Sept. 8, 2011 – Fifth-generation florist and search engine optimization (SEO) specialist Ryan Freeman presents 'Are Your Hooked Up?', a technology seminar to be held Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 4:00 p.m. during Expo 2011 in Toronto.
Sept. 8, 2011 – Fifth-generation florist and search engine optimization
(SEO) specialist Ryan Freeman presents 'Are Your Hooked Up?', a
technology seminar to be held Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 4:00 p.m. during
Expo 2011 in Toronto. Freeman will share his insights into new ways for business owners to use the ever-growing array of technology to advantage.
Freeman is president of Strider Inc., an SEO and online marketing firm that provides consultations to retailers, B2B businesses and non-profit organizations. He has also developed the popular Florist 2.0 e-commerce platform, and founded FlowerChat.com, the world’s most popular online networking and resource centre for the floral industry. Freeman comes from a long line of florists at Martin’s, the Flower People, based in Toronto.
“More and more customers are shopping online,” says Freeman. “If florists aren’t keeping up with the latest trends and online marketing, customers will go to their competitors.”
Attendees of the seminar will face their challenges and walk away with new ideas to use technology as a tool to build connections and enhance sales. Topics include practical ways to maximize website content, e-newsletters, e-mail campaigns and how to use Twitter and Facebook to grow business opportunities.
“Florists, like a lot of small businesses, really bank on personality,” says Freeman. “Social media gives them a good outlet for that. They don’t have to pass their Tweets or status updates through corporate channels, so they can be a little edgy, they can change their strategy on a dime. They have the voice of a real business person, someone who has invested in the company and can speak with authority without coming across as a corporate voice echoing the corporate line.”
The technology seminar is open to anyone who wants to grow their business, and will be held in conjunction with Landscape Ontario’s Expo, formerly Garden & Floral Expo, Canada’s fall show for the floral and garden industry. Now in its 12th year, Expo is a one-stop shopping venue for florists, garden centre owners, interior plantscapers and mass merchants with boutique floral or outdoor living departments looking for both the plants and garden-related products used to enhance indoor or outdoor living spaces.
Admission to the technology seminar is included with the cost of an EXPO 2011 trade show badge. Registration fees until October 7 are $10 for Landscape Ontario members and $15 for non-members. Prices increase after October 7. Registration is now open; visit www.loexpo.ca for details.
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