Workshops and Keynote Speaker
Spring into Business - Marketing for profit is now over. We learned the broad strokes and finer details of customer-focused marketing. Each participant came away notes and worksheets to help plan the next marketing program. Great learning, sharing and discussion!
In case you missed it, the workshop descriptions and keynote speaker highlights are listed below.
“Marketing for Profit” : Melanie Taljaard
Workshop #1 : Defining and Knowing Your Customer
It is often said, a customer is the business’ most valuable asset, yet do you really know your customer? Do you know what makes them tick, why they choose your business and do you know how to find more like minded customers? Well defined customers and customer groups allows a business to be more effective in their market and even their product offering.
Workshop #2 : Understanding and Leveraging Customer Experience
The typical customer experience includes more than 80 interactions with a brand from pre-purchase to post-purchase. Each customer interaction with your brand represents an opportunity to create a positive experience. Customer satisfaction is show to be positively related to customer loyalty. This session will show you how to evaluate your offering as your customer do and to dissect the customer experience and to understand where you are offering value and where you can improve.
Workshop #3 : Social Media for Business
If Facebook was a country it would have the third largest population in the world. Without a doubt, tools like Facebook and LinkedIn are hugely popular, but what do these tools mean for business today? And how can you use this tool? We’ll focus on examples of how to use social media for business. Also gain an understanding of how businesses can use the Internet for online marketing with any budget. Understand how customers are looking for your business (or offering) online and some simple tips to improve the chances you’ll be found.
Bio: Melanie Taljaard, More In Store Marketing Solutions
Melanie Taljaard
More in Store is a marketing consulting company and MORE. We help clients attract and engage customers. We work with organizations large and small, with a single location to a national presence. We offer a broad spectrum of marketing solutions-always customized to each clients' needs.
Melanie Taljaard is the principal marketing consultant and owner of More in Store Marketing Solutions. She has an undergraduate degree in Public Relations from Mount Saint Vincent University and a Masters in Business Administration from Saint Mary's University.
Melanie has more than 12 years' experience developing effective marketing and communication solutions for leading brands engaged in both B2B and B2C campaigns. Increasingly Melanie's focus and passion have been in the area of online marketing and its integration with offline marketing.
Keynote Speaker Updated!
Luncheon Keynote Speaker : Betty Hadley, standing in for Pamela Porodo
Pamela Porodo recently received national recognition as one of Canada's Top 50 Champions of Change for her outstanding volunteer work in Sri Lanka following the 2004 tsunami. She juggles her charity work with running a successful business, The Fairview Inn in Bridgewater.
In her keynote address, she will share her challenges, achievements and plans for the future. Her passion is entirely contagious and inspiring. She embodies the term "social entrepreneur"!
Bio: Pamela Porodo, The Fairview Inn, and IMPAKTaid
Pamela Porodo
Pamela and her husband Jerry were living in semi-retirement in Sri Lanka when the 2004 tsunami hit. The tsunami devastated the country killing thousands, and leaving many desperate and helpless people. Moved to take action, IMPAKTaid was founded. IMPAKTaid supports, "directly and indirectly, many thousands of displaced persons on the South West and South Coasts of Sri Lanka". Amongst its many projects, IMPAKTaid runs the Work for Widows program which provides "widows with the basics of life but pays them enough to support a good life, so they can afford housing, food, healthcare and education for their children". Jewellery and other products made by the Sri Lankan widows are sold in Canada.
When not volunteering with IMPAKTaid, Pamela runs the historic The Fairview Inn, in Bridgewater. Recently renovated, the Inn features 24 well-appointed rooms and superb dining. The Fairview Inn often hosts events to support IMPAKTaid and other local charities.
