Final Blog Post

     This class has immensely opened up my perspective on social media. Before this class-or when we were typing our first weekly assigned blog post- I had only the knowledge of Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Tumblr.  After this class I have realized the importance of a more vast area of helpful platforms. I am truly amazed by what LinkedIn does for a business community. This site has to be the most helpful tool I have learned. Also I was totally oblivious to the importance of Facebook to growing social media. This class completely helped me navigate how to use Facebook to my advantage. I never even knew how to control the Admin Panel, or truly what to even post. Now my Facebook is popping over with colorful Images and Blog Links. The couponing sites like Living Social was a new and exciting twist that had never been brought to my businesses attention.
    I can try to keep up with these social media changes by viewing what similar businesses as mine are choosing to utilize. The only way to beat the game is to stay ahead- and yes in my opinion that means slight business stalking. The growth of my business social media is extremely heightened. We just did our first Contest on Instagram. Whomever posted our advertising photo, and followed us on Instagram with a shout out got a free piece of jewelry. We were crazily surprised at what our Call to Action IG post did for our company. We are hoping more of these low key advertising stunts will help build our SEO. Furthermore I want to personally thank both of you Professors for the information you gave (and also related link articles) for building the search optimizations engine rank. That knowledge is of utmost importance in the small business world. My view point on social media has changed 360. Before I was a pop culture snob only caring about Instagram. Now I have a much more optimistic perspective for what all Social Media Platforms have to offer- especially since truly what the pop culture is caring about is what's new and undiscovered yet.

Social Media Strategy Week 14

     To start off with my social media marketing strategy, I shall mention that my business partner and I are the only ones who will be under control of preforming these duties. Because of this, we may not be able to update as many platforms as we'd like too on a weekly basis, but we indefinitely are going to work our hardest at reaching our reasonable media goals. Luckily, My partner is a very artistic, eloquent writer. I am the total visual element, so together we balance well. We have close to no funds towards our marketing at the moment, so for right now everything we post will be free of charge. :) My coworkers Idea was to actually create an entirely separate email account to register all of our social media platforms with, so we are pretty organized in that area. Which also makes it incredibly easier to receive quick notifications via email. We also use our google calender with this email, although at the moment we aren't very busy or blacked out of any days considering we are so freshly new. Our main objective is to attack the social media standpoint as intensely as possible to gain traffic to our site.

   So, on to the actual planning of our future posts ahead. We agreed we would send out a newsletter twice a month- so every two weeks. We are gaining new shipment around once a month, as long as having a photo shoot for a look book once a month, So therefore the first week we will post our new product photos. The second newsletter will consist of the new product look book to feature the visual and inspirational aspect of how our jewelry pieces came to be. Of course included in this will be little articles like- healing stone of the month, new scientific discovery (in the spiritual news), healthy living tips, etc.

   I think we are planning on having three to four scheduled posts a week. That way we can truly revise and have well thought out, meaningful posts that we feel one hundred percent comfortable sharing. My company will have one or two spur of the moment posts, that will be derived directly from some sort of spiritual epiphany or moment of utter inspiration. Blog posts are going to be weekly to biweekly, and of course will be linked to Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Tumblr. Pinterest will be utilized as frequently as Facebook. This is easily done considering posting and commenting on other Pinterest posts helps gain visibilty to our profile as well. Instagram will be used daily. Twitter will be used Once or Twice a day-separate of links connected to other social media platforms. Those will be  quotes from historical spirtual leaders, or answering questions from our audience. We really want to use Twitter to really communicate with customers to see what they're doing, and what they want. LinkedIn is something new to us completely, so we will be dedicating a full day to testing out its many uses.

Week 14 Class list

I responded to the Week 14 Assignment (PT 1) on these classmates blogs:

Craig Stevens
Stephen Wilson
Andrew Beltran
Matthew Bergemann

Week 14

      The social media platforms I would integrate daily would be Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Instagram is the a very popular and frequently visited site. In my age group the average person is on it at least 2 hours a day. I could literally post 3-5 pictures a day for my business. Considering my business directly involves imagery and style, a photography platform would benefit gaining customers/followers the most. Customers want to be able to see and visualize what a piece is going to portray on their body. LinkedIn I would use daily, to comment on others posts or ask questions. Marketing is everything, so communicating with feature leads and business partners is something that should be daily. I would try to update my content daily, but that may be something that would fall into being done once or twice a week. Facebook is something that  also falls into the daily category. As read in earlier lectures, a post a day attached with visible content is what works the most in reaching out to friends and followers. Twitter is linked to both my Instagram and Facebook so posting on there is a no brainer as to how it came into this category. Although I am opinionated about the concept of the importance creating original twitter posts are to business marketing. No customer OR business owner enjoys reading a twitter post of half cut off sentences followed by a link. Pinterest will be used daily, I will be definitely be pinning similar businesses frequently through the day to say the least. I would consider posting new products and photography pics a few times during the week as well. I will be utilizing Google Analytics very often, just probably not on a day to day basis.

   The websites that can be used through a less frequent time period are the coupon sites like Groupon and Living Social. In the start of spreading my business name across the country and hopefully worldwide; these sites will be used every couple of weeks. In the future I envision the business utilizing these sites once or twice a month. The other sites /i would use less frequently are Tumblr, Pulse, Flipboard, Youtube, and Yelp. \Due to obvious reasoning, Pulse and Flipboard are sorta one time things. The best way to benefit these sites would be to enhance followers and traffic to your actual business URL. Tumblr will be used as often as our company blog posts are up. We have few workers to help write posts at the moment along with other duties that need to be fulfilled therefore Tumblr is temporarily on the back burner.Youtube is along with being on board of the lower ranking on our priorities list because of lack of resources as well. It is planned to video behind the scenes of our lookbooks and product photoshoots; so when these occur they will be uploaded to Youtube. Yelp will not be used until we have a physical location or store open up.

Facebook Insights

     Sadly to say, in my Admin Panel under the table," Insights" it states I need to gain 6 more likes until I have allowed access to view activity. Meaning that my facebook is at a standing whole 24 likes. Some may view this as silly, however I am proud of this business and for paying for close to zero advertisements, 24 likes is a pretty good start. Not to mention that I opened my notifications to one message from a vendor similar to this business, as well as a few comments from a complete stranger. Both of these notifications started out with a positive vibe, commenting on how uniquely beautiful the pieces are. One specific man even praised the photography and background choices of our business page. These messages alone were "insights" enough for myself, and considering the circumstances of this business being officially launched (and brand new); I take these kind strangers opinion and put them in regards to what content viewers are feeding off of. Afterall, staying true to your business and content is all that a person needs to raise SEO, and I ncouldn't be happier considering the ideas I hold are unique and similar.

Week 13

       After visiting the Google Analytics page, I have decided that some websites I definitely would want to track, would be influential to my genre of  business and morals. As read on the "Introduction to Google Analytics" article I stumbled upon, when trying to gain a better grasp of what this exactly is, the article stated this tracker helps turn users into customers. In the textbook it also states that knowing a customers path of entrance/dismissal and location helps build a strong visual demographic of what future customers are. Those who use "keywords" and start conversations, is essential to every business owner. Business is based off of pleasing your customers. Knowing what they're into and what is circulating between them only helps you create a more fitting supply and thus makes your consumers hungry for more. Not to mention keeping the same theme/genre in your content is what matters when it comes to SEO, so knowing what all the consumers are talking about helps the business owner follow that same path, bringing the optimization level higher.
    One of the first sites I will definitely utilize with Google Analytics is "Light News" (www.lightnews.org).
This is an incredibly high trafficked site where users from all around the world visit for intriguing unique posts that apply to their beliefs. The articles can sometimes be wide ranging in topic, but like the textbook states: they all stick to the same core. I know understand how SEO works when it comes to constantly updating original posts that stick to your niche. This is the epitome of a website that follows those guidelines and I must say it's working wonders for them business wise and Google wise. When just searching the word "chakra" this is one of the first websites that pop up. I basically already track the users of this site and whats trending daily so Google Analytics could possibly be the best technique for my business stalking ways.

Week 12 Coupon Deals

        Before I would consider to create my coupon for my business, I would first make a pleasant visit to groupon and living social. Considering that these are the renown sites to search for as a consumer for a great deal, it is what I would utilize in order to gain popularity and traffic to my site. I'm hoping that when
customers see a new name they've never heard before on these sites, that maybe it will lead an intriguing effect where they are interested in what this site has to offer. Whether they are turned on or tunred off after visiting the site, all that truly matters is that they are clicking the page and viewing it. The more minds that are aware of this brand, the more it will branch out like a disease. The only problem I see myself facing through these two sites however, are the fact there is no tangible store for a customer to visit. The first coupon I would create would be to promote the rings that we own that are already at a pretty low price. Rings like labrodite and amethyst. I would say 30 percent off to whoever likes us on facebook. Plus the rings are what we get most feedback on because of their very individual designs. Next I would make a coupon for buy 4 get 1 free off of our $3.00 sage bundles. This covers a vast area of what the store has to offer, and also low key helps promote traffic to my facebook.

WEEK 12

After reading the chapter in Online Marketing, I found LinkedIN to be a very important, non necessarily-social media account. It is like using Facebook for business, but actually dedicated solely to expanding growth in your area of expertise. Using Linked IN I would utilize the Amazon app which allows you to view what others are reading/have read in your groups and subgroups. If I saw people had read the similar transcendental books as I have in the past, then that alone can spark a conversation that proves the extent of my knowledge to future colleagues and business connections. Having a shared area of interest always brings an at ease energy when communicating with an individual for the first time. What I also found useful was how LinkedIN will track what is being "tweeted" about your company or corporation. Through this app I can respond to followers or fans or even haters, to keep a good persona through social media; as someone who can accept both positive and negative feedback.

   Google Plus can also be an incredibly beneficial social media tool to help market and branch out to future business partners. Also it can help group yourself to others in your field, by branching farther out via online across a wider geographical range. A tool I found truly intriguimng was their version of skyping, called "Hangout" which is completely free of charge. This aspect helps bring a more human nature aspect to a meeting, whether it be for the first time or just for a regularly scheduled meeting; being face to face helps communication broaden through body language. As read in the lecture, this social media part of google can even inspire blog posts by viewing what others opinions are on certain subjects. It is always insightful to see what others in your area of interests perceptions are, and gaining a neutral understanding.

   The last two items I find being beneficial to my business are the two virtual coupon sites: Groupon and Living Social. Because my business is completely online and highly intangible to the public, this provides to be the only way to spread deals to the whole public, meaning those who aren't on my followers list. However Living Social stands out because they encourage direct feedback after a customer uses a businesses coupon. It can be extremely helpful in gauging corporate fans by collecting the data of whether they are new or old. Living Social further asks if this same customer would consider going back to this business or not. Having a complete view of whose interested in your site helps the owner better understand where they lacking.

Marketing on a Budget

     Considering the current budget my company is in after purchasing actual product, we have close to none money to afford on advertising right now. Which thus leads us to enrolling in this class to find out how REALLY to work the social marketing world to our favor through essentially advertising for free: by simply owning some type of profile somewhere. In my opinion, businesses who DON'T use paid advertising have a better chance of gaining direct action calls through word of mouth, because every like and share is genuinely coming from a fan. Or customer. Right now the pop culture loves everything and anything UNDERGROUND, because of paid advertising which provides too much commonality for teens and young adults across the state. Why shop at Forever 21 and risk the possibility of wearing the same shirt as someone else, when you can just google shops that are similar and find a much less known  brand carrying similar styles for just as cheap? Today information is at our fingertips thanks to technology, which only makes the culture thrive more to be different. Therefore I will have all my posts be call to action enduring those who share my companies moral compass to shop and join the Subcosmic Community.

Comments List

For week 11 I responded to Hannah Jeon, John Gillies, and Mac Hillienbrand.

Week 11

     After reading the textbook assignment and viewing the lecture, I don't think any business owner can deny that Facebook is the major and necessary advertising platform out of the options. Facebook varies in what type of audience a business owner chooses to aim for. The different categories for whom one wants to target varies in groups. By choosing one of the categories I will explain below,  the "friends of connections" whom fall under the similar characteristics bring the business a greater chance of having genuine fans and followers. The list of AD options include by location, demographics (age and gender), likes, interests (music, religion, etc), birthdays, relationship status, language, education, and work. Considering the target audience for Subcosmic the route I would take would be likes and interests. Some of the moral concepts that this business follows directly creates a sense of controversy depending on the specific religion and interests of a customer. If they are not somewhat involved in auras, crystals, and the chakras then they would view my ad pointless, regardless of the age or demographics. Twitter ADs would of course be useful and in that sense I would purchase the keywords Crystals, Chakras, Spirituality, and Universal Awareness. I like the concept that the textbook provided about marketing via LinkedIN, which stated that having a face to the owner or CEO of a corporation invites customers to humanize with a company better. Feeling like a customer can tangibly relate to a company definitely increases the possibility of a sale, and I view this in my own opinion when I'm shopping as well. Going back into detail about Facebook ADS, I would definitely choose the Pay per Click option. It would be virtually pointless to pay for anything but direct results and traffic to ones site.

LIST

I commented on:

Devon Pinto
Brittany Martin
Hannah Jeon

Newsletter

     Newsletters can be a typically touchy subject for audiences and businesses. In my opinion no business should be sending out any type of notification to customers emails. For the customer it leads to boredom and routine and will end up just getting straight up ignored. I want my personal business newsletter to be sent monthly, so that my customers actually look forward to reading it with their cup of coffee. My newsletter will cover recent product changes, updates, deals, and sales. Next it will show the new photo lookbook and recent photo shoots. It will include the monthly calender of events and places the business will be attending. Then it will have links to the updated blog posts. My letter will as well cover new discoveries in science, worldwide news, and crystal gemstone updates. It will be most informative and almost like a wide ranging newspaper for the month. There will always be a link at the end that will send the customer to a business review and feedback so the company can hear what their audience finds useful and what parts are absolute trash.

Categories

On Subcosmic's business blog, the categories that would be present would all be directly  related to the products sold online and the general business morals. There would be a category for smudging, incense, and natural oils. This list would be all informational filled with Tips and Personal experiences that relate. At the end of each paragraph would have a link to buy these items.Next there would be a category for a crystal dictionary that defined the natural abilities that the stones, which also are a product of the business, holds to human capabilities. Also there would be an art category that helps keep our target audience up to date on new age pop culture. As well as a category dedicated to the input, questions, and comments that come from whomever visits the site and feels has something to contribute to the high power. By condensing together pop culture, information, tips, and interpersonal communication, the business will reach our target audience from every direction possible.

How Personal

     In regards to blogging for business, the level of personal presence in posts truly depends on the circumstances of said business. As discussed in the lecture and related chapter, an owner must make the decision of what personality the business will be associated under. Always consider what morals and controversial standpoints a business holds when going into social media. Should any seriously business corporations be posting about the parties the CEO goes too over the weekend? Probably not... However if the CEO is Sophia Moruso from the commonly known business Nasty Gal then yes; she should be sharing her personal photos from the fashion shows she attends over the week. For example, Chic-fil-a is a fastfood restaurant chain that holds by their spiritual faith Christianity and refuses to be open on Sundays. Knowing worldwide that this corporation is Christian, would it be too personal for the business to share biblical references, church photos, or religious experiences on their social platflorms? Absolutely not BECAUSE it is known and stands by promoting their Christian background. Would it be controversial if the brand Vans Shoes did actions similar to promoting a specific religion? Very possibly because they hold a neutral platform so sharing a personal view of one employee would start a sticky downfall.

Analyzing social media

Crystal Fantasy's is a new age private business located in Palm Springs. Their products are similar to what SubCosmic offers on our online website. Crystal Fantasy's website hosts five different links to their social media, These app icons are presented in the right top corner directly above the title of the homepage. These include Facebook, Myspace, twitter, Stumbleupon, and Delicious. When one clicks the fFcebook tab, it immediately opens to "share crystal fantasy on your timeline," with their named tagged. The same goes for every other site, which I viewed very intelligent and an easy way for a fan to help gain traffic. The only issue I saw in this plan was there is no share page on Myspace, and actually no Crystal Fantasy page is made at all. That can be viewed as poor marketing to someone who is viewing the links provided. Also their twitter page was dull, and completely full of links to it's Instagram and Facebook. (yawn) Their Facebook is full of inspirational memes as well as new product shipment, calenders, etc. Their Instagram consists of pictures from their new shipment of product; very well played in my opinion. Delicious I never heard of, and therefore googled the name to conclude it is an organizational link profile that saves selected links. This organizational site is perfect for people to remember and go BACK to ones business site.

The next site I analyzed was gemsandu.com which is an online genuine gemstone shop based in India. This site only contains two links at the bottom of the page, which I viewed terrible placement. These include Twitter and Facebook. Now this may not be many, but at least they are the business essentials. Their Twitter icon links the viewer to their direct homepage. Unlike Crystal Fantasy's this business posts original twitter news, with each tweet ending in a link to their site. Other info posted on this feed are links which bring the audience to  Customer Questions, Contact info, as well as their facebook page. I view their Twitter as well ran and interesting to the customer. As well as giving the customer new material to look forward to, instead of just advertisements. Their Facebook feed unfortunately is not as energetic due to the their timeline being filled with the same three advertisements repeatedly. This store could definitely use a major social media makeover.

The visual networks

Reading these blog posts about the four main visual networks for social media has been very beneficial in categorizing my business. This online gemstone shop is completely based off of visual communication and appeal. Due to the business being directly involved with retail, it can benefit from all four social platforms. A similarity I found for all platforms thus far, has been the necessity of including links to all your site's media in a reachable manner. Every corporate business owner uses tumblr, instagram, and pinterest alike. Create a profound, individualistic, photo that separates and narrows the brand personality. The best way to become viral is to project a creativity that is unique and defined to solely your business. Have some "pilot"  posts where you test what exactly your followers are engaging in your posts and what is driving them away. This is especially important in tumblr and pinterest, where there is direct competition via links in each post. The goal is to make your brands page feed an addiction, where the audience is craving more posts, and regularly checking up on what they possibly missed. I know for a fact I check the brand "Melt Cosmetics" instagram daily because their VISUAL content is so bold I hate missing out on a new, intriguing post of which they market. My own personal goals for using these sites vary. Instagram is the direct news feed for outputting and gaining followers in my field via hashtags. Youtube can be used to demonstrate with "body language" of how the jewelry looks on in person and can be helpful for human measuring. Tumblr can help gain traffic to my site by including little excerpts of blog posts including a strong visual presence through picture or video. Pinterest is going to be used for inspiring posts, and also making strong relations with other business owners in the same field.

Twitter

For my Twitter Advanced search, I tested out a few keywords i use regularly as instagram hashtags for Sub Cosmic. These included; chakras, meditation, vibrations, spirituality, universe. At first I accidentally combined them altogether and ended up with no result. I tried individually searching the keywords, then moved on to use the hashtag search. I found some really well related profiles to follow. The lists I created are called Chakras and the second is called Visual Inspiration. The chakras category goes for future collaborations, and as an educational source for when I need some ideas. The visual Inspiration includes national geographic and Polaroid to enhance creative visual imagery.

Feautured Likes

        The demographics for my business is directly involved with spiritual individuals. Therefore all of sub cosmic's feautured likes deal with new age transcendentalism. I liked yoga, because most yoga goers are intrigued by inner peace and finding balance, which the genuine gemstones provide. Also I liked Native Foods cafe, which is a completely vegan, organic, and gluten free cuisine. These aware customers should be interested in crystals as well. Next I liked the chakras page, which directly links to the benefit of the gemstones. Palm Springs is my hometown, and a focal point of spiriual awareness. Also I liked the literal "agape spirtual awareness center" which will more than likely bring in customers for this business.

Post Reach - Post Engagement

In week 5 of class, the content of discussion has been the aesthetics of facebook and how to use this viral site to a business's advantage.Now lets talk facebook terms. We were told to analyze the definition of "Post Reach" and "Post Engagement." Post Reach is the accumulation of individuals who SAW your post. This includes an organic number and paid number. If a business owner pays for an AD on facebook, then the number of users who saw the post via the paid ad will collect under this category. The organic category includes the number of "unique" individuals who found the post themself or through a friends feed. This only goes until 28 days after the original post. On socialmediatoday.com, author Yasmin Bendror quotes that post reach resembles a businesses "growing fan base." This is in reference to what is seen on the news feed.

   Yasmin Bendror on the contrary explains that Post Engagement gauges and promotes brand loyalty, relationships, and measure product intent. Post Engagement is defined as the accumulation of likes, shares, and comments a single post generates. Facebook.com help center describes this term as the number of actions related to an individuals post. So basically "ALL CLICKS." Using both of these facebook aspects benefits a business and helps inform owners with direct feedback on their posts. If someone is trying to manipulate the word of mouth in regards to their business, Post Reach is where you should be focusing. If someone is trying to heighten their brand loyalty, and business "regulars," Post Engagement is the focus.

TARGET MARKET ANALYSIS

     For the duration of this course, I will be representing the small crystal jewelry business called "Cub Sosmic." All potential customers of this business are women or homosexual males, in no offense but the jewelry is designed for females. It has a small stock so there will be no need for resale, these audiences will be individual buyers. The demographics for the target are women from ages 25-55. That may be a broad range, but the owner is leaning towards the mid 30's to mid 40's female age group. The marital status can be single or married. The income will be middle class to high class. The target market will most likely have no family or a very small family. The Psycho graphics will portray a very new-age belief. There is no religious preference considering it is jewelry. However the natural gemstones are used in accordance to mediating and aligning the chakras. For that reason, the concept of the target is likely to be open minded, hippie, transcendentalists. They will believe in a higher power, of light and love. They will value all things natural to mother earth. This will hopefully spread a voice of getting back in touch with our roots as human beings.

SITES I USE FREQUENTLY

The first site I visit frequently is www.tumblr.com. It is effective because it is a community based sight that sparks individuals interest and lets them explore whatever they want. It is very diverse and the content is wide ranging and personable. It is a good design because it is simple, easy to use, and straight to the point. Everything you need is a click away at the top right corner, including your own profile, and search bar. Also  each user can design their own profile. What makes me come back is the sense of community. All tumblr users have a certain language, or humor, or more of just way of life. Feeling like you are understood by people all over the world is comforting. What could be improved is it's frequent glitches, I feel as though the engine gets overwhelmed by all the users and crashes.

Another site I use frequently is stumble.com. It is effective because the user clicks a variety of interests. After that, one presses a button which is titled "stumble" and this engine will take you to websites based off of your interests that someone would never be able to find before. The design is amazing because not only does it provide your list of interests, but it also shows other common interests by users of the sight. Or it shows little sneak peaks of popular pages under your interest. It is organized and diverse. The content is what makes me come back, I have found incredible sights through this. The only thing that needs improving is the list of interest, but that is a personal opinion.

aestheticss, design, and branding

Choose two of the following websites and identify at least three potential problems for visitors. What could be improved on this website and why? Choose two and identify what they have done right. How does design, aesthetics and branding impact your reaction to the websites?

The first website I chose to analyze, was www.toyota.com. Right off the bat, the first problem recognized was it'd concept and contrast. The whole front page is white, including tabs that take the viewer to other links. The only color is the sliding pictures of the feautured cars. With having the whole frontpage basically one color, it leaves disinterest and boredom to customers. This also creates a washed out feel. The other problem I find is the overwhelming amount of links and products on the front page. When providing so many options, a customer will feel overwhelmed and anxious as to which direction to take. Also, they don't really clarify specific pricing and deals making everything seem overpriced or expensive. The two aspects of their website done well, are their "GIF" pictures that slide on the front page. That is intriguing and makes the customer yearn for more. Also they make it a point to provide a search bar at the top and bottom of the page which is useful.

The second website chosen to analyze is http://tectorch.com/. Right off the bat there is WAY too much going on the front of this website. Where does one even look first? The intensely bright colored titles and links are all intertwining and have absolutely no alignment. Also they go from introducing their product to all the product choices on the same page. Also a definite negative aspect. On top of the above, they have barely any depth of content. They have the beginning line of what is being sold, and by who; but that is about it. The positive aspects of this site, is it's use of theme. "Made by American Workers, used by American Workers," then ahving the color scheme blue and red. Very smart move on their part to promote the nation and attract customers to the love of their country. Why use a Chinese brand torch when you can use one by your people? Furthermore, their placement of customer reviews are at the right place. 

Week 2

Melt Cosmetics
http://www.meltcosmetics.com/
instagram, twitter, facebook, pinterest

Nasty Gal
http://www.nastygal.com/
 Tumblr, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Sephora
http://www.sephora.com/
Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Youtube, Google+, Twitter, Instagram

Urbanog
http://urbanog.com/
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, Blogger, Pinterest, Google+, Press


Steve Madden
http://www.stevemadden.com/
Facebook and Twitter

I have never truly had a problem communicating with a business. To be quite honest, I have grown up with the usage of technology, so for myself googling has always provided an answer. Currently, I am working for a small restaurant business. Social Media helps the communication between consumer and producer immediately. For example: yelp. A customer is looking for a place to eat. They find a restaurant nearby that has five stars. They go and eat. If they like their food, they will write a marvelous review on yelp and grading it the deserved amount of stars. If they hate the food, they are able to warn future customers to not buy this or that; or even to visit the restaurant at all. Social media has intensely closed the gap between the consumer and business owners. However, it is up to the owners to make sure to upkeep with the comments, and feedback of the customers. 

Personal vs business platforms

     In my opinion, social media can all be used for business platforms if done correctly. What I mean by if "done correctly," I'm insinuating marketing strategies that are more in depth and casual then posting a product and saying it is for sale. For example instagram can be used to subtle market intensely when done right! However most responses would be that instagram is a more personal platform.

    Along with instagram, I associate twitter and facebook with being of greater personal use. Depending on the followers on twitter, having 140 characters to post can sometimes be a challenge. Especially when trying to get a point across, or explain a product, or really just advertise in general. Facebook resembles a similar personal view because of all of the details about ones personal life that is filled out and posted. Although facebook is less personal of the two.

     The best business platforms of social media would be blogging sites, Pinterest, Tumblr, etsy etc. In these platforms the viewers are often looking for product to buy. They are often looking in the search bars for jewelry, fashion, shoes, whatever the market is. In these websites are people looking for ideas. They are looking for originality, for something beyond what corporate america has to offer, and that's why I view them as  abetter opportunity for small businesses; or business in general.

First Entry

Hello Class!! I used my blog name as Aquanista because it is the company name I created for my future business. I chose the "ethereal" template because I want to associate the blog with being delicate, light, and valuable. Also I just personally enjoy the soft colors that relax the viewer. instead of a busy harsh approach. I want my viewers to feel comfortable, relaxed, happy. I truly think this theme coincides with what aura I hope to have my business related too.