Wrapping Things Up & Looking Ahead

 My view of social media has changed dramatically. Before taking this class my only experience with social media was from social interaction, connecting with friends, and just mindless chatter. I never looked at these websites from a business standpoint or how I could utilize and integrate each site into my own social media marketing campaign. I learned the most through Facebook, using a business page, analytics etc. This was probably my most favorite one to experiment with because I have never had a business page before.  Not only have I grown with Facebook, but Twitter, blogging, Constant Contact and looking at these sites differently as a way of business. Nowadays there is almost no business whom does not have a social media page. As our world is constantly growing not only in population, but technology and the ways to promote oneself and others a surge of social media integration has been produced. I think what I will take away from this class the most is the value of social media for business purposes and not purely a social based site(s). Also, what sites work best for what type of business you are trying to promote. Thank you class, Claudia and Tracy. 

Creating Your Strategy

For Jay's Pet Spa and Hotel I think I will spend roughly around three and a half hours a week on various social media websites. Some interesting points from the lecture and I plan on using will be a communal social media account, Google calendar, and Google Drive. As far as Social Media tools I plan to use will be Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, and Instagram. I decided to chose these tools because I feel they are the most beneficial in regards to my business's social media growth. I will be able to directly connect with users through all platforms and be able to share photos, and other important information on these sites. I plan on doing a contest with a hashtag through Intagram and Twitter, share future and upcoming events with consumers on Facebook, and respond to consumers on Yelp. Now all four of these strategies will be intermixed so I plan to spend a good amount of time on each platform. In the photo below is the month of content I have planned out spanned across various social media websites. Subject to change.  I believe this will help keep my business active, and the growth will be promising. To ensure constant communication with the consumer I have posted Facebook and Twitter status updates twice a week. Deals of the week will be published on Facebook and other social media websites (links to deals) and the instagram photos will provide a visual platform. I plan on adding a Christmas Contest for my followers on Instagram and Twitter which will increase the amount of followers connecting to me through those social media sites. A special 40% off deal on my website during the week of December 9th-15th to celebrate the holidays. I will be actively engaging with consumers on Yelp, though I am sure it will notify me updates and I plan on checking it just to see how everything is going. Lastly, I have a special on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook postings to celebrate the holidays and will offer a coupon to my store as a thank you to my consumers.

Salmon = Yelp
Green = Twitter/Instagram contest
Yellow = Instagram
Teal = Facebook/Twitter Status sync
Blue = Facebook Deals of the Week
Red = 40% off Deal of the Week (Christmas Special)

Week 14 Blog Responses

Kyle Donnelly
Acero Manuel
Jeli Wilson
John Sjursen 

More Social Strategy

I believe the best type of Social Media for Jay's Pet Hotel & Spa would be Yelp! Yelp provides consumers with the ability to see where I am located, my phone number and other basic information. It even links to my website and offers consumers to write reviews about my company, thus feeling more connected to whether using my business is a good idea or not. Another important website would be Facebook; while I believe it is not a vital as Yelp because I am a smaller business, however I think it still provides more social interaction with consumers in which they would not receive on Yelp. I enjoyed using Facebook the most because of the interaction with my classmates was exciting, inviting, and made me want to come back to using the site. The social media that will work best on a daily use pattern would be Twitter or Facebook. The fact that you are able to sync status updates together really makes them almost become one social media site. Another daily social media site I would consider using would be Instagram, being able to share my content with consumers is really fun, and I actually posted a photo on Instagram for my business and received 28 likes! I think you can use Facebook on a much less frequent time schedule because you have the ability to post future content, which I found really interesting! I never knew you were able to do this.

FaceBook Analytics (Optimizing Yourself and the Company)

Well, after about a week checking my Facebook Analytics page it was exciting! I was surprised at the amount of content fellow Facebook Friends were commenting on and it was interesting to see what they found, most interesting. My most liked/commented photo was my Dog Humor "Today has been ruff" picture which I assumed would get the most likes, because everyone enjoys comedy. I also received a video comment from HTD Enterprises (Shout out~!) which I thought was really fun. My most interactive day with consumers was on Saturday November 29th. So overall, it seems people are really enjoying my Facebook Page and the responses I am receiving using the Facebook Analytics page has really helped me. I now understand what I need to concentrate on, or where I need to focus i.e what works and what doesn't work. Insightful!

Optimizing Yourself and the Company

Wow! I did not realize Google analytic offered so many features with their program. I think I was most surprised at the amount of flexibility offered and features I never even knew you would be able to report/calculate. Some features I found the most interesting was Site Search, because I feel it would be great to find out what people were looking for, if they missed anything, and grants me greater speed in interaction with my consumer. I know for myself, often times when I check a website and I cannot find what I am looking for I get frustrated and either leave, or have to search the entire site to try and find it. Goal Flow was another interesting feature, I think it would be most beneficial to see where they leave, get stuck, and where they enter. In this way, I can track where I need to improve or tweak my website. E Commerce Reporting was an interesting feature I found as well. I think being able to see my best selling products, and most powerful promotions would really increase my market sales. Now, I was not planning to have my website sell my products because of the small town community I wanted to create with my business. However I think this is a vital aspect in sales rather small town or large/nationwide. I think Map Overlay also be a great way for this too, because if my sales are flowing online I would like to see where they are coming from and how can I further promote my business or expand it even. 

Coupon Deal

 I believe a great incentive for my consumers would be a coupon deal for the holidays. It is the season for giving and what better than to help your pet out! 20% off any grooming treatment or select product(s). I think having a coupon deal for the holidays is a great incentive for consumers to come in because they want their animals to look especially nice around the holidays with family and friends coming over and to make sure they are taken care of.

Social Media Tools

I actually was surprised at the amount of additional online marketing tools used I have not heard of before! I believe Google+ is an effective social media tool; which is now being integrated through YouTube. So, being able to cross reference both of these social media platforms would be a great way to promote my business, and I would only benefit from connecting the two. Another online marketing tool I would use is Yelp; as a consumer I constantly check out places on the social media tool to see what others reviewed or even to get more info on the establishment. I believe this would help my business, and as customers visit I would make sure to have the Yelp sticker on my business card so clients could check it out. I also think a lot of people get satisfaction writing their opinion about a business because it makes them feel important and relevant. The third additional online marketing tools I would use is LinkedIn. I think adding my career information is important because not only am I building a brand under my name, but it is important to have a face behind it all too. In this way, using LinkedIn could help me connect with others in the industry and promote myself in a new manner (this could also be added to my business card). Lastly, I would chose Tumblr and I know this does not sound very relevant but I enjoy the site and I would keep the theme to my blog about my business as a way to promote it. I think clients would enjoy seeing pictures of the events or to even spend time lollygagging around on my page would kept myself relevant and build a personal connection with the consumers.

Blog Comments

http://kyledonnellyy.blogspot.com/

http://parydise.blogspot.com/

http://jessicaipina.blogspot.com/

Marketing Social Media

Write a blog post on how to use marketing on Social Media without spending money. Create several FaceBook posts that include a call to action to encourage people to visit your website, read your blog, and like your page.

There are several ways to market with Social Media without spending money would be to Facebook posts and Tweets. In this way, this is a free advertising to your customers whom enjoy your business and hopefully they will spread the word to their friends about your company. If I were to promote my business by offering a coupon via social media, and a friend did not need it they could give it to their friend. Thus, if the interation with the new customer went well I just made a new one through an already existing one! This same method could be used on twitter and I could promote traffic towards my website to offer even more deals by checking it out. Another way to promote my business through social media would be YouTube. In example, I could make vlogs about my business and what it is like behind the scenes, I could also do product reviews etc. The newly gained interest and emotional connection with the viewer would keep them attracted to me and hopefully result in the customer wanting to check out my business. Call to action posts can be found on my Facebook and Twitter. 

Ads Ads Ads

I personally do not think I would use Facebook Ads as part of my marketing campaign. I believe because my business is local, a better way of promotion would be in local magazines, newspapers and at various stores within the community such as other local Pet Stores. I would like to promote my ads through social media such as status updates or tweets and would do so about 2 times a week on each site. As far as Facebook Ad's go there are ones that are very cleverly placed within your Newsfeed and ones that appear on the sidebar of Facebook. If I were to chose one it would be the side bar, because it is less annoying and more directly placed in an "ad section." I think the budget I would chose would be around 5 dollars a day or something very minimal because I find those ads never work, and I never want to click on them.  The  first ad I chose below was picked for humor to provide an emotional connection, and the second is to provoke the consumer into wanting to check out my business.
Featured Ads:

Blog Comments

Lori's Social Media Blog, Kyle Donnelly Blog, and Dee's Social Media Journey.

Email Marketing

After reading the lecture and text book assignment, write a blog post in response to this assignment:  Newsletters can be sent weekly, monthly, quarterly, or even twice a year for certain businesses. With that in mind, what information could your business use for a newsletter, and how often would you send one? Write a list of content ideas you think your customers would enjoy seeing and why.


I plan on sending out a Monthly email to my customers reminding them of new products in store based on their shopping preferences, happy birthday's to the animals, upcoming events, and sales that we are currently offering on products or services.  This would include a Real Life Forum when signing up at our Hotel & Spa the customer would get an incentive for a free bag of treats for their dogs, or a % off of their next grooming session. I also think using the analytical tools offered by using an email marketing program would really increase the success of my monthly emails to customers.


Content Ideas: I believe all of these content ideas would work well for the monthly newsletter as well as components to our site. I think this would enable us to not only build relationships with our customers, but engage them as well by asking their feed back or response to questions, polls, etc.

Giveaways - Every customer wants to feel like they can win something.
Polls - Tell us how we are doing, or what your favorite breed is etc.
Contests- This includes submitting photos of your dogs Halloween costume, funny photo etc. Submitted Photos- Show us your animal! We will post in on our site.
Interviews- Interesting interviews with dog grooming experts, animal industry professionals.
Videos- Some behind the scenes of event set ups, funny doggie outtakes etc.
Humor- Funny photos or related content to animals.
Tips and Tricks-  Pet allergy relief, digging remedies, etc.
Questions- What does your dog enjoy most about our Spa and Hotel?

Blog Categories

1. Write a blog post explaining what kinds of categories you would use on your blog to stay organized and reach your target audience. How would these categories help the business grow?

Categories I would use to stay organized on my blog would be Events, Safety/Health, and Miscellaneous. I think having an Events category on my blog would help promote any sort of events I put out for my business such as a discounted weekend for grooming, baths etc. This way, people could check out the photos from each event that took place at my business which would hopefully provoke them to wanting to join our next! A blog about safety would be interesting for my viewers because they are pet owners and interested in the safety of their animals. This would include Halloween Safety, Snow Safety, Beach Safety etc. This would attract customers as well as other animal lovers to check out my blog for news on Safety and Health. The traffic on my blog from this topic could interest the viewer in checking out my hotel and spa as well. Miscellaneous would be anything that does not fit into one category or is too small to put into its own. Topics in this category could include best dog toys, grooming tips, best products to use on the fur etc.

Blog Posts commented on: It Boggles The Mind - Manuel Acero, Lori's Social Media Blog, and Look Who's Sharing Lenah Parente.

Personality

When does it make sense to add personality to a post, and when does it not? 

     I believe the time to add personality to a post really depends on what you are posting about. If you are trying to market details to your customers adding a bit of personality such as your personal favorites can connect with buyers. This also includes supporting causes such as Breast Cancer walks, AIDS walk etc. Also, it depends on what type of business you are running. If you are an entertainer i.e YouTube personality, reality tv, etc I believe including your personality is important because that is your brand. 

     In comparison, companies such as Target, IBM, and Urban Outfitters post(s) containing  personality is not as important or relevant to business. Though I do agree with the lecture notes "a company that doesn't distinct the personalities behind it, the corporate guidelines, and ideals are all that usually come through on a blog." So, adding a blog or creating a personality with your customers is what can really connect you with them. So in short, I really believe adding personality to a post depends on what you are trying to effectively communicate within that post, whom your audience is, and what type of company you are.  

Twitter Connections

Write a blog post describing what search words you used to find your connections. Did you have to play around with more than one key term to start seeing the right results? Who did you end up finding?

Key words I found to be the most effective in retrieving connections on Twitter were pets and San Diego pets. I had to play around with these search inputs to find the right connections I wanted to make and thought about how my business would be attractive to their followers. I followed PetsSmart, Pet Photography, San Diego Pet Park, Cutest Pets, Helen Woodward, San Diego Pets Mag, Pets for Patriots and more. I think each of theses Twitter pages/business accounts would be most beneficial if we cross connected our followers as we all love pets.  

Visual Social Media

Discuss [on your blog]: Find examples of 2 or 3 business that are similar to yours. See what visual social media they are using and how they are using it.  Is it effective?

One business very similar to my own is The Pampered Pet Hotel, which is located in Woodland Hills, CA. The visual social media they are using is Instagram, Facebook, Google+ and Foursquare. Though, I will note I had to go out and search for every other platform but Facebook. This was the only one linked on their page at the moment besides Twitter. I would say their Facebook is the most effective website; on Instagram their last post was about three weeks ago. Their Google+ is not very active at all, with two reviews (one 2 years ago). Foursquare is not very active as well, with their last review in January. So overall, I would say while they have littered amounts of visual social media and they need to be more active on them. Also, I would suggest they link all of these on their main page. Their Facebook page seems to be the most effective source of information.

The second business I will review which is similar to my own, D Pet hotel. They have three locations Hollywood, CA, Chelsea, NYC, and Scottsdale, AZ. At first glance (just as a website perspective) it looks really stunning! Also, the homepage image is very cute! I definitely think this appeals to serious pet owners with extra cash flow. They have listed on their site Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. I also found their page on Instagram but only for their NYC location. They have a Foursquare but are not very active on it. They have a Google+ for the LA location but are inactive. I was surprised to find a LinkedIn but it is inactive as well. So I would say the visual social media platforms they are using are effective, such as Facebook and Twitter. 

Visual Platforms

Compare the 4 most widely used visual platforms. Which would work the best for your product or service?

I definitely think Facebook is a vital asset to my business's success. There are 955 active users on the website so it makes sense to join the masses. I really think this would be the best way to promote my business and make it successful. In this way, I can use status updates to post events, coupons, promo offers, and create daily/weekly interaction with my customers. Also, as being a customer myself I know that if I enjoy a business I definitely check out their Facebook page and like it to see photos, offers and learn more about the company.  YouTube could be great, but I do not think I would have enough consistent content to keep posting videos all the time. So, I think while it could be a great asset it is not as effective as say Facebook would be or an active level. Google+ I also do not think many consumers of my business would use. While i think it is effective it is not as nearly useful because I feel a customer would look at my Facebook much sooner than Google+. I think LinkedIn could be useful to reach some of the other industry professionals. We would be able to utilize our skills together to create more of a combined force in the industry.

Scheduled Posts

I believe these posts will engage the viewer for a few reasons. Firstly, there is a buyer incentive for fall. I think the promotional deal will help draw in new customers and revive old customers as well. Secondly, by showing posts of our dogs playing and having fun at the hotel we are drawing in viewers wanting to have their dog(s) engage in similar activities. Thirdly, by placing meme's and wishing everyone happy holidays we are showing a bit our personality (people like that) as well as enjoying a good laugh on their news feed! So, I feel these posts will engage with the audience in a manner that not only intrigues them to our business but provides comedic relief for fellow pet lovers. 

Business Growth and Potential Opportunities

Write a blog post talking about why you chose the businesses you did to like as your page. How might you use this feature of Facebook to grow your business?

The businesses I chose to like on Facebook were specially related to business promotion. I figure, liking businesses that are not Pet Hotels (competitors) and instead liking local Pet Stores, Humane Societies, and Animal Hospitals will increase traffic in my business. In this way, we could cross reference our promotional values between customers. This would enable both of us to grow together and someone who enjoys my business will be intrigued by the recommendation or preference I have for other business since I am in the same industry. I think this would be the best way for both businesses to benefit and help each other out!

On your blog, define the difference between post reach and post engagement. Why is knowing the difference important?

    Post reach is how someone stumbles upon your page, whether this happened organically such as scrolling through their news feed or visiting a page. Another example of the post reach, viral reach, would be an extension of the original term. In example, one of your friends comments on a post and you saw the post and found the page that way. Engagement would be how many people are discussing your page currently such as the people whom have shared, liked, commented etc. So the difference is pretty evident, post reach is someone whom finds your page, and engagement is someone liking, commenting, or sharing your page. 

After defining the terms, describe how can a business can use Facebook Insights to better serve their customers.

    A business on Facebook can can monitor their insight as a way to determine the success of their business over time. This can be viewed from ongoing progress or currently, and help figure out the best ways to promote their business. They could do this by taking a look at whom their business is attracting and pulling in (demographics, psycho-graphically etc).

Doggie Spa/Hotel

The business I plan to create is a Doggie Spa/Hotel business. Nowadays more than ever taking extra care of your pets and making sure they are well taken care of when you are away is vital. My Target Market is anyone with a dog and also I could associate my business with other places such as PetsMart. In this way, I would be able to market my business and theirs as well as local Pet stores/doggie washes. Future customers would be middle to upper income families, as well as singles whom do not have the time to find someone to watch their dog for a few days, and want their dog to be well taken care of. Psycho-graphically it would definitely be individuals whom expect great care of their dogs, and want the best for them. They would expect their dog to come back relaxed and revitalized to their fullest potential. As we all know, dogs can get stressed out very easily. 

Two websites I visit frequently

www.youtube.com

YouTube is definitely famous for its entertainment qualities. In between homework assignments, or whether I am alone or with my friends I spend time on here. I think the website is effective because of the range of volume it holds. Specific design principals that I enjoy are the channel listing categories on the left. On the main page it typically displays popular channels as well. It is easily navigated and the great thing about watching a video is the similar/recommended videos that are displayed on the right. So it is really easy to get lost going through videos (in a good way). The brand is also effective as the icon is like Television but for you, hence YouTube. I also enjoy the red design and white, creates a Target sort of vibe but these colors seem to be a popular choice. The entertainment qualities make me return consistently, and improvement would be to become less ad heavy.  


www.tumblr.com 

Tumblr is effective because of the entertainment qualities it holds as well. I think being able to develop your own personal blog gives you this creative space many people crave and enjoy. In a sense it becomes your own sort of diary/collage/notebook of ideas and photos you deeply enjoy. Specific design qualities are the ease of the dashboard. Following blogs and finding new ones is very manageable with the features they offer you. I rarely find ads as well which is really nice. I think the color contrast chosen works quite well too. The blue and white is pleasing to your eyes and creates a very calm feeling. I come back to the site because I enjoy viewing my friends blogs and seeing what they post. As well as discovering cool new photographs/ideas or pieces of inspiration. Improvement would be to make finding other friends with blogs easier using Social Media.

Aesthetics, Design & Branding

http://www.gforceracecars.com/

Upon entering the website you are greeted with a long list of News on the homepage. This tends to be a bit overwhelming and in my opinion a bit of a turn off. I think it would be better to have a News section instead of just giving you this long list of information. Also, according to the C.R.A.P.H.T.E.D. the alignment is centered which looks a bit unprofessional. I would recommend using a centered left alignment for the text. Under the 'Wheel's' selection you have to hand pick the wheel from the menu drop down list. (They also did this on the Tanks, Tires, Windows & Components etc) but not on other pages such as 'Tabs and Mounting.' I think this is a bit confusing and would be much easier for the viewer if it was on the same page instead of the drop down.

http://tectorch.com/

Where to start with this website....Overall I would honestly say the page tends to look like those fake/scam ads when you accidentally misspell a website in the address bar and it takes you there. It is a really confusing site, so I would change the main page to just something simple, maybe quotes and not the entire list of products. Secondly, the P = Proximity of the image on the homepage is too close to the text. I suggest adding breathing room to the image which would make it seem much more fluid. As far as branding goes, I would suggest they put the brand of the company on the main page instead of just the Favicon. In this way, consumers would get a greater sense of the company's image and next time they see the icon it could potentially draw up a memory of the store/products/employees.

http://apple.com

As far as branding goes, I think we all know the Apple icon. Which is one, the purpose of an icon and two, becomes a face for the company. Whether you enjoy Apple products or not, they are highly successful at branding. This can be seen as the Favicon on the Apple hyperlink (which links you back to the home page) and displayed on their Apples products. In regards to design and color of Apple, or the aesthetics we clearly see Apple as a very refined, sharp design, industrial material product. This modern appeal is attractive to young buyers, and older buyers (Who may be trying to be young!) (I'm kidding) but it is appealing to all demographics. So, the website in my opinion is very effective at communicating a bold, sleek, and professional design to the viewer. Easily navigated and you are not bombarded with heavy monotonous amounts of text. 
  
http://www.toyota.com/

Branding is probably one of the most important pieces in the field of automobiles. So many available car manufacturers they need to have a brand that stands out from others. I think Toyota's brand is really present on the site such as the Favicon and the many cars featured in the slideshow gallery on the main page. In regards to aesthetics, the design and color of the website, I believe the red and gray works really well. The grey would represent the color of the Toyota Icon and red is for a good contrast color. This website to me is less impressive than Apple's because there is more volume on the page, but I think pushes the products more than Apple does. Overall, it gives off a very informative, pleasing, and interesting website design.

Five Examples of Business Websites and Social Media they are using

1. http://www.gamestop.com/

At the bottom of the page, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

2. http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/index.jsp

At the bottom of the page, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Vimeo, YouTube, Spotify. 

3. http://www.gucci.com/us/home

At the bottom of the page, iTunes (app), Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Google+, Instagram.

4. http://www.bentleymotors.com/

At the bottom right of the page, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube.

5. http://sdice.com/

At the top right of the page, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, Foursquare, WordPress.

I would like to point out that ALL of the websites listed above have a Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. I was actually shocked that all of the websites had a YouTube that is one I did not suspect. I think the most random would be Urban Outfitter's Spotify. 
 
 

Communicating with a business

Have you ever experienced difficulty communicating with a business? Would social media have made it easier to get noticed or get your problem solved? If not, have you ever had a positive experience communicating with a business through social media?
Write 150 words or more describing what made your experience negative or positive.

On many occasions I have found communicating with businesses difficult. I feel on many circumstances businesses tend to be out of reach or have shifted their customer service outside the USA. This typically makes getting anything done with the business much more difficult and time consuming. Honestly, no I do not think social media would make it easier to get problems solved. On sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc very rarely does the business actually come back and answer your questions or concerns because if they did they would have to reply to xyz amount of people. I cannot say that I have, I never really try and reach out to businesses via social media I would rather just call their number directly to get my problem solved. Also, without having a problem even so communicating with social media I often feel is like talking to a ghost. Though, they may consider your suggestions/comments/concerns, you never really see direct feedback to you personally. H

Social Media Platforms

While, I think this question can be a bit subjective, in my opinion most social media platforms can be used for both personal and business. Though I do think some weigh more heavily on one side of the fence than others. In such, Tumblr is a blogging website that is more reliant on reblogging photos than getting out information about your business. A stark contrast to this would be LinkedIn which is strictly about business connections. Instagram I would say a mix between the two because there is a lot of personal and business found within this app. I typically see more celebrities/figures use this app rather than businesses. When you look at the most followers on Instagram it is Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber. Interesting thought eh? Facebook I would also say is split between the two, in regards to that platform it seems to work well for both personal use and business. I can guarantee almost every mainstream business you can think of has a Facebook page. I think Vine, the video app it definitely more for personal use. I have seen some business promotion on there using stop animation videos to promote their projects, but I think it is certainly more prescribed for personal use. I will also say Twitter is more for personal use rather than business. I think a lot of business do have a Twitter but more likely than not, Facebook has definitely more likes/followers/commentors/traffic than their twitter feed.



Which social media platforms seem geared towards personal use and which ones seem to work better for business.

Template

I chose to use this template because I felt it was a very simple design. I think if I had chosen something more dynamic or complex it would take away from the blog itself and the words that I write. I also felt since it is a blog, it can be more relaxed than if it was a personal website etc. I enjoy the template's font size, style, and the overall layout and design of this blog. When I first started to figure out what I wanted, I searched through the available blog templates (I am sure there are more online to be downloaded) but wanted to stick with this one. I enjoy the design very much so!  I like where the 'about me' section is located and enjoy the background image. I think it is very simple, and the blurred image creates a sort of nostalgic feel. Overall, I am very pleased with the template and design.