A Grand Opening for AC Petroleum.

"Pemberton's Own" Norm and Pat Le Blanc next to one of of the brand new state-of-the-art fuel dispensers at the Pioneer Junction Gas Station & Store.

Pemberton Mayor, Jordan Sturdy on hand to cut the ribbon.

AC Petroleum marked their new management of the Pioneer Junction Gas Station & Store in Pemberton today with a Grand Opening Celebration. Mayor Jordan Sturdy was on hand for a ribbon cutting ceremony and to cut the cake along with Councillors Lisa Ames and Susie Gimse. The event featured refreshments, face painting for kids of all ages and a draw for prizes.

The Grand Opening was scheduled as part of the Launch Campaign as recommended in the plan prepared for AC Petroleum by Betsy Linnell Marketing Management. Since taking over the management of the Pioneer Junction location, AC Petroleum has replaced the existing pumps with brand new state-of-the-at fuel dispensers. They have also re-stocked the store and are featuring local products where possible. Locally owned and operated AC Petroleum is proud to be a member of the local community an to offer an independent alternative for fuel.

Everyday Pearls E-Store is Open for Business

Ladies, get your credit cards ready! Everyday Pearls new e-commerce website is now fully functional and open for business. Following the launch of www.everydaypearls.net in June, the e-store recently opened allowing customers the luxury of shopping for that perfect piece - from home. Previously only available at local markets, craft fairs and from Whistler retailer "Ruby Tuesday", the launch of the new website and e-store marks the next phase of growth for the business. Expanding distribution is one of the key goals for owner and jewellery creator Borgi Rayen who contracted Betsy Linnell Marketing Management to develop a Strategic Marketing Plan and to develop the new website in conjunction with Ink Design.

For those in the Whistler area who want to browse Everyday Pearls collection, Borgi has recently renovated her studio and is offering personal shopping by appointment.

For more background on Betsy Linnell Marketing Management and Everyday Pearls, click here.

AC Petroleum Expands Locally.

Betsy Linnell Marketing Management recently completed a new project for local client AC Petroleum. Independent Esso supplier of fuel and lubricant products and solutions for commercial, farm and residential customers, AC Petroleum is expanding in the Pemberton area. AC Petroleum is the new contracted management company for the Pioneer Junction Gas Station & Store. Following the brand strategy development and new logo launch, Betsy Linnell Marketing Management was contracted to develop a short term Campaign Strategy to launch the new business. With objectives around establishing a loyal, local customer base, Betsy Linnell Marketing Management developed a comprehensive campaign plan designed to build brand awareness locally, generate trial, encourage repeat sales and attract tourist traffic.

The campaign is being rolled-out internally by AC Petroleum staff. Look for ads starting this week in the local papers and on Mountain FM.

Follow up: MyUS.com

Here's a quick follow up on my last post. I just received an e-mail from PayPal with the above offer for MyUS.com. I may have to do some "research"! I would love to hear feedback about the service so let me know how it goes if you use it.

Happy shopping!

Key to Success: Meet the needs of your customers.

I enjoy shopping. This will not be a shock to anyone who knows me! Growing up in Toronto, I had a wide selection of stores to choose from. Now that I live in Pemberton, BC with two young children, a day trip to Vancouver to go shopping is a major event. So, I've become an online shopper. This is why I was so excited to receive an e-mail this week about a company that will forward items you order from companies who don't offer shipping to Canada.

MyUS.com allows you to order items from the United States using a US address. MyUS.com receives your packages and forward them along to you - for a fee. Their fees are based on the amount of merchandise, parcels, mail that you receive and provide a range to satisfy everyone from the one-time user to the frequent shopper.

This service fills a need that I identified for myself about 7 years ago. I even had the though that it would be a great business concept... Fortunately for me, someone else also had the same idea. I have no doubt that there is demand for this service - because it satisfies a consumer need! This is one of the fundamental requirements for business success. That's not to say that every business that meets a consumer need will succeed. Sound management practices are also critical. But, meeting a need definitely makes the road to success a lot smoother.

I haven't had an opportunity to use this service yet, but stay tuned, I will let you know how it goes!

Launching: Crossover Coaching

This week Betsy Linnell Marketing Management completed a Business Launch Plan for Crossover Coaching. Owned and operated by Caterina Alberti CEC, Crossover Coaching brings a unique approach to business coaching recognizing the inter-connection between an individual's business and personal lives. To find out more about Crossover Coaching, check out Caterina's new blog or follow her on Twitter.

Measurability of Social Media

With any marketing initiative, the ability to monitor and track effectiveness is critical. The emergence of social media channels has given marketers some new tools to work with which is very exciting. It's tempting to just go for it and get out there! Hold on - just for a minute. These tools are cool and it's fun to participate in this new channel, however you can spend a lot of time (time = money) to the detriment of your marketing and business objectives. So, my message today? Social media channels have a place in your marketing plan - but the basics of marketing still apply.

Start with your objectives - Realistic, understandable, measurable, beyond normal, achievable and time bound. Ex: Increase awareness levels for XYZ brand by 20% over the course of ABC marketing campaign by December 31, 2009.

From here, build you strategies and assign tactics that fit and will achieve your objectives. Great.

Now comes the challenge - measuring the impact and effectiveness of your social media tactics. Here are a few thoughts:

• Track the increase in fans, followers, comments etc. This is pretty straight forward and can be effective to measure things like "awareness" or "engagement". It can also be valuable for future initiatives since you are increasing your audience.
• Be bold. Implement an offer, promotion, contest exclusively through one of more social media channels. You obviously need an audience for this to be effective, but you will know really quickly if your offer is compelling and resonates with your customers.
• Use one of the new tracking tools that are available such as Viral Heat, an analytics tool to track and measure your efforts in the social media space. http://mashable.com/2009/07/07/viralheat/

So, add social media channels to your marketing toolbox. Ensure that they fit with your objectives and determine how you will measure and track your success.