Soya co-founder, Jacqueline Voci, spoke last week to a high-energy group of Wawanesa insurance brokers. This 2-hour, invite-only event helped these business owners understand how to differentiate themselves on Facebook & Twitter through storytelling.

Graham Haigh, Wawanesa VP said, “Lots of skeptics in the room to begin. Jacqueline quickly won them over with her knowledge, personality and presentation skills. Survey results following the presentation were exceptional.”

Jacqueline’s presentation was tailored to this executive-level group, helping them to put social media trends into a big picture perspective and giving them practical advice on creating a social media plan.

Need a speaker for your next event? Do call us at: (604) 568.5405.

(photo credit: thanks to David Hilowitz for the photo for this story)

This is a long overdue story we’ve wanted to share. We had the awesomely-amazing thrill of creating a social media storytelling plan for the good folks at John Lennon Liverpool Airport. That’s right…in Liverpool. England. So cool.

For this project we were charged with creating a strategic plan for social media. This type of project is always exciting for us because it plays to our strength: strategy. The team at John Lennon is packed with marketing talent and so they will handle all of their own implementation and day-to-day management.

For us this is the fascinating thing about the work we do. Sometimes we create a plan and set it free into the universe for our client to run with. Sometimes we get to be directly involved in designing Facebook pages and developing StoryRooms (aka really fabulous blogs).

What’s always true is that we get to collaborate with talented folks across all walks of life. This Liverpool project was a collaboration with the remarkable team at SmartDesign Group, who fuse interior design with branding in a way that’s out-of-this-world.

We’re thrilled to be working again with Pacific Centre on its Facebook page.

“People are definitely starting to talk about it and tune into it and spread that information to their friends, which is really what Facebook is all about,” says Soya client and Pacific Centre Marketing Director, Alison Branco

Branco’s job is to entice shoppers to the mall, and for her Facebook is absolutely a natural extension of that. “If you’ve seen our fashion picks on Facebook, it’s your call to action…it almost creates a sense of urgency,” she says. 

She’s absolutely right. The delicious pair of Coach rainboots featured as “Shoes that Rock” were sold out by the time we headed to Pacific Centre to snap up a pair.

You may recall that in April 2011 we launched Pacific Centre into the world of social media with a ’30 Days of Spring’ campaign that earned more than 1,000 followers in a matter of weeks. This winter we created a plan to share fashion pointers curated by ace stylist, Kirsty, from Operation Style.

Vancouverites are responding well. Pacific Centre’s Facebook page now boasts over 10,000 check-ins and over 2,300 ‘Likes’.

We believe the page is growing because Pacific Centre is sharing awesomely useful info. The page is about giving Vancouverites a constant stream of ideas of what to wear in the city. We hope you’ll check it out.

We’re thrilled to bits. Shelfspace, the retail association for BC and Alberta, has selected Soya to deliver social media training for its members.

We’ve created info-packed, entertaining online workshops that will give retailers the straight dirt on how to market using social media. We’ll teach the art of social media storytelling and help retailers put together their own social media game plans.

The association polled retailers last year and discovered that figuring out social media was an urgent business priority. Retailers are looking for new methods to boost awareness and reach customers.

Soya’s experience in the retail and hospitality markets will come into play. As one of the first entrants onto the social media scene, Soya has worked with some great brands including Park Royal, Pacific Centre, Coast Hotels and Opus Hotels.

If you’re a retailer that wants to discover new ways to reach your target market, we hope you’ll check out the online workshop.

Could your company or association use some social media training? That’s what we’re here for: 604.568.5405 or info@soyamarketing.com.

First: a big, huge thank you to everyone who took our December survey. As you’ll recall, we wanted to know: does social media truly make people feel more connected to one another?

The results are in. Here’s what we learned.

Social media makes the biggest difference when it comes to connecting us with extended friends and family, and our business network.

A whopping 91% of people said they feel more connected to friends and family that they are ‘not quite as close to’ as those dearest to them.

90% of people say they feel ‘somewhat more connected’ or ‘more connected than ever before’ to people in their business network.

32% say social media makes NO DIFFERENCE in how connected they feel with their closest friends and family.

Want to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in social media? Sign up for our newsletter list (check the top right-hand side of this page).

The past 3 years of intensive, in-the-field social media projects for fabulous companies like Pacific Centre, Park Royal, Opus Hotels and Blast Radius have culminated in the creation of this Social Media Storytelling Workshop. We’re delivering it ONLINE so it’s super convenient.

Register here.

This is for people who want to cut through the mayhem and madness of social media, and wrap their heads around what it really takes to market a business (or a cause) in this new world.

Are you sick of social media seminars that tell you the same stuff you already know and don’t get you any further ahead? If so, this is the online workshop for you.

What: Social Media Storytelling Workshop: Learn How to Get Your Story to the World

When: Thursday, February 24, 2011 @ 9am PT (12pm ET)

Where: Online

Cost: $99 per person

Who it’s for: Business owners, marketers, communicators, social media managers, web site managers

How do you know it’s for you?
• You’ve reached a point where it’s critical to get a better understanding of social media
• You want to develop a smart, efficient social media plan
• You want to take a more strategic approach to social media
• You’re not getting the business results you want from your current marketing efforts
• You want an understanding of why storytelling matters so much online

Click here to register.

Course Outline:
Social Media Storytelling: Learn How to Get Your Story to the World
 
The Big Picture: How: Why Storytelling is Crucial for Social Media Success
·      Stories + human connection
·      How Social Media Influences how people connect
 
5 Ways Social Media Effects our Lives (and What this Means for Business)
·      Social media is many things
·      Facebook & Twitter are changing how business & consumers Interact
 
Old Media vs. New Media: The New Dynamics that Fuel Buying Decisions
·      Why traditional media is taking a nose-dive
·      New Media: why people love Facebook, Twitter & YouTube
·      New Media: how businesses are responding
 
The Soya Principles of Storytelling (featuring real-life examples)
·      Unveils Soya’s 6 Principles for Creating a Social Media Strategy that Sets You Apart
 
Creating a StoryRoom on Your Web Site: Your Homebase for Social Media
·      Unveils the Soya Model for Sharing Your Story Across the Web
 
Soya Exercises: Essential brainstorming tools for creating your social media strategy

Debbie Collins (Soya co-founder) was invited back again this year to speak to the bright, shiny new marketers enrolled in the eMarketing Certificate Program with the Canadian Marketing Association.

She was part of a panel discussion on ‘The Future of the Internet’, along with Steve Park from Blast Radius, Kevin Curtis from Tribal Fusion and Michael Newland from BC Hydro.

Deb shared her views on where the Web is going and talked about some of Soya’s big highlights from 2010.

So, where is the web going? Deb says, “Social media is still in its infancy. Anyone who tells you they know exactly where all of this is going is, to put it gently, over-confident.”

“Having said that, it’s clear that companies are going to fully embrace the web as their primary way of communicating with customers. They will take far greater advantage of mobile technology. And marketing departments will be far more agile. They won’t assume that what worked last year will predict what will work in the future.”

This winter has been jam-packed with speaking engagements. Jacqueline spoke to a group of fashion students at Kwantlen Polytechnic in Richmond on a frozen, snowy day.

These up-and-coming fashionistas were curious to understand how social media would effect their careers. Jacqueline gave a 45-minute presentation on social media storytelling and took questions from the crowd.

She found it rather thrilling to encounter future Donna Karans and Valentinos. Could this mean discounts on fabulous shoes in her future?? She can only hope.

We spoke to a charming group of accountants in December at the annual Chartered Accountants’ Industry Day. It was a fantastic experience. There were CFOs, finance directors and business owners in the crowd. The room was packed to the rafters.

It was our first time presenting at the glorious new trade & convention centre in downtown Vancouver. Loved it.

Completely bucking the stereotype: this was a lively, free-spirited and humorous crowd. We did a 2-hour version of our ‘Big Picture’ presentation which is all about how social media is changing business & life. It unveils Soya’s Principles for Storytelling.

We love to speak. So, if you’re looking for a dynamic duo or solo presenter for your next event or conference, do shout.

Looking for a fun, fascinating new sales job to kick-start 2011?

Does this sound like you?
You love social media: tinkering with Facebook, Twitter & YouTube is amusing
You love talking to new people and learning about their businesses
You love to learn. Change is fun
You have integrity: you genuinely care that your clients are successful
You see good in the world and find the bright-side to most situations
You have business-to-business sales experience

If that description sounds like you, keep reading. We’d love to meet you.

Allow us to introduce ourselves. We’re Soya Marketing. Our clients include awesome companies like Pacific Centre, Park Royal, BC Medical Association and Blast Radius.

We believe in the power of stories to connect people. We have a rock-solid, kick-ass method for using social media that is based on the art of storytelling. We’re looking for a bright, inspired sales representative to take our method to the market.

Sound intriguing?

Please send us an email to info@soyamarketing.com with your resume and a brief (100 words or less) explanation about why you’re interested in this role at Soya. No phone calls, please.