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LinkedIn 101: Event Recap

by with No Comment BlogEventsTips & Tutorials

Blog by Rav Dulai

Image by @inlytics via Unsplash

Feb 23, 2021

If you weren’t able to attend our latest event to learn about the in’s and out’s of LinkedIn, this event recap is perfect for you! In this blog, we will provide a quick overview of the important aspects discussed during the event, so you won’t feel like you missed out. Also, a huge thank-you to our event host, UBC Sauder student Madiha Thaver, for sharing her tips and tricks with us! 

Who is this blog made for? 

You might be wondering whether learning about LinkedIn is worth it. Well, if you fit any of these descriptions, the answer is a resounding yes! 

If you: 

  • Made a LinkedIn account for a class so you could pass and didn’t think it was really important. 
  • Have some experience on the platform, and have recently started looking for jobs and internships. 
  • Are somewhat of an active participant on LinkedIn. You engage with posts casually and connect with people frequently, but are seeking more out of the platform. 

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION 

In this event recap, we will be reiterating the importance and power of LinkedIn, discussing the five keys to LinkedIn SEO, and sharing the importance of your personal SSI (Social Selling Index)! 

BUSTING THE MYTHS 

Let’s start off by busting a few of the common myths pertaining to LinkedIn.

Myth #1: LinkedIn is only useful when job hunting 

Many individuals, including myself, refrain from utilizing LinkedIn because they believe it is only meant for those who are seeking jobs. However, Madiha reassures us that this could not be further from the truth! There are endless opportunities and benefits awaiting those who utilize the platform, such as connecting with like-minded professionals to share resources and life experiences, finding interesting events to keep your mind sharp, and it keeps a virtual address-book of professionals (your contacts) that you can lean on for support (ask for advice, check out their path to career success, or recommend them for a job or gig you’re offering). LinkedIn can be useful even before and after job hunting. In fact, many mentorship opportunities may present themselves –  you never know who will reach out to you or come across your feed! Don’t be afraid to ask someone if they’ll be your mentor – extra experience is always an asset, and generally most professionals in the industry are happy to ‘pay-it-forward’ to help a student! After learning of all the possibilities and experiences that can be attained through this platform, I was the first to update my LinkedIn at the end of this event!

Myth #2: LinkedIn is purely a job hunting site 

It is important to remember that LinkedIn is a two way street. While there are individuals seeking jobs and looking to be recruited, on the other hand there are companies also looking for people with our skills: Be sure to research and interview your employer to see if they are a good fit for you as much as they want to know if you fit into their organization! Are they a place where you will thrive and extract value from? If you maintain a consistent effort to keep your LinkedIn updated, you are likely to become viewed as a viable prospect for companies looking to hire through LinkedIn, since it’s like a virtual resumé. Madiha’s best piece of advice on attracting opportunities best suited for you and your experiences: “Treat your LinkedIn as your personal website, and use it to showcase the best of your abilities”. Look to professionals in your network that you admire – how do they optimize their LinkedIn and showcase their personal brand? Finding profiles to emulate will help you to model your LinkedIn profile after theirs, which will help you attract recruiters. Eventually, the job offers might start rolling in without you even looking for them!

Madiha also recommends practicing SEO tactics on your LinkedIn account. 

What is SEO? 

SEO, short for Search Engine Optimization, is the practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic search engine results. The goal is to modify your account to best optimize it for the jobs you want to attract. By including keywords relating to a specific field, engaging with posts on your feed regularly, and taking advantage of all the different features available to you, your profile will start to rank higher in the search results for recruiters and others trying to find your page.

Madiha shared 5 keys to unlocking key words 

Remember, 5, 4, 3 ,2, 1…. 

5: Repeat your key words five times 

4: Have 4 relevant skills 

3: Endorse 3 people 

2: Join 2 groups 

1: Use keyword in your headline (at least) once

Myth #3: LinkedIn is a guessing game 

So, you have gathered all this information about the power of LinkedIn and all the opportunities it can bring for you, and are ready to get started on your LinkedIn journey. However, you may now be thinking to yourself, “Well even if I do all of this and follow all the tips, how would I even know where I am going to show up on the search engine?”  This is where your SSI Score comes into play. 

What is an SSI score? 

Your SSI, short for Social Selling Index, is a measure used to determine your position or ranking amongst others within your network on LinkedIn. Your SSI is a combination of factors relating to your effectiveness in portraying yourself. The four components that derive your SSI score are: establishing your professional brand, finding the right people, engaging with insights, and building relationships. To calculate your personalized SSI score and see how you rank in each of the four components, click here.

Madiha highlights the importance of building relationships when it comes to improving your SSI score. A great way to initiate this action is to build relationships with others by sending personalized messages. When thinking of what to include in your message, it is important to keep in mind the amount of messages that person may receive from others as well. So, it is important to stand out and start out with a personal note or tidbit to catch their attention. Try to look beyond the generic information, and focus on something beyond that, such as how  you both are part of similar groups (if that’s the case), and relate to them on that front. Also, try to get to know them and build a base for your relationship before jumping into setting up a call. Madiha likes to think of this as similar to a dating site! If they barely know you, chances are, they won’t be as interested in forming a lasting connection with you (so build that relationship first!). Lastly, always make sure to thank them for their time. 

Terminology:

Social Selling Index – A score derived from your combined ability to effectively portray your brand, build relationships, find the right people, and engage with insights. 

Search Engine Optimization – The practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic search engine results. This can be done by modifying your account to best match the jobs you want to attract. 

LinkedIn Keywords – Specific keywords on LinkedIn are used to describe your skills and expertise so that it is easier for recruiters or employers looking for your skill-sets to find your profile. By using buzzwords found in job descriptions of roles you’re aspiring to in your LinkedIn profile (provided you have these skills), you’ll be more easily discoverable!

@helloimnik social media marketing

Social Media Marketing with Jelly Marketing’s Darian Kovacs

by with No Comment BlogEvents

Image by @helloimnik via Unsplash

Blog by Sera Fedirko

Jan 14, 2021

If you weren’t able to make it to our last event to learn all about social media marketing, don’t despair! We’ve got the crash course right here, complete with all the resources you’ll need to get started.

Who is Darian Kovacs?

Darian is the co-founder of the award-winning Jelly Marketing agency, a celebrated podcast host at Marketing News Canada, an Instructor at his agency’s own Jelly Academy (promo code link at the end of the article), and an overall industry veteran committed to sharing knowledge and giving back to those passionate about marketing. He’s the type of person to replace the expression “kill two birds with one stone” with “feed two birds with one grain”, which is infinitely more positive, kind, and kid-friendly. (For the record, he did use the latter expression very nonchalantly in conversation, and it was a pleasant shock to the system). Darian’s electric presence never fails to light up the room and captivate your attention, and we cannot express how deeply lucky we are to have him return as our event host.

The Best of the Q&A with Darian:

Have you ever talked about a certain product with your phone off, then later that day an ad shows up for that same item? I’m wondering about privacy laws concerning this.

We as marketers don’t have access to and can’t buy voice data. [My guess is that the voice data collected by phones and Amazon Alexa-type things is that] it might affirm the lookalike data. Ads have gotten so good that [it now seems that marketers] know what you’re thinking before you know what you’re thinking. It can definitely be creepy when it gets into the wrong hands, but it will keep happening until regulations and policies are introduced to enforce data privacy. I do know though that cookies are going away soon for privacy reasons – unsure what marketing will look like in the next year so the industry will need to adapt somehow.

I also imagine this data comes up as aggregate data (which would mean it can’t be traced back to you) in Google trends, which is a free tool that allows marketers to study tends around the world by state/province. A paid version of this is https://answerthepublic.com/ , which visualizes the search terms by category in a web. Some applications for Google Trends include the following:  

  • The CDC has used Google Trends to see if there’s a disease outbreak. If the daily searches for a condition go from 20 ppl to 2000, they can conclude there is an outbreak happening.
  • Marketers can see trends for people searching to buy bicycles or cat sweater during Covid
  • At Jelly Marketing, we can figure out what keyword synonyms are most often used in searches to help target ads better.
  • If you wanted to look into anti-spam laws, check out CASL

Could you share your favourite or most successful campaign you’ve done for a client?

It’s called a social media feed, right? We have a client called MCC – they’re one of the top 3 refugee support organization in the world, (Competitors include the Red Cross and the WHO). The goal of the campaign was to create awareness about a refugee-feeding program. What Jelly ended up doing was contacting a slew of foodie and fashion influencers to ask “would you post a photo of an empty bowl with #feedtofeed ?”. The creators happily agreed, and the result definitely disrupted the social feeds of many and became a very impactful campaign.

What’s your approach to TikTok as a marketing agency?

I think it’s best to work with existing TikTok users and giving them the modus operandi. Better to go with native speakers and creators than going in blind to create content. If you decide to create content yourself, you need to be up-to-date on the daily/weekly trends.

I’d been trying to get The Hudson’s Bay on the show for a while, but I was inspired to write when I heard they partnered with Schitt’s Creek on a recent campaign featuring two of the leading actresses on the show who happened to be white. Given that The Hudson’s Bay has a long history of colonialism dating back over 100 years, I thought:

Imagine if you’d taken that $100,000 (a rough estimate of how much the campaign may have cost to pay these white actresses) and given it to 100 Black, Indigenous, body-positive, acne-prone, braces-clad, or any other kind of diverse group – that could be the new definition of ‘Canadian’. The Hudson’s Bay had an opportunity [at an especially important time to act since they are struggling to stay relevant] to not spend $100,000 on white people. Sure, it may be more work to hire a bunch of people as opposed to two people, but it would show Canada that the company embraces Canadian culture and wants to make reparations for its past colonialist behaviour. This ad campaign just showed how unconnected the company is from the great diversity that truly represents Canada.

  • If you can go in [to your workplace] and use your power to make great decisions, that’s way better than sticking to the status quo.
  • I was asked to speak on an American panel recently, and I asked them to make a diverse group of panelists. They said they ‘didn’t know anyone non-white’. That shows that ‘established’ people in the industry are primarily white – this was another opportunity to break that power structure to include more POC. Similarly, if you happen to be POC with power and budget, why not empower more people like you?
  • The Tim Hortons’ campaign did a good job of capturing the diversity in Canadians in their recent Christmas campaign.

You’ve mentioned using Hootsuite and Linktree before – what other tools is Jelly using?

Yes! We’ve been Hootsuite fans from the beginning – switched to Sprout, then went back to Hootsuite. They’re a B-Corp!

  • Callrail to monitor incoming calls to the company
  • Canva for graphic design needs

What do you think the next big social platform will be?

Depends on the audience. If we’re speaking in terms of B2C:

  • Pinterest – it’s like a sleeping giant. (for data/conversions on b2c side)

Storytime: Vega (the supplement/smoothie company) spent a ton of money working with influencers – when studying goals, the #1 channel for conversion was actually Pinterest on desktop! People look for smoothie recipes, they’re most often on Pinterest on desktop, and thus that’s where the conversions happen!

  • Reddit – we’ve barely scratched the surface on all that’s there. Great for community-building.
  • E-newsletters – highest conversions spot! Not ‘leased land’. It’s your own to do whatever you please with.

Some links that may interest you:

  • $1000 Jelly Academy Discount: Use the code JA2021-1000 for student pricing – offered online during covid!
  • Zapier for platform integrations and automations
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WordPress 101 – Event Recap

by with No Comment BlogEvents

Blog by Colby Davidson

Image by Stephen Phillips via Unsplash 

Did you miss our WordPress 101 workshopping event? Not to worry – this post is designed to give a brief recap of what was discussed during the event! Huge thank you to previous KPUMA president Daman Garcha (also known as the WordPress Wizard) for hosting this event!  

This quick read will have you ready to start building your very own website and be confident your website will be filled with all the right bells and whistles to draw people in.

What is a Domain?

A domain is the searchable URL that allows anyone on the web to look up your website. Before you go to buy a hosting service (where your website will be created and hosted on, such as WordPress, Squarespace, or Wix), you should buy a domain name. For instance, the KPUMA’s domain name is as follows: thekpuma.com

While there are a couple different ways to purchase a domain name, Daman covered how to purchase yours via hostgator.com. Once on the site, go to the top menu and click “Web Hosting” where you will find different plans to purchase. Daman recommends using the cheapest option (called “hatchling”) but you can choose whichever is most suited to your needs. Helpful tip: choosing a plan with a longer time frame makes your monthly payments cheaper! 

The next step will be choosing your domain name: there will be various URL options to choose from (containing different extensions such as “.com”, “.ca”, “.org”, “.me”, etc), with icons indicating which are available and which are unavailable. Select the one that makes the most sense for your brand or organization – the cost will be added at the bottom in the summary.

What is a Hosting Service?

A web hosting service is what allows individuals or organizations to make their websites accessible via the web. Once again, there are many options to choose from, but Daman used HostGator. She recommends doing research and finding the one that suits you best. After you add in your personal information and billing details, uncheck the extra add on services they offer you. These services are additional charges that you don’t necessarily need for your first website – pay for the add-ons only when you need them!

Time for WordPress! 

The basics – WordPress is a software platform that allows you to create your own website or blog. Once all of the previous steps have been completed, you will be redirected to the HostGator Customer Portal – this is what you will use to install WordPress. Click “Hosting”, found on the top menu of the website, and select “WordPress – 1 Click Installation”. Then, select the domain name that you created earlier. Note: leave the section that says “directory” blank; do not select any other add on options because you typically won’t need them. 

Fill in your information as it is requested. Helpful tip: The Blog Title will be the same as your Domain name! The Admin User can be your name or simply “admin” it’s up to you! Once this is done, make sure checkboxes are selected and click install. 

Once installation is complete you will be able to log in and start designing your website – the fun part! Please note however that it can take up to a few days to process the website before it becomes available publicly. In the meantime, you can always make a mood board or start drafting a list of everything you want on your website. 

Login Details 

Once your website is ready, you can finally log in! Go to [yourwebsite.com]/wp-admin and use the provided username and password (found in the signup process earlier – please save this information). This will grant you access to the WordPress dashboard for your new website! 

Website Design – The Basics 

The first thing you’ll want to do is choose which theme you want to design. Under “Appearance” (found in the menu bar on the left) and click “Themes”, where you will be able to choose from various visual themes that you can design and customize – many of which are FREE! Of course, you can always choose to purchase paid options from WordPress or buy themes through a third-party seller. 

When you find a design you like, click “Activate” to start the design process. On the top left corner, hover over your website name and a drop-down menu will appear. Click the option “Visit Site” which will take you to a blank site with the theme you selected. Then, simply go to the top menu and click “Appearance”. From here, designing is an easy process of clicking through options. WordPress will direct you on how to easily update and change any section you like. 

Purchasing & Using External WordPress Themes:

  • Read reviews to make sure you are getting themes from legitimate sellers.
  • Make sure the themes you are buying are WORDPRESS-SPECIFIC THEMES and not designed for another web hosting service, as some elements don’t transfer well
  • Purchase themes that use Genesis Framework*.
    • Genesis Framework is an add-on that needs to be purchased alongside certain themes. This is important for external versions because unlike the themes on WordPress, these external themes are built 100% from scratch. Genesis Framework basically makes your theme look like the ‘Live Preview’ version you would see before purchasing, which makes editing easier.
  • Reputable themes from external sellers that have been created for WordPress typically will have their own dedicated website. Find the website for the theme and look for the section on the website that reads “tutorials”/ “user manuals”/ “FAQ” etc. These have free tutorial videos on how to develop the site using the template.

WordPress Terminology:

  • Posts – are your actual blog posts. 
  • Pages – pages (that can contain posts) you can include in your website navigation bar. 
  • Plugins – (adds back-end functions): extensions that can be installed on the server and activated in order to add functionality to your website. If you’re looking to have a special feature on your website, look up “top ten plugins” on Google and install them for a more dynamic website feel!
  • Widgets – (adds front-end functions): drag-and-drop content areas (such as a header image slideshow, or a carousel of your latest images pulled straight from your linked Instagram page) that can be added to WordPress when the appropriate plugin has been successfully installed and activated. You can add widgets in specific widget-ready spaces (typically in the sidebar) but some themes will add widget-friendly areas to the header and/or footer too!


Want to learn more? Let the KPUMA know what kind of skills you’d like to learn about during our next workshop by sending us an email at info@thekpuma.com

INTRO-TO-PODCASTING-RECAP

‘Intro to Podcasting’ Event Recap

by with No Comment BlogEventsTips & Tutorials

By: Oneil Aujla

This blog is designed to be a quick recap of discussed subject matters within podcasting, as well a resource to find books, magazines, podcasts, and notable people that were mentioned during the event. (Thank you Darian from Jelly Marketing for taking the time to host this virtual event!)

Who is Darian & What is Jelly Marketing?

Darian Kovacs is an expert communicator and businessman with over 15 years of experience in marketing, communications, and public relations. Through his award-winning company, Jelly Marketing & PR, Darian has worked with various local, national, and global brands. He has helped to build and execute Jelly Marketing’s digital & PR strategies, while also having co-founded the Canadian Internet Marketing Conference. Darian has been featured in BC Business magazine, Business in Vancouver magazine, and on the Canada Post training circuit. He is a contributor to Small Business BC, Entrepreneur Magazine, and to both Rogers and Shaw’s Business Resource Centre for topics including social media and PR.1

Q&A with Darian:

Q: How long should a podcast be?

A: As long as you feel your audience will listen to you! There is no standard time that works for every podcast. If you feel that people will stop listening after a certain point, then that is when you should end the podcast.

Q: How do I market my podcast?

A:  Reddit and Quora are two overlooked marketing channels that are great tools to spread the news about one’s podcast. They allow you to target your niche demographic directly with different “sub-reddits” [or discussion topics within Quora] that users already subscribe to. You can also market your podcast via other people’s podcasts by becoming a paid sponsor (inserting your own audio reel or having the other host mention your podcast) if you feel their audiences would be interested in your podcast. 

Q: What software should I use to edit my podcast?

A: One of the easiest softwares to use is GarageBand. It comes with all Apple computers and is very simple to use. If you don’t have a Mac, there are tons of other editing softwares online, such as Pro Tools and Adobe Audition.

Q: What kind of equipment will I need and where can I get it? (microphones, cameras, software, etc..)

A: Amazon is a great place to look for microphones, noise cancelling foam plates, and other equipment, however you do not need fancy equipment to make a great podcast! There is equipment available within everyone’s budget. My personal favourite microphone is the Blue Snowball brand.

Q: How much time goes into preparing a podcast?

A: It all depends on the topic for the podcast and if you have a guest. Sometimes a sponsored guest may have an agenda of what they would like to talk about. In that scenario, we have been given a list of what to talk about and what not to talk about. Other times, we have some guided talking points and we let the conversion flow naturally. However, sometimes we do spend a lot of time researching the guest or a topic and have a plan on what we want to talk about. Every episode has a different strategy and requires different amounts of time and prep work.

Q: How do I decide on a theme for my podcast?

A: Find a niche that you have a passion for. You can make a podcast about anything nowadays! If you have an existing audience already, then please ask them! They may have suggestions on what they’d like to learn about next.

Q: How do I publish a podcast (on Spotify, website, etc….)?

A: Anchor.fm is my personal favourite. This is a great place to post your podcast to instantly upload it to 11 podcasting channels! Great for saving time. Works similar to Hootsuite, but for Podcasts.

Bonus Content:

Template for Messaging Guests

Darian was kind enough to share a version of the template he uses to contact people to be a guest on his show, as follows:

It’d be an honour to host you on our show Marketing Jam – www.jellymarketing.ca

We’ve interviewed Malcolm Gladwell, Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki and many others from LEGO, Starbucks, and Disney. We also have our show on Amazon Prime Video! 

Here are some stat pages for your team – Jelly Marketing Stats and more info here: Jelly Marketing Sponsorship Deck

(Note* Please ignore all the sponsorship stuff – these are just the docs we have with all the stats. This is a pure editorial.)

Could we set up a time and date to look at this year to do an interview over Skype?

Links:

Below is a list of books, magazines, people, and podcasts that Darian recommends for anyone interested in being a better podcaster or marketer.

Books:

Explains how small differences over time can leave to big results later on.

An entertaining and informative guide to a wide variety of important business topics such as social media, customer service, and viral content.

Magazines:

Learn what it takes to Stand Out & Build Market Share in this Complex Environment. 

Strategy Magazine is dedicated to helping executives, strategists, managers, and other professionals better formulate, implement, execute, engage, and govern strategies.

People:

Godin is known as ‘the ultimate entrepreneur for the information age’. He is an American writer and has written 17 books addressing various aspects of marketing, advertising, business venturing and leadership.

Guy Kawasaki is a marketing specialist, author, and Silicon Valley venture capitalist. He was one of the Apple employees originally responsible for marketing their Macintosh computer line.

Podcasts:

Canada’s #1 show on all things marketing. The hosts interview some of the top people from Google, Twitter, and beyond to get their inputs on everything marketing. 

Provides historical context to how marketing was created and the transformation of it over the years.

Goes back in-time to reinterpret an event, person, or idea that was misunderstood by looping in new insights.

A publication about everything marketing-related in Canada. 

References:

1 https://talentbureau.com/speaker/darian-kovacs/

Serene Seas Instagram Post

Virtual Business Clubs Day

by BlogEvents

The KPU Case Analysis Network and KPU Marketing Association have teamed up to host a Virtual Business Clubs day. This event features five Kwantlen business clubs from each of the primary business majors (Human Resources, Accounting, Marketing, Entrepreneurial Leadership, General Business). We will be showcasing each of the business clubs and what they offer students, as well as how you can get involved. This is a great opportunity for new students to meet other students (especially with the reality of online classes), as well as current students wanting to get more involved. 

Where: Virtual! (Google Meet)

When: Tuesday, September 22 7:00pm

Who: Business Students & New KPU Students 

Which clubs will be there?

  • The KPU Marketing Association (KPUMA)
  • The KPU Case Analysis Network (KPUCAN)
  • The Kwantlen Human Resource Association (KHRA)
  • The KPU Entrepreneurial Leadership Association (KELA)
  • The Accounting Society of Kwantlen (ASK)

Click below to find out more about the Virtual Business Clubs Day!

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/virtual-business-clubs-day-tickets-119176497111