Tag: windsor
Blab! Media Is Movin' Into the House!
Making the transition from home office to real office has been an adventure so far! As of August 1st, Blab! Media will be an official tenant at The House on the corner of Elliott and Pelissier downtown! We’re really excited that we finally have a place to call home! If you’ve never heard of The House before, it’s a social experiment that was originally launched by four local entrepreneurs. Over the past year it’s grown to be an innovation and collaboration hub that is quickly becoming a popular spot for creative-minded individuals.
Owners Rino Bortolin of Rino’s Kitchen and Shane Potvin of Spotvin Design are inviting the community to come out today between 2pm and 8pm. Chef Bortolin is celebrating the opening of a pub component to his restaurant, Rino’s Kitchen, and designer Shane Potvin (Spotvin) has completed two years in business. Blab! Media will be at The House all day mingling with old friends and making some new friends along the way and we’d love for you to join us! There will be live music in the garden, food, and some great local art on the walls featuring Sandi Wheaton’s recent Art Gallery of Windsor photography show: Promised Water / Promised Land. Coincidentally, The House is also looking for tenants to fill two hardwood-floored offices, and if you’re interested, you could be our new neighbours!
Be sure to stay tuned for more office updates and don’t miss your chance to catch a sneak-peek of Blab! Media’s new home! We love visitors so come on out and celebrate with us!
Windsor Star Reader Report: Social Media Day in Windsor
The Windsor Star
BY JASON VIAU/SPECIAL TO THE STAR
June 30th 2011
WINDSOR, Ont. — Social media has increasingly become a necessity for businesses in Windsor to achieve optimal client engagement.
Many local entrepreneurs are utilizing free online tools — such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn — to attract clientele, connect with consumers and stay competitive in both the local and global markets. Social Media Day marks its second annual event Thursday and encourages social media gurus all over the world to celebrate and interact with other likeminded web enthusiasts.
Known on Twitter as hashtag, #SMDay, the concept was created by Mashable — a news, technology and web culture source — and designed to foster the use of advanced technology and promote the ability to send real-time information around the globe. Last year’s event encouraged more than 12,000 tech fanatics to celebrate social media technologies at over 600 venues in 93 countries. The success of the gathering lead Victoria, B.C. to declare Social Media Day an official holiday. Human beings aren’t the only ones to attend communal events — an alpaca, the most social animal on the planet, pranced into the Social Media Day party in Cleveland last year.
Last minute efforts to assemble Windsor’s first Social Media Day came to fruition after Daryna Kulya, a business and computer science graduate from the University of Windsor and a local tech-savvy social networking advocate, supplied a location and promoted the event. Prior to this, the nearest location to celebrate the occasion was at Motor City Casino in Detroit, which is expected to attract 1,000 techies.
“I thought it would be good to increase awareness, have people connect and put Windsor on the map,” said Kulya.
Social media is one component of a business’s success and many seasoned entrepreneurs strongly encourage new startup ventures to integrate this marketing strategy into their business plan.
“I think with social media we are starting to see a lot more startup (businesses) and entrepreneurs especially in the younger generation,” said Jessica Apolloni, co-founder of Blab!Media, a Windsor-based company that assists other businesses with social media development.
Katie Stokes, co-founder and CEO of Blab, said companies who don’t take advantage of social tools to market their business on the World Wide Web are “missing out.”
Ali Al-Aasm, co-founder of Red Piston, a company specializing in building applications for mobile devices in Windsor, said he surmises social media to be a new advertising concept, one where others advertise for you even though they may not realize it.
“People will push products to succeed if they feel a connection with the company,” said Al-Aasm.
The amount of time spent on social media websites will dictate the return on your investment and Pina Ciotoli, co-founder of WindsorEats, a company which showcases local eateries, refers to social sites as an “invaluable” resource. Although they are free, she says, you’re essentially paying with the amount of time spent socializing and interacting with your followers.
“I definitely don’t say that having a social media account for your business is free. Sure, the application is free for you to use but you have to input the time and the energy to keep it going. It’s not something that you just create and leave on its own and think ‘I’m done with that,’” said Ciotoli.
Ciotoli’s brother, Adriano Ciotoli, is the co-founder and has been the “face” of WindsorEats since its inception in 2004. He said applications such as Facebook and Twitter have been essential to achieving truthful and honest feedback from his patrons but cautioned that if used improperly it can lead to a loss of traffic to any business.
“A lot of the things we do is through feedback that we’ve gotten from people through social media.” said Adriano
“If you use (social media) as a one-way communication it’s almost certain you will fail. You really have to leave it open for dialogue. It has to be a two-way street and you have to give as much as your taking but you can’t think of it as traditional advertisement where your just pushing a message,” he added.
When selecting specific tools, social media whiz Stokes says companies shouldn’t spread themselves thin and attempt to use every platform but instead track down an audience, seek out competition and assess which programs best suit the businesses’ needs.
“I think it’s important to note that just because there are hundreds of social media networks does not mean that every business needs to go out and open an account on every single one of those,” said Stokes.
“Social media is not the be-all (and) end-all. You can’t just have social media accounts and expect your business to have sales through the roof. It’s more so apart of a successful marketing strategy … if you choose to ignore it you’re ignoring a place where you can interact with your customers.”
Large corporations such as Kodak are taking note of the growing trend and realizing the importance of social media as it has become more prevalent in recent years by employing a chief listening officer (CLO). Beth LaPierre is Eastman Kodak’s first CLO and compares herself to an air traffic controller as they are responsible for safe and efficient flow of air traffic; she is at the helm of ensuring the efficient flow of social media data.
“As far as importance goes you’re seeing large corporations now creating positions called CLOs … it just goes to show how serious that businesses are taking it and rightly they should be,” said Adriano
Social media use amongst small businesses has doubled over the past year from 12 per cent to 24 per cent and one-fifth actively used social media as a snippet of their marketing strategy according to a study sponsored by Network Solutions, a company with the sole objective of providing resources to small businesses, and the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. The study also revealed that 75 per cent of small businesses surveyed have a company page on a social networking site. Firms in the education, health and social services sectors rely more heavily on social media to convey their message.
“It’s really neat to see the kind of scope that social media does bring to a small business who can’t afford to pay the regular prices for advertising. It’s hard for me personally to front that cost until my business gets to a point where I can really really justify it. Social media is my primary source to get out there,” said Shane Potvin, founder of a locally-based web design, branding and illustration company.
He added that the vast majority of his business comes through referrals, whether it be word-of-mouth — which he describes as “old school media” — or social networking sites.
Potvin said he utilizes his iPhone as a mobile social tool and interacts with clients via Twitter and Facebook and responds to emails, all while waiting at the dentist’s office. He said he believes the future of social media will be a lot more automated and hopes it will promote more entrepreneurship.
We’re still dealing with the old way of things and the new way of things. I’m tired of not being able to do everything in one place. I hope it moves towards a world where business people can latch on in a certain way and personal can latch on and there is some division,” said Potvin.
“Moving forward we’re going to get so heavily connected …”
To see the original article click here
Windsor-Essex Celebrates Social Media Day!
All around the world people are coming together to celebrate social media. Today is a celebration of how social media has shaped our communities and created a fundamental shift in communication. It’s a day to celebrate our connectivity and to honour the platforms that have changed the way the world shares information. To get in on the action, Daryna Kulya, a business and computer science graduate from the University of Windsor and a local tech-savvy social networking advocate, supplied a location and began promoting the event. Local business, citizens and social media advocates such as ourselves have stepped up to help promote the event and organize a fun gathering for like-minded individuals.
As part of Social Media Day, WEtech Alliance, an organization focused on helping Windsor-Essex technology-centric companies succeed, spoke to multiple entrepreneurs who rely on social media services every day. The article mentions local businesses such as Spry, Spotvin, WindsorEats, Red Piston and of course, Blab! Media. Conducting our interview via Skype, we spoke with WEtech Intern Jason Viau, and had a chance to discuss how social media impacts our business and why it’s so important for other businesses to utilize its services. To read more and see what other local businesses have to say, click here for the full article.
While social media is alive and well in Windsor, there are still naysayers and traditional marketing professionals who are hesitant to explore this vast medium of possibilities. Education and a general knowledge of how social media works and what it offers could greatly benefit many Windsor-Essex businesses. In the future, Blab! Media will strive to provide the information these businesses so desperately need but for the time being, social media day is about sharing ideas and inspiration to help Windsor-Essex move forward.
The meetup will take place tonight (June 30th) at 6:00pm. It’s being held at Vermouth (333 Ouellette Ave) and anyone who wishes to attend is welcome! Please click here for more details.
Windsor-Essex County Celebrates National Foursquare Day!
Saturday April 16th is National Foursquare Day! Hundreds of cities around the world are making plans to celebrate Foursquare and Blab! Media wants Windsor-Essex County to be one of them! We’re both fellow Foursquare users and I must say, we take the competition pretty seriously. In the past year there has been a significant increase in the number of users in our area. I’m always delighted (somewhat haha) when I go to a new place and check-in to find that there is already a well established mayor. There are even times where I’m forced to fight for my mayorship by checking in more frequently. The one thing that Windsor is missing is the incentives to keep the competition going! If more local businesses took the time to explore Foursquare and see how it can work for them, it would be a win-win situation. As a user, you need motivation to sign up and to use Foursquare religiously. If businesses offered incentives to mayors or for a certain amount of check-ins, you can bet that users would appreciate the acknowledgement. That’s not to say that Foursquare is the single and only way to drive traffic to your business, but when used appropriately with an effective marketing strategy, it can really change things!
It’s for these reasons that we wanted to get involved and show Windsor-Essex how Foursquare works and why it’s so great for businesses and customers alike. Blab! Media is inviting the community to a local swarm party sponsored by Lakeshore Cinemas and Pepsi-co on April 16th. Foursquare users who check-in to Lakeshore Cinema between 1pm and 4pm will receive a special deal that includes admission to any matinee playing between 1pm and 4:30pm, a Pepsi product, and a small popcorn for just $6! You can also enjoy a free Foursquare Day cupcake provided by Brittany Hazelton! Who doesn’t love a great movie deal on a Saturday afternoon? Bring some friends, family or just your smart phone and help support a local businesses that’s ready to take a serious look at social media!
This national day was created by fellow Foursquare lovers and has now grown into a grass-roots celebration of social media as a positive force within the community. Foursquare has helped businesses succeed and created an awesome experience for users that has friends and complete strangers battling it out for badges and mayorships. April 16th is a chance for users to declare their support for Foursquare by taking some time to explore their neighborhood and it’s also a chance for non-users to get acquainted with the concept and learn more about why Foursquare is an excellent addition to a marketing strategy.
If you haven’t heard of Foursquare, this is the perfect time to expand your knowledge. Foursquare is a location based application that lets users “check-in” wherever they go, leave tips, suggestions, win badges, connect with friends and explore the world they live in. From a business aspect, Foursquare is a seriously valuable tool for generating new business, creating incentives for potential customers and rewarding loyal customers. As a business, you can offer customized deals that are rewarded at any check-in, after a certain amount of check-ins, or only to the mayor. You can see how many people are checking into your business and most importantly what they’re telling other people. Foursquare also has a mobile app so smart phone users can check-in or leave tips anywhere, and at any time.
For users, nothing beats the sense of competition. You’re pitted against your friends on a public leader board, scoring points for check-ins, and your profile proudly displays the amount of mayorships you’re currently holding and how many badges you’ve unlocked. The badges are an exciting reward system for users that keeps the application fresh. There is a badge for checking into the same place 3 times in one week, for taking 10 trips to the gym in 30 days and even for finding three venues with a photobooth. The best part about celebrating Foursquare day is the special badge users will receive for checking in on April 16th. But that’s not all, if 50 users check-in within three hours at the Foursquare Day event sponsored by Lakeshore Cinemas and Pepsi-co, they will also be the proud owners of a Swarm Badge, which is an impressive achievement!
Blab! Media is proud to be partnering with a local business that’s so excited about this opportunity. There are so many businesses in Windsor that have a presence on Foursquare and aren’t even aware yet. That’s what this day is all about, creating that awareness and encouraging these businesses to dig deeper and see what the application can do for them. All we want to achieve is the chance to inspire some local businesses and bring the community together for a fun afternoon at the movies!
For more information about the event, check out our Facebook page!
Tweets, Beats and Eats
If you’re a local Windsor business or entrepreneur Tweets Beats and Eats is a great way to get out and show your support for a local event while in turn networking and seeing how important and useful Twitter really is! This Wednesday, January 19th at 8:00pm, Windsoreats will be hosting Tweets, Beats and Eats at Motorburger on Erie Street. The annual event encourages guests to use Twitter during their meal to express their thoughts. The tweets are then shown live on screens that are placed around the restaurant so everyone can see what’s being said. Check out the video of last year’s event documented by Windsor Eats.
It’s easy to think that Windsor is falling behind and that no one really grasps the concept of social media but thankfully, that’s no longer true. This event is unique because it’s based on pure entertainment and I think Windsor needs more of that in the future. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing bad about a solid business strategy and a serious networking event, but sometimes people just want to have fun. I think enabling people to interact with these social media platforms in a fun and relaxed environment is the best way for them to learn and really experience using the tools that can help improve their business.
If awesome social media events can happen in big cities like Toronto, why can’t they happen here? Hopefully 2011 will bring a change of attitude for everyone and a new outlook on the possibilities in Windsor. I see an amazing amount of opportunity in a small city where people are eager to learn, adapt and keep up with the big cities. Just because we’re small doesn’t mean we can’t be creative and explore social media in new ways! I think it’s time that people start to set higher goals for Windsor and put their faith in its entrepreneurs and small businesses to set the city apart from all others. There is so much potential here but a lot of it remains untapped and we hope that the New Year will bring about courage in the citizens of Windsor, courage to think outside the box and push the boundaries so we can show this country what we’re made of!
Windsor To “Vote Out Loud” For Fall Election
Politics don’t seem to be resonating with Windsorites and with a voting turnout of 38.2% at the last election in 2006 the numbers don’t lie. This year, in hopes of improving the turnout, the city has rolled out a campaign they call Vote Out Loud. This campaign is aimed directly at University and College students and young people in the city who don’t seem to be concerned about voting. Their plan was to create a social media presence on Facebook and Twitter in hopes of reaching these would-be voters. The plan will cost approximately $6,000 as the city intends to partner with merchants, educators, young entrepreneurs etc in order to entice these young people to become active in their own community and head to the polls for the next election this fall.
Vote Out Loud has a great website with candidate resources, merchandise and voting/ward details that makes navigating the election scene a little easier. Young Windsor entrepreneurs like Shane Potvin, Tom Lucier and Owen Wolter have all played a role in this concept. The young people who are consistently missing from the polls have no problem telling the world what they think or what they ate today on Facebook. It is the hope of the Vote Out Loud activists, that this Fall they may want to take that love of expression into the physical realm by voting and ultimately impacting the structure of city hall. As far as Blab is concerned, it’s about time social media made its way to the Windsor political scene! It’s great to see citizens coming together in an attempt to change the way people feel about voting with a catchy social campaign.Aside from its implementation to Vote Out Loud, social media in general is an amazing political resource that would allow candidates to interact directly with the young generation that never shows up at the polls. There are 34 non-incumbent candidates running for council and most of them have adopted online and social media strategies to reach voters. Some candidates have Facebook pages where citizens can ask questions and express concerns, some have created groups to gather supporters and send mass messages about campaign details, and some have built websites to showcase their platform and let voters see the person behind the campaign. All these examples are leaps and bounds ahead of where we were just a few years ago.
At Blab we are very excited to see the changes taking place throughout the election campaign process. In the future we hope to see strong social media campaigns and creative incentives for Windsorites to join and participate in the online communities. There are a plethora of opportunities at the doorstep and as the years pass, it’s our belief that politicians will turn to this interactive and exciting medium to communicate with potential voters on a new level.
It’s disheartening that year after year so many Windsorites aren’t showing up to the polls and we can only hope that these new online strategies will attract a once ignored generation and entice them to vote and show some concern for the city they live in.
Advanced polls at Devonshire mall open October 9th and conclude at the WFCU Centre on October 16th. Anyone may attend the advanced polls ahead of the regular Election Day (October 25th).
The Blab Revolution
Social media may very well be a revolution and when its powers are harnessed properly, it has the ability to change the way people interact with brands and businesses alike. From small town coffee shops to multi-billion dollar corporations, social media has torn down the barrier between customers and CEOs and at this rate, businesses can’t afford to ignore it.
To some, it’s a pass time for their teenage children and to others it’s a world of social interaction. Regardless of the individual definition, social media is a diamond in the rough and ever since the introduction of Facebook in 2004, it has exploded into a national phenomenon.
It’s easy to take social media for granted but when you think of the limitless creative possibilities, the sophisticated targeting, and the personal interaction, no other media platform can compete. We are living in an age of information and should consider ourselves lucky that we understand and grasp the power of this new communication tool.
At Blab! Media we are passionate about social media and marketing. We truly believe that the combination can either make or break a business and that by adopting social media you are opening yourself up to your target market. You don’t need to be fancy and high-tech; you just need to be real. More than anything else, social media is allowing businesses to step out of their corporate offices, roll up their sleeves and actually talk to the consumers that buy their products or use their services. It is insight, interaction and inspiration.
Get ready to devise a strategy, brand your business, create a presence online, develop relationships with your consumers and ultimately, put a plan in place to secure a solid footing for the future. At Blab! Media we know that small towns have big personalities and sometimes all they need is a little push in the right direction; because your business should do more than just exist, it should prosper!