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 […]
By January of 1996, there were 100,000 websites online. Thirty of those were Mike’s clients, including a “matchmaking” service. There were now 36 million internet users. Computers at home still weren’t commonplace, but email was a must-have for government offices and most businesses. Of those who were “surfing,” 86% used Netscape’s browser. Internet Explorer […]
The first web page went live on August 6, 1991. It was created by Tim Berners-Lee to share information about the World Wide Web project which was intended as a communication tool for government agencies and universities. It ran on a NeXT computer at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN. By 1993, another […]
Joanne graduated from the University of Calgary in 1980 with a degree in Psychology. One of her classes was in Computer Science where she learned to code in Fortran. She still remembers the anxiety of her final project – making sure that the punch cards she carefully created didn’t get out of order feeding into […]
It’s a new year, a new decade, and who knows what 2020 has in store for us. While we often make predictions this time of year, in 2020 we’re going to take a look back. This year marks the 25th anniversary of International Internet Advertising Services Inc.; and, while our marketing materials focus on […]
If you had to write a job description for your website, what would you include? Thinking about your site as an employee is an interesting way to work through identifying the purpose and objectives of your site; and, on deciding how to measure its performance. Let’s try an example: As the core of our […]
If only those were magic words that could make an entirely fake negative review disappear. But, they are not, and will not. Although feel free to scream it out anyway. No, unfortunately fake reviews, which are almost always negative, take much more time and effort to deal with; along with a good measure of […]
Get your calendar. Find a half-day in the next two weeks and block it off for “Password Security.” Do it now, then you can read the rest of this article. Data breaches have become so common that it’s hard to even make a list of them all. At the recent World Economic Forum, it […]
I realized the other day that many of our articles seem to relate more to product sellers than to service providers. While marketing strategies can be very similar, there are a few things that those who only provide services need to keep in mind. So, this one is for you! Know the rules of […]
It’s time to plan your fall and winter promotions While there’s no rush to pack up your flip-flops, as long as the warm weather holds, it is time to start planning your fall and winter sales promotions. Here are some ideas to get you thinking, and we can help with the creative aspects as […]
A simple way to test your web content Quality content is one of the most important aspects of your website. Your potential customers rely on it, and search engines use it to index and rank your site. Borrowing a tactic used in the journalism industry, you can assess the content of your website by […]
Analyzing how users interact with your website provides valuable information about how to improve the site’s performance. Google Analytics, the one we use most often, provides a lot of data, but you need to interpret that data within the context of your overall goals, and objectives set for each page. Let’s look at some […]
Industrial psychology has long been the foundation of advertising. The use of different colours, for example, to elicit feelings of excitement, trust, or luxury. That bright red “SALE” banner is no accident, nor is the choice of blue for IBM, Facebook, or BMO. Whether or not we actually trust Facebook, knowing what we know, isn’t […]
Now that our cell phones are actually multi-function devices, setting them aside completely while on vacation may not be feasible. Not only do they serve as a camera for those holiday pics, they are also our time keepers, our route maps, and our kid trackers. So, if you’re not ready to leave the phone behind, […]