Lions Lair, A Growing Success

Last Wednesday, November 9^th, entrepreneurs in SIFE BCIT’s Lions Lair had the opportunity to brush up on their computer and social media skills.  The classroom was filled with energy as everyone was excited to learn how technology can improve the efficiency and profile of their companies.

The workshop began with a presentation from SIFE members Joseph, Max, and Stephanie, the presenting team for the evening.  The presentation team showed how to effectively use Microsoft Office programs, especially PowerPoint since the entrepreneurs will be giving a presentation during the final competition.  Several great questions were asked, such as how to link Excel data with a PowerPoint file and how to format pictures and words.  Soon after, each participant had a chance to practice these tips with their SIFE mentors.  The sound of keyboards and mice clicking filled the room and smiles were seen on faces when everyone became more familiar with the software.

The workshop then moved onto its other topic of the night: social media.  The presenting team started this segment with Socialnomics’ video, “Social Media Revolution 3”, highlighting amazing statistics how social media has changed the world.  The entrepreneurs were then taught how to create and manage a Facebook Fan Page and Twitter account for their businesses.

As with past Lions Lair workshops, the evening hosted a guest speaker with expertise in the presented topics.  The evening’s guest speaker was Kemp Edmonds, a past SIFE BCIT executive and BCIT alumnus.  Edmonds now works at Hootsuite, a producer of a globally used social media dashboard and one of British Columbia’s most innovative companies.  At Hootsuite, Edmonds is responsible for Enterprise Training and Client Success.

Edmonds spoke on all aspects of online marketing, including websites, Facebook, Twitter, and emails.  Although social media has taken the spotlight in recent years for its effectiveness, Edmonds stressed the importance of a well-developed website as the number one marketing tool.  Emails, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn should all funnel into the website and provide value to the target market.

Monitoring information online can be overwhelming.  Edmonds suggested two tools: first, a listening kit (i.e., Google Alerts, Social Mention, and TweetBeep) to determine if people are talking about their companies.  Second, Bit.ly, a link shortener that allows real-time statistics of where and how people are visiting a website.  Managing online information with these tips can be powerful for a company’s online presence.

Lastly, Edmonds included the importance of face-to-face meetings.  Online marketing and social media are powerful tools, but coffee meetings and Meetups add another dimension to company promotions.

Edmond’s presentation was well received and his insight was much appreciated.  He ended his portion answering several questions and acknowledged people who asked questions with mini Hootsuite kits!

Before wrapping up the workshop, Meghan, VP of Marketing at SIFE BCIT, gave the last presentation on effectively using Gmail.  Grouping and managing contacts and adding an email signature were some of the tips given by Meghan.

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