2011

All posts from 2011

Deadliest Online Warrior: Marketing Tactics Battle for Budget

by Kelly Kubrick on September 21, 2011

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been pulling together data and screen shots for a presentation to CMA Ottawa (the Canadian Marketing AssociationOttawa Chapter) on Tuesday, September 27th, 2011 at the Hampton Inn and Conference Centre.

CMA Ottawa - Ottawa Chapter Canadian Marketing AssociationI’m presenting “Deadliest Online Warrior: “Marketing Tactics in a Battle for Budget” to fellow marketers in the national capital region. My plan is to present online marketing campaign results in a case study format so that the audience can get a feel for how different tactics performed. Until then:

“Instead of a TV show that pits historic and modern warriors to battle to the death, how about a conversation that pits historic and modern online marketing tactics in a battle for budget?

As customers spend more time in social networks and less in their email boxes and traditional websites, how should organizations adjust their online acquisition strategies? Join Kelly Kubrick of Online Authority for insight into the effects of combining paid search and social advertising with the power of social media marketing. Kelly will take you through a head-to-head result comparison between tactical legends of the online battlefield:

•    Paid Keyword Search vs. Social Network Advertising’s Demographic / Psychographic Targeting?
•    Banners: Behavioural Targeting vs. Search Term Targeting?
•    Email Buy vs. Social Media Content Marketing?”

I’m very pleased to report that CMA Ottawa now has online registration available. Event details are:

When:     Tuesday, September 27th, 2011 from 11:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.
Where:     Hampton Inn and Conference Centre, 100 Coventry Road, Ottawa, K1K 4S3
Cost:         $ 40.00 for CMA members, $ 55.00 for non-members

As always, there’s plenty of free parking and the cost includes lunch, coffee, dessert, and a great opportunity to network with many other local marketing professionals.

For those of you who may not be familiar with CMA Ottawa, they “host monthly networking and educational luncheons and seminars throughout the year.  CMA Ottawa is a place of dynamic exchange among direct, interactive and customer contact marketing users, creators, managers and suppliers.”

I hope to see you there!

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Kelly KubrickDeadliest Online Warrior: Marketing Tactics Battle for Budget

Landing Page Lessons from Optimization Summit 2011

by Kelly Kubrick on June 20, 2011

Earlier this month, I attended MECLABS‘ inaugural Optimization Summit in Atlanta, Georgia. As  MECLABS is the parent of MarketingSherpa and MarketingExperiments, I was curious as I’ve been a fan of the former for years. I have only recently come across the latter but have already found their “Best of” monthly emails very useful. I expected  case studies to be at the core of the conference material and was not disappointed. As a side bonus, I was introduced to an unexpected and entertaining cast of characters including Dr Flint McGlaughlin and “the Pool Guy”, aka Marcus Sheridan, the Sales Lion.

Landing Pages Should Reflect the Rituals of Good Conversation

Dr McGlaughlin kicked off the pre-Summit Landing Page Optimization Workshop by suggesting that landing page optimization is akin to a successful conversation, whereby certain rituals and patterns need to respected before value can be exchanged. The geography of the landing page provides you with the opportunity to anticipate and manage the chronology and sequence of a conversation with your prospects. The entertainment value arose from the irresistible temptation to act out how a flawed landing page contains the same landmines encountered in a flawed pick up attempt at a bar…

My favourite comment related to marketers’ mistaken need to slam product or lifestyle ‘hero shots’ and aggressive calls to action front and centre on their landing pages (guess who’s making that mistake on the home page right now?). According to Dr McGlaughlin, those hero shots are like meeting someone at a bar and immediately asking them to move in with you. Who wouldn’t turn tail and bolt? At best, it’s overly enthusiastic and misguided, and at worst, predatory. Instead, as marketers, we need to take a step back to map the sequence of a successful conversation, and plan our landing pages accordingly.

Consider the Source: Understand Channel Relevance

Start by thinking through the traffic source or channel your prospect arrives by, whether it be via organic or paid search, advertising on social networking sites, or via your own email newsletter, etc. Depending on the source, your visitor may be completely new to your product or service or have already been sold on it, and may simply want you to get out of their way. If the former, assume more copy might be needed and if the latter, less is most definitely more.

Put yourself in your prospect’s frame of mind and remind yourself of the value proposition you implied in that source channel. MarketingExperiments defines your value proposition as “the primary reason why your ideal prospect should buy from you rather than your competitors” (expressed in 10 words or less).

Your Headline Should Keep the Promise You Implied

Ensure that you keep that promise by opening your landing page with a headline that initiates the conversation between the two of you. Your only task here is to intrigue the prospect enough to keep him or her from immediately clicking on the back button. You can do that by ensuring your headline provides the connection between the source channel and the landing page itself. Be sure the visitor is able to orient him / herself by providing clarity about where they are and what to do next. To illustrate, Dr McGlaughlin provided the following examples of original vs. alternate treatment headlines:

Original: Why Try BRAND Online?
Treatment: Get Unlimited Access to all 32 Volumes of BRAND during your FREE TRIAL..
Original: Searching for the Most Accurate Mailing Lists? Your Hunt is Over!
Treatment: We Make 26 Million Phone Calls a Year to Ensure You Get The Most Accurate Mailing Lists Available!

Next, draw your visitors’ eye further into the page by offering a few brief sentences that expand on your headline. Do that well, and you can entice the visitor to scan a sub-heading that leads into a handful of bullet points that reinforce the value proposition promise. The reinforcement comes from the provision of key quantitative data (in your bullets) that validates any claims you’ve made to date.

At this stage, the conversation should be rolling along well enough that you are now in a position to suggest a call to action. As you  make the ask, you also need to provide an incentive to convince the visitor to actually take the action. Further, that incentive needs to be directly related to your value proposition, and you should include a visual to illustrate the incentive. As an example, include an image of the charts or tables from the report you’re asking the visitor to register to receive.

Avoid Landmines: Don’t Require Your Visitors To Submit

Be careful of the classic landmine, also known as the “submit” button. I wish I could play a recording so that you might hear Dr McGlaughlin’s booming southern preacher voice as he lacerated this bad habit of ours: “I SUBMIT TO THE GODS OF MARKETING!” Instead, the wording of your call to action needs to describe what is expected of the prospect. Some examples (besides “click here”!) include:

  • Help Me Choose
  • Become a Member
  • Get Instant Access
  • Download a Free Trial

Anticipate Anxiety and You Will Reduce Friction

MarketingExperiments‘ research identifies the call to action as a point of “friction”, or “the psychological resistance to a given element in the sales process”. Knowing that your ‘ask’ inevitably causes anxiety, anticipate that anxiety and counter the friction through reassurance. How?

Perhaps you might limit the length (number of) or difficulty of fields you require the prospect to complete. Or, you might use “seals” that illustrate policies such as “100% Satisfaction Guaranteed” or “No Hassle Returns”. You can also create a “backstop” by offering a single, powerful testimonial from a respected third party. Ensure these assurances are in close proximity to the source of anxiety.

Anticipating your prospect’s anxiety gives you an opportunity to “intensify the positives” in order to reduce friction. Do that well, and you’ve got yourself a conversion which results in a value exchange between you and your prospect.

The Value You Offer Must Outweigh the Cost to the Visitor

That value exchange might include critical credit card information or simply a valid email address. Regardless – you will have convinced your prospect that the your offer is worth the exchange of their valuable information. Nicely done!

In summary, we end up with a landing page layout that follows the conversation flow illustrated in the chart below:

Optimized Landing Page Flow – or “The Ritual Of Conversation”

Nine Steps for Optimal Landing Page Layout

As a web analyst, I was most intrigued with the idea that these conversational elements and related landing page layout recommendations are represented by MarketingExperiments Conversion Heuristic”*, which states C = 4m+ 3v + 2(i-f) – 2a© where:

c = conversion
m= (Your prospect’s) motivation
v = the clarity of your value proposition
i = incentive
f = friction and
a = anxiety

*Source: MECLABS Landing Page Optimization Summit Study Guide, Landing Page Certification Workshop

Using MarketingExperiments’ Conversion Heuristic, you immediately notice that the most important elements of your landing page are reflected in the relative value of the coefficients. Thus, at 4, the highest coefficient, your prospect’s motivation (4m) has the highest impact on the success of the conversion. MarketingExperiments defines motivation as the “magnitude and nature of of the customer’s demand for” your products / services.

By targeting motivated prospects by source, you have control over a key lever leading to your conversions. Translation – don’t bring prospects with low motivation to your landing page as you are setting yourself up for failure. This is, of course a core tenet of marketing — target your primary audience / market segments or suffer the wrath which results from a blown budget.

Next in importance is the clarity of your value proposition (+3v). The clarity comes from an articulation of the “appeal, exclusivity and credibility” of your offer. If well articulated, you can overcome, or subtract, possible friction your prospect might be feeling by “adding” an incentive appropriate to your value proposition [+2(i-f)].

Only then can you address the final issue that could deter the prospect from completing the conversion: anxiety (-2a). Notice that anxiety is a negative coefficient and that it is equal to the value garnered from your “incentive minus friction step”. To overcome your prospect’s anxiety, you must intensify the positives and reassure.

Avoid Symmetry

Dr McGlaughlin also made a point of reiterating that their research shows that easing the “eye path” in relation to landing page layout is also critical. Of utmost importance, don’t make the mistake of seeking balance by equalizing page components in your design. Avoid equally weighted columns which are another source of friction as they encourage indecision.

Instead, use a 2/3rd left hand column to contain all of the elements described above – headline, copy, subhead, bullets and calls to action. However, use the right hand column to support the content on the left. Examples of support content could include additional testimonials.

Be Clear About The Objective of Your Landing Page

If you’d like to try assessing your existing landing pages, use the framework offered by MarketingExperiments’ Conversion Heuristic, and then see how well your page performs in relation to the critical elements. Before you do so, however, ensure you have consensus on the goal of that page so you can be sure that you maintain your focus throughout the assessment. This offers the added benefit of helping you identify any conflicting objectives you may have inadvertently allowed on the page.

Just to make sure the audience was taking everything in, MECLABS hit us with an exam at the end of the day. Due to the amount of caffeine consumed, I am pleased to say that yours truly did make the grade:

Marketing Experiments Professional Certification Program

Evidence of my Membership in MarketingExperiments Certified Professional Members Directory

What do you think of MarketingExperiments proposed framework? Would you consider amending your landing pages to reflect the proposed approach?

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Kelly KubrickLanding Page Lessons from Optimization Summit 2011

Ottawa Web and Social Media Events

by Kelly Kubrick on May 13, 2011

Ottawa’s marketing community continues to impress me with its increasingly rich offering of web and social media related events. I’m sure I’ve missed several, but the month is flying by me and I wanted to get these one published:

If I’ve missed any, comment away, and I’ll be sure to add it to the information.

Hope to see all of you at one or more of these events!

 

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Kelly KubrickOttawa Web and Social Media Events

Content Measurement: Looking Beyond Webtrends & Google Analytics

by Kelly Kubrick on April 19, 2011

Kristina Mausser of Content Strategy Ottawa (Meetup) / ContentStrategyYOW (Twitter) very kindly invited me to meet Ottawa’s content strategists on April 18th, 2011, to chat about “Content Measurement: Looking Beyond Webtrends & Google Analytics.” For a quick introduction to the whys and wherefores of the topic, view this brief video (1 minute, 10 seconds).

Thanks to everyone who joined us at the Exchange Pub; it was a pleasure meeting you all (I’m happy to report that my BlackBerry Torch survived it’s inadvertent Corona bath!) and I thoroughly enjoyed our discussions.

POST UPDATE: Kristina has now posted photos – have fun tagging!

As promised, below, please find my list of the resources I mentioned last night. Here goes:

1.  Learn to love Excel’s “AutoFilter” feature (look under Data > Filter) for all of your analysis, regardless of data source. Ideally, export whatever web analytics report you’re interested in and then  import it into Excel. Enable AutoFilter, roll up sleeves and begin analysis! To do that, insert a new column(s) and begin categorizing, or segmenting, the rows of data so that you start to look for patterns and anomalies. Once you’ve got things rolling on the categorization side, you can easily begin to group the segments in a way that allows you to dig around in the details per category and reach some conclusions (see – look at you doing analysis!). How?

2. Use your Excel “Pivot Table” feature. Instead of giving a tutorial here, the best way to get introduced is to search for videos that can help you learn how to use these. Examples include:

My examples about how a content strategist might use Pivot Tables included:

a) Export your Google Analytics Keywords report (under Traffic Sources) to categorize your entry phrases in any number of ways e.g. brand, service, geography, etc.  in order to identify the phrases you are getting traffic from. Now, turn that idea on its head – which phrases would you have expected to get traffic on, but are not? Use that list to begin brainstorming potential content improvements, and keep track of them in your editorial calendar;

b) Export the results of your on site search engine e.g. Google Analytics Site Search or Webtrends On-Site Search Terms (Found and Not Found). As above, categorize them so that you can begin to analyze how your website’s search engine is being used – which phrases are looked for most often? How does that compare to your navigation labels? Are they comparable or is there a gap? If so, how could you address it in the content? Ideally, you can use the results of this analysis to accomplish two different things – identify the content you need to ‘merchandise’ (and yes, government folks, I expect you to merchandise content too!) by better surfacing it across your website – and identify the content you’re missing – e.g. what are people searching for for which you offer No Results?

c) Export the results of your keyword research tools e.g. Google AdWords Keyword Tool or Wordtracker, and exactly as above, categorize the phrases so that you can begin to identify topics that for which there is demand that you might consider writing content for (or encouraging your client to write content for).

3. Combine your exported Google Analytics Content reports or your Webtrends Pages (Site Design > Pages) reports with the chart function in Excel and create long neck / long tail graphics to explain the concentration of content demand to your client. Help them understand which content is getting consumed more / less across all of the content they offer. However, first understand the core differences between the two theories:

  • Chris Anderson‘s “The (Longer) Long Tail” (decreased distribution costs encourages niche markets) versus
  • Gerry McGovern‘s “The Stranger’s Long Neck” (cluttered websites created dead and useless content that decreases and potentially destroys value)

and how each applies to your analysis. Are you trying to understand if there’s value in keeping long tail content or in eliminating excess content from your website?

To learn more, here’s the link to Jeff Parkspodcast with Gerry McGovern. Enjoy!

4. I’m a big fan of the All in One SEO Pack plugin for the WordPress content management system (CMS) installations because it allows me to see my or my client’s <TITLE>, description and meta tags on one screen across multiple pages. In one quick glance I can see if I’m missing the opportunity to improve my content’s findability with clearer, more specific <TITLE> tags or improve usability with a more useful <description> tag. The plug-in allows me fix content problems on the fly.

5. If you or your client don’t use WordPress, fear not. The alternate way to improve your findability is with the Web Analytics Solution Profiler (WASP) – It’s a Firefox Add-In, and although this sounds like a tool that only a web analyst could love, it’s actually a brilliant tool for content strategists. It automatically scans a website for you, extracting, among other things, your <TITLE>, Description and Keyword meta tags. Once the scan is complete, save this file as an Excel spreadsheet, turn on your beloved auto filters, add a new column for “Status” and populate each row as Current. Then, add new rows per URL and rewrite those tags to your heart’s content. Your client can now see the “before and after” and your tech folks have an easy way to either script / upload the new versions, or at least cut and paste cleanly per URL.

6. Qualitative “voice of customer” data from online surveys tools such as FluidSurveys, 4Q, and SurveyMonkey offer excellent insight into what visitors think of the content you’re providing on your website. However, like web analytics reports, the volume of data can appear overwhelming – especially if you’ve just been told that thousands of free form text comments have been captured this month. If no one knows what to do with it, follow along with me:

Again, your best approach is to analyze through segmentation, using your fabulous AutoFilter and Pivot Tables (I’m such a geek) features in Excel. To provide a specific, step-by-step approach – export all those comments from your survey tool and re-import them into Excel. Add your categories column and assume three choices – positive, neutral or negative. Turn on your auto filters and assign one category per comment; now filter those comments so that you are able to isolate only the negative ones. Begin your analysis:  Do those categories need to be broken down into subcategories – e.g. topic, or product, or feature or time frame? If yes: Add a new column and get classifying! Rinse and repeat for your positive and neutral comments. Create a few Pivot Tables and see what patterns begin to emerge. Ask what actions could you take for the different subcategories and how you might group those action items. Perhaps by implementation complexity? By audience? By responsible party? By urgency?

Before you know it, you’ve analyzed the data and you have a plan that captures what you or your client will be doing about it.

7. I realize this last one might not be at the top of everyone’s list, but as a fan of cost per click (CPC) or pay-per-click (PPC) advertising not only as an acquisition tactic but also as a form of market research, I hope some of you will consider this option. By default, Google AdWords shows you the performance of your “bid” phrases. However, you need to dig a little deeper for reports relating to the actual “search” term used which triggered your ad (look under your Keywords tab > See Search Terms > All) which might be very different from than what you assumed your audience was looking for. Perhaps they combined your keyword phrase with some other concept – a question or task, a local geographic reference, an adjective – in a way that you hadn’t thought of. Each combination might give you ideas for new landing pages that you could offer.

Finally, the third variation requires you to create a custom filter in your web analytics reports. Essentially, you’re asking your report system to show you even more detail relating to actual phrases used by searchers that triggered one of your ads (but that had no clicks in the last 30 days, which is the cut-off for the report mentioned above). For instructions on how your web analyst can create the filters for you, my thanks to all the great bloggers who’ve posted detailed instructions. Where would we all be without you? I’ve tried those listed below, and the data that does result certainly offers intriguing information:

So – there you have it; one web analyst’s recommendations for her fellow content strategists. As continued proof that I think we can indeed combine Shakespeare and analytics, see “To Measure or Not Measure, That Is the Question”. Now – tell me what you think. Did I miss any of your favourites? Comment away!

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Kelly KubrickContent Measurement: Looking Beyond Webtrends & Google Analytics

Google Analytics report Annotations: Your Analysis BFF (Best Friend Forever)

by Kelly Kubrick on March 5, 2011
Post updated repeatedly over time…!

One of my favourite features in Google Analytics is called “Annotations. It’s a simple concept, but incredibly easy way to add context to your data for everyone in your organization. that easily allows you to add a quick hit your reports with information specific to your operating environment:

google-analytics-create-annotation

After annotations have been added, they show up like this:

google-analytics-annotations-bubbles

and when expanded, like this:

google-analytics-annotations-expanded

Examples of the context you can add include

  • Email newsletter / blog publishing dates
  • Special event dates
  • Media coverage
  • Campaign start / stop dates, changes to creative
  • Changes to your page tag or profile / view settings

How do I annotate my Google Analytics reports?

  1. Chose a specific date in the calendar
  2. Click the down arrow at the bottom of the calendar
  3. Click Create new annotation

Or watch this 1 minute video:

 

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Kelly KubrickGoogle Analytics report Annotations: Your Analysis BFF (Best Friend Forever)

eMetrics Toronto 2011 agenda posted

by Kelly Kubrick on February 6, 2011

I’m very pleased to share the news that the agenda for the 2011 Toronto eMetrics Marketing Optimization Summit agenda has been posted. It’s looking good, and I’ve already got my eye on several of the sessions including:

We’ve got attribution sessions, managing multiplicity (multiple data sources), measuring mobile, measuring video, best practices of testing,  the value of data and more – tons of great topics. As usual, there’s far more sessions that I’m hoping to catch than I expect time will allow.

Hear Me Speak at eMetrics Toronto

I’m also very honoured to announce that I’ll be speaking this year, with my web analytics compadres, Alan K’necht from K’nechtology and June Li from ClickInsight. We’re part of the eMetrics Campaign and Acquisition Optimization track where we’ll be answering audience questions on the Fundamentals of Acquisition Optimization. Our session will be held from 1:15 – 2:00 PM on Thursday April 28th, 2011. Hope to see you there!

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Kelly KubrickeMetrics Toronto 2011 agenda posted

Grete Hale’s “Baker’s Daughter” book of memoirs available

by Kelly Kubrick on January 24, 2011

I’m extremely proud to announce the release of my aunt Grete Hale’s memoirs, entitled “Baker’s Daughter: The Story of a long, rich and very Canadian Life“. I have been reading my copy all weekend and savouring details of stories I’ve heard bits and pieces of throughout my life. I hope you’ll consider joining us at upcoming book signings or at the book launch itself.

Grete Hale holds a copy of her Bakers Daughter book

Grete Hale holds a copy of her Bakers Daughter book

Speaking not only as her niece, but as a fellow Ottawan, you’ll find the book is full of great stories that will amuse, entertain and inspire. As further incentive, please know that net proceeds from the sale of the book go to CANHAVE Children’s Centre, an organization Grete is deeply involved with. More specifically, your purchase will go to the construction of a dormitory that will provide a home for 96 young women learning a trade at the five-room trade school CANHAVE has built.

To learn more, I’ll let Grete to speak for herself – listen to Grete Hale’s interview with Hallie Cotnam of CBC Morning (8 minutes, 36 seconds). Or, read these stories published by the Ottawa Citizen newspaper:

  • Ottawa icon Grete Hale publishes life’s saga in Baker’s Daughter by Chris Macknie
  • ‘Horse sense’ and dedication: Grete Hale’s engaging memoir captures a tasty slice of Ottawa’s history by Bruce Ward
  • A life well-lived: Grete Hale forged her own path by Jennifer Campbell

Please feel free to read more by joining us on Facebook!

Upcoming Baker’s Daughter Book Signings with Grete Hale

  • International Women’s Day Celebration 2011, Thursday, March 10th, from 05:45 PM – 09:00 PM at the Library & Archives Canada, 395 Wellington St., Ottawa ON K1A 0N4
  • Perfect Books on Sunday, March 6th, 2011 from 2:00 – 4:00 PM
  • University of Ottawa Bookstore, Jock Turcot Building, 85 University Private, Ottawa, Ontario, on Thursday February 17th, from 2:30 to 4:30 PM. For information, tel: 613-562-5353, ext. 10.
  • Collected Works Bookstore and Coffeebar on Sunday, February 6th, 2011 from 2:00 – 4:00 PM
  • Books on Beechwood on Saturday, January 29th, 2011 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
  • Perfect Books on Sunday, January 22nd, 2011 from 2:00 – 4:00 PM

Purchase or Order Your Copy of Grete Hale’s “Baker’s Daughter”

The book is available at the following stores in Ottawa:

  • Collected Works Bookstore and Coffeebar at 1241 Wellington Street West, Ottawa, Ontario, (613) 722-1265
  • Books on Beechwood, 35 Beechwood Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, (613) 742-5030
  • Perfect Books, 258A Elgin Street, Ottawa, Ontario, (613) 231-6468
  • Nicholas Hoare Books, 419 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, (613) 562-2665

Or, you can order “Baker’s Daughter” from the Ottawa Citizen via email, by telephone at (613) 829-8093 (weekdays from 9-4pm EST) or by mail at 1101 Baxter Road, Ottawa Ontario. For book mail orders, the cost is $19.95 CAD plus shipping, handling and taxes. Please allow up to six weeks for delivery.

“Baker’s Daughter” in the words of others…

“If you have a treasured place where you keep precious delights, then you will experience an instant appreciation for the treats that Grete serves up in this delightful and heartwarming book.” -Jim Orban

“Reading these stories is much like being in Grete’s presence – having a thoroughly entertaining time while learning about the past and being inspired for the future. Generations after us will be grateful that she has taken the time to write down the tales she tells so well.” -Barbara McInnes, CM

“Grete Hale is a wonderful storyteller with a penchant for colourful detail that invites you to read on as she shares a unique perspective to the life of a city and the intrinsic family bond that has remained steadfast for nearly 100 years. Grete has worked hard for everything she has accomplished and she takes neither her family or the community for granted.” -Roger Greenberg

“I’ve always enjoyed the family stories that Grete has shared in her presentations over the years, and I am delighted that she has chosen to share those stories with all of us. Thanks Grete for the warm way you share the history of your family and of the many things you have done to make this a better world. Well done.”. – Shirley Westeinde, CM

“Baker’s Daughter” Book Launch Event Details

The official book launch was held Sunday February 13th, 2011 from 2-4pm at the Library and Archives of Canada at 395 Wellington Street (at Bay Street) in Ottawa, Ontario. There were refreshments — including the famed oatmeal cookies referred to in one of Grete’s stories — and the book itself was be available for sale — cash or cheques only — for $19.95 plus tax.

Thank you to everyone who attended — Grete was thrilled and thoroughly enjoyed herself!

Grete Hale Baker's Daughter" book announcement

Ordering Information for Grete Hale’s Baker’s Daughter book of memoirs

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Kelly KubrickGrete Hale’s “Baker’s Daughter” book of memoirs available