Week 6: Setting up a FaceBook Business Page

According to Social Media Today, post reach is measured by how many people have seen your post. A business is able to extend that reach by paying to advertise it. Post engagement is measured by the people that like, comment and share your actual post. Knowing the difference is important because sometimes boosting a post on Facebook will reach a certain audience, but the audience won’t always engage. Engaging with your customers is more important than boosting your post. In my opinion, when your customers engage in your post, you can reach more audience organically. Facebook insights is a way to tell what number of people were reached and the percentage of engagement on that post. It’s helpful because businesses can see what their customers like and how they respond to the activity you’re sharing. 

Week 5B: Define Your Target Market

The coffee industry has become large. I have opened up my fictional spot in Oceanside called On the Edge Coffee House. It is a local coffee shop in Oceanside serving coffee and house baked pastries. I am targeting everyone in the Oceanside, Carlsbad, and Vista area. I would like to target parents, people with jobs, teens, college students, or really anyone who likes to drink coffee.

According to ABC News, a new report estimates that the average American worker spends nearly $14.40 a week on coffee, which does not include the cost of drinking coffee at home. Data is shown to indicate that the average worker spends around $1,100 annually on coffee.

The market for coffee will always be there. Americans will drink it anytime during the hours of 4am-5pm. I think opening up a spot close to the beach is a great location.

Week 5: Defining Your Target Market

I chose Armstrong Garden and Myrtle Creek. Immediately I noticed the fonts on both websites. Armstrong seems more corporate with the layout and bold text. You know Myrtle Creek only has one location because of contact info at the top left of the page. The text is in cursive writing and the background is soft making it more visually appealing. I think the target market for Armstrong is worldwide customers who love to garden, and Myrtle Creek has the same kind of people, but they want to target local customers. 

Another thing I noticed on both websites is how they approach their social media. Armstrong Garden has their Instagram plastered on a huge piece of their home page, and Myrtle creek has it very subtly on the lower corner of their site. I really like how when you got to Myrtle Creeks website, it’s easy on the eyes withe the “gardening look” (wood colors, tons of greenery...etc.), and the pictures you can scroll through show what the site looks like, which is very beautiful and would attract anyone interested in gardening. Armstrong has an interesting take on colors used. I don’t understand the yellow and red combination and to me looks unappealing. 

Week 4B: Aesthetics, Design, and Branding

The most used website I use is https://www.facebook.com. There has been multiple times it has personally come in handy. One example is when I lost my phone. I was at the grocery store with my kids and my husband was out of town. I rushed back home and got on Facebook to message him telling him what happened since we don’t have a home landline. Facebook connects people to family and friends who don’t live close and don’t get to see each other. It’s an outlet for businesses to create content (which I have personally used for work)and it is very effective. The site itself uses a blue color for most of their outlining and I like how they use icons to better find what you’re looking for. I come back to use Facebook because is always new news to be posted and I like to keep updated with friends and family I don’t see regularly.  I don’t have an idea of what could be better used. I would be interested to see who can give me their opinion!

Another website I always find myself visiting is https://www.pinterest.com.  I use Pinterest to save at home workouts, recipes, and decor inspiration. I like the clean look of the page once you are directed to the home page. It is user friendly and pretty much anything you can think of will be on there you just have to type in the search engine...similar to Google. I come back because as soon as I open up the website, there are photos of subjects I’ve searched or Pinterest thinks that I'll enjoy. So there is always new content. I also don’t know what this website could use. I think the biggest reason I keep visiting both of these websites is because the applications are easy to use and handy right on my phone. 

Week 4: Aesthetics, Design, and Branding

Penny Juice
https://www.pennyjuice.com

My first initial thought of visiting the website was that it is a bit cheesy. There is way too many colors being used and that makes me stray away from a page. I had a hard time understanding what they were offering at first and when I found out, I tried to see what the nutrition information was, but it wasn’t visible to see. The brand itself could be a little more appealing also. 

http://jamilin.com

There is no logo on this page. It looks like it wasn’t thought out very well. There is lots of space on the sides and all the “info” was smushed in. There are also too many ads on this websites page. There is an option on the page to click that says,“clear clutter”. Much like the Penny Juice website, I think there is way too many colors happening, making the page not appealing to the eye. 

Apple
https://www.apple.com

Apple has such a huge name already, that when someone goes to their website, they immediately have in mind what they are looking for. I like the big, bold letters they use. The clean look of simple, neutral colors makes it easy to navigate through the page. When you click on a link, the next page has a sleek transition. 

Toyota
https://www.toyota.com

I originally chose Toyota in last weeks posts to view their social media because they have a great brand and reliable cars. Their website is easy to use and even has a location finder to make it most convenient on where the closest one is to the customer. They have simple colors that make it appealing to the eye. It makes me want to scroll through the drop down tabs to see what they offer.

Week 3B: 5 Business Websites

1) HelloFresh

https://www.hellofresh.com

Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

All 3 handles are used a ton.

Last post for Instagram: September 6th, 2018

Last post for Twitter: September 6th, 2018

Last post for FB: September 6th, 2018

HelloFresh has posted photos 3 times in the last 24 hours on all platforms. Since they are strictly an online business, social media is their entire outlet.

2) AutoZone

https://www.autozone.com

Facebook, YouTube and Twitter

Facebook and Twitter have similar posts. Youtube has no recent posts.

Last post on Facebook: August 28th, 2018

Last post on Twitter: August 29th, 2018

Last post on YouTube: February 10th, 2018

The very reason they use YouTube is to show tutorials or what your car needs if something is going wrong, which is why it’s not used everyday. The other 2 handles have similar posts.

3) Toyota 
https://www.toyota.com
Facebook, YouTube, Google+, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest
Last post on FB: September 7th, 2018
Last post on YouTube: September 5th, 2018
Last post on Google+: January 27th, 2017
Last post on Twitter: September 4th, 2018
Last post on Instagram: September 7th, 2018
Last post on Pinterest: September 6th, 2018
There is not consistency throughout their social media, but they add polls on Facebook which I like because it engages their customers.

4) Graco Baby
http://www.gracobaby.com/en-US
Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram
Last post on FB: September 5th, 2018
Last post on Twitter: October 24th, 2017
Last post on Pinterest: Unknown (says their last pin was saved over 6 years ago)
Last post on YouTube: July 12th, 2018
Last post on Instagram: September 7th, 2018

5) Target
https://www.target.com
Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, (Target Cartwheel application)
Last post on FB: September 7th, 2018
Last post on Twitter: September 7th, 2018
Last post on Pinterest: September 7th, 2018
Last post on YouTube: August 21st, 2018
Last post on Instagram: September 5th, 2018

I chose these businesses because they are all very successful. The most common things I’ve found is that Facebook is utilized almost every day, if not 3 times a day. It’s a great source if you’re trying to connect with your costumer because you’re able to ask questions and add polls. The businesses would reply back to some comments from customers who were happy or angry with the product. This allowed them to create customer relations. 

Another thing I noticed was that YouTube is solely used for ad’s or visual instructions. It’s not a platform to use everyday. The success from social media is used more through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. I was surprised to see Toyota “uses” Google+. I put that in quotations because it’s been over a year since they posted on there. I was also surprised to see that HelloFresh only uses 3 social media platforms. With an online business, I would expect them to use more. However, they are extremely successful through word of mouth and their social media is used 3+ times a day. What I collected from all of these businesses and exploring their pages is that the more consistent you are, the louder your “voice” will be heard, in turn, retrieve more feedback from your clientele.

Week 3: Communication-Business and Consumer

I remember visiting to a small boutique in San Diego looking for a dress for an upcoming wedding. I chose a few dresses and ended up purchasing them to see which one matched my husbands attire. Since he wasn’t with me, I thought I would return the ones that I wasn’t going to wear. Fast forward a few days later. I go back to the boutique trying to return 3 dresses. I didn’t realize that there was a no refund policy on anything. I was a little upset seeing as I was out a ton of money. The manager was not in the store and there was nothing that the employee could do for me. I called the next day and the manager still wasn’t in the store. I tried looking for their website, but all I got was an Instagram handle that I had to direct message to sort it all out. Long story short, the manager was extremely kind in refunding me back for the dresses. The effort it took to get ahold of a small business was challenging. If they had a website, Facebook, or an email attached to their profile I think it would have been quicker to get ahold of someone. 

Since social media is so widely used, it is easier to get noticed or get your problems solved. Companies have no choice but to listen to their customers if they are wanting to grow successfully. I would respond to people who like my product or service because I feel that when companies do that, customers feel connected and engaged. If someone were to post something negative, I would respond to that as well and either ask them to email me or I would reach out to them specifically to get the issue resolved. I think that shows a lot of character in the people running your business and shows that you care about your customers.

Week 2B: Posts I Commented On

I commented on the following blog posts for my group (3):
Eva Whitburn
Karla Putts
Cassandra Quinn