In my opinion, in designing a banner image or video on your Facebook profile needs to summarize the brand and lifestyle that is engaging and aesthetically pleasing. The use of a color palette, simple yet meaningful text and context, and simple design rules such as using shadow and lighting in the correct way carry a lot of weight when looking at an image. Also, using a simple comparison image that shows how your brand is better than another is a great way to offer a call to action to purchase your products or visit your website. Creating a short 10 second video is also a great option to increase engagement and show more content in a meaningful way; this can be shared via Twitter, Facebook or YouTube.
For my business, I would definitely use the Form/Get More Leads advertisement to try to gather meaningful information from my customers that I can utilize in marketing, such as emails or zip code to see where most of my customers reside. I would also use the "Promote your shop button" for a special sale or event that I would have, in order to try to get as many conversions on to my website to buy my products, such as a Spring Sale for hikers and backpackers! Lastly, I would try to boost my Instagram and Facebook posts which eye-catching imagery to see how that would translate into engagement.
In my recent experience working for a small e-commerce company, boosting or marketing too much will turn away customers and it can lower your profits sometimes if you try to introduce a sale that people want to use on a previous purchase so you have to be careful. I think doing more seasonal promotions and constant new customer intro discounts is a great way to get people interested but not annoyed. For my business, I would probably try to focus on the holiday season, the launch of Spring and Earth Day, popular hikes in Autumn and maybe some products that would be useful or popular during summer vacations and camping.
-DavidT
Monday, April 29, 2019
Thursday, April 25, 2019
Week 13: Online Advertising
The first business that came to mind is The North Face. Their advertising is definitely better than some others, such as Patagonia, but North Face is less popular around this area for some reason. I like their Facebook page, the header has a nice video that is on par with a tv commercial and they have a call to action button to sign up for the loyalty rewards program which connects directly to that page on the website. Interestingly enough though, they often incorporate language such as "sign off," "log off," and others which is meant to get you to go outside and explore, but it also goes against the point of online advertising and getting you to stay on their web page and shop, so it's a fine line. I guess someone would need to buy gear in order to go on a trip in the first place... so I don't know what my point is, I just thought it was interesting! Their image marketing is similar to my style, however the event marketing does need some help and looks amateur, and also their Instagram needs some help.
Patagonia is another example of a business similar to mine. This company is currently more popular with the preppy crowd and also the outdoors market. My overall experience with their marketing is that some young annoying person is in charge of it and doesn't know what they are doing; a lot of people make fun of their posts but maybe that is their strategy ?! Who knows. For example, there's a famous picture showing one parent tossing their young baby to another parent over a decent jump distance between a couple boulders. This ad was originally published a long time ago so they thought it would be a cool vintage post, but it was in baaad taste. As a company they are definitely more politically active so this may be part of their overall strategy as long as people are talking about them.
REI is a company that takes their marketing to a different level. Beyond the typical 'shop now' call to action button, they list plenty of events, blog content such as camping recipes, and overall good stuff to read and engage in. They aren't trying to stuff their products down your throat but instead sell you the lifestyle. They have #OptOutside where you can share your adventures, which is what I would like to do with my marketing engagement.
Herschel Supply Co. is a company that produces backpacks, travel luggage and some travel accessories. Their imagery is sort of similar to Patagonia; it seems the person in charge is young and is trying too hard but it isn't effective to me. Some of the images are a little blurry and there are some interesting style choices like hanging a bag over a cactus...? Okay, that's interesting. There are also some posts that don't even include their product, sort of like someone is living through the wrong Facebook page. Not that effective, kind of annoying and I don't get it.
Another potential company similar to mine is Cabela's. They are more of an outdoors sporting goods leader. They do have some good video and some amazing pictures, however there are quite a few hunting pictures on Instagram which isn't my cup of tea but nonetheless they are of good quality and attract their customers. They can certainly go without some of the hunting pictures and just stick to fishing in order to not offend anyone but I'm not the boss!
I don't browse social media that much so anything on these platforms are not effective to me personally. I'd much rather see a creative and well-driven message on tv or shared on YouTube/Facebook. If I come across an amazing quality picture, I have to like it but that doesn't mean I am going to buy their products. I don't think anyone reads magazines anymore... but radio is a good option to try to reach a lot of people; even though it isn't a visual advertisement which is more engaging, radio is an easy way to get in between some tunes, whether it's traditional or online such as Pandora or Spotify.
-DavidT
Patagonia is another example of a business similar to mine. This company is currently more popular with the preppy crowd and also the outdoors market. My overall experience with their marketing is that some young annoying person is in charge of it and doesn't know what they are doing; a lot of people make fun of their posts but maybe that is their strategy ?! Who knows. For example, there's a famous picture showing one parent tossing their young baby to another parent over a decent jump distance between a couple boulders. This ad was originally published a long time ago so they thought it would be a cool vintage post, but it was in baaad taste. As a company they are definitely more politically active so this may be part of their overall strategy as long as people are talking about them.
REI is a company that takes their marketing to a different level. Beyond the typical 'shop now' call to action button, they list plenty of events, blog content such as camping recipes, and overall good stuff to read and engage in. They aren't trying to stuff their products down your throat but instead sell you the lifestyle. They have #OptOutside where you can share your adventures, which is what I would like to do with my marketing engagement.
Herschel Supply Co. is a company that produces backpacks, travel luggage and some travel accessories. Their imagery is sort of similar to Patagonia; it seems the person in charge is young and is trying too hard but it isn't effective to me. Some of the images are a little blurry and there are some interesting style choices like hanging a bag over a cactus...? Okay, that's interesting. There are also some posts that don't even include their product, sort of like someone is living through the wrong Facebook page. Not that effective, kind of annoying and I don't get it.
Another potential company similar to mine is Cabela's. They are more of an outdoors sporting goods leader. They do have some good video and some amazing pictures, however there are quite a few hunting pictures on Instagram which isn't my cup of tea but nonetheless they are of good quality and attract their customers. They can certainly go without some of the hunting pictures and just stick to fishing in order to not offend anyone but I'm not the boss!
I don't browse social media that much so anything on these platforms are not effective to me personally. I'd much rather see a creative and well-driven message on tv or shared on YouTube/Facebook. If I come across an amazing quality picture, I have to like it but that doesn't mean I am going to buy their products. I don't think anyone reads magazines anymore... but radio is a good option to try to reach a lot of people; even though it isn't a visual advertisement which is more engaging, radio is an easy way to get in between some tunes, whether it's traditional or online such as Pandora or Spotify.
-DavidT
Monday, April 22, 2019
Week 12B: Using Other Online Tools
LinkedIn has many professional environmental and conservation groups that could be useful to my business, especially if a portion of all proceeds are donated to support those groups. Popular choices include: The Sierra Club and also governmental organizations such as NOAA and related projects.
I could also invite some high-level people in those organizations to offer opinions and other content for my website which would hopefully link to their LinkedIn profile!
MeetUp is a cool app in that you can meet with local people that organize around a similar interest, and it isn't restricted to a particular area of interest, such as groups listed in my previous blog post, which may hinder some opportunities. MeetUp possibilities include local hikes, beach clean-ups, fundraiser get-togethers and so on.
I could also invite some high-level people in those organizations to offer opinions and other content for my website which would hopefully link to their LinkedIn profile!
MeetUp is a cool app in that you can meet with local people that organize around a similar interest, and it isn't restricted to a particular area of interest, such as groups listed in my previous blog post, which may hinder some opportunities. MeetUp possibilities include local hikes, beach clean-ups, fundraiser get-togethers and so on.
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Week 12: Using other online tools
I like this exercise for one reason: it forces me to search outside of my social media box. I've been content with the juggernauts of the social media world but there is more out there and more specific communities as well. I think you may be surprised by what you find if you just look for it.
For my business, which focuses on outdoor/hiking products, there is a community for outdoors-minded people! It's called, "Gociety" and is basically a social network for adventurers who like to be active and go outside. You can browse recommended places, find/communicate with like-minded people, start a "plan" such as a planned hike and you can join planned hikes in your area. I'm thinking I can use this for my business in a similar way to Facebook but instead of pushing ads and events all the time, I can use this service to try to build another outlet of online presence and a sense of authority in the community. I could also link to this community from my website to reinforce content in a blog or article about a popular hiking spot or coordinate a large planned outing.
There's also the app, "AllTrails," which functions in the same way as Google Maps. The app gets your location data and lists all the popular hiking spots in your area, along with reviews. Lake Calavera Loop Trail here in Carlsbad alone has over 600 reviews! That's huge and I can't imagine how many reviews and users a more popular hiking area would have. It might be pulling data from Google itself, I can't tell unless I sign up. In any case, I'm surprised something like this even exists!
Thanks,
DavidT
For my business, which focuses on outdoor/hiking products, there is a community for outdoors-minded people! It's called, "Gociety" and is basically a social network for adventurers who like to be active and go outside. You can browse recommended places, find/communicate with like-minded people, start a "plan" such as a planned hike and you can join planned hikes in your area. I'm thinking I can use this for my business in a similar way to Facebook but instead of pushing ads and events all the time, I can use this service to try to build another outlet of online presence and a sense of authority in the community. I could also link to this community from my website to reinforce content in a blog or article about a popular hiking spot or coordinate a large planned outing.
There's also the app, "AllTrails," which functions in the same way as Google Maps. The app gets your location data and lists all the popular hiking spots in your area, along with reviews. Lake Calavera Loop Trail here in Carlsbad alone has over 600 reviews! That's huge and I can't imagine how many reviews and users a more popular hiking area would have. It might be pulling data from Google itself, I can't tell unless I sign up. In any case, I'm surprised something like this even exists!
Thanks,
DavidT
Friday, April 12, 2019
Week 11: Email Marketing
Okay so since my company, David's Backpack Ponchos, is focused on the outdoors/hiking/camping aspect as well as trends for using clear backpacks, I think that the majority of my business will be seasonal and so my newsletters will follow suit. With that said, there is also the environmental aspect of trying to use recycled plastic materials in the products so that can be an ongoing newsletter as well.
For the outdoors part of the business, content that includes current events would probably be most useful and engaging, probably on a monthly basis. Obviously my product would be used more during the rainy season for backpackers and hikers so it might make sense to increase some traffic with sales, promotions and product launches during that time. This group of customers probably also care more about the environmental impacts of the products and how they can contribute to the environmental cause so I might include environmental current events related to plastic waste/uses as well.
The other major use of my products I imagine would be for school/vacation use and doing a newsletter launch during the summer and back-to-school season could be beneficial. I would probably use younger and family-oriented content to try to engage with the audience that would connect to these uses of my product. More and more there are places that require clear bags/backpacks to check in to such as theme parks and stadiums so I would write content and take pictures of these examples to show my customers.
For content layout, I do like the idea of a big banner on top that highlights a promotion but other than that I like the layout of having a small summary paragraph with a large thumbnail image to the left or right of it, similar to what you would see on a news summary page; this allows for quick scrolling and an easy to see summary of content that is not so annoying. I am subscribed to a plant newsletter that my work sends out and they do use large images, more feminine colors and type font with what the company is trying to push for the season. On the bottom there is always the social media links and the promotions that are always happening, no matter what time of year it is.
-DavidT
For the outdoors part of the business, content that includes current events would probably be most useful and engaging, probably on a monthly basis. Obviously my product would be used more during the rainy season for backpackers and hikers so it might make sense to increase some traffic with sales, promotions and product launches during that time. This group of customers probably also care more about the environmental impacts of the products and how they can contribute to the environmental cause so I might include environmental current events related to plastic waste/uses as well.
The other major use of my products I imagine would be for school/vacation use and doing a newsletter launch during the summer and back-to-school season could be beneficial. I would probably use younger and family-oriented content to try to engage with the audience that would connect to these uses of my product. More and more there are places that require clear bags/backpacks to check in to such as theme parks and stadiums so I would write content and take pictures of these examples to show my customers.
For content layout, I do like the idea of a big banner on top that highlights a promotion but other than that I like the layout of having a small summary paragraph with a large thumbnail image to the left or right of it, similar to what you would see on a news summary page; this allows for quick scrolling and an easy to see summary of content that is not so annoying. I am subscribed to a plant newsletter that my work sends out and they do use large images, more feminine colors and type font with what the company is trying to push for the season. On the bottom there is always the social media links and the promotions that are always happening, no matter what time of year it is.
-DavidT
Wednesday, April 3, 2019
Week 10A - Blogging for Business
In the past, I think that blogging was the answer to the pre-YouTube craze where people posted about anything and everything; then it turned in to sort of like the MySpace of social media and I rolled my eyes every time I heard or saw a mention of a blog. Who does that anymore? Now, the blog is Facebook's sidekick and I am starting to see it more and more as an addition to websites, an alternative that offers more customization than Facebook. If there are people out there who think like I do, then they would appreciate the lengthy content off of Facebook and on to the web page, and that is what the blog offers.
When adding a personal or human touch to blog posts, it is important to discern the goal of the post. For posts that are more factual and news related such as why someone should buy bitcoin or the next hot stock trend, followed by some analysis of such, then the reader doesn't really care about the human touch. If you turned that post on its head and instead write about how buying bitcoin is not a good strategy with your rent income and how to build a robust portfolio for your family, then adding the human touch for the average reader with a family could change the game on readership. Everyone likes financial security! They also value honesty.
With that in mind however, the current political and social climate is definitely more divided than it has been in almost a generation. Adding a human touch to almost anything with the intent of helping your reader with the right non-biased information or how life can be improved with a product or service would be beneficial. I would steer clear of opinions unless that is the point of course. Be good to people and they will be good to you! Unless they're crazy, then just let them pass through and say, "Thank you, next."
Cheers!
-DavidT
Monday, April 1, 2019
Week 9A - Twitter
Okay, so I still don't understand Twitter when trying to find potential customers. I understand using it to connect with businesses and using it as a business to broadcast what's going on but I cannot easily find "people" to follow. I started with using the typical outdoors/hiking/camping companies like Patagonia and The North Face which connected me to conservation agencies and other groups. To find some people I played around with some keywords like backpacking, hiking and camping; I did come across some people but I'm not convinced they're productive connections. Perhaps the problem is that I didn't search by location because I want to focus nationally but I could hone in on Portland or Seattle or something like that. I suppose I'm used to finding connections that matter to me on Facebook rather than trying to follow as many people as possible within a specific subject so that may also be my problem.
I created a list for businesses and one for "Fellow Poncho People." Like what the lecture mentioned, I didn't want to categorize people as "potential customers" because that's not very personal. The business list is for the most current and popular brands and also the conservation groups that I came across. I could use the lists to tweet out more specific and goal-oriented tweets to see how it does. Like most things related to the typical day, the tweets are mostly read in the morning, during lunch time and at night; weekends are more spread out.
Thanks,
-DavidT
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