Let's learn Salsa! ( Published in Anokhi Magazine.com)

Recently my article got published in North America's largest South Asian fashion and lifestyle magazine. Here is the link to the article -
 http://www.anokhimagazine.com/online-exclusives/lets-learn-salsa-dancing-toronto

Let’s learn Salsa!

"The chemistry was beginning to fade". This was what Natasha mentioned to me a few days ago. She had been married for 7 years now.

Mother to a 4 year-old boy, Natasha was concerned that she and her husband weren't spending quality time together as they were busy in their daily chores. But she was excited now. "Every weekend, we go for Salsa dance classes. My hubby isn't a great dancer, but he is giving his best, and he is enjoying it. The close dance is reigniting the intimate connection between us".

It is often said that dancing is good for the soul. And if the dance is Salsa, what better! Salsa dancing, popular in North and Latin America, is gaining popularity in the rest of world. The origin of Salsa dates back to the 1950s and the popular style followed today emerged from New York in the 1970s. Salsa music is an amalgam of a number of Cuban styles. What makes this dance unique is the beauty and grace where subtle movement of legs and upper body is used to convey the energy of the dance.

As it is a partner dance and follows a high tempo, learning Salsa requires practice. Hence, there are several dance schools in North America with the most popular classes offered being Salsa lessons. Almost all dance schools have a Level 1 lessons meant for beginners. These lessons span over 10-12 one hour classes. The best part is that once the individuals get the Salsa basics, they could try out their moves at the social outings often organized by these dance schools or by various night clubs. And it's just so much fun!

There are various reasons why individuals sign up for salsa classes. While some have a long term desire to learn Salsa after they see a TV show, others follow in for the music. Tracie Yee, Instructor at Toronto Dance Salsa, Canada's largest dance school is one such person. She relocated to Toronto in 2002 and enrolled in Salsa classes as she wanted to meet people and learn a new style of dance. Soon, she fell in love with the dance and through further Salsa education is now an instructor helping beginners learn the dance.

When asked what she loves about teaching Salsa to beginners, Tracey says, "I love experiencing the excitement that a student feels when they accomplish something in class: remembering a turn pattern, figuring out footwork or executing a combo on their own." She loves it when her students who start as absolute beginners gradually venture out to socials and outings and make an impact. The feeling of seeing a novice being comfortable at Salsa makes her "feel like a proud parent!"

Learning Salsa has certain advantages too. Salsa dancing is a great way to stay fit, let loose with a partner or even spice up a romantic relationship with your significant other. When asked how one can figure out if dancing is for me, Tracey quickly retorts "I hear this kind of thing all the time. Figuring out if you can dance is just a matter of trying. I have seen many people who have confessed to having two left feet or no dance experience become wonderful dancers. Remember that in dance, as in learning, any art form, technique and passion are equally important. When you're learning to dance, remember that it's not just about what you're learning, but why you're learning. When the technical side of dance becomes frustrating, recall the reason why took up dance in the first place - it could be the love of the music, the love of the feeling on the dance floor or the love of learning something new. Then dance will be a wonderful and inspiring companion for life".

Wanting to learn Salsa could be your long term desire, but it takes some courage to get out of the comfort zone and try something new. You'll enjoy the experience. As Tracey puts it "You'll learn to laugh at yourself and celebrate all the awkward and the graceful moments equally. Embrace wherever your love of dance takes you and enjoy every moment."

Yes, learning to dance Salsa could be a wonderful thing. If you had ever wanted to get fitter or spice up your relationship, pick up those dancing shoes and let yourself lose. You'll take your time to learn but will have fun and enjoy the experience.

BY SMRUTI DAS / POSTED APRIL 19, 2012

Well, your virtual store is here!

Source: Strategy Online,Canada

A few weeks ago, I had written a blog on QR codes. I had mentioned about an article how smart marketers use QR codes. The Global supermarket giant Tesco used QR codes to entice hard-working, time-strapped Koreans into its stores by bringing the shopping experience to them, with virtual stores based in subways and metro stations. Now the same thing is happening here in Toronto, the first of its kind in North America.

Well.ca, a Canadian online store that focuses on health, beauty, personal care and household products has launched what it says is the first virtual shopping wall in North America.

The Union Station (Subway stop) in Toronto has the virtual walls now. Folks can scan the QR codes to make the purchase and the items will be delivered free to them the very next day. The virtual shelves hold products from P&G brands such as Tide, Crest, Head and Shoulders and Pampers.

Who is the target audience? The folks at well.ca claim that the target audience are women with children who after a long day of work don’t necessarily want to carry large diaper boxes. It'll be interesting to see if these "women with childen" adopt this technology (and scan a wall) and are attracted to the idea. Perhaps, the Union Station was the best test bed. The wall is out there until April 30. So, do check it out!

You can propose or accept through FB!

People in the history have tried different ways to get attention and propose to their loved ones. Some have tried banners flying in the sky, others got their message flashed in a stadium during a break. Here is a new addition to that. Using FB to get the message to your loved one. Yes, that is possible! The biggest advantage of FB is that you can target an ad to a specific audience.

And she exactly did that. Read this article in Metro News

"After hearing a social media expert talk about how you can micro-target advertising messages on Facebook, Judi Brown decided she would accept Matt’s proposal digitally by creating a Facebook ad that would be guaranteed to be read by him.

‘Yes I’ll Marry You Matt’ was the headline Jodi used in the Facebook advertising campaign along with a picture and a short blurb about how she felt.

....It took Matt just five minutes on the day the campaign was launched to notice it on his Facebook page.

She says the campaign ran just for the one day, and seven people including Matt saw it an average of 12 times each. At the end of the day, the campaign cost her three cents in total — for every thousand times the ad showed up, the price was one dollar.

Now, isn't Social Media an effective way to get your message across to the right audience for a small investment. Advertisers, this article is some good inspiration to try Social Media advertising.

Love for LUSH!

As the lady at the store explained me how to use the “Mask of Magnaminty”, my husband looked at me and asked "Can I eat this?" His question was a valid one as LUSH products are technically edible. He did not dare to try that though.

LUSH,a brand known for fresh handmade bath and beauty products,is extremely popular worldwide. They have over 600 stores in more than 400 countries. From Saudi Arabia to Sri Lanka, and from Bangalore to Toronto, LUSH has a strong loyal fan base.But what makes these products special? They are 100% organic and handmade. What excites most individuals at a LUSH store is that the products are full of bright colors and great scent. To top that, the reps at the store are extremely knowledgeable. They are polite, take personal interest and know the stuff.

LUSH is a great example of a high quality product with some unique selling tricks. It has some innovative marketing and branding strategies. Sample this – a product called “Bath Bombs” are solid balls made of sodium bicarbonate that fizz with different scents and colors when dropped in the bathtub. Isn’t that cool?
I have hardly seen any ads of LUSH in the print and television media but I have heard many women talk passionately about it. And LUSH makes sure that there is lot to talk about it. They do not sell products older than four months. The soap bars are sold "naked" i.e. free of wasteful plastic packaging. They also promote recycling of containers.

And my favorite part - each LUSH product has a sticker with the date the product was made and the name of the person who made it. I think that this is a great way of employee motivation. Imagine if I worked at LUSH and made a face mask and the package had my name on it.! BTW, the mask that I bought was made by Adam. Thank you, Adam!

Roll up the Rim to Win

As soon as you finish your coffee (or even before that), you roll up the rim and check if you have won something? If you are lucky, in the best case, you could be winning a Toyota Camry or in the most likely case - a free coffee. Yes, am talking about Tim Horton's "Roll Up the Rim to Win" contest. Every now and then, I see folks in Toronto finishing their coffee and rolling up the rim to see if they have won anything. Recently, a stranger at the subway station asked me if I had won anything just as I had just finished my coffee and had rolled up the rim.(Unfortunately, the message read “ Play again”).

A promotional event something like this is bound to create some excitement. I found out that Tim Horton’s has been running this promotion for the past 26 years!. When they started this annual contest, the prize was just a box of Timbits. And every year since then, the prize has grown bigger and better. This year, Tim Hortons is promising $60 million in prizes. It is believed that about 80% of the prizes are redeemed every year. The company claims that he chances of winning are 1 in six. The excitement runs so high that there were recent reports that thieves have been stealing the Roll Up the Rim cups. Perhaps, this was the easiest way for the thieves to win a prizes that include Toyota Camry Hybrids and Panasonic 3D TVs.

I was curious to know if anyone had won a Toyota Camry yet. I googled and read that an Ottawa rapper had won it recently. Good, makes me believe that these promotions are for real! :)

Personally, I think this is a great marketing campaign. The loyal customers would feel good if they won something (even a free coffee) and the not so regular drinkers would hope for a big prize and try it out. And all this should ensure increased sales for Tim Hortons. Perhaps not!. This is what Tim Horton’s reported last year as it could not meet shareholder’s expectations. (I find this difficult to digest.)

Anyway, I’ll keep purchasing a few more Tim Horton products till the contests last and hope that I get a big prize. Owning a Camry or a 3D TV as prize would be nice ! Keeping my fingers crossed!

Family Day Outing

It was -6 degrees outside and a freezing cold Sunday morning. One would love to stay at home with blankets covered and sleep for hours. But destiny had something else in store for us. As I and my hubby got up in the morning, the first thought that came across our mind was to get ready and get going. We were excited. We packed our bags and an hour later, we were on our way to a destiny unknown.

Ashok, a good friend of ours, had planned to take us trekking to a nearby area - about 60km from Toronto. We met him at Downtown and headed towards Hanks for an awesome brunch. After a sumptuous meal, we headed towards our destination - We were on our way to Hamilton. On reaching the place, we grabbed some coffee and then started trekking. As we walked in the beauty of nature, we could hear slight sound of waterfalls. I turned towards Ashok and asked him- 'Are you taking us to a water fall?' He just smiled and said 'Have patience and discover your destination.' My curiosity knew no bounds. The roads were slippery but the weather was awesome and the experience of trekking was exhilarating. As we walked, the sound of the waterfall grew prominent. Finally, I saw the Falls from far.The view was mesmerizing.Ashok told us that the fall was privately owned and was called the Sherman Falls. The 17m high curtain waterfall in Ancaster Heights looked beautiful. We walked close to the Falls and the ice cold water ran a shiver down our spine. Ashok, who is a passionate Photographer and nature lover, started clicking pictures and we were busy posing. It was a fun experience and I was amazed to see Ashok's dedication towards nature. His pictures tell stories and each picture is a masterpiece.

After enjoying the falls and basking in the beauty of nature, we started moving towards the car and decided to get back to town.On our way back, Ashok took us to China town and the place reminded me of Hongkong. There were Chinese groceries, shops and restaurants everywhere. There was a beautiful Dragon Gate in the middle of the street. There were streetcars buzzing with people on the streets even at 9pm in the night. People seemed to be comfortable shopping and queuing outside those Chinese Restaurants. Chinese being my favourite cuisine, we decided to have dinner at a restaurant there. We had loads (yes!) of crab soup, shrimps and chicken. We chatted for hours, laughed and loved the food. Having had a great dinner, we realized that it got quite late and we said goodbye to Ashok and headed back home.

On reaching home, as I and my husband sat on the couch, we were all in praise for Ashok for planning such an awesome adventurous trip and convincing us to go out on a cold Sunday morning. Had we not gone out that day, we would have never explored the beauty of nature. We would have never known that there was beauty out there that needs to be admired.

So if I were to sum up my experiences about this trip, I learnt three things from Ashok

Explore the world: Ashok is a person who loves to explore the world. We should all have fun and go out and find out what is new. Had we sat at home watching TV or sleeping a few additional hours, we would have missed the fun.

Follow your passion: Ashok religiously follows his passion for photography and that makes him happy in life. We all have a passion but it is up to us to what extent we follow our passion and enjoy our life.

Live the moment: He knew we love Chinese food and he wanted to make sure that we lived the moment. He took us to a great resturant in China Town so that we could feel and live the Chinese experience. As we had a good laugh and enjoyed the food, we forgot about our worries of past and future.

Ash as we call him is a happy go lucky guy and having him as a friend is a gift for one and all.

9 Hot Tips for Small Business Marketing on Facebook

I just read an article that provides 9 Hot Tips for Small Business Marketing on Facebook. Very interesting read.

Here are the tips from the article:

1. See if Your Vanity URL Is Available on Name Vine

2.Use a Third-Party Platform (like Hootsuite) to Distribute Social Content

3.Use an Application Publishing Platform (like North Social)

4.Utilize Social Plugins (free) Wherever Possible

5.Find Out When and What to Post on Facebook (using Edgerank Checker)

6.Use Facebook Insights

7.Provide Local Content

8.Create a QR Code for Your Facebook Fan Page

9.Buy Facebook Ads