I have generally enjoyed this class. It has gotten me off to a good start in expanding my graphics business into more well-rounded business model that includes marketing consulting. Beamer Consulting & Design will help small businesses drive sales and profit by helping them refine their message, creating strong graphics and website functionality and then making it pay with effective social media marketing activity. This class has introduced me to some of the tools to accomplish this goal.
What would make this class better:
Feedback. I feel like I am working in a vacuum. Although I get occasional feedback from fellow student, more would definitely be better. But the main thing lacking is constructive feedback from the teachers. I could really have benefited from a comment on my blogs, maybe once each week. Even some general comments on the student's blogs would have been helpful.
Optional Reading: It would be good if teachers could include links to relevant reading for the weeks assignments. Sometimes I didn't feel I got enough information on the subject we were talking about.
Student Comments: Make fellow students comments more important. I felt like the teachers were trying to make this happen but a lot of the time the comments were just general "good job" statements of very little value.
This has been a good class and I can tell our teachers are committed to making it a great class. Good luck to all in your future endeavors. I have enjoyed interacting with you all!
Becky
Monday, December 9, 2013
Schedule for Beamer Consulting & Design:
Between now and the new year I will continue to post relevant content on our Facebook page (which will be tweeted) and respond to all comment on the posts.
At the beginning of the year I will to build a LinkedIn profile for Beamer Consulting & Design. Then I will then update my graphic design website beckybeamerdesign.com by adding social media buttons for Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest. I will also add a "like us" button to the Thank You page (redirect after form send) of my site. After I do this I will post a link to my graphic design site on BCD's Facebook page. When I post a link I need to think of some way to promote my site. Any ideas?
In the new year we will continue the daily Facebook posting, add weekly posts on Pinterest and start a weekly blog post. The blog will be done by Dan, the consulting part of BCD. The blog will have personality but not be too personal. It will be an expression of who Dan and I are and how we think creatively and professionally. By blogging we hope to give our brand a personality that is creative, inspired, resourceful, conscientious, and relaxed. We will do this by linking business philosophies to life philosophies and showing our prospective customers how we can help them connect and engage with their end users. In short, we want the blog to emphasize how running a successful business is like creating a gratifying life and that both are all about creating great relationships.
My next step will be to work on placing an ad on LinkedIn that targets small businesses.
This schedule will keep me busy with my graphics work so I don't plan to add anything else for a while.
At the beginning of the year I will to build a LinkedIn profile for Beamer Consulting & Design. Then I will then update my graphic design website beckybeamerdesign.com by adding social media buttons for Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest. I will also add a "like us" button to the Thank You page (redirect after form send) of my site. After I do this I will post a link to my graphic design site on BCD's Facebook page. When I post a link I need to think of some way to promote my site. Any ideas?
In the new year we will continue the daily Facebook posting, add weekly posts on Pinterest and start a weekly blog post. The blog will be done by Dan, the consulting part of BCD. The blog will have personality but not be too personal. It will be an expression of who Dan and I are and how we think creatively and professionally. By blogging we hope to give our brand a personality that is creative, inspired, resourceful, conscientious, and relaxed. We will do this by linking business philosophies to life philosophies and showing our prospective customers how we can help them connect and engage with their end users. In short, we want the blog to emphasize how running a successful business is like creating a gratifying life and that both are all about creating great relationships.
My next step will be to work on placing an ad on LinkedIn that targets small businesses.
This schedule will keep me busy with my graphics work so I don't plan to add anything else for a while.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Comments on Fellow Student Blogs
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| http://thedavidcblog.blogspot.com/ |
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| http://jessicaipina.blogspot.com/ |
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| http://kyledonnellyy.blogspot.com/ |
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| http://gnometraveler42.blogspot.com/ |
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
The social media we have learned about and used in this class:
Facebook: This is the social media we have spent the majority our time on. It is the most important for our business because it gets relevant content branded with our name out into the world. To make our business successful we need to keep our Facebook content relevant and compelling, and refresh it almost daily. We also need to respond to other post quickly to encourage dialog with our customer base. We can also encourage more engagement by combining creative advertising to drive awareness and then showing a more personal, human side when people land on our page.
LinkedIn: LinkedIn would be a great place to expand our business. Since it is a site for business people, we can more efficiently and effectively get our message out to entrepreneurs and small business owners. There are numerous business related Groups on Linkedin, such as "Small Business Network", which would be a great place to target with our first ad.
Twitter: We see Twitter as a great vehicle to expand our reach and amplify our signal. We will keep our twitter account connected to our Facebook page to help drive daily action.
Pinterest: Pinterest is visual, so it will be a key focus for the design division of Beamer Consulting & Design. I will continue to post my design work on Pinterest as well as images from other sources that I find compelling or inspiring. In a way Pinterest is a catalyst for the creative process at Beamer Consulting & Design
Newsletter: We intend to send out a newsletter for BCD on a quarterly basis. This seems like the right cadence for the more direct selling aspect of this communication tool. We will temper the selling aspect of our newsletter by adding a personal touch that allows our potential clients to get to know us. We may also include some promotional offerings to boost new leads. Our first newsletter will be an introduction to BCD.
Yelp: When our business gets off it's feet we will asks customers to write Yelp reviews about their experience with Beamer Consulting & Design. As we grow even larger, we may consider contracting with a company like Bazaar Voice, who specialize in syndicating reviews to all relevant channels for our business.
LinkedIn: LinkedIn would be a great place to expand our business. Since it is a site for business people, we can more efficiently and effectively get our message out to entrepreneurs and small business owners. There are numerous business related Groups on Linkedin, such as "Small Business Network", which would be a great place to target with our first ad.
Twitter: We see Twitter as a great vehicle to expand our reach and amplify our signal. We will keep our twitter account connected to our Facebook page to help drive daily action.
Pinterest: Pinterest is visual, so it will be a key focus for the design division of Beamer Consulting & Design. I will continue to post my design work on Pinterest as well as images from other sources that I find compelling or inspiring. In a way Pinterest is a catalyst for the creative process at Beamer Consulting & Design
Newsletter: We intend to send out a newsletter for BCD on a quarterly basis. This seems like the right cadence for the more direct selling aspect of this communication tool. We will temper the selling aspect of our newsletter by adding a personal touch that allows our potential clients to get to know us. We may also include some promotional offerings to boost new leads. Our first newsletter will be an introduction to BCD.
Yelp: When our business gets off it's feet we will asks customers to write Yelp reviews about their experience with Beamer Consulting & Design. As we grow even larger, we may consider contracting with a company like Bazaar Voice, who specialize in syndicating reviews to all relevant channels for our business.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Liking Pages and Insights
I was able to get to everyone in the class' Facebook pages, Like them and interact with a few of their post. I was interacting with my personal Facebook (Becky Beamer) on the first few but then noticed and change to Beamer Consulting and Design.
Defiantly a little more action on my Facebook page this week but only two more likes. It seems that people in the class are confused about how to like a Facebook page or maybe just busy with the holiday. Engagements on my page went up to 22 but only 5 comments and 2 likes. It looks to like people got distracted before finishing their homework. I can see from the Insights how much a little interaction on a post can increase the reach exponentially.
Defiantly a little more action on my Facebook page this week but only two more likes. It seems that people in the class are confused about how to like a Facebook page or maybe just busy with the holiday. Engagements on my page went up to 22 but only 5 comments and 2 likes. It looks to like people got distracted before finishing their homework. I can see from the Insights how much a little interaction on a post can increase the reach exponentially.
Google analytics
Since Beamer Consulting and Design is in its infancy I think the most important data to look at is the demographics of the people interacting with our Facebook page. When I start to advertise it will be important to see who the ads are reaching and which ads are getting the most action.
When I create a website and a blog for the company I will use Google Analytics to see the demographics of the people visiting them. It will help to find out the profile of the people that are interested in the content of our blog and in turn interested in Beamer CD.
When I create a website and a blog for the company I will use Google Analytics to see the demographics of the people visiting them. It will help to find out the profile of the people that are interested in the content of our blog and in turn interested in Beamer CD.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Coupons and Promotions
The coupon I am thinking of using for Beamer Consulting and Design is:
Purchase a custom website and receive three months of free social media marketing consultation (max 10 hour per month). We will help them leverage the strength of their new website with help establishing a blog, targeted advertising and content update schedule. We may also offer special seminars on how to refine their brand position and establish their unique brand voice in social media space.
This will let our customers see how social media marketing can help promote their business and get them relying on BeamerCD to implement it.
Purchase a custom website and receive three months of free social media marketing consultation (max 10 hour per month). We will help them leverage the strength of their new website with help establishing a blog, targeted advertising and content update schedule. We may also offer special seminars on how to refine their brand position and establish their unique brand voice in social media space.
This will let our customers see how social media marketing can help promote their business and get them relying on BeamerCD to implement it.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Four More Social Media Marketing tools
The four addition social marketing tools I plan to use to market Beamer Consulting & Design are LinkedIn, Pulse, Google+ and Yelp.
LinkedIn would be a great place to expand our business. Since it is a site for business people we could concentrate on marketing to professionals that are in charge of marketing for their jobs. This might take us away from our target audience of entrepreneurs of small companies but could bring us more contacts and customers.
I signed up for Pulse through my personal LinkedIn page. This will give me a good supply of article to read and use on BeamerCD Facebook page.
I also like the idea of Google+ and joining a circle of social media marketers to get insight and keep up with trends in the industry. Social media is such a rapidly change medium, keeping up-to-date is imperative.
Yelp is a great source for customers trying to find business they can trust. I use it all the time for my personal life. When my business gets off it's feet I will asks customers to write Yelp reviews on their experience with Beamer Consulting & Design.
LinkedIn would be a great place to expand our business. Since it is a site for business people we could concentrate on marketing to professionals that are in charge of marketing for their jobs. This might take us away from our target audience of entrepreneurs of small companies but could bring us more contacts and customers.
I signed up for Pulse through my personal LinkedIn page. This will give me a good supply of article to read and use on BeamerCD Facebook page.
I also like the idea of Google+ and joining a circle of social media marketers to get insight and keep up with trends in the industry. Social media is such a rapidly change medium, keeping up-to-date is imperative.
Yelp is a great source for customers trying to find business they can trust. I use it all the time for my personal life. When my business gets off it's feet I will asks customers to write Yelp reviews on their experience with Beamer Consulting & Design.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Using Marketing on Social Media without Spending Money
I have been trying this daily since our class started with little success. I think one of my main problems is my audience. I need to attract more of my target customer to my Facebook page. Maybe a few paid ads would help.
Here are some of the posts on my Facebook page:
I have linked my Twitter account to my Facebook account so when I post on Facebook the post is Tweeted.
I would love some suggestions on things I can do differently. THANKS!
Visit my Facebook page for more examples:
https://www.facebook.com/beamerconsultinganddesign
Here are some of the posts on my Facebook page:
I have linked my Twitter account to my Facebook account so when I post on Facebook the post is Tweeted.
I would love some suggestions on things I can do differently. THANKS!
Visit my Facebook page for more examples:
https://www.facebook.com/beamerconsultinganddesign
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Advertising For Beamer Consulting & Design
My business is in the initial phase of getting my name out, so I am
looking to attract followers and fans. I plan to advertise on Twitter
and Facebook. The Twitter ad I will use is called "Promote My Account"
and is designed to promote twitter account and in turn my company. This
type of ad works by advertising my Twitter account to people that search
for keywords like: consulting, web design, graphic design, social
media, branding and marketing. Another reason I like this kind of ad is
that I only get charged when I get a new follower. I simply "bid" a
certain amount per follower, a dollar amount per day and a total budge
for the ad campaign.
Facebook gives me the capability of honing my message to a clearly defined demographic. For example, I will target small business owners between the ages of 35 and 55 who live in the Southern California area who are not social media savvy. I will also run an ad that targets friends of people who have already liked my Facebook page. For my Facebook ad I will pay by Likes. That way if the ad doesn't get any attention I will be able to scrap it and try another approach. Targeting is powerful because it is efficient and ensures I get tangible value for my advertising investment.
Here are examples of ads I might run on Facebook:
Here are ideas for my Facebook ads:
Here is the Twitter ad I set up:
Facebook gives me the capability of honing my message to a clearly defined demographic. For example, I will target small business owners between the ages of 35 and 55 who live in the Southern California area who are not social media savvy. I will also run an ad that targets friends of people who have already liked my Facebook page. For my Facebook ad I will pay by Likes. That way if the ad doesn't get any attention I will be able to scrap it and try another approach. Targeting is powerful because it is efficient and ensures I get tangible value for my advertising investment.
Here are examples of ads I might run on Facebook:
Here are ideas for my Facebook ads:
Here is the Twitter ad I set up:
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Newsletter
Beamer Consulting and Design is a new company and right now we are working on building relationships. When we start to send out a newsletter we will send it out quarterly. The things our newsletter will include are:
We will update potential clients on our service offering and highlight a certain service in more detail. Our first newsletter will be an introduction to BCD. We will also make special promotional offers for certain services.
For example:
Purchase a custom website and receive three months of free social media marketing consultation (max 10 hour per month). We will help them leverage the strength of their new website with help establishing a blog, targeted advertising and content update schedule. We may also offer special seminars on how to refine their brand position and establish their unique brand voice in social media space.
For current clients we will include promotional offers focused on how to get more out of their social media marketing. We know they are already in the game. Now we want to help them continue to grow their business through targeted on-line advertising, email marketing and blogging. These newsletter might include a coupon for 5 hours of Facebook analysis and / or building of a compelling FB page.
We will update potential clients on our service offering and highlight a certain service in more detail. Our first newsletter will be an introduction to BCD. We will also make special promotional offers for certain services.
For example:
Purchase a custom website and receive three months of free social media marketing consultation (max 10 hour per month). We will help them leverage the strength of their new website with help establishing a blog, targeted advertising and content update schedule. We may also offer special seminars on how to refine their brand position and establish their unique brand voice in social media space.
For current clients we will include promotional offers focused on how to get more out of their social media marketing. We know they are already in the game. Now we want to help them continue to grow their business through targeted on-line advertising, email marketing and blogging. These newsletter might include a coupon for 5 hours of Facebook analysis and / or building of a compelling FB page.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Blog Categories
The goal of all blogs coming from Beamer Consulting and Design is to establish trust with our target audience and add value to their lives and businesses. Our social media presence is a place they go to get new ideas and get inspired. If businesses come to associate new ideas and inspiration with Beamer Consulting and Design, then who will they come to when they need help? Our blog will display our inquisitive approach and help potential customers feel comfortable with what we have to offer. Some of the categories we plan to explore on our blog are:
brand development, graphic design trends, websites that really work, creating connection and conversation in social media, marketing that keeps-it-real and just a few random quotes that make you think.
Here are the comments I made on fellow students blogs:
brand development, graphic design trends, websites that really work, creating connection and conversation in social media, marketing that keeps-it-real and just a few random quotes that make you think.
Here are the comments I made on fellow students blogs:
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| http://deesocialmediajourney.blogspot.com/2013/11/being-personal-on-my-blog.html |
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| http://loricargile.blogspot.com/2013/10/week-9-blogging-for-business.html |
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| http://melcatweb13.blogspot.com/ |
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| http://gnometraveler42.blogspot.com/2013/11/just-how-personal-to-be_3.html |
Thursday, October 31, 2013
How Personal?
I think the blog for Beamer Consulting and Design should have personality but not be personal. It should be an expression of who Dan and I are and how we think creatively and professionally. By blogging I hope to give our brand a personality and paint a picture of Beamer Consulting and Design as a company that is creative, inspired, resourceful, conscientious, and relaxed. We will do this by linking business philosophies to life philosophies. In short, I want the blog to emphasize how running a successful business is like creating a gratifying life and that both are all about creating great relationships.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Finding Tweeters
To find some Tweeters to follow I used the search terms Consulting and Design first and then expanded my search to Graphic Design. I chose 4 companies and am following them on Twitter. The first is Blue Sapphire Design (twitter.com/BlueSapphireDM). I chose them because they focus on graphic design and social media marketing. After looking more closely at their tweets I am not sure they are going to be much help for my business. Their last tweet was August 23 then before that January 17 so it looks like they don't tweet enough.
The second company (person) I started to follow is Kristal Martinez (https://twitter.com/kristal_rose). I chose her because I liked her website and blog. She defiantly tweets more often and I think she will be helpful in finding good content for my Facebook page.
The third company I picked to follow is FÖDA Studio (https://twitter.com/FODA_Studio). I was attracted to them by their Bio Description: "A ‘brand’ is not designed––it's discovered. We develop brands by communicating promises & translating values. Brand Consultant. Graphic Design." I also liked their website.
The last company I am following is Fresh Consulting (https://twitter.com/freshconsulting). I discovered them last week when I was looking at visual social media examples. They have a lot of great content but may tweet too much, many times a day. It is hard to sift through all their tweets to finds ones that are relevant to my business.
The jury is still out on Twitter for me. I am not a twittering type of person, I don't really like small talk. I will try it for a while and see how I do.
The second company (person) I started to follow is Kristal Martinez (https://twitter.com/kristal_rose). I chose her because I liked her website and blog. She defiantly tweets more often and I think she will be helpful in finding good content for my Facebook page.
The third company I picked to follow is FÖDA Studio (https://twitter.com/FODA_Studio). I was attracted to them by their Bio Description: "A ‘brand’ is not designed––it's discovered. We develop brands by communicating promises & translating values. Brand Consultant. Graphic Design." I also liked their website.
The last company I am following is Fresh Consulting (https://twitter.com/freshconsulting). I discovered them last week when I was looking at visual social media examples. They have a lot of great content but may tweet too much, many times a day. It is hard to sift through all their tweets to finds ones that are relevant to my business.
The jury is still out on Twitter for me. I am not a twittering type of person, I don't really like small talk. I will try it for a while and see how I do.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Companies Uses of Visual Social Media
Decibel Consulting & Design
decibelpromo.com
Decibel Consulting & Design uses Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Their Facebook page shows designs they have done for their current clients. Most of the recent posts are about "Throw the Fight" which is a band they are working with.The posts included a music video, which looks like it was not done by Decibel, tee-shirt designs, and a skateboard deck design. They also have a post to help Throw the Fight raise money.
Decibel has done some promotional posts. In one they ask people to call within 24 hours and get 20% off a quote. In another they put out a compilation album users can download for free.
They have also done a more personal post "Take Your Daughter to Work Day" with a photo of a young father and his six month old daughter which has generated the most Likes of all their posts. This is particularly interesting because the subject is not really related to their work, but, perhaps because it is more personal and emotional, it draws more people in.
Fresh Consulting
freshconsulting.com
Fresh Consulting uses Google+, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. On their Google+ and Facebook pages they post cartoons that are especially funny in the context with our media crazed world. They also post cartoons with messages they want to convey to their customers, and informative articles on business and social media. The cartoon approach drew me in and I picked 6 of their articles to read and possibly post links to on my Facebook page. I also noted that Google+ sure is a better looking interface than Facebook!
The Fresh Consulting LinkedIn page explains what they do, but YouTube is where Fresh Consulting excels. They have 15 YouTube videos that promote their company. I watched four and they were well all done and have many "views". There oldest video, Social Media Marketing - Fresh Consulting http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3nhzOlvNvs, has over 4,000 views, which confirms the power of visual marketing with video. I also noticed that their twitter feed has tweets about the same things they put on their Facebook and Google+ pages.
decibelpromo.com
Decibel Consulting & Design uses Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Their Facebook page shows designs they have done for their current clients. Most of the recent posts are about "Throw the Fight" which is a band they are working with.The posts included a music video, which looks like it was not done by Decibel, tee-shirt designs, and a skateboard deck design. They also have a post to help Throw the Fight raise money.
Decibel has done some promotional posts. In one they ask people to call within 24 hours and get 20% off a quote. In another they put out a compilation album users can download for free.
They have also done a more personal post "Take Your Daughter to Work Day" with a photo of a young father and his six month old daughter which has generated the most Likes of all their posts. This is particularly interesting because the subject is not really related to their work, but, perhaps because it is more personal and emotional, it draws more people in.
Fresh Consulting
freshconsulting.com
Fresh Consulting uses Google+, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. On their Google+ and Facebook pages they post cartoons that are especially funny in the context with our media crazed world. They also post cartoons with messages they want to convey to their customers, and informative articles on business and social media. The cartoon approach drew me in and I picked 6 of their articles to read and possibly post links to on my Facebook page. I also noted that Google+ sure is a better looking interface than Facebook!
The Fresh Consulting LinkedIn page explains what they do, but YouTube is where Fresh Consulting excels. They have 15 YouTube videos that promote their company. I watched four and they were well all done and have many "views". There oldest video, Social Media Marketing - Fresh Consulting http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3nhzOlvNvs, has over 4,000 views, which confirms the power of visual marketing with video. I also noticed that their twitter feed has tweets about the same things they put on their Facebook and Google+ pages.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Visual Social Media Platforms
After comparing the 4 most widely used visual social media platforms I have decided that Pinterest is the best platform for my business. I plan to use it for the Design portion of Beamer Consulting & Design. Pinterest will be a good place to display my designs and creative process. My brainstorming sessions have always included gathering inspiration form other designs and images on line, with Pinterest now I have a place to store those images. Aside from my own website, my Pinterest page will give potential clients a place to see my work and the things that I find visually appealing. Pinterest is a great tool for sharing images that inspire me and for mining new content for my ongoing work.
Here is a link to my Pinterest:
pinterest.com/beckysuebeamer/
Here is a link to my Pinterest:
pinterest.com/beckysuebeamer/
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Scheduled Posts
Our Mission Statement:
We are Beamer Consulting and Design and our mission is to generate a constant flow of new ideas and solutions that help small businesses drive sales and profit through highly effective social media marketing. We don't have all the answers… but we are deeply engaged in this challenge every day and want to share ideas that inspire us and that we believe will benefit your business and your life.
At present we are not selling anything, we simply invite you to engage, get inspired and learn with us!
Why content will win clients:
I believe all the links I am sharing on my Facebook contain relevant information to help small businesses be successful. By creating a place to go for current and inspiring content I will turn fans into future clients.
We are Beamer Consulting and Design and our mission is to generate a constant flow of new ideas and solutions that help small businesses drive sales and profit through highly effective social media marketing. We don't have all the answers… but we are deeply engaged in this challenge every day and want to share ideas that inspire us and that we believe will benefit your business and your life.
At present we are not selling anything, we simply invite you to engage, get inspired and learn with us!
Why content will win clients:
I believe all the links I am sharing on my Facebook contain relevant information to help small businesses be successful. By creating a place to go for current and inspiring content I will turn fans into future clients.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Liked Businesses on My Facebook Page
The seven businesses I "liked" were selected because they will create great opportunities for connecting with my potential clients. All of these sites have quick reads and will provide a daily flow of ideas to help small businesses drive successful social media marketing. By reading these websites myself, I intend to stay up-to-date with the latest trends, so I can continually challenge my clients with new ideas. I know that many small business owners don't have time to stay current on these trends. By doing so myself I will build strong relationships with entrepreneurs and truly add value to what they want to achieve.
www.inc.com/newsletter
This is a link to Inc. Magazine. They send out a great newsletter that has short articles on business.
www.ted.com/talks/
Ted talks are video that run about 20 minutes on just about everything. They alway make me think.
www.smashingmagazine.com
webdesignledger.com
www.webdesignerdepot.com
Smashing Magazine, Web Design Ledger & Web Designer Depot are great resource for designer but can help inform small businesses on good design and how to spot it.
www.entrepreneur.com
Entrepreneur.com is an outstanding resource for entrepreneurs which is my target audience.
www.inc.com/newsletter
This is a link to Inc. Magazine. They send out a great newsletter that has short articles on business.
www.ted.com/talks/
Ted talks are video that run about 20 minutes on just about everything. They alway make me think.
www.smashingmagazine.com
webdesignledger.com
www.webdesignerdepot.com
Smashing Magazine, Web Design Ledger & Web Designer Depot are great resource for designer but can help inform small businesses on good design and how to spot it.
www.entrepreneur.com
Entrepreneur.com is an outstanding resource for entrepreneurs which is my target audience.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Facebook Posts: Reach VS Engagement
Fan Reach is the number of fans who have SEEN any given post. Facebook breaks Fan Reach into two kinds, Fan and Organic. Fan Reach are posts that are seen by fans and Organic Reach are post that have been seen by both fans and non-fans. For a post to be successful you want to make sure it's Organic Reach is larger than it's Fan Reach. If this is true you know you are reaching people that have the potential to become new fans.
In the article 6 Facebook Metrics Marketers Should Be Measuring, http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/facebook-page-metrics/ Emeric Ernoult says
"The per-post fan reach is probably the most important metric. It’s a key indicator. It helps you measure the appeal of your content to your audience and appreciate the quality of your audience."
Engagement is the number of people who have CLICKED on any content in your post. According to Likable Social Media it is the Storytellers (Facebook term) that are the most important kinds of Engagements on your posts. Storytellers are part of the Engagement group that do something to engage their friends with your post, know as "people talking about this" by Facebook. These posts are the most successful because they spread your word to non-fans and hopefully convert them to fans.
In the article 6 Facebook Metrics Marketers Should Be Measuring, http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/facebook-page-metrics/ Emeric Ernoult says
"The per-post fan reach is probably the most important metric. It’s a key indicator. It helps you measure the appeal of your content to your audience and appreciate the quality of your audience."
Engagement is the number of people who have CLICKED on any content in your post. According to Likable Social Media it is the Storytellers (Facebook term) that are the most important kinds of Engagements on your posts. Storytellers are part of the Engagement group that do something to engage their friends with your post, know as "people talking about this" by Facebook. These posts are the most successful because they spread your word to non-fans and hopefully convert them to fans.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Facebook Link
Here is the link for my facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/beamerconsultinganddesign
https://www.facebook.com/beamerconsultinganddesign
Sunday, September 29, 2013
The Business I am Using for this Class
The business I plan to create is a consulting company that helps businesses adapt to the rapidly changing internet landscape. Many small business have an outdated online presence that doesn't take advantage of today's marketing tools. The target audience my company is going after is small businesses that have outdated websites and unclear branding. These companies do not take advantage of social media or customer loyalty programs but are looking for ways to promote themselves on the internet. These are privately held businesses, at least 10 years old with at least $500,000 in annual revenue. Their owners are mature, between 35 to 55, but are not internet savvy. They are self-reliant, old-school entrepreneurs that don't understand online marketing as the internet environment has change. They are aware that times have changed but they are busy running their businesses and have little time to learn about all the online tools available for them today. Most of these businesses got on-board with the digital revolution years ago but their website have become stagnant and out of date.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Two Websites I Visit Frequently
yelp.com
The basic notion behind Yelp is that consumers will believe what other consumers say about products and services over what companies say, but as we all know, a great idea doesn't always spell success.
Yelp has done an excellent job of following up on their initial idea with a great business plan. First their branding is outstanding. The name Yelp is a combination of Yell and Help, so it makes sense as a place to yell when you are unhappy and to get help finding good businesses. Their logo is clear and recognizable and their "screaming flower" alone can already be identified by many as the Yelp icon. Yelp's website is also user friendly. It is effortless to get to yelp ratings on many different kinds of businesses. If the user wants more information they can easily drill down and read or write reviews, see menus and pictures, get directions, go to business websites, etc. I go back to yelp.com often because I can quickly get useful information every time.
craigslist.org
What a wonderful public service Craigslist. Even though this site is rather ugly, I still use it often and find it easy to navigate. I come here when I want to sell, buy or rent something, or even if I want to look for work. The list of things you can find on Craigslist seems endless. My one complaint is that they could do a better job on the aesthetic quality of their site. I like websites to not only work well, but also to look good.
The basic notion behind Yelp is that consumers will believe what other consumers say about products and services over what companies say, but as we all know, a great idea doesn't always spell success.
Yelp has done an excellent job of following up on their initial idea with a great business plan. First their branding is outstanding. The name Yelp is a combination of Yell and Help, so it makes sense as a place to yell when you are unhappy and to get help finding good businesses. Their logo is clear and recognizable and their "screaming flower" alone can already be identified by many as the Yelp icon. Yelp's website is also user friendly. It is effortless to get to yelp ratings on many different kinds of businesses. If the user wants more information they can easily drill down and read or write reviews, see menus and pictures, get directions, go to business websites, etc. I go back to yelp.com often because I can quickly get useful information every time.
craigslist.org
What a wonderful public service Craigslist. Even though this site is rather ugly, I still use it often and find it easy to navigate. I come here when I want to sell, buy or rent something, or even if I want to look for work. The list of things you can find on Craigslist seems endless. My one complaint is that they could do a better job on the aesthetic quality of their site. I like websites to not only work well, but also to look good.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
Hats off to our teachers for finding some fantastic examples of terrible websites!!
UGLY
http://tectorch.com
My first response YUCK!
Visually unappealing, cluttered, confusing.
In terms of the lecture this week C.R.A.P.H.T.E.D.:
C = Contrast: Not enough contrast in text size, colors, and photo size. It is hard to tell what is most important or what to read first.
R = Repetition: At least the links stay in approximately the same place on this site. Repetition of page widths is not consistent making the viewer feel like they are jumping around.
A = Alignment: Links are center aligned making them look like text not links. The body text is not consistently aligned. Some of the text is too close to the photo.
P = Proximity: The labels on the products, on the home page, break the rule of proximity. It is questionable which tool the label goes with.
H = Hierarchy: The hierarchy on this website is unclear. The readers eye goes first to "Made by American Workers . . . for the Best TIG Welders" then to "Home of WeldTec®, Speedway®, i-HEAD®, Heliweld II™ and the original TEC® brand of TIG welding torches". This makes the viewer work too hard to get to the most important part of the website. The branding. Who is this company? The actual name and tag line "TEC Welding Products, Inc. - Quality Tungsten Inert Gas Welding Torches and Accessories - Since 1955" are lost in the confusion.
T = Typography: OMG! Just so ugly. This website does use a readable font but because of the small size and long lines of text it is difficult to read. There are also too many headlines of about the same size making the hierarchy ambiguous.
E = Ease of Use:
Logo: No logo…bad. The viewer doesn't know what site they have landed on. Although the company of this site has a name "TEC Welding Products, Inc." and a decent tagline "Quality Tungsten Inert Gas Welding Torches and Accessories - Since 1955" it is lost on the page.
Navigation: Although the navigation on this site is in a good place (left side) it is not clear at first that it is the navigation. Why? Text is too similar to other text on the page.
Click to information, don’t make me scroll for that: This website is a perfect example of this. Way too many navigation menu items, you have to scroll down the page to see them all. Most annoying to me - the only way to get back to the home page is to scroll down to the bottom (scroll… scroll… scroll…) to find the Home Page link.
D = Depth of Content: Too much content! Looks like every product they have is spelled out in great detail, if you could actually sift through it all. No obvious contact number (call to action).
GOOD
http://www.swagelok.com
Wow! What a difference a good web designer makes. This website has similar content to tectorch.com but is so much easier to navigate! They have done an outstanding job of organizing TONS of content. They have also succeeded in making the site visual appealing and not cluttered. One thing they need is a tag line to sum up who they are.
BAD
http://www.richsoil.com/raising-chickens.jsp
scroll… scroll… scroll… scroll… scroll… scroll… scroll… scroll… scroll…
Too much text before you get to the relief of an image.
Too much information on one page!!
Navigation looks too much like text.
Unending information on this site!
Images just floating in space. Who can tell which text goes with which image??
BUT…
If you start at www.richsoil.com it is a nicely organize WordPress site. It is just when you click to read more… pandemonium!
GOOD
Ford Vs Toyota
Visual: Toyota wins for being cleaner and less cluttered they also have a much more modern look.
Navigation: Ford is simple and traditional and Toyota is innovative.
Car color choice: Ford. I like the way you can change the color of the car in a background so you can get a true idea of how the car will look. On Toyota's site a smaller version of the car changes color. Not as effective.
Call to action: Ford. With their badge in the lower right hand corner, it opens up to FordSocial, which asks you to show your passion for Ford. I find it a little corny, but may be effective.
UGLY
http://tectorch.com
My first response YUCK!
Visually unappealing, cluttered, confusing.
In terms of the lecture this week C.R.A.P.H.T.E.D.:
C = Contrast: Not enough contrast in text size, colors, and photo size. It is hard to tell what is most important or what to read first.
R = Repetition: At least the links stay in approximately the same place on this site. Repetition of page widths is not consistent making the viewer feel like they are jumping around.
A = Alignment: Links are center aligned making them look like text not links. The body text is not consistently aligned. Some of the text is too close to the photo.
P = Proximity: The labels on the products, on the home page, break the rule of proximity. It is questionable which tool the label goes with.
H = Hierarchy: The hierarchy on this website is unclear. The readers eye goes first to "Made by American Workers . . . for the Best TIG Welders" then to "Home of WeldTec®, Speedway®, i-HEAD®, Heliweld II™ and the original TEC® brand of TIG welding torches". This makes the viewer work too hard to get to the most important part of the website. The branding. Who is this company? The actual name and tag line "TEC Welding Products, Inc. - Quality Tungsten Inert Gas Welding Torches and Accessories - Since 1955" are lost in the confusion.
T = Typography: OMG! Just so ugly. This website does use a readable font but because of the small size and long lines of text it is difficult to read. There are also too many headlines of about the same size making the hierarchy ambiguous.
E = Ease of Use:
Logo: No logo…bad. The viewer doesn't know what site they have landed on. Although the company of this site has a name "TEC Welding Products, Inc." and a decent tagline "Quality Tungsten Inert Gas Welding Torches and Accessories - Since 1955" it is lost on the page.
Navigation: Although the navigation on this site is in a good place (left side) it is not clear at first that it is the navigation. Why? Text is too similar to other text on the page.
Click to information, don’t make me scroll for that: This website is a perfect example of this. Way too many navigation menu items, you have to scroll down the page to see them all. Most annoying to me - the only way to get back to the home page is to scroll down to the bottom (scroll… scroll… scroll…) to find the Home Page link.
D = Depth of Content: Too much content! Looks like every product they have is spelled out in great detail, if you could actually sift through it all. No obvious contact number (call to action).
GOOD
http://www.swagelok.com
Wow! What a difference a good web designer makes. This website has similar content to tectorch.com but is so much easier to navigate! They have done an outstanding job of organizing TONS of content. They have also succeeded in making the site visual appealing and not cluttered. One thing they need is a tag line to sum up who they are.
BAD
http://www.richsoil.com/raising-chickens.jsp
scroll… scroll… scroll… scroll… scroll… scroll… scroll… scroll… scroll…
Too much text before you get to the relief of an image.
Too much information on one page!!
Navigation looks too much like text.
Unending information on this site!
Images just floating in space. Who can tell which text goes with which image??
BUT…
If you start at www.richsoil.com it is a nicely organize WordPress site. It is just when you click to read more… pandemonium!
GOOD
Ford Vs Toyota
Visual: Toyota wins for being cleaner and less cluttered they also have a much more modern look.
Navigation: Ford is simple and traditional and Toyota is innovative.
Car color choice: Ford. I like the way you can change the color of the car in a background so you can get a true idea of how the car will look. On Toyota's site a smaller version of the car changes color. Not as effective.
Call to action: Ford. With their badge in the lower right hand corner, it opens up to FordSocial, which asks you to show your passion for Ford. I find it a little corny, but may be effective.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Companies that use Social Media Links on their Sites
https://www.wellsfargo.com/
I was surprised to find that on Wells Fargo's website you have to click on an obscure link in the footer to get to the social media they use. http://blogs.wellsfargo.com/
You can follow them with:
RSS - Blog
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
http://www.callawaygolf.com/global/en-us.html
Callaway Golf more of an old guy's company (husband work there for 15 years) uses:
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Google+
Pinterest
Blog
http://www.eastonbellsports.com/
Easton-Bell Sports hipper company that markets to young people. My husband works for them now. They do most of their marketing on social media. They use:
email
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn
Google+
Digg
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Tumblr
http://www.apple.com/
What?? Apple doesn't have any social media links on it's site. They only thing I could find is RSS to their blog.
http://www.amazon.com/
When you buy something on Amazon they encourage you to share your purchase on social media. They use:
email
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
I was surprised to find that on Wells Fargo's website you have to click on an obscure link in the footer to get to the social media they use. http://blogs.wellsfargo.com/
You can follow them with:
RSS - Blog
YouTube
http://www.callawaygolf.com/global/en-us.html
Callaway Golf more of an old guy's company (husband work there for 15 years) uses:
YouTube
Google+
Blog
http://www.eastonbellsports.com/
Easton-Bell Sports hipper company that markets to young people. My husband works for them now. They do most of their marketing on social media. They use:
Google+
Digg
StumbleUpon
Tumblr
http://www.apple.com/
What?? Apple doesn't have any social media links on it's site. They only thing I could find is RSS to their blog.
http://www.amazon.com/
When you buy something on Amazon they encourage you to share your purchase on social media. They use:
Communicating with Businesses
In my general communications with businesses I have noticed that they are more responsive to the consumers needs than they used to be. In most of my interactions with companies lately they are bending over backwards to make me happy. An example of this is when I ordered a pair of biking short on Amazon.com. The post office said that the shorts were delivered on a certain date but I never received them. In the past a company might have said “the item was delivered so it is no longer our problem”, but Amazon just replace the shorts for me.
This kind of heightened customer service seems to be the norm these days. Maybe this has to do with all the ways the consumer can rate and get out their message about a company and how easy it is for other customers to read those comments.
I have not written reviews of companies myself but I use reviews all the time to decide where I want to eat (yelp.com) or what I want to buy (amazon.com). All the reviews on social media are making companies accountable, committed to excellence or out of business.
This kind of heightened customer service seems to be the norm these days. Maybe this has to do with all the ways the consumer can rate and get out their message about a company and how easy it is for other customers to read those comments.
I have not written reviews of companies myself but I use reviews all the time to decide where I want to eat (yelp.com) or what I want to buy (amazon.com). All the reviews on social media are making companies accountable, committed to excellence or out of business.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Business or Pleasure?
In my humble and uninformed opinion it seems to me that all these social media platforms work well for both business and socializing. Isn't that the idea? Making the marketing of a business feel like a friend giving you advise about what's cool. Or having a friend tell you what products or services they would be interested in buying or using.
The platform that comes to mind as the least geared towards personal use is LinkedIn. LinkedIn is businesslike and should probably stay that way. LinkedIn is the best place for job seekers and recruiters to spend their time.
Another site that seems to be for business and not social use is Dribbble.com, because of its invite-only model. Dribble is a showcase for designers, but you have to be drafted to get your designs on the site. Wouldn't I love to get a design on that site, that is a dream for the future. I will have to satisfy myself by going to Dribble to ogle other people's great designs.
While Facebook is such a popular site for personal use, I believe it is the most important site for business (especially small businesses). So many people are comfortable and "at home" on Facebook, savvy brands have the ability to connect on a more personal level with their audience. The key here it to be authentic in a way that matters and to come off as being too commercial.
Instagram is another social platform that would be great for a small design business like mine. With it visual focus it may be useful tool for getting design feedback in a raw, unfiltered environment. It is real-time, current and youth oriented, so the contemporary immediacy is appealing, and perhaps a bit scary.
I look forward to learning more about the different platforms I could use for sharing my work and engaging with a live audience.
The platform that comes to mind as the least geared towards personal use is LinkedIn. LinkedIn is businesslike and should probably stay that way. LinkedIn is the best place for job seekers and recruiters to spend their time.
Another site that seems to be for business and not social use is Dribbble.com, because of its invite-only model. Dribble is a showcase for designers, but you have to be drafted to get your designs on the site. Wouldn't I love to get a design on that site, that is a dream for the future. I will have to satisfy myself by going to Dribble to ogle other people's great designs.
While Facebook is such a popular site for personal use, I believe it is the most important site for business (especially small businesses). So many people are comfortable and "at home" on Facebook, savvy brands have the ability to connect on a more personal level with their audience. The key here it to be authentic in a way that matters and to come off as being too commercial.
Instagram is another social platform that would be great for a small design business like mine. With it visual focus it may be useful tool for getting design feedback in a raw, unfiltered environment. It is real-time, current and youth oriented, so the contemporary immediacy is appealing, and perhaps a bit scary.
I look forward to learning more about the different platforms I could use for sharing my work and engaging with a live audience.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Why I Chose This Template
I chose this template for it's graphic and playful style. Blogging is probably the part of social media that I am most uncomfortable with so I want to keep this blog light spirited. I like this template's bright colors and representation of nature. I have always been drawn to color. I delight in rich colors and contrast. I love being in and studying nature's hues.
After choosing this template I played around with the fonts styles and colors to accentuate the lively feel of my blog.
After choosing this template I played around with the fonts styles and colors to accentuate the lively feel of my blog.
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