From Bricks ‘n Mortar to Online Store Success (& More From Dx3 2014)

Today we’ve got two interviews about new online store happenings, from the recent Dx3 conference in Toronto. The first is with Ben Burmaster, who has grown SnuggleBugz from a bricks and mortar retail store to one of Canada’s top online retail successes. The second is with Doug Stephens, aka the Retail Prophet. How Snuggle Bugz Became “Canada’s Baby…
Social Media Done Wrong
Sometimes it is really hard to decide what to do when I come across customer service failures. You see, I help companies improve their customer service and marketing, especially their web-based service and marketing. So if I blast them publicly, they aren’t likely to want to hire me. Should I just contact them quietly and…
SuperFast Solutions To Grow Your Business This Year
Do You Feel Overwhelmed By Social Media & Internet Marketing? James Schramko, an Internet marketer extraordinaire, and owner of SuperFast Business (among his many ventures), says in today’s podcast interview that you are far from alone. Most businesses, he says, get bogged down in the details, focusing on “tiny little tactics instead of strategy”. He talks…
5 Things Your Business Can Do TODAY To Profit From Cyber-Monday Shoppers
Even Retailers Without A Website Can Benefit From The Internet This Holiday Season The American Thanksgiving weekend kicks off a shopping spree that lasts until after Christmas, on both sides of the border. More and more of it is happening online, and many retailers are losing business to their more web-savvy competitors. Online sales this…
The Secret to Executive Buy-In for Social Media
A recent study (Are Digital Marketers Delusional?) found that 70% of marketers surveyed believed that their CEOs were fully committed to internet and/or mobile marketing, but 32% of them have no or almost no staff devoted to digital marketing. Disconnect! In this week’s interview, Servo Annex Principal, Sulemaan Ahmed, and I chat about why CEOs are…
Are Digital Marketers Delusional?
New research shows huge disconnect between what Canadian marketers are saying and what they are doing when it comes to marketing their businesses online or on mobile. Results of a study by Frank Online Marketing Intern, Jordane Blasco. Get your copy of Canadian Business and the Internet Survey. Canadian companies are still missing the boat when…
Sharpen Your Marketing This Fall
I keep hearing from executives that their staff know how to tweet or post on Facebook, but they don’t really understand how social media and other digital marketing tools fit in to their organization’s overall marketing strategy. That’s why my long-time friend and colleague, Sharon Bell, and I have partnered on this Digital Marketing course…
Pet Pictures to Profits: How A Pet Food Store Succeeds Online
There’s a new wave of young entrepreneurs taking over their parents’ businesses, and they are bringing with them a must-do attitude about e-commerce. Like Baseer Khudayar of Zelen Shoes (Canada’s Answer to Zappos), today’s guest, Brandon Forder of Canadian Pet Connection, didn’t think twice about opening an online store to complement their bricks ‘n mortar locations.…
Don’t Follow Your Passion
Last night I made the mistake of listening to an interview with Bob Caspe on the podcast Entrepreneur on Fire as I was falling asleep. Mistake because it was GREAT and there was no way I could sleep after listening to that! I listen to a lot of business and entrepreneurial podcasts (what do you think…
Which is Better: Facebook Ads or Promoted Posts?
I’ve promoted a few Frank Online Marketing posts on Facebook, and it certainly drives up viewership for those posts, but I suspect using Facebook ads would be more effective, as that way you can: Target your audience more precisely Reach people who are not already your Fans This infographic by Lilach Bullock of Socialable highlights other…