Canadians Lead the Way in Social Media

I was just on Facebook. Accepted two new friend requests – two people I haven’t seen in almost 15 years. Unlike how I used to be – benignly accepting new friend requests (aka requesting then forgetting – which is a common practise on FB) – I’m now a little bit more engaged – a little more curious.

So I accept and wall post on my new FB friend’s wall. I’ve also gotten to the point where I’ll defriend someone I’ve previously accepted as a friend on FB, because they weren’t really a friend of mine to begin with.

My point is – I like a growing number of Canadians – am on Facebook. It’s the top social media network that I belong to (in terms of how much time it sucks from me), which is followed by Twitter (@samuelaraki @tradingmetro @localtrifecta – of course!), and LinkedIn.

According to eMarketer, nearly 60% of Canadian Internet users visit social networks on a monthly basis. The number has been growing and is projected to continue growing over the next four years.

According to eMarketer:

Canada boasts some of the world’s highest internet penetration and social networking usage rates. Social network users view social media as their online home—a hub for communication, entertainment and information.

And the obvious leader in it all is Facebook.

Where Small Businesses Spend Marketing Dollars

It’s no secret that marketing has evolved. From the days of Mad Men we now live in a world that is evolving by the month. With technology it doesn’t take years or decades for consumers to change and for marketers to not only keep up, but try to stay ahead one step ahead.

A Nov. 3, 2010 study (SEO Industry Survey 2010) by SEOmoz shows just how incredibly varied and diverse the methods and tools are which marketers can employ to give their business an advantage over a competitor. Take a look at the list to the right – how many are you familiar with?

Business owners increasingly realize they have to do more, but are overwhelmed so engage with an Online Marketing firm – many of which are difficult to evaluate for those who aren’t online savants.

The Purpose of a Website

This is lost on many people – not just business owners, but also on marketers. “Business” owners DON’T operate a business to be portals for general information, but the study below indicates that websites are heavily skewed to providing that general information.

As was summarized by eMarketer:

This year, SMB allocation of online marketing budgets leaned toward websites, where 27% of SMBs with 1,000 or fewer employees spent at least 30% of their budget. Email took second place with 18% devoting 30% or more, followed by social media, where 10% of SMBs said they spent at least three in 10 marketing dollars.

Search Engine Optimization is still gaining traction but the website rules. It’s just a matter of what the PURPOSE of your website is, and if it is OPTIMIZED (for consumers to FIND your website to begin with) and STRUCTURED (for consumers to find what they are looking for when ON your website).

Small Businesses on 60 Minutes

Obama promised change.

It’s taking a lot longer than he thought. And the situation doesn’t seem to be improving south of the border.

As a small business that serves other local small businesses, the US economy (and this is a broad generalization isn’t it?) is sobering. Can I say, I absolutely love 60 Minutes? I hardly ever watch it on TV, but I do catch up with episodes online.

Some random information pulled from the following segment:

- Since June 2009 (the last 16 months or so) the United States has lost over 500,000 jobs
- 65% of all jobs in the United States are created by small businesses
- Bankruptcy of small businesses has tripled since the recession
- Despite record-low interest rates, banks are lending less money to the engines (small businesses) that create jobs
- Lending to small businesses declined in Q2 2010 by $13 billion (or 2%)

What can be done? Can it continue to be trusted to career politicians to figure it all out?

Government Giving You a Pay Cut

The Canadian government is seeking to reform the Employment Insurance System and hike premiums. As a small business owner I know the effects of Payroll deductions and remittances on both employer and employee side.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business protects the interests of small business owners in Canada and has put together the following.

As reported by CFIB, the government had $57 billion extra for Employment Insurance that was spend elsewhere. So now we’re all left to pay for it through an expected 35% increase in EI premiums over the next four years. So take home for EVERYONE will be down.

Do your part and follow the steps the CFIB outline.