Twitter Tips to Help Your Small Business Grow | KENSEL TRACY

by Kensel Tracy

Canada, it is said, is one of the most connected countries in the world and in spite of paying some of the highest rates for internet and mobile phone, social networking is continuing to grow. If you run a business and have an online presence, chances are you have heard about the potential value that Twitter can have as a business tool.

The usefulness of Twitter and other social media for promotion, marketing, interacting with customers and building relationships has been promoted by a number of social media pundits and business professionals in a wide variety of industries. However, social media has proven to be much more difficult for small business people to get a hold of and building an active presence on Twitter can me more difficult than expected. With and estimated 200 million tweets a day being sent simply sending off tweets won’t prove very useful nor will starting a twitter account and letting it lay dormant.

So in order to take advantage of what Twitter has to offer it requires having a strategy.

Here are some quick tips on how to start, build and maintain and active and effective Twitter persona for your business.

First step is to understand why you want to start a Twitter account for your business. It is important to have specific goals in mind when creating any channel and ensure the goals are reflected as you setup your profile for you and your business. It’s also important to understand how you will achieve these goals. For example, if you are trying to find new customers, make sure what you will say and to whom will attract people to find you on Twitter, subscribe to your messages and eventually visit your store, website or blog.

Twitter takes some understanding to use it effectively. It’s important to understand that Twitter is pull technology and not a push approach to promoting. Traditionally you needed to force people to read your messages by buying some form of media or sending bulk emails to prospects. On Twitter, people need to follow you or opt in to read your messages therefore you need to make sure you saying something that is relevant or interesting to people vs. trying to achieve your goals.

Nobody is going to read a feed full of advertising. This media is called social media for reason as it puts the audience as part of the conversation. Most good case studies show that the most effective use of social media are those in which creative topics are created that are of interest to your potential audience. It’s therefore important to create creative ways to respond, reach out and respond to other individual messages too.

First of all, remember that Social Media can be used for more than just marketing. The key to any marketing program is understanding your customer, their likes, dislikes and interests. Once you have this profile, ensure that your Twitter messages are following these interests (for example, if you own a unique restaurant, tweet about food, preparation, recipes and equipment). Again, Twitter is an opt-in channel, so make sure what you say is something that your customer would want to read out of interest. Be as conversational as you can. In the restaurant example above, ask people what types of food they like and how they cook. Watch for the tweets of people you follow, and when they tweet about food, don't hesitate to reach out and share your thoughts in a friendly way.

Also, understand that tools are rarely effective in isolation. Mention Twitter in conversations, and link to it from your website. Perhaps even mention it in your other marketing materials.

Twitter can be a very effective marketing tool but needs to be used correctly. The key is get the conversation going, build credibility with your business approach or business focus, give information to your audience they want to read and be a source of inspiration and knowledge which will give you an advantage and help you build followers. Also look for key influencers in your industry and follow them on Twitter.

Their following may also be your customer then you have a good chance of participating in a conversation with a variety of people that may also be interested in what it is you are saying. Remember, quality information, valuable knowledge, unique and key learning will help you grow your Twitter reputation and help others seek you out and develop a better understanding of what it is you do and what it is you have to offer.

Kensel Tracy is the Marketing Coach, Senior Partner for the Corporate Coachworkz and Managing Director of Stratejis, Results Based Marketing Solutions. He is also the President of Business over Breakfast Clubs in North America now opening up in every city in North America.

For more information, please visit Kensel's TNNWC Bio.

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Twitter Tips to Help Your Small Business Grow | KENSEL TRACY

KENSEL TRACY: Aboriginal People in Canada Getting into Clean Energy Business

by Kensel Tracy

As part of a an ongoing profile of unique business opportunities in Canada I came across this story.

In this age where virtually every country is looking for cleaner sources of energy Aboriginal organizations are getting involved in the clean energy business in Canada. Canada like other countries in the world is discovering that run-of-river hydro projects can offer more than clean energy and they also have the potential to generate significant, long-term economic benefits for the country’s Aboriginal people.

As the push to develop more clean energy has increased, independent power producers are approaching individual First Nations in Canada on a regular basis with proposals for small hydro development. Under Canadian law, most Aboriginal peoples have certain rights with regard to resource development on their traditional territories.

Aboriginal corporations that provide business financing and support services to First Nations in British Columbia and the Tribal Resource Investment Corporation (TRICORP) and the Tale'awtxw Aboriginal Capital Corporation are taking a major stake in various projects throughout Canada. They also created the First Nation Regeneration Fund specifically to provide financing to enable First Nations to purchase equity positions in power projects.

“Run-of-river hydro power generation is one area where First Nations clearly have a competitive advantage,” says Peter Lantin, TRICORP’s Chief Operating Officer. “Our traditional territories, especially on the coast, have an abundance of clean energy. In fact, the first project we are helping to finance is a two-megawatt run-of-river hydro project owned by the Taku River Tlingit First Nation near Atlin in northern British Columbia.”

With $2 million from each of the Aboriginal corporations, and a $3 million contribution from Canada’s Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, the First Nation Regeneration Fund now has a total endowment of $7 million. It’s administered by Ecotrust Canada Capital, a subsidiary of Ecotrust Canada.

Loans made available through the Regeneration Fund are repaid by the First Nation through dividends and royalties from the run-of-river power project and possibly other sources. Once the loan is repaid, the dividends and royalties become long-term discretionary income that can be used by First Nations for economic or social development.

“The Regeneration Fund is going to provide access to much needed capital for First Nations,” says Sandy Wong, General Manager of the Tale’awtxw Aboriginal Capital Corporation. “It will help First Nations finance equity in independent power projects in British Columbia, and grow Aboriginal ownership in this critical sector of our economy. At the same time, these green energy projects are a natural fit with the social and cultural principles we support.”

It is these types of unique partnerships that are helping to position Canada and it various group as leaders in the area of sustainable development and growth in the area of developing the clean energy business.

Kensel Tracy is The Marketing Coach and is a Senior Partner in the Corporate Coachworkz located in Chelsea, Quebec and offices in Ottawa Ontario. If you have a unique story on business in Canada, he can be reached at mailto:kenselt@sympatico.ca

For more information, please visit Kensel's TNNWC Bio.

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KENSEL TRACY: The Aboriginal Human Resource Council is Good For Business in Canada

by Kensel Tracy

When one talks with Aboriginal Kelly Lindsey,MBA, the President and CEO of the Aboriginal Human Resource Council,(AHRC) you can’t help but marvel at what Kelly is doing for Aboriginals in Canada. The AHRC is responsible for getting employers in Canada to consider hiring Canada’s Aboriginal people in a variety of industry segments. These industries include: forestry, banking, mining, the oil industry and other industries all across Canada.

The who’s who of Canadian companies such as Royal Bank of Canada, Bank of Montreal, Cameco, SNC Lavilen, Syncrude, TD Bank, CIBC and IBM all are working the council to help train, develop, hire and build an Aboriginal work force in Canada. With over one million Aboriginal people now living and working throughout the country the AHRC has a mission to break cycle which has stereo typed Aboriginals throughout history and now provides opportunities for Aboriginals to enter the workforce and make meaningful contributions in helping organizations to grow and prosper.

The council was formed in 1998 as a national not-for-profit organization. Today, as a thriving social enterprise, it is a national Canadian based organization based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, with a mandate to advance the full labour market participation of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada and Indigenous Peoples around the world.

AHRC products, services and networks are designed to help organizations understand the value of inclusion while advancing workplace strategies. Their transformed workplaces position them to become employers-of-choice for the growing and diverse supply of well-trained, highly motivated Indigenous workers. AHRC programs also help members of the Indigenous community obtain essential skills, design career paths and get connected to inclusive employers.

AHRC pursues a mandate and conducts its business through connections, partnerships and mutually beneficial solutions that build bridges between the business, union, Indigenous, education and government communities. AHRC also has a proven track record as an ISO 9001:2008 accredited organization that is proud to deliver service excellence and leadership in Indigenous workplace inclusion.

To support the various programs, Federal and provincial government partners invest in AHRC’s work through applied projects and research to advance the many facets of inclusion. AHRC has a growing group of Leadership Circle partners includes leading Canadian and international companies that are committed to Indigenous workplace inclusion – forging new solutions with the council.

AHRC’s Leadership Circle partners access the organization’s products and services to develop inclusive workplace practices and share these among the peer network. They also act as a sounding board for new product development and important human resource issues and trends. Along with its governance champions and board members, they play an active role in the organization’s strategic direction to build a more inclusive world; starting in the workplace.

The AHRC also has a charitable arm that raises funds to advance Aboriginal Peoples in Canada and Indigenous Peoples in the world of work.

To contact the council see www.aboriginalhr.ca or contact.us@aboriginalhr.ca

Kensel Tracy is a Marketing Coach with the Corporate Coachworkz Inc. located in Chelsea Quebec and is dedicated to helping small, medium and large sized business organizations grow and prosper. He is also President of Business Over Breakfast Clubs of North America. If you you have a story of interest on business in the Canadian market, he can be reached at kenselt@sympatico.ca.

For more information, please visit Kensel's TNNWC Bio.

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