Although our group has a strong online presence (business blog, Twitter) we meet regularly at the e-Spot™ to make friends, learn together and exchange referrals.

Our free business networking group invites you to join us and share referrals. Our business blog offers you an opportunity to promote your own web site.

Members, please be advised that your $5 attendance fee is payable at the door.

NEW for VISITORS only: attendance fee is $10 at the door, until you become regular members. To become a member of this group, please fill out the application form.

To make things easier for you and e-Spot staff, please consider paying $10 or $20 in advance. Your credit can then be used to cover your substitute’s fee, or will be carried over to your next meeting. Receipts will be issued by the e-Spot quarterly.

The following is a list of the speakers for the next 4 months. Each speaker has 10 minutes to speak about their business to the group. If you cannot attend on your scheduled day, please contact Ian regarding switching. If you would like to book a time, please contact either of us to see if we have a cancellation or can accommodate you.

March 2: Grace Attard

March 16: Cheryl Scoffield

March 30: Susan Cloutier and Joanna Turlej

April 13: Olin Vanek

April 27: Sarah Mulaner

May 11: Charmaine Idzerda

May 25: Ian Turner

June 8: Diana Boudrahem

June 22: Erick Nettel

At Sydcam Marketing Communications, we hear several concerns from clients who don’t see the value in hiring us for their marketing communications needs:

1)      You’re too expensive, I can’t afford you

2)      You don’t know/understand my business

3)      I understand marketing, I can do it myself

4)      You’ll just take over my marketing activities

Here’s Part 2 of our post.

1)    The Dangers of DIY

There are many issues related to businesses doing certain thing themselves, whether it be accounting, HR management or marketing. It always comes down to an issue of expertise and knowledge. And in the case of marketing strategy and planning, success is also a function of having a clear and objective perspective on the opportunities available to you.

A marketing consultant can provide businesses with a fresh, knowledgeable and unbiased perspective, articulating the strengths and opportunities of the company and how they can best be leveraged through an integrated marketing communications plan to deliver optimal results. Business owners are often too close to their companies to truly provide this objective point of view.

2)    Loss of Control

Arguably one of the biggest deterrents for many business owners is the potential loss of influence and involvement over the marketing process. In reality, good marketing consultants understand that input from various members of the business is critical in developing an effective marketing program that will actually deliver results. Eliciting participation from various members of the business is simply a smart way to get true ‘buy-in’ to the marketing strategy and plan.

If you’re looking for a marketing consultant that wants to partner with you in helping to grow your business, give us a call. We’re looking for clients who want to take their business to the next level, and to do so in a cost-effective and strategic manner.

At Sydcam Marketing Communications, we hear several concerns from clients who don’t see the value in hiring us for their marketing communications needs:

1)      You’re too expensive, I can’t afford you

2)      You don’t know/understand my business

3)      I understand marketing, I can do it myself

4)      You’ll just take over my marketing activities

The reality is often very different.

1)    Pricing that’s right for you

We understand that cost is often an issue for many small and medium sized businesses, especially in these challenging times. Our goal is to provide cost-effective marketing solutions that will grow your business and fit your budget.  We can do as much or as little as your budget dictates.  More importantly, we can help you prioritize your various marketing initiatives to determine what would deliver the “biggest bang for your buck”.

2)    Doing the ‘deep dive’

It’s entirely correct that we don’t work for your business and may not, at least initially, completely understand your culture, vision and values. However, we pride ourselves in spending the time with each and every new client – no matter how big or small – to get to know their business on as intimate a basis as possible. We recognize that it’s impossible for us to do our job successfully without this in-depth knowledge of you, your business, your staff and your clients and prospects.

We’ll cover points #3 and #4 in next month’s post, so stay tuned!

I recently presented this topic to my colleagues at the Oakville Networking group, and they found it very informative and helpful, so I thought I would repurpose it and share it with you – not to mention it’s a long overdue blog post for us at Sydcam! Here is Part 2 of a two part series on this topic.

Social Responsibility

Of the many hot ‘buzz’ words in the 21^st century, arguably none is bigger than corporate social responsibility (CSR). With all the corporate wrongdoings by both individuals and groups such as Bernie Madoff,  WorldCom and Lehman Brothers, is there any doubt why the issue of CSR is so prominent today? Clearly, there is a need for businesses to be more ethical and accountable. Brands that can truly stand under the CSR umbrella can build brand equity and value through these actions. Those that don’t will likely be the next businesses under Chapter 11.

Social Consciousness

Employing socially responsible business practices is nothing new. As many of us know, companies like Ben and Jerry’s and The Body Shop have been doing this for over a decade. Where the tide has shifted however is in the attention given to this area of business. Once considered a novelty and a “nice to have”, today the public considers socially responsible business practices a requirement; part of the rules of engagement in business. Anything less is considered a failure and a symbol of irresponsible management.

What does this all mean for small business?

While many small business owners may look at this development as a daunting one to take on, one could argue the complete opposite. This is very much a “glass is half full” scenario,  where this “social” movement can enable small business marketers to position their clients in a way that would have been virtually impossible even 15 years ago.

This so called ‘social’ movement has enabled small businesses to differentiate themselves and stick out from the crowd. Smaller companies have the benefit of being more nimble and community focused, and thus using these attributes to leverage the local market and beyond with their social purpose and mission. In the end it’s all about making a difference and a statement about your business stands for.

The Social Movement

The evolution of social consciousness has created a number of opportunities for marketers of all types of companies, small, medium, large, for profit and non-for-profit. But to embrace this phenomenon requires a completely different perspective than in the past: marketers need to consciously develop a social element to their client’s marketing this becomes an integral part of their brand, mission and values.

I recently presented this topic to my colleagues at the Oakville Networking group, and they found it very informative and helpful, so I thought I would repurpose it and share it with you – not to mention it’s a long overdue blog post for us at Sydcam! Here is Part 2 of a two part series on this topic.

Social Responsibility

Of the many hot ‘buzz’ words in the 21^st century, arguably none is bigger than corporate social responsibility (CSR). With all the corporate wrongdoings by both individuals and groups such as Bernie Madoff,  WorldCom and Lehman Brothers, is there any doubt why the issue of CSR is so prominent today? Clearly, there is a need for businesses to be more ethical and accountable. Brands that can truly stand under the CSR umbrella can build brand equity and value through these actions. Those that don’t will likely be the next businesses under Chapter 11.

Social Consciousness

Employing socially responsible business practices is nothing new. As many of us know, companies like Ben and Jerry’s and The Body Shop have been doing this for over a decade. Where the tide has shifted however is in the attention given to this area of business. Once considered a novelty and a “nice to have”, today the public considers socially responsible business practices a requirement; part of the rules of engagement in business. Anything less is considered a failure and a symbol of irresponsible management.

What does this all mean for small business?

While many small business owners may look at this development as a daunting one to take on, one could argue the complete opposite. This is very much a “glass is half full” scenario,  where this “social” movement can enable small business marketers to position their clients in a way that would have been virtually impossible even 15 years ago.

This so called ‘social’ movement has enabled small businesses to differentiate themselves and stick out from the crowd. Smaller companies have the benefit of being more nimble and community focused, and thus using these attributes to leverage the local market and beyond with their social purpose and mission. In the end it’s all about making a difference and a statement about your business stands for.

The Social Movement

The evolution of social consciousness has created a number of opportunities for marketers of all types of companies, small, medium, large, for profit and non-for-profit. But to embrace this phenomenon requires a completely different perspective than in the past: marketers need to consciously develop a social element to their client’s marketing this becomes an integral part of their brand, mission and values.