Toronto Marketing Blog - Bekhor Management, Toronto

Marketing Example of the Week: A Professional's Biography

2012-01-17T13:47:00.000-05:00

Most professionals underestimate the importance of the biography pages on a website. But within the context of a professional service firm, make no mistake about it, these pages are well read.

The biography page is unique in terms of the opportunity it offers to present personality. A biography that goes beyond credentials can contribute towards practice development goals by reinforcing point of difference in a subtle but deep manner and connecting with readers on a human level, so that they can envision working with you.

Dr. Wayne Dyer's biography is straightforward and concise. While he presents the important resume points that you would expect to find, he doesn't stay confined to them. He also includes just enough personality for the reader to appreciate how his personal story relates to his expertise and to possibly leave them wanting to learn more about him.

- Sandra Bekhor, Toronto

President, Bekhor Management

Visit our Toronto Marketing Firm, Bekhor Management

Marketing, Branding, Strategic Planning, Business Planning, Business Coaching

and Continuing Education for Canadian Professional Practices.

Web Converts Introverts

2012-01-13T10:32:00.000-05:00

Most of my clients aren't the 'let's do lunch' type. They are serious professionals hard pressed to find time to eat lunch never mind to share it leisurely.

While some may participate in networking events, many prefer not to, as the idea of 'working a room' feels unnatural and maybe even intimidates.

That used to be a disadvantage. Not anymore.

The web levels the playing field for introverts.

A strategic plan to leverage the web as a practice development tool provides introverts with control over their environment, risk and approach to networking. But even though it may feel like you're playing in a safe, virtual zone, once those relationships emerge, they are with real people. Interestingly, because these relationships follow meaningful exchanges, the resulting connections are based on respect, common interests and values. The strong ones tend to convert into clients, referrers and even a few friends.

Yet, this description still understates the actual size of this opportunity. I have seen and experienced first hand how meeting one person from web related networking can multiply into a chain of unrelated and unexpected positive impact, all of which has added real tangible value to our businesses and beyond. That's based on just a few years of web activity, imagine the result of an ongoing commitment.

- Sandra Bekhor, Toronto

President, Bekhor Management

Visit our Toronto Marketing Firm, Bekhor Management

Marketing, Branding, Strategic Planning, Business Planning, Business Coaching

and Continuing Education for Canadian Professional Practices.

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari - Book Review

2012-01-12T19:45:00.001-05:00

This really is a brilliant title! In case you're not familiar with it, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma is a book about a lawyer that burns out and goes on a spiritual quest for a meaningful life. While the theme itself isn't novel, it remains relevant and continues to arouse interest about differing perspectives today.

If you relate to the premise and have little to no experience with spiritually oriented business books, you may find this one to be accessible simply because it is presented in the form of fiction (though I found the dialogue to be quite forced at times). If you're already quite familiar with the spiritual genre, you will probably find this an easy read with some worthwhile reminders and even the odd gem.

Though the book leaves the reader with a sense of renewed motivation, it falls short for me primarily because on his journey to peace, our stressed out lawyer only goes as far as transforming into a, though generous and sincere, perfectionist, type A monk. He also doesn't seem to understand the extent to which he takes his ego along for the ride.

Did you read the book? What did you think?

- Sandra Bekhor, Toronto

President, Bekhor Management

Visit our Toronto Marketing Firm, Bekhor Management

Marketing, Branding, Strategic Planning, Business Planning, Business Coaching

and Continuing Education for Canadian Professional Practices.

Marketing Example of the Week: Strategic Tweets

2012-01-09T09:52:00.001-05:00

We're looking at another tweet today. There's something in the act of studying of a well executed detail that's enormously informative about the whole marketing plan.

In this example @GuyKawasaki does what he does best.

He shares information that is not only really interesting but helps the reader to consider some kind of improvement to his /her business or life.

But that's just where he gets started.

The genius behind this tweet is that it goes beyond good research and an understanding of the audience. Instead of simply recycling the title of an existing article out there in the public domain, Guy Kawasaki wrote a headline for it.

This is how a social media strategy has implications down to the level of the individual tweet.

- Sandra Bekhor, Toronto

President, Bekhor Management

Visit our Toronto Marketing Firm, Bekhor Management

Marketing, Branding, Strategic Planning, Business Planning, Business Coaching

and Continuing Education for Canadian Professional Practices.

Marketing Example of the Week: Clickable Tweet

2012-01-06T11:11:00.000-05:00

Here's an interesting example by @DaleCarnegie of a tweet that pops from the clutter and goes as far as being clickable for a few reasons:

- It poses a question that the target market cares about

- It's visually distinct because of the fill in the blank format

- It provides a link for further reading about the answer, a step that many fill in the blank tweets do not take

The hashtag for 'fill in the blank' tells us that this format is not unusual but this tweet takes the concept as far as it will go in terms of delivering on marketing objectives. It demonstrates an understanding of the market, an ability to communicate and a website with answers, all in less than 140 characters!

- Sandra Bekhor, Toronto

President, Bekhor Management

Visit our Toronto Marketing Firm, Bekhor Management

Marketing, Branding, Strategic Planning, Business Planning, Business Coaching

and Continuing Education for Canadian Professional Practices.

Marketing Example of the Week: LinkedIn Invitation

2011-12-19T09:00:00.000-05:00

There's an etiquette to introducing oneself to others on LinkedIn that, unfortunately, many do not follow. For this weeks' marketing example, let's look at an example of what doesn't work. Here's an excerpt from my LinkedIn account, but I've removed the name and title for confidentiality reasons:

As a past (title was inserted here) I would like to add you to my network to further enhance my connections and possible business opportunities. Thanks in advance. (name was inserted here)

Like so many that I personally receive, this invitation doesn't work on several levels:

In this particular case, we barely knew each other. It would have been helpful to trigger some memory of our history together.
This request is all about the person reaching out. There's no reciprocity, at all.
Thanking someone in advance for something they are unlikely to want to do is a transparent, pressure tactic. It doesn't make it more likely that they will want to do it.

I guess the thinking behind these invitations is that taking a generic approach will be a low maintenance way to at least capture some contacts.

Don't be fooled by the fact that LinkedIn is a modern and digital tool. It is really a reflection of traditional, grassroots networking. If you were face to face with an old colleague that you barely knew would you be so bold as to use this type of an opening? Certainly not. You would instead think of some personal way to introduce yourself and then following a smile, handshake and further reminiscing, you might feel it appropriate to bring up your request. Even then, you would know to position it in a kind and personal way.

Those are the right instincts to bring to your LinkedIn connections. Remember that behind each one of those ignored invitations is a real person that represented opportunity. Unless given a reason not to, our starting point is usually that we are interested in connecting with others, if we've crossed paths. If you have history with a prospective contact, don't treat it like a game of chance. Find a way to nurture it.

- Sandra Bekhor, Toronto

President, Bekhor Management

Visit our Toronto Marketing Firm, Bekhor Management

Marketing, Branding, Strategic Planning, Business Planning, Business Coaching

and Continuing Education for Canadian Professional Practices.

Hilarious Holiday e-Cards

2011-12-15T09:26:00.002-05:00

I just got a holiday card that had me in stitches! So, anyone looking for hilarious e-card ideas, check this site out: JibJab.

h/t Demand Clarity

- Sandra Bekhor, Toronto

President, Bekhor Management

Visit our Toronto Marketing Firm, Bekhor Management

Marketing, Branding, Strategic Planning, Business Planning, Business Coaching

and Continuing Education for Canadian Professional Practices.

Marketing Example of the Week: Life Coach Tweet

2011-12-12T09:35:00.007-05:00

If you're on Twitter, you may have noticed that there are a number of people who will tweet the same messages over and over, sometimes over a short period of time. Their intention being to cut through the clutter and ensure that as many people as possible hear from them, with as little effort as possible on their part. To the avid twitter user, this strategy is transparent and well let's just say that it goes unappreciated!

With this short tweet reminding us to take a moment to ourselves and breathe mindfully, Life Coach Mary has found a way to send out a repeat tweet that adds value to anyone, whether you've seen it before or not. It, of course, helps that she doesn't overdo it and that this tweet is totally non-promotional.

It's also nice to think that lots of people are taking Mary's kind advice at the very same moment, well done.

- Sandra Bekhor, Toronto

President, Bekhor Management

Visit our Toronto Marketing Firm, Bekhor Management

Marketing, Branding, Strategic Planning, Business Planning, Business Coaching

and Continuing Education for Canadian Professional Practices.

What Really Motivates Your Team?

2011-12-06T09:40:00.003-05:00

What really motivates people is of paramount relevance to the professional practice, a business model that is entirely based on selling services delivered by people.

Check out this video for Daniel Pink's response to this age old question. He distinguishes between the effects of profit and fulfillment, zeroing in on three key motivators: autonomy, mastery and purpose. True to form, the way in which he delivers his message is equally creative to the message itself.

The video is both enlightening and inspiring. It's worth noting, however, that to really motivate people you would need to apply these principles in a manner that also makes room for their individual preferences and needs.

h/t Karen M. Black

- Sandra Bekhor, Toronto

President, Bekhor Management

Visit our Toronto Marketing Firm, Bekhor Management

Marketing, Branding, Strategic Planning, Business Planning, Business Coaching

and Continuing Education for Canadian Professional Practices.

Marketing Example of the Week: Accounting Tweet

2011-12-05T09:40:00.011-05:00

While the accounting and financial sectors figure out the rules of engagement with respect to social media, some companies have jumped right in.

Here's a brilliant tweet from H&R Block. In less than 140 characters, it communicates empathy, value and humor on a touchy subject. The punchy language is loaded with attitude that demonstrates a clear understanding of contemporary culture.

- Sandra Bekhor, Toronto

President, Bekhor Management

Visit our Toronto Marketing Firm, Bekhor Management

Marketing, Branding, Strategic Planning, Business Planning, Business Coaching

and Continuing Education for Canadian Professional Practices.

Marketing Example of the Week: Healthcare Blog

2011-11-28T09:00:00.001-05:00

We're going to feature one of our clients (and friends!) with this week's marketing example.

Lots of professionals are wondering about getting into blogging these days. If you're among them, check out CAM Watcher. Every article independently delivers value to the reader while continuously reinforcing Sabra's abilities as a research marvel.

It's a great example of one of the best blogging practices, brand development without brand promotion.

- Sandra Bekhor, Toronto

President, Bekhor Management

Visit our Toronto Marketing Firm, Bekhor Management

Marketing, Branding, Strategic Planning, Business Planning, Business Coaching

and Continuing Education for Canadian Professional Practices.

Marketing Example of the Week: Medical Tagline

2011-11-21T09:13:00.007-05:00

You might have seen the commercial on tv or the poster at your doctor's office. If you're a doctor, you may have it posted it yourself.

The Ontario Medical Association's (OMA) tagline is: Your life is our life's work.

While the rest of this marketing campaign has a clear political agenda, there's a compelling sincerity to this tagline. Even if you're not totally satisfied with the rate at which medical services are delivered or you're frustrated at the lack of integration with natural healthcare, you can't argue with the truth behind this message. It works because it has the ability to reset our perspective and remind us to appreciate our doctors' genuine dedication, despite the imperfections of the system.

- Sandra Bekhor, Toronto

President, Bekhor Management

Visit our Toronto Marketing Firm, Bekhor Management

Marketing, Branding, Strategic Planning, Business Planning, Business Coaching

and Continuing Education for Canadian Professional Practices.

Practice Development Digest - Updates From the Professional Press: Edition 8

2011-11-15T11:50:00.002-05:00

Practice Development Digest Edition 8 is now available on our website.

Themes from our Fall 2011 professional journal and publication review include:

Changing Times
Security
Identity
Structuring Fees
Retention
Mergers & Succession Plans

Practice Development Digest showcases leading-edge marketing, branding and strategic planning articles from prominent professional publications and journals in all sectors. The digest is published by Bekhor Management, a Toronto-based consulting firm focused on developing Canadian professional practices.

- Sandra Bekhor, Toronto

President, Bekhor Management

Visit our Toronto Marketing Firm, Bekhor Management

Marketing, Branding, Strategic Planning, Business Planning, Business Coaching

and Continuing Education for Canadian Professional Practices.

Marketing Example of the Week: Video for a Chiropractic Clinic

2011-11-14T08:26:00.006-05:00

Professional service firms are becoming more interested in the possibilities offered by video. But a lot of the early adopters are playing it safe with a meet and greet type of video that showcases staff for recruiting purposes or introduces the firm principal.

This video stands out because it doesn't follow the crowd. It's truly bizarre and funny, an unusual combination to promote a chiropractic clinic.

Does that make it a success?

Well, as I always tell my clients, you can only measure marketing success when you have clearly defined goals. If the point of this video was simply to generate awareness, it may have succeeded. It's a lot more likely that people will watch this short and humorous piece than one that's predictably promotional. Then again, even though there were thousands of viewers, if they weren't the clinic's target market, this new found awareness wouldn't amount to much.

There are many ways to maximize results from such a video. Here are but a few, for consideration:

Posting it on a branded YouTube Channel, with background on the chiropractic clinic, along with a link to a website for further information.
Including a transcript optimized for search engines (assuming, that is, that your dialogue is more extensive than the comical grunts in this one).
Going beyond being funny for the sake of funny and, strategically and creatively, incorporating your clinic's point of difference (in this case humour encompasses a general message about the value of chiropractic services, while informative, it is not the same as dealing specifically with your clinic's unique and valued difference).
Creating a teaser trail by way of the clinic's online and offline presence, as well as your referral network.

- Sandra Bekhor, Toronto

President, Bekhor Management

Visit our Toronto Marketing Firm, Bekhor Management

Marketing, Branding, Strategic Planning, Business Planning, Business Coaching

and Continuing Education for Canadian Professional Practices.

Professional Ethics Online - Must See Video

2011-11-08T12:59:00.008-05:00

I have been meaning to share this must see video with our readers for quite some time now (and for those who have been following us for a while, when have I ever called something a must see before?!). It's an introduction to a Law Society webcast for Lawyers on Ethical Considerations in an Age of Technology (live webcast replay is on November 21).

The video packs a whopping amount of statistics and snippets from interviews (with the four prolific legal bloggers on the webcast panel: Omar Ha-Redeye, Mitch Kowalski, Bob Tarantino and Garry Wise) regarding ethical questions and concerns that are on the mind of most professionals venturing online these days. In 8 short minutes, it deals with opportunity and responsibility, including issues of professional civility, client confidentiality (grey areas too) and the cloud.

You may even find yourself bopping away to the ethics song, written and sung by the panel chair, Garry Wise (on his ukulele, no less!).

Update: Mitch Kowalski at the Financial Post gives this video a thumbs up as well.

- Sandra Bekhor, Toronto

President, Bekhor Management

Visit our Toronto Marketing Firm, Bekhor Management

Marketing, Branding, Strategic Planning, Business Planning, Business Coaching

and Continuing Education for Canadian Professional Practices.

Becoming a Meaningful Brand - For Accountants

2011-11-08T12:46:00.005-05:00

Becoming a Meaningful Brand - For Accountants was previously published in The Bottom Line, Mid-September 2011.

What stops most accountants from becoming meaningful brands?

Their self concept.

Accountants that see themselves as not unlike their peers may not have fully nurtured, or even acknowledged, their own unique and valued difference. They may have concluded that, within certain areas of practice, accounting services are pretty similar from firm to firm.

Self concept isn’t necessarily reality, however.

Try to think of a client, circumstance or challenge that puts you in the zone where your energy and interest peak and where it’s not just about accounting anymore. It’s about solving complex problems, improving someone’s life, providing trusted insight, creating simplicity, delivering the truth when it’s needed or simply communicating empathy. When you are in the zone, you are setting the stage for life long relationships.

You are also setting the stage for a meaningful brand.

Branding is a process. How far you go with it will have as much impact on the result as your commitment to any individual step. Let’s take a closer look at four major steps in this process: knowing your own unique value, unleashing and communicating your vision and, finally, delivering on your promises.

Branding step #1: Know yourself.

Getting to know your professional self involves dealing with a wide spectrum of guarded behaviour; even when we don’t hide our truth completely, we bury it so that it’s not the first thing people learn about us.

The first and often biggest hurdle to developing a meaningful brand, for accountants and other professional practices, is fear. Fear of sharing the whole truth about our professional selves, even with ourselves.

However, facilitating connection isn’t about sharing everything. It’s about focusing on your core values in the sequence in which they matter to you, beyond the obvious biography details.

Here’s a helpful exercise. If you try to make a list of all your professional strengths and interests, you might end up with as many as fifty different qualities. It may even be true that you’ve got strengths across the list. But can you pick the one to three qualities that put you in the zone? Are they even on the list?

Branding step #2: Unleash your vision.

Once you’ve carefully considered what gets you in the zone, you can begin making decisions that will enable you to build and nurture those qualities and invite those circumstances.

What does committing to a new concept of your professional self change?

Depending on how meaningful, specific, different and entrepreneurial it is, such commitment could change everything from vision and values to services, target audience, staffing and marketing. A meaningful professional brand is intrinsically tied to the firm’s strategic plan.

How will you know if your vision is making an impact?

When your audience decides that there’s no substitute for your brand. You save them headaches, contribute value to the businesses, make them feel better or even safe and, essentially, they trust you. They arrive at a point where it is difficult, and in some cases just about impossible, to replace you because they are no longer just looking for an accountant. Their attachment to your brand changed because your self concept changed.

Branding step #3: Communicate, clearly.

Have you ever noticed how accountants focused on a common area of practice and audience profile will latch onto the same marketing messages, almost word for word? We tend to share what we think our audience wants to hear and what we expect will keep the most doors open to opportunity.

Carrying forward a big vision isn’t complete, however, until your visual identity is a true reflection of your professional self and vision. Becoming a meaningful brand involves getting out of the sea of sameness.

If you know yourself and you’re holding fast to your vision, this third step in the branding process, clear expression, should be entirely focused on the delivery. You can facilitate this process by taking these fundamental steps:

Learn how to evaluate and work with a marketing professional. This relationship is about fit and shared vision. It’s also about skill and talent. Your marketing professional’s role is to extract and express the most meaningful aspects of your brand, in a manner that facilitates connections. Your role is to decide whether or not it rings true to you, at every stage in the process.
Build consistency across your marketing program. There’s no need to reinvent positioning statements and graphics from website to brochure to newsletter. Rather, these materials need to build on each other, in a manner that optimizes their ability to deliver impact.
Balance the need to stay steadfast and true to your vision with a nimble approach toward fine-tuning your brand, as appropriate, in response to new opportunities or changes in your business environment.

Branding step #4: Deliver on your promise.

A meaningful brand is a promise that doesn’t take breaks. It continues to deliver, always.

The single most important factor influencing your clients’ experience is you. You can extend that influence by way of your team with an internal aspect to your branding strategy:

Hire people who share your vision.
Don’t underestimate the essential role that everyone plays in achieving this vision, from the way calls are answered and meetings are booked to the way that information is shared. Take the time to build your brand internally by sharing your plans, inviting input and noticing when someone gets it just right.
Don’t assume that you will get the results you want from your team, your processes or your systems. Develop a training program to ensure that you do.

Branding is a process.

Becoming a meaningful brand is a process. It accounts for making, expressing, and delivering promises aligned with your vision, your values and the way that you wish to practice.

The point of branding isn’t to come up with snazzy logos or taglines that roll off your tongue, unless they are grounded in meaningful vision.

Furthermore, while such vision may already have a place in your accounting practice, it may need some coaxing or guidance to shift your professional identity. This process not only begins with, but is dependent on, an honest, and often courageous, self concept.

How far down the road has your brand travelled? Are you ready to take the next step?

- Sandra Bekhor, Toronto

President, Bekhor Management

Visit our Toronto Marketing Firm, Bekhor Management

Marketing, Branding, Strategic Planning, Business Planning, Business Coaching

and Continuing Education for Canadian Professional Practices.

Marketing Example of the Week: A Nutritionist Blog Post

2011-11-07T09:47:00.009-05:00

We're going to start something new here at Toronto Marketing Blog. Starting today, every Monday we will share with you one well executed example of a professional marketing themselves, ranging from the shortest of tweets to videos, articles, web pages and more, along with our thoughts about what works about these examples.

For our inaugural example, here's a quick excerpt from Help Me Eat Bee Pollen by Meghan Telpner, a Toronto based Holistic Nutritionist (or Nutritionista, as she prefers to refer to herself!):

...when a food, such as bee pollen, is labelled ‘the most complete food on earth’, how could I not love it?

I don’t. I can’t stand this stuff and I feel a bit inferior because of this- like being unable to work out a delicious way to consume ‘the most complete food on earth’, makes me fall short as your fearless nutritionista leader...

Here's why this example works:

The author connects with the reader by surprising them when she openly discloses a vulnerability, as she shares how she can't deal with the fact that she hates a superfood!
She invites readers to play a game and, to keep things interesting, dangles a prize for the best response (which has the added benefit of providing her with an opportunity to promote her upcoming tutorial without sounding 'salesy'), nice job.
There's an unmistakable voice ringing though this post (and it's consistent throughout the site), from the choice of language (like: 'Please, please pretty please') to her high spirited natural excitement about all things nutrition.
Readers are truly invested in this conversation. They write as if they know and care about the author and her responses are honest and approachable.
The beauty shot of the bee pollen that happens to coordinate well with the brand (and subliminally highlights the love / hate relationship the author has with this food) doesn't hurt!
Toronto Life Daily Dish also enjoyed the playful quality of this piece.

Stay tuned, as we continue to search for great examples of professionals marketing themselves, every Monday.

Please also feel free to send us examples of anything that grabs your attention and tell us why it works for you.

P.S. Meghan - I'm fond of trying new, nutritious foods and I like bee pollen either with peanut butter or in oatmeal with almonds!!

- Sandra Bekhor, Toronto

President, Bekhor Management

Visit our Toronto Marketing Firm, Bekhor Management

Marketing, Branding, Strategic Planning, Business Planning, Business Coaching

and Continuing Education for Canadian Professional Practices.

Good Branding Makes the Most of Google's New Rules

2011-11-07T08:52:00.001-05:00

There's been a lot of concern about how Google Panda (Google's latest algorithm) is changing who wins the search results game. There are theories about how to set up your template, articles, micro sites, article marketing and more.

But, essentially, if good branding drives your online presence, Google Panda will love you.

Here's how this theory specifically applies to chiropractors, naturopaths, accountants and other professional practices:

Google Panda penalizes copycat, filler content regardless of the quality (e.g. template websites that contain introductions and articles identical or similar to those of their competitors).
Google Panda penalizes generic copycat content to introduce and explain your profession and services (e.g. websites that use standard descriptors for key terms, provided by their professional associations).
Google Panda penalizes a low ratio of unique content on your website (e.g. websites that totally rely on the content identified in the above two bullets, without expanding with a substantial number of pages of original content).

If you are concerned about any of the issues Google Panda is circling in on, updating your website with unique content would help to get you back in the search results game. It would also greatly improve your chances of connecting with visitors by sharing genuine ideas about your values and vision.

Building a professional practice has always been about consistently giving your audience a reason to trust you. That doesn't change online.

While the search engine objectives may sometimes conflict with or outweigh branding ones, alignment between the two is on the rise. Today, it's easier than ever to contribute to both agendas at the very same time.

- Sandra Bekhor, Toronto

President, Bekhor Management

Visit our Toronto Marketing Firm, Bekhor Management

Marketing, Branding, Strategic Planning, Business Planning, Business Coaching

and Continuing Education for Canadian Professional Practices.

Is SPAM Being Posted on Your Behalf?

2011-10-15T13:06:00.011-04:00

Our most recent spam comment was from a chiropractic clinic. We didn't publish it, as a comment, but here it is for your reference:

A chiropractic doctor offers a breadth of services to various patients that involve physical rehabilitation and physical training. (The name of the chiropractic clinic was inserted here, along with a link to their website and blogger profile.)

For the non-bloggers in the audience, the reason this comment is considered spam, is that rather than adding value to the article, it uses the comment functionality as an opportunity to self promote and generate links for the purpose of search engines (that said, many blogs are set up with 'no follow' code, which disables such links from having the intended impact on search engines).

While I won't share the clinic name with our readers, I have notified one of the chiropractors that this has occurred, as I would be really surprised if they knew. Despite how unprofessional these comments present, unfortunately, this is not an anomalous occurrence among professionals.

The question is, would you know if you were being marketed in this fashion?

Marketing is still relatively new to most professional designations and, as such, best practices are still under study. Here are some guidelines, to help avoid such a situation:

Choose a partner that demonstrates sensitivity to your professional ethical responsibilities
Look for a transparent process that provides you with information regarding anything that is being communicated on your behalf, down to the detailed level of comments
Get involved in the work that is being done to market your practice to ensure that it reflects your true identity

Given the time consuming nature and complexity of social media and SEO strategies, more professional practices are choosing to outsource some or all of this work. At the end of the day, however, it's still your brand. Even if you're not doing the work yourself, you can still take steps to ensure that it is being presented in its best light.

- Sandra Bekhor, Toronto

President, Bekhor Management

Visit our Toronto Marketing Firm, Bekhor Management

Marketing, Branding, Strategic Planning, Business Planning, Business Coaching

and Continuing Education for Canadian Professional Practices.

Lawyers as Social Media Influencers

2011-09-20T08:57:00.005-04:00

Congratulations goes out to the 24 Canadian lawyers that made the top social media influencers list, recently released by The Lawyers Weekly.

Here's a great takeaway thought from the selection committee:

Among law firm influencers, we were happy to see such a wide range of firms, from international giants like McCarthy Tétrault LLP and Miller Thomson LLP to regional firms like Harrison Pensa and McInnes Cooper, to smaller firms like MacIsaac & Co. and the Wise Law Group. This finding reinforced our belief that you can be a social media leader no matter what size of firm you practice in.

If you have any interest in learning more about what it would take to become a social media darling, start by following them!

- Sandra Bekhor, Toronto

President, Bekhor Management

Visit our Toronto Marketing Firm, Bekhor Management

Marketing, Branding, Strategic Planning, Business Planning, Business Coaching

and Continuing Education for Canadian Professional Practices.

Sugar My Nemesis, I love Sugar!!

2011-09-19T09:39:00.006-04:00

Over the past year, I got my unrelenting sugar cravings under control, a huge personal accomplishment. This was thanks to all the tricks I learned about cooking tasty treats with whole grains from, my client and holistic nutritionist, Lorene Sauro's book A Paastry Queen Goes Green. Seriously, I have never used a cookbook like this one. I feel like Julie in Julie & Julia, trying a recipe a day. Practically every page is stained and marked up, a testament to my efforts.

But I've been less than my usual domestic goddess for the past month (since I've been recovering from a nasty bike spill) and have fallen back in love with my nemesis!! How quickly we fall after such a hard climb!

If you live in Toronto, Vancouver or Ottawa and are interested in learning more about this foodie nutritionist movement, you can check out CAHN-Pro's (Canadian Association of Holistic Nutrition Professionals) upcoming event Feast of Flavour. There will be demos and food challenges by celebrity chefs and holistic nutritionists (yes, including Lorene Sauro!) in each city. There's a special draw for the 1st 100 ticket buyers in each city.

- Sandra Bekhor, Toronto

President, Bekhor Management

Visit our Toronto Marketing Firm, Bekhor Management

Marketing, Branding, Strategic Planning, Business Planning, Business Coaching

and Continuing Education for Canadian Professional Practices.

One Chiropractor's Experiment with Consumer Marketing

2011-09-08T15:58:00.008-04:00

When I first learned of how Dr. Dower's circular career path mirrored my own, but in reverse, I was compelled to learn more. So, we sat down for tea in his Yonge and Bloor stomping grounds and took a stroll down memory lane.

Dr. Dower started out as a marketer. But, after benefiting from chiropractic care personally, he found his higher calling as a chiropractor. His background in marketing informed his chiropractic clinic, however (I related to this because I started with physiology, went onto the MBA and came back to my grassroots with my business hat, as a consultant to healthcare practices).

As a past marketer, Dr. Dower recognized immediately how good service was translating into a busy practice, in real time. Naturally, he remained curious about transferring other aspects of marketing and decided to explore.

First there were towering stilettos

Dr. Dower recalls turning down an idea to place his calling card directly in ladies' stilettos displayed in local high end retail shops. Yes, he was looking for creativity but it needed to be balanced by practicality.

Then there was the contortionist

To engage the high volume of foot traffic in front of his downtown chiropractic clinic, Dr. Dower hired a professional contortionist. It was a spectacle! Though it was only a one time event, there was drama and lots of fun.

Local print ads

Print ads targeting local niche market audiences surprisingly didn't yield many calls, Dr. Dower recounts. Interestingly, however, the majority of callers did in fact turn into patients (I have to add that this was a nice job converting the callers!).

Just get out there and ‘press the flesh’

It's probably no accident that Dr. Dower played a key role in establishing his current networking group from the ground up. Having an instinct for succinctly presenting his clinic’s point of difference definitely proved to be an asset (I always tell my clients that they will get farther leveraging their talent and interests rather than taking their marketing like medicine!). He maintains that word of mouth referrals, including those from his networking efforts, continue to drive the lion's share of new and repeat business.

Happy patients

Dr. Dower has noticed that referrals always enjoy a bit of a bounce when patients make a point of mentioning that they are happy and they are encouraged to spread the word. These are clearly referrals with personal stories from people who really believe in his ability to make a difference, as a chiropractor. The loyalty he enjoys has been driven by his strong commitment towards excellent customer service and focus on results, as a former marketer.

The wild wild web

The experiment with the web is still in its infancy. Advertising on Facebook was certainly social. People flocked over to publicly like the clinic, but it remains to be seen if they will convert into patients. A search engine optimization strategy may be the next building block. But, this time he decided that he'd like to work with someone that has experience marketing healthcare services.

Some advice for my peers

The two things that have been key to Dr. Dower's success are delivering great service and encouraging patients to spread the word when they are happy. Whether or not a chiropractor is planning to market his or her practice, he maintains that these two essentials would still be the foundation of any solid practice development strategy.

One Chiropractor's Experiment with Consumer Marketing is based on an interview between Sandra Bekhor of Bekhor Management and Dr. Brian Dower, a chiropractor practicing in the Yonge and Bloor area of Toronto.

- Sandra Bekhor, Toronto

President, Bekhor Management

Visit our Toronto Marketing Firm, Bekhor Management

Marketing, Branding, Strategic Planning, Business Planning, Business Coaching

and Continuing Education for Canadian Professional Practices.

The SEO Consultant's Role Has Changed

2011-09-08T09:04:00.006-04:00

Choosing an SEO consultant was always challenging due to a lack of transparency in the process. It's become increasingly so due to the growing requirements of an SEO strategy.

Based on the typical needs of a small to mid-sized professional practice, here's a checklist to begin defining the role of your SEO consultant:

competitive analysis
keyword definition
copywriting or editing
programming
link building
setting up and monitoring web analytics
establishing social media strategy and action plan
setting up blog and / or social media web pages
writing / editing /posting social media or blog content
optimizing social media or blog content
training
developing social media policy
expanding social media network
integrating web and social media / blog presence
participating online to generate awareness

For the best results, an SEO consultant's role must support the overriding marketing vision for your professional practice. As such, integration with market positioning and consideration of target audience are critical.

While there is tremendous value in a social media strategy, training and assistance with respect to the initiation of the action plan, most successful social media programs (within the context of a small to mid-sized professional practice) are implemented in house. That's where the passion lies and that's where deep connections are most likely to form.

- Sandra Bekhor, Toronto

President, Bekhor Management

Visit our Toronto Marketing Firm, Bekhor Management

Marketing, Branding, Strategic Planning, Business Planning, Business Coaching

and Continuing Education for Canadian Professional Practices.

How Social Media Affects Search Results - In Plain English

2011-09-07T10:07:00.006-04:00

There is a lot of confusion about how social media may be affecting search results these days. I thought it would be helpful to offer an explanation, in plain English.

If you are logged into your Google account, your search results may include listings from anyone connected to you through social media that would not otherwise have been able to score such a high ranking.

Rand Fishkin posted an interesting case on The Daily SEO Blog, where someone in his social media network landed on page 1 for an article on 'cupcake madness' on a website unrelated to the topic. This article disappeared from his search results when he logged out of his Google account. I wasn't able to replicate this same type of result with my own social media contacts, however.

You can view your own list of social media connections referenced by Google here. I found my list a little strange. It's missing some of my closest contacts and it includes 'connections to your connections' i.e. people with whom you have never actually connected and probably have no idea who they are. It also details how you are connected with each person on the list.

While I don't have a problem with the option of finding information that's related to my social media connections, I'd prefer a more transparent system. I see Google as a librarian that should be relied on to provide objective information. Suggestions based on feedback from others is always welcome, if I know where it's coming from and I have the option to kindly decline.

To the extent that I wasn't able to see differences in my own search results based on logging in and out of my Google account, I wonder how deeply implemented this strategy is and how integrated it is with other Google indicators such as social authority. It would also seem, as I pointed out above, that Google's list of our individual social media connections seems to be a work in progress.

Related articles: Google Plus Makes Sense

- Sandra Bekhor, Toronto

President, Bekhor Management

Visit our Toronto Marketing Firm, Bekhor Management

Marketing, Branding, Strategic Planning, Business Planning, Business Coaching

and Continuing Education for Canadian Professional Practices.

Smart Phones, eReaders, Tablets & Women

2011-09-06T10:33:00.003-04:00

Kay Steiger posted interesting data from Nielsen on the rate at which women are adopting smart phones, eReaders and tablets.

Nielsen says 61 percent of e-reader owners are now women. Smartphones are split down the middle between women and men, and tablets are still primarily owned by men.

I thought it was funny how not only is this data true for our household but Kay Steiger mentioned it was for hers as well as did Matthew Yglesias.

- Sandra Bekhor, Toronto

President, Bekhor Management

Visit our Toronto Marketing Firm, Bekhor Management

Marketing, Branding, Strategic Planning, Business Planning, Business Coaching

and Continuing Education for Canadian Professional Practices.