Tip of the Week: Think beyond the blog

Welcome to the eighth in a series of tips to help bloggers build communities, find an audience and get the most out of working with brands.*

“Be prepared to offer your content ideas up for brand usage,” suggests Matthew Stradiotto, Co-founder, Matchstick, “today brands want to ‘co-create’ content with publishers. Think about how your content could live brand-side, and not JUST on your blog!”

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Tip of the Week: Network

Welcome to the seventh in a series of tips to help bloggers build communities, find an audience and get the most out of working with brands.

In the early days of blogging and social media adoption, there was this idea that everyone publishing online and surfing the web was an anti-social nerd who hung out in his basement. Today we know nothing could be further from the truth as people connect with like-minded online friends, their desire to meet in real life grows. And as powerful as the web is for establishing relationships, nothing beats getting out from behind your screen and meeting people in person.

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Photo credit: Eden Spodek

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Tip of the Week: Discovering new blogs

Welcome to the sixth in a series of tips to help bloggers build communities, find an audience and get the most out of working with brands.

One of the highlights of being part of the team of instructors for the Digital Strategy certificate program at U of Toronto SCS is the opportunity to meet with many interesting and talented students. Martin Waxman does a great job of summing up his experience with the class.

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Photo credit: kakisky

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Tip of the Week: How to create a sponsorship pitch like a pro

Welcome to the fifth in a series of tips to help bloggers build communities, find an audience and get the most out of working with brands.

As blogging and influencer relations evolve so does the acceptance of sponsored content. I’m still a big fan of earned media and that will never change. It’s value may diminish once money exchanges hands. However, I recognize the value of sponsored content when it makes sense for a brand and relationships are clearly disclosed.

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image credit: Xavier Calle

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Tip of the Week: Display your contact information prominently

Welcome to the fourth in a series of tips to help bloggers build communities, find an audience and get the most out of working with brands.

I hope you’ll enjoy these tips I’ve assembled with the help of other bloggers, brands, PR consultants, marketing pros, community managers.

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Tip of the Week: Be brand loyal

photo: Eden Spodek

Welcome to the third in a series of tips to help bloggers build communities, find an audience and get the most out of working with brands.

I hope you’ll enjoy these tips I’ve assembled with the help of other bloggers, brands, PR consultants, marketing pros, community managers.

Tip 3: be brand loyal

Michèle Bosc, Director of Marketing at Chateau des Charmes says, “Don’t be afraid to endorse a brand you love. Stay loyal to that brand within a category… Be professional and true to your voice.”

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Tip of the Week: Develop a publishing schedule

Welcome to the second in a series of tips to help bloggers build communities, find an audience and get the most out of working with brands.

I hope you’ll enjoy these tips I’ve assembled with the help of other bloggers, brands, PR consultants, marketing pros, community managers.*

Tip 2:  Develop a publishing schedule
Brands, and those representing them, want to know that your blog is being updated regularly and that you’re publishing new posts frequently. You don’t need to blog every day but they will want to see that your blog is up-to-date before they approach you with opportunities. If you’ve published 800 posts but haven’t blogged in more than a year, no matter how high your search rankings, a brand worth its salt won’t be interested in what you have to say, except perhaps if you've blogged about them a lot in the past.

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Photo credit: Jade

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Tip of the Week: engage your audience

Welcome to the first in a series of tips to help bloggers build communities, find an audience and get the most out of working with brands.

Despite an extended on Bargainista vacation last year, I’ve been working behind the scenes helping clients with their blogs and writing the occasional guest post or two. Friends, family, colleagues and students often ask how they can become better bloggers.

I hope you’ll enjoy these tips I’ve assembled with the help of other bloggers, brands, PR consultants, marketing pros, community managers.*

Tip 1: Engage your audience

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Photo credit: Flying Pete

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Preparation process for the Clothing Show

Since winning tickets to The Clothing Show last spring, Jean Yee and I have been having a lot of email conversations. Well what do you know, she won them again this fall. Rather than ask her for a recap of the show, I asked if she’d share her preparation process with you. As you’ll see, it’s quite intricate.

Planning and preparation for events can at times, take a life of their own, depending on the importance of the event. And the Fall Clothing Show is no different. Autumn is a time when I can take inventory of my fall and winter wardrobe and decide what items can be revived, recycled or retired.

I pondered what is the most efficient and effective way to transition my wardrobe from one season to the next. By strategically organizing, planning and preparing – it became my project to move in my fall wardrobe and move out my summer wardrobe. Nice in theory, but our weather can fluctuate 10ºC to 13ºC in a day. That means we can have 14ºC in the morning and 27ºC by noon. What this means is my wardrobe at this time of year has to accommodate some summer/fall and fall/winter items.

It’s an opportunity for me to ease my transition from my Indian cottons to my cashmere sweaters.

My preparation process to revamp my clothes closet and maximize my Clothing Show shopping experience is as follows:

1. Take a good hard look at my clothes and accessories and throw away what isn’t wearable, give away – to charity, family, friends – and keep what is still useful

2. Look through magazines, in hard copy or online to suss out what to consider as purchases for body type and style

3. Check flyers and newspapers for any sales

4. Window shop at my favourite clothing stores to see what is out there and take note of prices
5. Check my email for those Clothing Show coupons

6. Check the Clothing show vendor section and look at the vendors’ websites

7. On the Clothing Show shopping weekend with list in hand:

• Bring cash and bring a credit card
• Dress minimally to be able to slip on clothes easily
• Take a walk about at the show and check out the booths and take note of which vendors are a must to shop
• Take in the fashion shows! The stylists put together some fabulous outfits
• When trying on clothes or accessories, I chat with the vendors and get their opinion; sometimes in the course of conversation, they've helped me find an alternative item or exactly something I've been looking for!
• It’s a weekend of playing dress up and seeking new items to match my old, find something new or gently used, so I approach it with anticipation to enjoy the experience and shop ’til I drop!

Did you go to The Clothing Show? What did you think? Do you have a preparation process when you go shopping? Share your tips.

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Tip of the week: using Twitter to win prizes

This week’s tip comes from Adele McAlear or @AdeleMcAlear as she’s known on Twitter.

Here’s her tweet:
I’ve saved you the work and done the search. In the time it took me to write this post, there were 160 new tweets with the word “win” with links to all kinds of contests. If you’re really savvy, you can even subscribe to the RSS feed. If you do try this out, let us know if you have any luck.

Thanks Adele!

Have a tip to share? Email or tweet me and maybe I’ll post it here.

Tip of the Week - GigPark

GigPark is a social network where you can share referrals to and recommendations about local businesses and services in your area with people you know and trust.

Let’s say you lost your earring down the drain and you contacted a plumber who rescued it for you within minutes. He arrived on time, was polite, pleasant and fixed a faulty pipe in the process all for a reasonable price… and best of all, he didn’t have plumber butt. You’d refer him to your friends, right?

Well, GigPark lets you do just that online. Once you register (it’s quick and painless, I promise), you can add your recommendation to your profile and let everyone you’ve connected to, know. You can add the contact information and website address too.

So, let’s turn the tables a bit. What it you’re looking for a plumber in your area and you have no idea who to hire. You need someone in a hurry who you can trust. GigPark offers a couple options. First you can check to see if anyone in your network has recommended a plumber in your area. If so, you’ll be able see the contact information, reviews and number of reccomendations that plumber has received. If not, you can ask if someone has a recommendation and people in your network will let you know if they know of someone who can help.

Need more of an incentive?
From now through March 31, for every three new recommendations you make on GigPark, you’ll be entered in a draw to win an iPhone.

How do you find out about new businesses and services in your community?

Tip of the week: saving at Starbucks

It’s been ages since and I’ve decided to revive Tip of the week. I’ve been inspired by a company going through a rough patch and with the way they’ve been doing things lately, it may get a bit rougher.

Starbucks cut 1,370 jobs in the U.S. and Canada this week. They’ve also been busily closing non-performing stores – perhaps a smart move – in my neighbourhood there are four locations within a 10-minute walk from my front door!

I had been a loyal customer. Last week, all that changed. I’m a decaf drinker. (Okay, you can stop laughing now.) Apparently, Starbucks has a new policy: no brewing decaf after 12 noon. So, afternoons and evenings when people probably consume the most decaf coffee, they aren’t keeping it on hand. Instead, if you ask for decaf, either you’ll be offered an Americano for the same price, or they may offer to brew you a fresh pot if you have an extra four minutes to wait. Not very practical at an office tower where the majority of the clientele are employees running downstairs for quick fix.

Contrast that to Tim Hortons. My office is connected to a subway station. One location is always swamped. Line-ups are long (they’re smart enough to have three separate ones) and move fast. The staff may not be as cool or knowledgeable as the Baristas but they know how to brew and pour basic coffee plus make change real fast.

Around the same time Starbucks stopped brewing decaf at noon, Timmies opened a second subway location – brilliantly located so customers need not go through the subway turnstile to get their java jolts. Now they have one on either side and brew fresh decaf all day long. If only they served decaf lactose-free lattes, they’d be almost perfect.

So, what you drink, when and where is your call. However, if you’re a decaf drinker, especially if you like Americanos, and you’re near a Starbucks after the clock strikes noon, take if from me. Ask for a regular decaf and get your specialty drink for the regular price.

Tip of the Week: Shoppers Optimum points

Despite what you may think, I’m not a huge fan of loyalty programs. Not because they don’t help me save money but because I hate carrying all kinds of extra cards in my wallet. With most programs, it takes forever to get the even smallest reward.

Shoppers Optimum card is one exception. Shoppers’ Drug Mart is my neighbourhood drugstore. Here’s how it works: For every $1 you spend, you earn 1o Shoppers Optimum rewards point. Once you earn at least 3,500 points you can cash them in for store credit. [Update, I accidentally transposed the amount spent with the number of points earned. It has been corrected. Thanks Chris for alerting me to the error.]

There are also all kinds of products with extra bonus points and other special offers when you can earn all kinds of bonus points. I make a habit of stocking up on days when they offer 10x or 20x the points on purchases. For example, starting today if you spend $50 or more at the cosmetics counter, you’ll get 20x the points.

I’ve also learned a big secret. Twice a year Shoppers’ offers extra credit when you cash in your Optimum points (July and November). At 75,000 points (the max.), instead of getting the usual $150 credit I’ve been getting $200 to use towards a shopping spree (I have to pay the tax.) It’s also the time when I pamper myself and try out a new high-priced goodie from the cosmetics counter.

Recently, they’ve introduced a program where you can donate your Optimum points to a registered charity – I just found out while researching for this post. What a great idea!