Social Media hits Winnipeg Businesses

I couldn't believe when I read the Free Press and found they published an article promoting social media. There must be a wave of change towering over Winnipeg businesses if the editors at the Free Press have actually surrendered to the demand for more news about new media. Normally, the only information you can find in the Free Press to do with the changing media landscape are ads directing the readers to the various websites they have selling cars and homes. That leads me to an interesting conversation I had with the VP of Corporate Development at Corus Entertainment.

As many of you may have read, Corus lost some $145 million in their last quarter. I spoke with the VP there to understand what they were doing now to try and raise their online presence, considering a large reason for the loss was reportedly because of the shift of consumers and marketing budgets to online. She said they were building some new websites and using their TV and radio stations to promote them. Huh?

It was just reported that there are more users online, but you're choosing not to invest any money to help people find you online? Sounds like a plan... not a good one, but a plan.

If you listen to any Winnipeg businesses advertising on our local radio stations, they all do the same thing - air ads that direct listeners to their website. Ads in the Free Press and The Sun are no different. Yet, if you call anyone of these Winnipeg business owners, most will tell you that they have no budget for marketing online. My second huh? of the blog.

It's called cutting out the middle man. If you know your clients are online, why not put your marketing dollars into making your website visible to them instead of having them try and memorize your web address?

Obviously change is coming to Winnipeg when the most traditional of marketing vehicles publishes the "tricks to tweeting." One can only hope that those grey hairs that read the article will jump on board too.

It's your turn Winnipeg.