If you haven’t planned your summer holiday yet, it’s time. Everyone needs to get away from work once in a while to rest and re-energize. You may think of vacations as folly, but there are definite benefits. Your physical and mental health will improve. So will your family relationships. Plus, you’ll be more creative […]
Canada’s economy is recovering quite well and expected to continue to improve over the next few years. As things begin to normalize, it might be time to think about some of the business challenges that existed before the pandemic that haven’t gone away. One of those is the aging population and the strain that […]
Recent statistics show that 75% of BC residents, 60% of all Canadians and 44% of United States citizens have had at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. Restrictions are easing and many of us are very much looking forward to long-awaited visits with family and friends. While the pandemic situation is abating, pretty […]
Bob and Henry are sitting next to each other on an airplane. They start to chat and Bob finds out that Henry is the head of marketing for Juicy Fruit gum. Bob asks why Henry does so much advertising. He sees the ads everywhere. Surely, the gum is so well known now that advertising […]
There’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Now, you just want to get through the tunnel as fast as you can. Yes folks, things are looking up. In BC, it’s expected that by early July, everyone over 12 years of age who wants one, will have received at least one shot of […]
The signs of spring are all around us now with blooms popping up and the sun lingering on after dinner. That means it’s time to give your website the Tulip Test to make sure you’re ready to take full advantage of the summer spending cycle. Tulip is an acronym for trust, user experience, load […]
Targeted online advertising has been so effective for so long that it’s no wonder that other forms of marketing have fallen by the wayside. But, like many things in life, 2020 changed the landscape for advertising. Privacy concerns have risen so high that even Google is backing off tracking your every online move. That […]
It’s officially spring and that means gardeners are getting excited. Several of our team members are among them, and that got us thinking about this analogy. Building your website is like planting a seed on the internet. It’s just the first step, and there are many more steps to take before you can enjoy […]
In the past, creating a feasible action plan based on our business knowledge and the information available to us might only need a few minor adjustments along the way to remain relevant and viable. What we learned in 2020 was that sometimes things change radically and very quickly. Scenario planning is a way to […]
We’ve been working our way through a planning process, and you can get caught up here. You’ve taken your objectives and put them into a logical order based on your long-term goal. Now it’s time to create a more detailed plan for the next few years. Consider what you can accomplish in the next […]
You’ve set your goal and objectives and looked at the world around you. Now we need to zoom in on your customers. Who are they? What is influencing their lives? And, more importantly, their buying decisions? How has the pandemic affected them? How has it changed their thinking? Are they older adults, moving into […]
In the last article, we talked about setting an end goal and the objectives needed to realize that goal. Before we start creating a plan to achieve those objectives, we need to take a look at the environment in which we do business, and how that could change over the next few years. While […]
Our first series of the year is about planning. After the year that was 2020, that may seem pointless, but it really isn’t. Plans can always be adjusted but if you don’t have any plans, well – you’re just free-floating in a world controlled by others. So, let’s start with setting goals. People often […]
We started this year in celebration and we’re ending it in gratitude. The year 2020 was our 25th anniversary. Back in 1995 when he founded International Internet Advertising Services Inc., Mike had a vision. The years that followed brought twists and turns he could never have imagined, but the vision held strong. Twenty-five years […]
Let’s skip to the bottom line, because it’s a shocker: the higher of $25 M or 5% of gross revenue. Yes, folks that is the potential fine for any of several offenses under a new bill currently making its way through the Canadian legislative process. (In second reading at the time of writing.) Minister […]
Advertising has never been more important. Even if your business is top of mind, potential customers may wonder if your services or hours have changed, or if you are even still in business. Those who in the past would have just driven to your office or storefront, are more likely to look online for […]
Updating your website on a regular basis is essential if you want it to continue to do its job. Just like your employees need ongoing training to keep up with new tech and trends, your website needs to keep up with what is going on around it too. Here are five signs that are […]
I know, I know. Summer is barely over and I’m jumping past Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Remembrance Day. But here’s the thing: if you are in one of the many businesses that rely on Christmas shopping to boost annual revenue, it is definitely time to start planning. Things are weird right now, so this Christmas […]
We’ve been working on a new website for a client who sells to professionals who know exactly what they want, as well as to laypeople who only know what they want the product to do for them. It’s a common issue that makes search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) challenging. Here’s an […]
It’s a crazy, scary world out there right now, and it’s hard to think about others when there’s so much raining down on us. We’re trying to keep our businesses afloat. We don’t know what to do about our kids. We’re worried about older family members. Geeze, we can’t even get through the grocery shopping […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has given online shopping a big boost, and we know that means there’s been a rise in pre-shopping research as well. While we may have thought, and hoped, that this crisis would be short-lived, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, as well as Canada’s top public health officials, are warning […]
Be aware Data breaches that expose millions of records, like the Equifax theft in 2017, get a lot of attention. Consumers feel betrayed and are outraged that their personal information was not better protected. Unfortunately, these newsworthy events mask a more insidious problem – the personal information we give away every day, unknowingly. Little […]
We end our celebration of the past 25 years in business with our vision for the future. The year 2020 turned out to be a pivotal one in history. The worldwide protests against discrimination and the devastation that resulted from a lack of a global strategy to deal with COVID 19 were the impetus […]
Technology innovation has shown no evidence of slowing down in the recent past. The Apple Watch, released in 2015, was just the beginning of wearable tech, which continues to be integrated into eyeglasses, clothing, and no doubt other things. The “internet of things” now includes coffee pots, light switches, and home appliances, and can […]
In case you’re wondering about our story-telling, we’re celebrating our 25th year in business! To commemorate, we’re recounting the memorable moments in our history, how our team came together, and the technology changes that shaped our world. Last time, we told you about “the interlude” – our foray into the travel industry that didn’t survive […]
The interlude began in 2006. With our assistance, Ambassador Travel grew from a small local business into a multi-million dollar agency and our largest client. So when the owners decided to retire, Mike bought the company. The Internet Advertising team moved into the agency’s offices in downtown Abbotsford. The front office was home to […]
As a distraction from more news about “you know what,” we’re continuing our journey down memory lane. The mid-2000s brought about big changes in how the world socialized from a distance (but it had nothing to do with “that”). In 2004, with the number of internet users approaching one billion, we saw the launch […]
Now gaining a reputation for internet advertising, shortly after 9/11 a local travel agency sought Mike out. No one wanted to travel and they were hurting. Always up for a challenge, Mike took them on. His strategy was pretty interesting – particularly since this happened nearly a decade ago. Knowing that the need and […]
In case you missed our first newsletter this year, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of International Internet Advertising Services Inc., we’re doing a series on our history and the technological advancements that have impacted our world. The first few years of the new millennium were a crazy time. While the bursting of the dot.com […]
While Mike and James had done everything they could to prepare for the change from 1999 to 2000 that some thought would cause havoc with computers around the globe, Mike spent New Year’s Eve babysitting his servers, just in case. As it turned out, everything was fine. The office had moved out of the […]