The possibility of turning a passion into reality

One of my passions is creating delicious, sometimes (ok, ok, Always) sinful treats and desserts.   I may see a recipe or an idea, and then I put my own spin on it.  As my mother always says – “it’s gilding the lily”.   Luckily, I have this great job where my co-workers are always willing to be taste-testers for my new creations. I constantly hear that I should open my own business or sell the treats that I make.  So what a better opportunity to start researching the how’s and why’s of doing that then learning how to promote it thru social media outlets.

The company that I am choosing to promote is called Traveling Treats, a mobile delivery system of bakery treats.   Orders can be placed via email/ fax; text; phone calls or response to emails blasts.  This company ( although currently fictious on paper) will not be a food truck parked someplace waiting for customers, but a delivery service that brings the orders right to the customer.   Think pizza delivery type service but for your sweet tooth.

My target audiences are:

·        Brides: who want a specialized treat tables for their events  

                               (bachelor parties/ engagement / showers)

·        Professional women (ages 30+): who need to impress clients or for

                                 company events

·        Working mothers: who needs treats for kid’s schools events or

                                   their own jobs

·        Men (25+): who need a way to impress a special person, get out of

                                     the doghouse or bring family get-togethers.

·        Sororities / fraternities: for all their meetings/ events

·        Hotels/ special event coordinators: who want something a little

                                   different to offer their clients

Demographic:
My potential customers would be people who enjoy great homemade desserts. Inspired by holidays, family traditions and retro desserts.  Aimed towards those who want desserts delivered that are just more than cupcakes or candy.   

Psychographic:
The customer would be able to pre-order from a specific menu and have personally delivered when and where they choose – within the San Diego area.  There will also be seasonal items, special orders and surprise new monthly treats.  What a way for the clients to have delicious homemade desserts for any of their events delivered directly to them.

Obviously, still a work in progress.   The path of traveling is learning and discovering new things, whether in foreign land or in your own back yard.   This new path is trying to discover how to turn my passions into a reality.

 And the journey continues.

Having a new perspective on websites I use

Have you ever looked a picture or a painting… and every time you see it – it’s the same.  Then someone says “did you notice this in the picture?”  Their comment could just be pointing out a shadow, a color, a different emotion.   From then on – how you now look at that image has now changed. That’s probably why all these photo bomb websites are popular in this digital world.

That is how I started this assignment. There are things that we do every day in our work and business life that we repeat over and over and never give it a thought on the process. 

Until now – I never thought about why the GOOGLE logo was in the center.  I never thought about that there might have been a team thinking and analyzing the layout, the visual images and how the consumer will use their website.

So I took a new look at some of the sites that I use almost on a daily basis. 

Super Shuttle http://www.supershuttle.com/Home.aspx

This is a site that I use all the time not only for when I am planning my own new adventures but when assisting others in planning their own adventures.  I think that there is a lot going on main page, but it is effective and captures the attention while still giving the information a guest may be looking for.  The best part of this site is that it automatically leads the customer to the next page.   The customer doesn’t have to dig deep through multiple pages for answers or to find the context they are looking for.  The colors are pleasing and consistent throughout the website.   I keep using the site because of their consistency.  I know that any time I log on; it’s going to be the same.  One of the things that I don’t like (on this site or most websites), it the rotating slides. They can be distracting and I wish there was a way the customer could turn it off or pause it while on the site.

Opentable     http://www.opentable.com/san-diego-restaurants?mn=57

 I use this site multiple times daily for guests of the hotel. To me this is definitely an effective website (that’s probably why I keep using it). It seems to follow the guidelines for C.R.A.P.H.T.E.D.  Logo is in the correct location, easy to read, easy to use, most of the important content is on the main page.  I keep using this site for numerous reasons: I can use the site any time of day and don’t have to wait till the restaurant is open to make a reservation, the site keeps track of the restaurants I use frequently, and it keeps a running list of reservations (perfect for my repeat guests) and it recommends similar restaurants. One thing that can definitely be improved – their contact page. There is no phone number /name or department to contact. It is just a little form to fill out and they will get back to you.

I now catch my self thinking of the guidelines when I'm on a webpage. Do they follow the step, what would I change if I was in charge?   How do I want my own site to look like?  Let the next chapter unfold in the adventure of social media.

K.I.S.S website layouts. What makes a good one?

I have never thought about how other websites are laid out or utilized until this class and I started looking at things a little differently.   One of the tools that I have learned in many of my business classes was about the layout planning K.I.S.S {Keep It Simple Stupid}…. Ok.. maybe the last “S” is wrong but that’s how I remember it.  

 
These are my personal opinions about other websites and how they don’t exactly follow those guidelines.   There is no right or wrong way to create websites, but there are tools that will make it more attractive to the target market being reached.

1. Tectorch:   http://tectorch.com/

      Ø  This seemed like a cluttered website.   Possible Solution:  Simplify what is on the main page
       Ø   It was a little hard to read at first due to the small type.  Possible Solution:   enlarge the font 
                        size, keep it simple on the home page
       Ø   It needs to be organized better.    Possible Solution:  have tabs at the top/ side  for the
                         different categories  rather than all listed products listed
       Ø   Contact information hard to find. Possible Solution: should be at the top and easy to
                          access instead of buried at the bottom. It also should be accessible from each page
        Ø  The testimonials and fact sheets should nave own tabs and also be in a PDF /printable 
                           form. Possible Solution: make these options their own tabs/links to that 
                           information.

2. RichSoil:    http://www.richsoil.com/raising-chickens.jsp

        Ø    To me this was more of a blog rather than a company’s website.
          Ø    A little confusing on what it was supposed to be about
          Ø    It looked like it had a theme “pemaculture” but doesn’t really say what that is.   Possible
                           Solution:   have an intro section.
          Ø    Quite a few times in the blog.. writer states “I’ll say it later” or “that’s another story”… but
                           doesn’t link to that other story.  Possible Solution:  Insert links to those later
                           discussions or create an archive sections
          Ø    Other thing was the links /ads on the top & bottom about free music (and other ads that
                           changed) was distracting and had nothing to do with the site.  They were large
                           and seemed part of the blog.  Possible Solution:   Remove those ads or make them
                           smaller and at the bottom only. Make those ads different colors and sizes to show
                           that they are different from the main site.
           Ø    There was not a link to find out about the author… only a spot to link the blog on other
                           social media sites. Possible Solution: add an "about me/us”  tab/link/ bio page.

And here are the sites that I think did pretty well.   Of course they were up next to much stiffer competition with Apple, Toyota & Ford.     Both of these sites were pleasing to my eyes and I was able to play around on their sites with ease.

        3. Swaglock:  http://www.swagelok.com/

 

           Ø  This was a site that was easy to navigate.
             Ø   The sliding pages were an easy way to get to what the customer is looking for.
             Ø   There is a section to bookmark or share the website on other social media sites
             Ø   Easy to use tabs (top & bottom); shopping cart; language tab & location finder
             Ø   The choice of colors was pleasing, with the logo clearly in the left corner.
             Ø   On the 1^st page is a brief synopsis of who & what the company is about.  It proudly states
                           that they are a private US company even though they have service centers in
                           other countries.

4. GForce race cars: http://www.gforceracecars.com/

           Ø  The site was easy to navigate and set up very well
             Ø  Tabs on the site were easy to use and understand
             Ø   Regardless of the page a customer might be on – the tabs and headers remained the same
                              to navigate back and forth
              Ø  Contact us page even had a map
              Ø   Only drawback (in my humble opinion)…was that I thought it was a race care site… not a
                               parts site.   And the flashing logo “Featured product”… is annoying since there
                               is no product listed or linked.

Some of my favorite businesses and the social media they use

Since I am I the hospitality field and love to travel the world, I chose to look companies that relate to that passion.

 

L’auberge Del Mar / Destination hotels

http://www.laubergedelmar.com/
http://www.destinationhotels.com/
·  They use FaceBook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, scrapbook and their own blog.
                      During a major event at the hotel – they encouraged all the guests to upload pictures & 
                       tweets during the event then they had huge TV monitors giving the live feeds of those
                        posts.

 

Phuket Fanta Sea Cultural Theme Park  (in Thailand)
http://www.phuket-fantasea.com/eng/index.php
·    They use FaceBook, Twitter, YouTube, Flicker, Google+, Netlog, LinkedIn

Disneyland / Disney Parks/ Walk Disney World

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/social-media/
·  They use FaceBook, Twitter, YouTube, Disney parks Blog, WDW Resort Moms Panel, Instagram, My Disney Experience App; Multiple Apps for wait times for attractions

Go Pro Cameras 

http://gopro.com/
·    They use FaceBook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
              They make these incredible cameras that can be mounted or held for any type of activity.   

 

Royal Caribbean Cruises

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/home.do
·    They use FaceBook, Twitter, Answer it Royally (their blog), Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, RSS
                   feeds and multiple APPS.

 

Thistle Hotels (United Kingdom & Malaysia)

http://www.thistle.com/

·   They  use FaceBook, Flicker, Google +,Twitter, Instagram  and their own blogs

Communication with a corporation

Let me tell you a story about a man named Jed.

Oooops.. that’s a whole other story. Actually tonight I am writing about a communication with a major corporation.

I think at some point in all our lives we have some type of problem with a company… we are all human and mistakes do happen.  Unfortunately my negative experience was with a major telephone/cable company.
I had come home from work only to find out that the cable TV & internet was out (and of course I had online homework due).  I proceeded to call the company and after a 30 minute conversation with an employee – they insinuated that it was my fault.  It turned out that it was actually my cable box which was apparently out of date after only 3 years.

My choices to get it fixed were – to wait a week to have one shipped or wait 2 days for a technician.  Did I mention that it was late Friday night and they don’t do appointments on the weekend or ship anything out?  So I took time off and waited for the appointed time with the technician – only to have them not show up.  Again, I made another phone call (reaching a different rep)… and they proceeded to also tell me for 20 minutes that it was my fault, while I made yet another appointment for a technician.   On the new appointment day – once again no one showed up or called.  When I made my 3^rd call the company (I ended up speaking with 2 more reps) – I was finally told that my new cable box would be shipped out ASAP and it should arrive in a couple of days.  Kinda sound like I should have done that initially.

At this point I haven’t had TV/internet for over 3 days (only thanks to Starbucks and their Wi-Fi was I able to finish my homework).  It was turning out to be a real inconvenience.

Then of course – the new cable box didn’t show up through the mail as promised either. So on my 4^th phone call – this time I actually talked to a manager who forwarded me to his manager; they proceeded to tell me that the new box was never even ordered or shipped.  Finally a week later – my new cable box arrived… and I was re-connected to the world and school.

I do not think that any of this could have been resolved through any social media outlet.  By the apparent chaos of the company’s operations and the employees I spoke to during my phone call – a simple email would not have worked either.  This was a situation that needed to be handled immediately by a technician on the phone with me. 

I know that there are blogs/websites where I could have gone to recap this problem and grumbled to the world about my dissatisfaction.  But this wouldn’t have solved the immediate problem for me.

I don’t really want to bash any company in public either – so using social media wasn’t an option.  I would rather go directly to the source and have them resolve the issues. I have since written to the corporate office stating my displeasure about the experience.  The company’s response …… they gave me a $2.00 credit on my bill.

I really haven’t had any experience dealing with a company thru social media. I have read many Yelp reviews – but don’t really know if I would consider that a direct interaction with a company (positive or negative).

Maybe I will learn to blend in all aspects of social media into my life as I discover this new world of social media.

My experience with Social Media

When I have thought of how I interact with social media and how it plays a part in my life… I thought I was getting off easy by only knowing or using Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Tumblr.  As I started thinking about what do some of the major companies use to attract and keep clients, I realized that the social media web site list can be almost endless.

I think that a majority of the current social media can be beneficial for both personal and business needs.   The drawback is how the individuals use each platform.  Facebook can be great for business and to reach a broader spectrum of followers.  I do think that Facebook can also be detrimental to future job seekers.   A lot of Human Resources personal are now looking people up on Facebook to see what a potential employee posts.    While sites like LinkedIn are more geared to business relations and connections, it still can be used to follow someone else.

Other popular social media platforms that are equally split between business and personal are Instagram, Twitter, DropBox, Flicker and FourSquare.   In my office, we all share our music choices through “I Heart Radio” and Pandora; although I had never considered that a social media outlet. I have now realized it’s just another way to share our likes.

Even very specific social sites like deviantART (posting and sharing artwork), Care2 (green/activism); Geni (ancestry) are all parts of social media.

There is no right or wrong way to pick and choose what social media option will work better for a business or better personally.  In this global economy… it all depends on the followers that you want to attract.

As I discover the world of blogging, I am realizing that there is a whole different world to explore in  social media and how I choose to blend it (and new technology) into my life.        The adventure continues........

Sept 3, 2013



Where do I start a new blog?   Do I write about myself, what I ate today or just random thoughts for the day?   So today... will just be a random blending of thoughts.

 Blogs- why are they important? Why do people write them and other people read them.   I realized that as a "sometimes" writer but a photographer who likes to chronicle events in life.... that blogs are just another way to do that.

Blogs are used by all kinds of companies - they might be getting ready to release a new product, talking about company achievements, or having a contest for their customers.   Blogs can be used for anything and everything, the only limit is imagination. 

 Whether I end up with hundreds of followers or just my close friends and family... what I write still has to capture their attention.

 For example.... I love to travel both far-away and close to home.  And yes - I do travel with a gnome.

My choice for the background was to reflect a traveler.    Anyone who knows me... knows that I always have a suitcase packed and ready to travel on a moment’s notice. 

Who knows where this blog will lead me.... but like always... I am up to the adventure.