sbk MARKETING

If you are in Calgary, and do anything in the social media, PR or communications field you have heard of Doug Lacombe.

Doug owns ‘communicatto‘ – a Calgary Social Media Agency. His experience is deep and broad, from publishing the first Canadian newspaper online to teaching digital marketing at Mount Royal University. He what Chris Brogan and Julien Smith would call a Trust Agent. Doug contributes to Calgary’s  online marketing industry by volunteering with the Calgary Chapter of CMA, CPRS and he also leads the Calgary Chapter of Third Tuesday. And I am sure I have missed 20 other things he does. Okay, Doug has also been recording and sharing podcasts dubbed ‘communicatto chatto’ – he does it all!

Not sure where he found the time, but he was able to answer a few questions I posed to him on Calgary’s Third Tuesday Meetup Group – a meetup that is run by volunteers, free to attend, and always worthwhile.

Why is Third Tuesday important to you?

I think it is important to explore the possibilities of this nascent technology with as many smart people from as many walks of life as possible. So there’s the educational element combined with the social element, both of which fuel me and I hope the same goes for other members of Third Tuesday. 

What do you feel people get out of Third Tuesday?

Education, social interaction, sometimes though-provoking alternate views, and now that we’re switching up the venue, beer.

How have you seen Third Tuesday meetings and membership grow?

Back in 2008 I ran into Joe Thornley, a Third Tuesday founder, at a conference in Halifax and I asked him if he would help me start a Calgary chapter. He agreed with his usual high level of enthusiasm and has been tremendously supportive ever since. Our first meeting was that fall, a mere six of us in a pub, and from those humble beginnings we have grown to 350+ members of which 30 or so attend each month. This year we hope to add some spice to the lecture format by taking the club to more social venues and bringing in strong presenters and content by webinar.

What makes a successful Third Tuesday event?

Content and people, which, when done well, leads to lively interaction. That’s what I shoot for – a vibrant Q&A.

Has anything unexpected come out of a Third Tuesday event?

Because of my earlier emphasis on the social media campaigns for the CBC/Calgary Reads annual book sale, numerous people put up their hands and volunteered in one way or another. For example, Brian Singh (@bfsingh) of Zinc Research generously took on the customer survey work for the sale and gave us much needed data to refine our event. Louise Desmarais (@louisedesmarais) of Mud Creative and Kelly Ferrier (@kayphair) of Kay Phair Advising both took on blogging duties. Others came to sort books or just buy, all of which yielded record results year over year – very satisfying.

Where do you see Calgary going as far as adoption of Social Media, and getting value out of Social Media efforts?

Right now in Calgary there seems to be an explosion of business-to-consumer companies (such as retail, services like plumbing, or the city administration) reaching out to consumers with a wide variety of messages and support via social media. Business-to-business (B2B) is a bit slower to follow, but it is heating up too – the thing is what we don’t necessarily see is the planning and preparation B2B companies are engaging in prior to launching their social media programs. Those are coming. I have high hopes for resource industries fighting back with facts and science as a counter to some of the unsubstantiated attacks that currently plague our province on social media. 

Follow Doug on Twitter: @dblacombe

And subscribe/bookmark his blog - it’s one of the best in Calgary.

Sign up for the Calgary Third Tuesday Meeting Group (they don’t usually occur on the third Tuesday of the month) on meetup.com.