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Taff recognized for social media savvy
By Denis Langlois
Q. What did receiving the Best in Marketing Award mean to you?
A. The Transitions Innovation award for best in marketing means so much to
me because it shows that with a little creativity and an independent spirit, great
things can be accomplished. When I was first nominated, I viewed this as a “David
vs Goliath” scenario. At our shop, I do not have a large marketing budget or team;
therefore it is imperative for me to be imaginative and think outside the box. I am
always looking for ways to use a guerilla marketing strategy in innovative ways.
Q. How important do you think social media is to helping ECPs promote
their businesses?
A. Like it or not, social media has a huge impact and presence in our society. I feel
it is imperative for ECPs to not only use it to promote their businesses, but also
use it to grow their personal brands. The idea that ECPs can inform and educate
Vancouver optician and social their patients, friends, family as well as the general public is an important part of
media guru Sheena Taff has a promoting eye health.
new award for her mantel.
The managing optican at
Roberts & Brown Opticians
received the 2018 best in
marketing award at Transitions
Academy. The honour came
a year after Taff was named
Transitions Brand Ambassador
of the year.
Q. What do you enjoy about teaching other ECPs about the potential of
online marketing?
A. I find that any online platform is exciting; you can use it however you want.
Growing up when I did, the internet was in its infancy. The promise of what was
to come seemed so far fetched. Now we live in this tech-advanced world and can
reach people beyond our four walls. As an ECP, we have an opportunity to spread
our knowledge and help people understand that eye style and health should never
be an afterthought.
“Optician about Town,” also Q. What are some tips/tricks to help ECPs liven up their social media
channels?
conceived and organized the A. The best advice I can give anyone regarding social media is to be authentic.
first-ever EyeStyle Influencers Followers are growing more sophisticated by the day, if you are fake or pandering,
event at Vision Expo West. The they will sour on you eventually. People are becoming more weary of their feeds
event brought together industry being inundated with sponsored content or influencers that will peddle anything
social media experts and others that is sent to them. If our genuine passion is apparent, people will respect it and
to discuss key trends and topics we will not have to compromise who we are or what we value.
Taff, known on social media as
driving social media in the
eyewear industry.
Recently, Optical Prism
magazine got a chance to chat
with Taff about her award and
work to promote eyewear
online.
44 Optical Prism | April 2019
Q. Are you planning to hold more events like EyeStyle Influencers?
A. The #EyeStyleInfluencers is in its infancy and came together for an inaugural
event at Vision Expo West. The event was a tremendous success and the support
and feedback I received from my peers was extremely encouraging. With that said
there are definitely future plans that are in the works. While I am not able to go
into too much detail at the moment, I encourage everyone interested to follow
@eyestyleinfluencers on Instagram to stay up to date. OP