Sara Wheelwright the S & E Trusted Online Directories Founder is committed to giving back to the community and has got involved with many non profits ansd initiatives over the last few years across Saskatchewan. See a previous article about Trusted community support here. 

Whether it be sponsorship, donations, contests or attending events Trusted believes in  helping out. 

The latest initiative is one very close to Sara's heart, as she has been involved with a similar project with Habitat for Humanity Regina for the last 2 years, as one of the 100  in 2011, then 200 in 2012 women who stepped up to raise $300,000 over less than 200days and build 3 Habitat for Humanity houses in Regina.

Heres a picture of Sara at the 2011 H4H 100 women in 100 days celebration gala in Regina

Trusted is thrilled to announce that Sara is one of the seven wonderful ladies on the  Saskatoon Habitat for Humanity $100,000 in 100days committee, and she is excited to champion this wonderful initiative as the owner of Trusted Directories and also as a founding member of The Little Red Dress Club. Also on the committe are the 3 other Little Red Dress Club founding members Leanne Falkowsky ( The Urban Wall) , Tammy Wandzura Mortgage Broker  &  Chantelle Butterfield ( Funktional Space) along with Dr Dee Dee Maltman ( Leydas Cafe) , Jayne Horachek and Tara Martin ( H4H)  

$100,000 in 100days

Imagine yourself as one of one hundred exceptional women who raised the funds to build an entire home.

Imagine yourself as one of one hundred inspirational women who make it possible for a hard-working, low-income family to purchase that very home.

This is your invitation to do just that , to make a positive impact on a family’s life here in Saskatoon. 100 days from our launch date of October 7th 2013 is January 14th, 2014. Until that time, Saskatoon’s most energetic and influential women will work together to raise $100,000- you can join them by donating here  share this article or the donation letter

AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE 2013 100k in 100 days.pdf (506.07 kb)

Habitat homes are built with funding from donations from community partners. As one of one hundred women making a $1,000 investment in our organization, you help to ensure a hard-working family has the opportunity to achieve their dream of home ownership.

Habitat homes are also built with 95% volunteer labour. You are most welcome to volunteer on site at any time alongside other fabulous $100,000 in 100 days ladies

Also there will be a fabulous celebration / networking gala once the objective is achieved to thank all 100 women involved!! 

We encourage and challenge Saskatoon ladies to step up together to GET THIS TARGET ACHIEVED IN RECORD TIME!!

So does your marketing work? How do YOU measure the effectiveness of the medium and the company that you choose to advertise with ?

Many business owners expect their customers or the public to tell them where they got their names from and how they ended up calling/ visiting them .

The hard fact is, is that it is simply NOT THE CUSTOMERS JOB to remember or even care where they found you or heard about you....so if this is the main way you measure,  you need to re think your position!

Of course we understand the need to know what works and what doesn't work, especially for the small- medium businesses with limited marketing $'s to invest, local businesses  like the ones we promote and partner with on www.trustedsaskatoon.com  and www.trustedregina.com directories.  

Sara the Trusted Online Directories founder sold advertising in the past, everything from Yellow Pages to Radio and was frequently asked about measurability from clients. She always said if you get busier and the only difference is that you have bought something new, chances are that is why you are busier! This was true especially of long term consistent branding radio campaigns ,  as lets face it, customers rarely walk into a retail store and say " Hi, I heard your ad on the radio on Wed morning and decided to come in and see what you had " .

Yellow Pages was a different beast,  as much of time customers were calling businesses like plumbers etc..with the book in front of them, so when asked on the phone where they got the companies number from they said immediately Yellow Pages , even though lots of times they were searching specifically for that business because they had heard their ad on the radio, or they had seen their van at a neighbors house and that company was ' top of mind' in that category for them at that moment- which should be what every company strives to be!      

Now lets talk about the internet - the ultimate tool of measurability we are told, yet many businesses still don't have a website, nor do they understand how measurable,  measurable really is and most don't know what to do with the data, or what it means.  

The Trusted websites are local directories with local resource libraries attached and as such people go there for a SPECIFIC NEED not just a read like other local websites that carry news, weather , traffic reports and other entertainment.

When we sell the product we make sure to explain to the partners that we do not sell CLICK through's, as it is not an accurate measurement of the Trusted product. You see our directories have very comprehensive listings with a lot of information to help the consumer to make their decision, and the consumer can contact the business right there- we make it easy and this mostly means the consumer doesn't click through to the businesses site unless they are super interested and want even more info than what has been provided. We would expect other online directories that just list the basic details- name, number, www, category  and a sentence or 2 about the business to have a much higher ' CTR ' ( Click Through Rate) as people look for more info to base their decision on. You see people in Canada spend 75% of their total shopping time online these days- research is key ( and if you can't be found you will LOSE the chance of getting the sale completely !!)  

So we were pretty interested ( and a wee bit surprised) to see the analytic data from 2 of our partners on www.trustedsaskatoon.com. We are sharing the source traffic data - that shows how visitors to their website actually got there and I think you will agree we have just proved our worth...

Case Number 1- company listed in Kitchen and Renovation Categories on the Saskatoon directory 

• www.trustedsaskatoon.com is the 1st referring source after Google.
• The most time spent on the website is from visitors from www.trustedsaskatoon.com( this indicates quality and engagement)
• Trusted team helped this company set up their Facebook page and help them manage the content to get the best results from social - clearly it had helped.

Case Number 2- company listed in Auto Repair and Tire Categories on the Saskatoon directory 

• Number 1 referring source after Google
• Way ahead of any other online directory ( this company advertises in Yellow Pages)
• Great level of engagement 
• Currently doesn't do much with Facebook and what has been done has not been that effective - we are helping them to implement a new plan and expect to see this have an immediate effect on the numbers. 

So absolute proof of the valuer of Trusted - analytics don't lie :) 

If you want to meet with us to chat please contact us by emailing sara@trustedcanada.com

The Trusted team strives to keep up with the innovations in marketing and advertising as they happen.. we 'WALK the WALK and TALK the TALK' . Trusted is super active ( and effective) on our many (SM's) social media platforms, we blog consistently and we have a fantastic new Trusted App.

' New media ' is constantly changing and it is important as a business owner and / or marketing person to take the time to keep yourself informed (and on track) with new developments, so you can see how they may influence and affect your businesses bottom line now and in the future. When we find great information we share it with our partners and friends here on the Trusted Canada blog and in person, after all, that's what being social is all about.

Have you Googled your category locally lately? If not you should,  as like many others you may be wondering why your search engine rankings have dipped suddenly? Watch out! You may still be unaware of the latest version of a Google update named “Penguin” & “Panda” Series update!

So, each year, Google changes its search algorithms innumerable times. While most of these changes are minor, every few months Google runs out a ‘major’ algorithmic update that affects search results in significant ways...if your rankings have dipped significantly then you need to make some changes to your current website. Whether that be yourself, the ' web expert' in your business or the web designer or outside consultant that you turn to for web help don't delay!     

In short: Old SEO strategies are passé. To stay ahead in the game, you need to be in tune with these ever changing prerequisites. If you thought your website could get away with:

• Links from pages having no content

• Poor quality links from irrelevant sites or links from site JUST crammed with ads

• A static site that isn't updated

• Not having a blog or blogging the same content for multiple submissions or providing poor quality content 

• Absence of Social Media strategy in the overall SEO plan

 Your rankings will suffer!

At Trusted we keep a track of all these unpredictable Google updates for our Trusted partners  and we don't just explain why and how but we  also help them  tackle these changes before they start to hit their rankings and organic website traffic.

Firstly just BEING part of Trusted really helps their SEO!!

Here we share our SEO strategies that are attuned to the latest Google Panda update:

• We link ONLY to sites that make logical sense and we steer clear of deceptive, ad-heavy sites.

• We use mostly unique and always top quality, relative content, every single time we blog...and we blog ALOT ( up to 52 times a month)  

• We incorporate Social Media in the best possible way and that generates a lot of quality  traffic

• We focusing on local search and that is what GOOGLE focuses on when it comes to the kind of businesses we partner with.

But most importantly we don't try to cheat Google rankings or cut corners- we work hard to provide everything that Google values and considers when doing these updates and in the end that is what will win out - It's ALWAYS better to be good than to be slick ...!    

Doesn’t Let the Panda Devour Your Rankings! 

If you are interested in applying for Trusted Regina directory  or Trusted Saskatoon Directory and benefiting from our expertise contact us today!  

The Trusted team strives to keep up with the innovations in marketing and advertising as they happen.. we 'WALK the WALK and TALK the TALK' . Trusted is  super active ( and effective) on our many  (SM's) social media platforms, we blog consistently and we have a fantastic new Trusted App.

' New media ' is constantly changing and it is important as a business owner and / or marketing person to take the time to keep yourself informed (and on track) with new developments, so you can see how they may influence and affect your businesses bottom line now and in the future.

When we find great information we share it with our partners and friends here on the Trusted Canada blog and in person, after all, that's what being social is all about.

The Trusted Directories mandate is to make consumers life easier by promoting and supporting GREAT local SMB's ( Small Medium Businesses) because we realize without them in a marketplace offering great service and local accountability we would all suffer...they are the true life blood of the economy, the worms in the dirt, and it's important that they are supported and that they are encouraged to make time to keep up with consumer trends and habits.       

Canadian connectivity and mobile trends...why it's important to have an online AND mobile presence in business today

( and if not plan for it soon!)

FACTS FIRST:

• Canadian consumers are WAY ahead of the rest of the World when it comes to Online and mobile usage- spending on average 17.5hous a week online!   
• Over 80% of the population has internet access, and more and more Canucks are signing up daily and embracing social media via smartphones. 
• Canadian watch more videos online each month than any other nation on Earth.
• The average Canadian consumer is plugged-in everywhere!

In the average Canadian home it is not uncommon to have 10 + points of internet access ( multiple smart phones, desktops, tablets, laptops, ipods, smart TVs, online gaming system's like Play Stations, Digital Media receivers like Boxee's or Apple TV's) . Canadians access the internet on the go, at work, while watching TV, and while shopping ( who hasn't check a bottle of win on an App or done a quick internet scan to price check on an item you are considering buying? ). So it really doesn't make ANY sense that Canadian businesses are still lagging when it comes to integrating ecommerce and mobile marketing into their marketing strategy. If they want to engage with the constantly increasing online Canadian consumers, businesses must take action to increase their online activity to have a chance of ' getting the sale' .

Marketing experts have been telling us for 2+ years now that “mobile is the next big thing.” ..and guess what it is HERE! 

Local SMB's need to Adapt and Grow ..or they will SUCK, because if they aren't where their customers are looking for them,  they will lose the sale to someone that is! Chances are that someone is a BIG BOX that has been waiting for the opportunity to take the business, with a department of marketers who are in step with what's been happening and who have everything already in place to make the experience as smooth as possible for customers to switch their business over or new customers to choose them.

Here is a great Infographic from 6SMarketing that does a great job of laying out EXACTLY where Canadian connectivity was at in 2012..and it isn't decreasing that's for sure! Some truly startling stats ( from GOOGLE ) that really do prove our point!

So what do we know for sure?  

This ' interweb thingy'  isn't going away,  social is vital for business success NOW (and in the future) and mobile IS an important factor and SHOULD be an important consideration in any SMB's marketing strategy (especially in their website design).

Even if you personally don't feel like you and your social group of peers are as connected as the stats we have shared, even if you don't personally like to be online so much, even if it 's not how YOU do business....take heed of this great saying that we use all the time to prospective clients who struggle with our concept and way of doing things..

"The Fisherman doesn't have to eat the worm ..it's not MEANT for him!"

If you want to know more about Trusted and what we do-  connect with us ..you'll find us on Facebook in Saskatoon, Facebook in Regina , on Twitter @Trustedcanada on You Tube , on Blogger on Pintrest , on LinkedIn or just Contact us through the website

The Trusted directories were set up based upon the principals of good business, and the foundation of good business is integrity. Simply put, if you don't care about your customers needs as a business then you will never be trusted.

When Sara the Trusted founder came up with the ' Trusted directories concept '  she wanted to have clear, simple guildlines or ' guarantees' laid out for all to see , and she knew it was important for the Trusted partners to sign contracts to uphold those guarantees (and for the partners to be held to them by Trusted).  

The Trusted Guarantees

1.Provide the service and quality promised.

2.Complete the job on time.

3.Charge the price quoted with NO surprises.

4.Communicate honestly and be responsive to customer needs.

5.Resolve any issues with customer satisfaction in mind.

All 5 of these guarantees are important ..but the one that can raise a business from average to exceptional is number 5 ...you see it's easy to do business when everything go's to plan ..it's when something go's wrong that a business can truly shine ( or not)...who they deal with upset or angry customers shows how much they are invested in providing the best customer service...especially if the problem was not caused by anything they did! 

We received the following un solicited comment through the the Saskatoon directory recently, from a customer of TRX RV a Trusted Saskatoon RV dealer  and it really proves their worthiness as a Trusted saskatoon business, and we wanted to share it with you!

" We purchased a trailer in 2011 from TRX and while we liked it we found it did not fit our needs. We went back to TRX in 2012 (after researching a multitude of trailers and dealers) and decided to go with a larger version of the same trailer. To our dismay this particular trailer seemed to be plagued with a multitude of major issues, which in spite of the best efforts of the TRX team, were not resolved. We dealt with Tom regarding our frustrations and were pleased with the approach he took with us, and on our behalf, with the manufacturer. While the manufacturer didn’t offer TRX the help or resolution they needed Tom resolved our problems with a satisfactory and equitable solution. Throughout this process, TRX (Tom and his staff) went above and beyond to help us out. We would like to thank the TRX team for their excellent customer service and highly recommend TRX. "

Kudos to the TRX RV Team for the way they handled this issue and thumbs up from the Trusted team! 

Original post by Saskatoon Directory Trusted saskatoon.com