A One-Day Marketing Summit for  
Independent Retailers  
July 9 - 8am to 1pm   

Learn how to market your retail business better! This live conference-style event in Toronto area covers marketing strategy, social media marketing, email communications, and search marketing.

8:30-9:30am      
Best Practices for Retail Marketing Success
Barbara Crowhurst, Retail Makeover
Learn how marketing and promotions drive your business, with a comprehensive focus on implementing Internet and  Social Media strategies . Barbara will share how knowing your  customer better, reaching that customer , keeping in touch , and having your customer find you all come together to  benefit business growth. Find out what the collection of “new age” marketing tools are and that when used together generate exceptional sales performance and optimal brand positioning. Make sure your marketing strategies are up to date! 

9:30-10:15am
Local Marketing: The Simple System to Generating Customers from Google and Google+
Chris Johnstone, Owner, CWJstone.com
During this entertaining and informative session you will be brought up to date with the latest changes to Google and Google+ and learn what they mean for your business. You will learn how to capture a front page ranking, for free, and discover Google's new tool that gets your business on the front page overnight. Learn best practices, see case studies, and understand mistakes to avoid when connecting with online customers.

10:15-11:00am
Email Marketing is Still Alive and Kicking
Ron Cates, Director, New Market Development, Constant Contact
A few years ago, some people were saying that email was dead. However, the channel continues to thrive as a marketing tool, drawing the best return on investment of any form of digital marketing, including SEO. Come hear  the “Grandfather of Email Marketing”, as he destroys the myth of email’s demise and talks about the future of email - and how it works under Canada Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL).

11:00-11:15  BREAK

11:15am-12:00pm
Driving Storefront Business using Social Media
Lowell Brown, Owner, Going Social
We’ve all heard it: you need to use social media to reach out to your customers. It’s not only true, it’s more important that ever. Determine which tool will work best for your needs. Facebook, Twitter and more offer an easy way for people to participate with and learn about your business. You can offer polls, trivia contests, and coupons to Facebook followers, respond to questions on Twitter and Facebook, and actively reach out to bloggers who might write about your product or service. If it all seems overwhelming, just identify one media to use as a starting point. Remember: it’s about the conversation.

12:00-12:45pm
Selling More - Understand the buyer psyche
Lori Raudnask, Persistence Pays
This session will look at the personal perspective part of any sales approach, because it's all about the attitude. Learn how to handle any objection from anyone in any setting with total confidence and ease. Uncover the authentic strength and selling style of YOU and use it to generate income in every area of your life.