Blog written for the Admiral Inn in Victoria, BC

You can imagine the women sitting in the gardens outside of the Hatley Castle in the early 20^th century.   They would have been wearing long trumpet bell skirts and embroidered blouses, heavily boned and draped in lace.  The privileged drank their afternoon tea in the Victorian sunshine accessorized with pin brooches, a carefully knotted scarf or a floppy hat.

This would have been the scene at the Hatley Castle around 1910 if Laura Dunsmuir, wife of British Columbia’s then Lieutenant Governer, James Dunsmuir, was playing hostess on the grounds of their 40 room mansion in Colwood, just outside of Victoria.

You may recognize the castle and grounds from the X-Men film series as Professor Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.  It was also Lex Luthor’s mansion in the television series Smallville, and has made many appearances in film and television over the last 45 years.

Construction of the castle began in 1906 and was completed in 1908.  It was designed by Samuel Maclure, a Canadian architect, and built with local sandstone.  The interior features oak and rosewood paneled rooms, grand fireplaces, teak floors and other lavish details.  Surrounding the mansion, classic Edwardian landscaping welcomes sea views and includes formal gardens and recreational areas.  The Dunsmuirs dubbed their home “Hatley Park”.

After the couple’s passing the family sold the property to the Government of Canada in 1940 and in a matter of months it became a training establishment for the Canadian Navy.  Between 1940 and 1942 the Hatley Castle saw over 600 volunteer reserve officers undergo training before officially becoming the Royal Canadian Naval College at Royal Roads.  It them transformed into a tri-service military college.  It was the Royal Roads Military College until 1995.  That same year the estate was leased to the Province of BC, designated a National Historic Site of Canada and opened as the Royal Roads University.

Come experience this historical treasure! Stroll through the beautiful gardens and grounds, tour the castle and walk through the surrounding old-growth forest on well manicured trails.  Daily tours of the castle and grounds are available to visitors.  Discover the Hatley Castel museum and take your time in the Japanese, Italian and Rose Gardens while soaking in the ocean front setting.

Tours can be booked on-site at the Hatley Museum, located in the basement of the castle.   Larger groups must make bookings ahead of time. For more information call (250) 391-2666 or visit the Explore Hatley Park Castle website.

Connecting Streams held their Annual Ministry Celebration and Volunteer Appreciation evening.  James Cadden and I had the pleasure of producing these testimonial videos from that event.

Watch full playlist here.

Writer/Director:  Amy Hancock

Camera Operator/Video Producer:  James Cadden

An blog article written for the Alberta Camping Association

Does your camp have a good website? Does the quality of your website actually make a difference? Having a user friendly, responsive website with easy-to-find, relevant content that is optimized for search engines is incredibly important. Next to word of mouth, most potential campers and their families will find out about you online. In fact, even if they’ve been told about your camp by a friend or family member, they will search for your camp’s website online before calling you or registering their children for camp. Are you making a good first impression online?

Search Engines for Camps

Regardless of what kind of business you’re in, in this day and age new customers are searching for and finding out about businesses, services and organizations online. Your camp included. Understanding how search engines works will help potential campers and researching parents find your camp, and make sure your organization is performing better on search engine rankings.

How to search engines work?

In the presentation, Search Engine Myths for Camps, the presenter compared search engines to robots. Imagine a robot that spends all day browsing the internet reading various websites. When it visits your camps site it will attempt to ‘read’ your website to determine what your site is all about. Then it will decide how popular or important your site is to searchers. It will use all of this information to decide whether or not your site is relevant to those searchers entering specific phrases or keywords and if it will show up on their search results.

Search engines will look at the code of your web content to determine its relevance.  If it can’t read the code, it can’t read the content and that is why having clean code is important. Search engines can easily read error free xhtml, css, and some javascript but can’t read flash. If you were to look in the ‘text’ editor of your flash based website you will see that there is virtually no content for the search engine to read. If your website has bad code the search engine automatically decides it’s an unimportant site and ranks it lower. Speak to your web developer about your code, or if your website was created by a staff member or volunteer, ask them about it.

Besides having clean code, having good content is equally as important. Search engines are looking for good content. Remember that they can only read, so images  mean nothing to them, however alternative text/tags and image titles are required for good code and can be read by search engines.

How to Improve your Camp Website Rankings

Determine your main users. Think of your potential campers, parents, schools and user groups. What questions to they ask when they call you on the phone? What kind of information are they looking for when you run into them at a trade show or conference? Make sure your website answers these questions and answers them clearly and concisely.

Web users should be able to easily navigate your site. Have the most important information on the homepage or in the main navigation menu. Information regarding camp schedules, programs, and contact information should be incredibly easy to find and not too many ‘clicks’ away from the landing page. By creating a ‘hierarchy’ to the pages you can make the most important pages the most accessible, and then give access to sub-pages through drop-down menus from there. Keep it simple and don’t have more than three tiers on our sub-page menus.

Improve your content. Keep it short and simple and remember that people usually scan content looking for the information they require. Use bold headers and sub-headers to make important information easy to find. Your web copy should include a few instances of keywords or phrases. Do not list keywords or force them into sentences. Use them naturally within your content. In fact, having too many instances of your keywords can actually harm your rankings. Fix any spelling and grammar mistakes and give useful, original information. Do not plagiarize content from other organizations.

Get your camp’s website on popular websites and directories. Popularity is key for appearing on the first page of search engine rankings. You can ‘tether’ off of big, popular websites by having links to your website on theirs. Members of the Alberta Camping Association will be listed and linked in our directory. Get on other websites by joining your local chamber of commerce and submitting your website to established, industry specific business directories. Use social media networks like Facebook and Twitter to get more links to your website out on the world wide web. It’s also important to have links to other websites within your own content.

Google is the number one search engine and the most used in the world. Second to Google is YouTube, which is owned by Google. If you improve your search rankings on Google, other engines like Yahoo and Bing will follow.

You can also submit your content to Google. This will allow you to increase visibility and optimize your website for searches. Google makes it very easy for you to add your URL, label your content to help users find pages relevant to their search and submit a sitemap of your website to google. You can publish your local content to Google Maps and Google Places. Having a listing on Google Maps will help your camp’s website show up in searches without paying for Adwords.  Click here to learn how.

There are Google Grants available for non-profit organizations that grant $10,000 per year to use towards Google Adwords advertising.   Your advertisement will appear on the top of the search engine results page and along the right sidebar.  Google support forums will teach you how to properly use Google Analytics and Adwords so you can build and design ads and campaigns that will work best for your camp’s online marketing. The best part is that this grant is on-going. Learn more about Google Grants here.

If you’re unable to design a website using proper code or create good web content, you might want to consider hiring a professional web developer.  Although the initial cost might seem expensive for non-profit summer camps, you will see a return on that investment over the years.  Incorporating that cost into your annual budget should be considered.

Twitter offers a few guidelines to consider for your business’s content strategy.

How often should I tweet?
It depends on your business, but Twitter suggests establishing a regular cadence of tweeting so your followers know when they are going to get updates from you.

What is the best time to tweet?
We’ve seen that there is double* the engagement rate when Tweets are published during the day (8AM – 7PM).  However, consider tweeting throughout the day to reach different time zones.

Which day of the week should I tweet on?
Test multiple days of the week to see what works best.  Saturdays and Sundays may have a higher engagement rate as that is when most people are not at work.

Source – http://us3.campaign-archive2.com/?u=a633906a34ad24c74d22646e6&id=bc72dfd783&e=4734d9a97d

Blog Post written for the Alberta Camping Association

What is Google Grants?

A Google Grant is a grant that gives you a $10, 000 PER MONTH in free-pay-per click advertising. Google is not giving you money; they are giving your credit for Google AdWords every month to use specifically for online advertising on Google. Although there is a yearly renewal process, this program doesn’t have an end date, so it can be very beneficial for increasing online awareness for your camp or non-profit organization.

Is Your Camp Eligible?

Your camp must reach the following criteria to be eligible for Google Grants:

• Hold a current charity status in Canada.  That means organizations must be registered under the Canada Income Tax Act, able to issue charitable receipts to donors, and are exempt from income tax in order to be considered for this program.
• Have a website and have your ads linked to only one organization’s website.  There are more details pertaining to this qualification.  You can read them in the Google Ads Grant program eligibility guidelines.
• Must not be one of the following types of organizations:
  • Governmental entities and organizations
  • Hospitals and medical groups
  • Schools, childcare centres, academic institutions and universities (philanthropic arms of educational organizations are eligible). To learn more about Google’s programs for educational institutions, visit Google for Education.

What is pay-per-click advertising?

Load Google and search for your camp. You will come to a search screen with all of your search results. As an organization you use Google AdWords to find keywords and phrases that users would use to search for your camp. Google will put your advertising on the sidebar and top of a Google search page.  We see that some of our member camps are already using Google AdWords!

Google statistics state that advertising gets over 300 million clicks per day! This is a great opportunity to attract supporters, donors, volunteers, new campers, staff!

Ways to Use Google Grants

Awareness: Promote your camp, your cause and educate people on what you do.  Increase your presence online and in the community.

Fundraising: Make it easier for people to donate.  You can have your Google Ad linked to a donation page.

Email: Use it to grow your email list! You can drive relevant visitors to your page to sign up to your newsletter. This gives you the chance to start connecting with people who find you online, build relationships and gain more camp families.  It is also in compliance with the new Canadian Anti-Spam Laws which will come into force on July 1, 2014.

Volunteers: Connect with people who are searching for volunteer opportunities in their community or from abroad.

Newsletter or Blog: Use this to increase the readership of your blog or newsletter. Give them the opportunity to ‘subscribe’ to your publications and you’ll have started to build a captivated online audience.

Events: Promote specific events including fundraising events, open houses, and community events happening at your facility.

The Specifics:  How can YOUR organization use FREE advertising?

Determine the website pages you want to promote. 

Perhaps you want to use the free advertising to build awareness for your organization and it’s benefits to the community.  Link your Google Ad to  a page on your website that tells viewers what you do, how they can send their kids and/or get involved with your camp and how they can contact you.  Make sure users are able to find that information quickly when they arrive at the landing page.

If you want to use the advertising for fundraising, link it to your donation page. Make sure it is very obvious for users to donate once they get there. Have several “donate now” buttons, banners and links that are very visible and easy to find.  You should also have some information on the benefits of your organization and how donations will help.

Find relevant keywords that people are searching for.

Use your free Google Adwords account to find certain search words or phrases that are popular amongst people in your target area. You can search different word combinations and phrases to find how many people search for those each month, who is in your area, and how competitive those words are.   Further details on finding effect keywords and phrases can be found further down this blog post.

Watch this short video to learn more about getting started with Google AdWords:

Bring those searches to your website.

Your sidebar advertisement or top-of-page will appear when people search your keywords. Every time people click they arrive at your webpage of choice. You can use the Google Adwords free preview tool to view how your webpage will appear on a search engine page.

The Application Process

For Canadian non-profit, charitable organizations that are eligible for Google Grants, the application process is very simple.

1. Create a Google Adwords account
2. Apply to Google Grants
3. Activate your grant after approval.  It takes approximately 30 days.

Tips on how to succeed with Google Grants:

Strategize: Think about some specific ways that you can use the grant. Think about what you want to promote, what keywords are relevant to the page and how can you drive people to your website.

Structure your campaigns: Base your campaign off the goals you want to achieve with your advertising.

Create Ad Groups:  Ad Groups are groups of highly related keywords, ads and bids you manage together.  Google uses Ad Groups to show your ads to people who would be the most interested in them based on their search. It’s something you have to do when inside AdWords. Try to limit your keywords to 10-20 keywords per ad group. Putting hundreds of keywords in your ad groups will hold you back.   Learn more about Ad Groups in this tutorial video.

Research keywords: Look for keywords that have high search engine traffic. There is a free keyword planner tool accessible from your Google AdWords account. Try different variations of your keywords to find the ones that are the most popular with the lowest competition. For example: the keywords “youth empowerment” might have fewer searches than “empowering youth”.  Commit some time into researching the key words that will work best for your camp.

Low competition makes a difference. Remember that your ads appear because of your cost-per-click bid and your advertisement is in an ad auction for the ad space that is the most desirable. Some keywords are highly competitive because many AdWords users are placing higher bids for them. Non-profits can only bid up to a maximum up to $2.00. This is why it’s important you choose words that will rank lower in competition but higher in search results to effectively compete in search engine results.

Your AdWords should have a high quality score.  This is an estimate of how relevant your ads, keywords, and landing page are to a person seeing your ad. You can find your quality score in Google AdWords by clicking on the campaign tab and then selecting keywords.  Here are some tips for getting a higher quality score:

• Make sure you are deleting duplicate keywords inside your account or they start to compete with each other.
• Use negative keywords. Negative keywords can help narrow searches. Example: Camps could use negative keywords like “work camp” or “camp ground” that would discourage search results for people looking for industrial work camps or commercial camp grounds.

Google has provided great resources for understanding and improving your quality score.  View this video tutorial “What is AdWords Quality Score and Why Does it Matter.”

Write effective ad text: Use two or three variations of ad text per group of AdWords.  Here are some tips for writing successful ad text.

Build landing pages: This allows you to more effectively engage and convert traffic. Have one landing page per campaign or goal you want to achieve through your Google advertising.  Remember that all of your landing pages must be under the same URL (on the same webpage) and only for the organization that was approved for Google Grants.

Monitor results and optimize: You have to experiment using different AdWords. The more you use the system the better you’ll be able to optimize its effectiveness. Use Google Analytics to gauge your web hits and advertising results.

Sources:   

CharityHowTo Webinar presented by ConnectAd:  http://charityhowto.com/blog/blogs/Google%20Grants%20Free%20Webinar.pdf

Google AdWords Support Articles: https://support.google.com/adwords

Hootsource:  Covering the World of Social Media Culture by Hootsuite

Dr. Seuss, the writer and illustrator behind children’s classics The Cat in the Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and The Lorax, would have turned 110 on March 2nd. We think that if he were alive today, he would have been a social media master. So to honor his wit and wisdom, here’s our interpretation of the Seuss guide to Twitter.

Blog Post for Black Rock Oceanfront Resort

Most people think the winter months are a quiet time for the quaint fishing village of Ucluelet, BC. Tucked away on the west coast of Vancouver Island, this end-of-the-road town must settle into a subdued hibernation, patiently waiting for the next summer season.

There is nothing quiet about the west coast during the winter. Howling winds, driving rain and the roar of massive crashing waves will shake anyone out of hibernation. Anyone who has witnessed a storm on the west coast knows that this place is anything but dull during this special season. It’s alive with the excitement of the next thrashing wave and the awe of nature’s power displayed in all its glory.

People don’t run from the weather, they run for their cameras and rain gear and embrace the raw beauty that blows in with the storm. For the past several years storm watching has become a major draw for visitors and people come from all over the country (and the world) to take in the sights and sounds, and often thunderous vibrations of a winter storm.

Storm watching season in Ucluelet is from November to March. During this time we can expect to see 10-15 major storms each month. The most impressive storms are usually seen December through February. It’s also during this time that we see most of our annual 4 metres of rainfall and in many cases it might seem like it’s coming from the ground up! There is still plenty of time for you to visit the west coast of Vancouver Island and experience a winter storm for yourself.

If you’re feeling adventurous and want to experience the storm up-close and personal, there are plenty of safe places to watch a storm. We suggest suiting up in proper raingear, and Black Rock can help provide you with that, as a storm is most enjoyed when you’re not getting soaking wet! Key storm watching locations are the Amphitrite Lighthouse, along the Wild Pacific Trail, and right in front of Black Rock Oceanfront Resort.

If you’d rather stay warm and cozy, but don’t want to miss out on the action, you can watch the storms from Black Rock Oceanfront Resort. Sit down in Float Lounge with your favourite hot drink, beer or cocktail and watch the waves blast into the black rocks below as you stay warm by the fire. Enjoy a gourmet meal and a glass of wine at Fletch Restaurant and witness 10 foot waves roll in from the raging Pacific Ocean. Both of these rooms offer floor to ceiling windows and are your best option for indoor storm watching in Ucluelet.

You can also witness a west coast storm from the comfort of your luxury suite at Black Rock Oceanfront Resort. With most of our rooms having ocean views you won’t miss a thing while staying cozy by your fire or even in your soaker tub. Listen to the pounding waves and witness the blasts of sea spray without ever having to change out of your comfortable robe.

Storm Watching Package

Our unique Storm Watching Package includes:

• –  Minimum two nights accommodation
• –  Black Rock umbrella, to help you weather the storm (1 per reservation)
• –  Black Rock travel mugs (per person)
• –  $75 Food and Beverage Credit (for use in Fetch Restaurant or Float Lounge)

Package Price Starting at $207pp, based on double occupancy.

Storm Watching Package is available from November 1st, 2013 to March 31st, 2014.  Call us to book your Storm Watching Package today at 1-877-762-5011!

Are you ready to witness a west coast storm for yourself?

Until next time,

Amy Hancock

3 Ways to Make Yourself Quotable on Social Media

By Daniel L. Wick – Association & Media Publishing, Publications & Resources

Everyone loves a great quote that can summarize pages of paragraphs in just a line or two, which is perfect for today’s bite-size posts shared on social media sites. Many quotes are aphorisms, or epigrams, or have the qualities of an epigram.

Epigrams and aphorisms are both original thoughts that are usually concise and memorable; they’re brief, usually witty, occasionally profound observations on life, love, death, philosophy, religion, and virtually everything else. Here are some tips for crafting your own memorable quotes:

• Don’t be afraid to stand out. Have you ever liked or reposted a great quote shared by a friend? You may be circulating a meme, an idea that spreads from one individual to the next. It’s like a cliché on steroids when it goes viral. If you have your own thought, why not share it with your colleagues and friends? Many people believe that since they’re not Shakespeare, they have no business spreading their original pithy observations…but you may be surprised by the response.

• Repurpose conventional quotes. If you’re tired of conventional wisdom, put your own twist on that nugget of truth. People will instantly recognize the quote but have to pause to process its new meaning. A couple of examples: “Beauty is only sin deep,” and “You shouldn’t judge a cover by its book.”

• Ask yourself: “Does it feel right?” How do you know that you’ve come up with something that will provoke thought and delight? It’s one thing to succinctly pose a clever question that is deceptively profound; it’s another thing to confuse people with a poorly stated idea.

As any good writer would do, put yourself in the reader’s seat. After verifying the meaning and grammatical flow, read with a fresh point of view and ascertain whether or not it resonates with that something extra.

Of course, great ideas and great quotes don’t often reveal themselves on command; they usually spring forth on their own terms. My advice is to be open when a good idea presents itself.

What are some of your more memorable quotes on social media?

Daniel L. Wick is an international award-winning author of books, articles, and plays. He holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of California and has taught at the college level for more than 30 years. His latest book is An Epidemic of Epigrams or an Avalanche of Aphorisms

Wrote for www.isafety.ca/blog

Unsafe Workers Face Fines

This is a promotional video I created with James Cadden for Cancom and their subdivision “Royal Oaks“

Welcome to Royal Oaks! This executive lifestyle neighbourhood is located just 5 minutes south of Edmonton, near Beaumont and the Edmonton International Airport. Build your dream home in this master planned community. Escape the hectic noise of the city in this natural retreat, without losing access to nearby urban comforts and amenities.

Book your lot today! Visit www.royal-oaks.ca