T Johanson

I’m writing this post about MRU Shift because a friend from Mount Royal University, Andrea Hennel, asked me (yes she sits on the committee for the conference, so full transparency here). Now my initial reaction to her request was what more could I add that hasn’t already been said? I mean the Headliner is Chris Brogan, and he has a stellar support cast.  Then I thought about it and realized that if someone is on the fence about going, I could share my journey and how a similar conference changed my life.

Now I am a huge advocate of social media and what it can do for your personal brand or a business’ brand, but that wasn’t always the case. You see about three years ago I was anti social media and wanted nothing to do with it. I thought it was for kids and a giant waste of time. It was through my current job that I stumbled into social media. The economy had tanked, new competition was popping up everywhere, so I was forced to begin searching for new ways to market Melrose Café & Bar. It was in my research that I came across a term called relationship marketing.

What caught my eye was the many examples of how previous businesses used it to counter the effects of a down turn economy. This mirrored my situation and appealed to me. Relationship marketing showed promise and simply put, it’s a tactic to strengthen relationships with your current customer base. It turns out that the marketers of that generation weren’t trying to pull new people into their businesses; they just wanted to keep what they had. I though great idea and it’s something a small business like Melrose could execute.

So I continued to search for examples and ideas, when I noticed most of the articles I found were very current. They just had an added word, web 2.0. At first I ignored them, but Google just kept on pumping them out in my searches. So I decided to read about it, and I must admit it did intrigue me. I knew nobody else in my industry was using these tools in this way and maybe it would be a point of difference for us. I dabbled with social media for months, but I wasn’t sold.

It was six months later and a similar conference to the upcoming MRU Shift where everything came together for me. The Art of Marketing had 5 speakers, two of which heavily focused on social media. They changed my life, opened my eyes and allowed me to see how these new tools were certainly not child’s play. In fact it can be a great equalizer for the world of small business.

Now I know you’re thinking so what, how is MRU Shift going to change my mind? Well what I think is special about this conference is that they are taking a different slant on social media and traditional media. This conference aims to “Bridge the gap” between traditional and social media. So if you’re one the fence about social but you really love your traditional, then this is going to be a good way to see how you can use the best of both worlds.

 I could go on and on, but I’ll leave you with this. If you’re still undecided about social media and not ready to take the plunge, this conference might just be that push you need. I know that three years ago it was a similar conference that gave me that push, and I haven’t looked back since.

I recently was asked on twitter my thoughts about QR codes and if they are useful to everyday regular people or just another fancy tool that marketing geeks really want people to think are cool and useful.

I personally think there is value in them, but it would appear that lots of people think otherwise. So who’s right? My guess is we all are. Currently we are seeing QR codes used quite poorly (in my opinion) many lead to boring non-mobile sites or empty Facebook pages in attempt to get more likes. Almost as if by adding a QR code you are now using social media.

I do think that QR codes have the ability to bridge our online world with our traditional world through mobile, but there needs to be value for the person scanning. At this point there is not a lot out there. That said some companies are thinking outside the box. Take Calgary based chariot carriers who have used QR codes to link instruction manuals with how-to-videos on YouTube. Another fantastic example of thinking outside the box is this content rich resume by Victor Pettit. 

What these two examples having going for them are two things.

1. When the QR codes are scanned the user is taken to an end result that is of value.

2. They are used in a way that combines other elements of the marketing mix. ie: traditional media.

It also helps that they are taking tools like a QR code and pushing it to be used differently from the norm. The fault is most companies are using them as part of their creative in their advertising campaigns (which in most cases is an ugly blemish on the creative) and beyond that not much more. This in itself poses a problem as traditional advertising is having a hard time cutting through the clutter. Adding a QR code is not going to magically solve this. One could argue that as more companies use them it will only add to the clutter.

At the end of the day I think the QR code can and will eventually be a valuable tool for marketers & the regular person. The tech is still in its infancy, much like the Internet itself; we are only just seeing the start of something. Like all things related to the Internet, the better you can work these new tools of the net into all of your marketing mix and provide value for your customers the higher your chances of success will be.

I work in the hospitality industry and what I see is change and lots of it is on its way. Some of it is from within the industry, some of it is due to the way we communicate and some of it is forced change from outside the industry. Regardless, new businesses are going to have to learn to play a new game.

Last year one of the big trends was the daily deal model. While not new it exploded on to the scene with Groupon and Living Social. Copy cats quickly flooded the market and then we arguably saw the whole thing implode within 12 months. I’m no expert, nor do I have a crystal ball, but here are some predictions I have for 2012:

1. Craft beer & microbreweries are going to explode in Calgary. We have the reputation as being Cow Town, and we’re not willing to change. However people’s palates have begun to expand. Evidence of this is how well places like Craft Beer Market, Wurst and Beer Revolution are doing. Even the big dogs MolsonCoors & inBev (Labatt if you didn’t know) have taken notice and begun to purchase micro-breweries to compete. By the end of 2012 you won’t be pairing wine with your food. No, now you’ll be thinking beer and lots of it. All hail the Beer cicerone!

2. The food revolution will only continue to grow. Along with Calgary’s growing beer palate, they will want good food to pair with all the good beer. I don’t know for sure but rumor has it that more chef owned venues will be popping up in Cow Town. Regardless of truth or not, these new ventures will be driven from the kitchen out. Gone will be the chain mentality with the fancy decor but mediocre food. So I hope you’re hungry.

3. Government intervention otherwise known as Bill 26. Regardless of your stance on lowering of the BAC from 0.08 to 0.05 it will happen. Many BC owners have said that sales have taken between a 20-30% dip, a major hit to any industry. Businesses will really need to adapt whether they like it or not. This point only magnifies my previous one.

4. The social revolution continues and I believe we’re still in its infancy. If ever there was an industry that needs to get social it’s the hospitality industry. Yelp continues to grow, while geo-location has largely been untouched in this city. More people have seen an increase in Twitter and Facebook engagement which in itself makes fighting for attention that much harder but that’s another post. While there are a handful of groups using these tools well, we have yet to see true relationship building and interaction between customers & restaurant/bars. We’re still waiting for the shock and awe stage, and if it comes I think you’re going to like it.

So that’s pretty much my two cents. I’m sure there is more that will happen in 2012 and maybe someone will create a daily deal model that really works for everyone, but I doubt it. Agree, disagree let me know. I’d love to hear it.

New reading material… (Taken with instagram)

A Very old book. Like 1888 old straight from Poland. (Taken with instagram)

I am proud to say that 5 weeks ago my wife and I welcomed our second daughter into the world. Home life is awesome and such a joy right now.

However lately I find myself in a bit of a cross roads in my professional life.

Lots seems to be going on around me, and some consulting work has begun to come my way. Which is what has me stuck in second gear. I really am loving the work I get to do at Melrose, but the option to go out on my own, well scares me and excites me at the same time.

So what do I do next, not really sure but the iron seems hot and it only makes sense to strike now.

One has to wonder about this brave new connected world, is it really going to be all that we hope it will be for the entrepreneurial minds out there? Only time will tell. Personally, I think it’s time to test the waters.

I got my Evil Plans :) (Taken with instagram)

#MRU100 Malcolm Gladwell Q&A at the jacksinger (Taken with instagram)

@garyvee checkout what I just got in the mail tonight! (Taken with instagram)

This is what -28 looks in Downtown #yyc (Taken with instagram)