment embracing Social Media. Now is the time for you to get serious about learning about Social Media for business.  

Lynda Kavanagh is the author of “Sales suck ... NOW WHAT?”™ a guide book for micro, mini and small business on sales and marketing. Her company, WOW Communications & Training Corp. is an Alberta based company that has been helping businesses and organizations with sales and marketing issues since 1994.

Today, TELUS and The Globe and Mail announced the launch of their 2nd annual contest for Canadian small business owners.  Additional details available at: www.theglobeandmail.com/thechallenge