Twitter - to use or not to use

I have a good mix of companies / businesses from companies thatalso have   afternoon teas to individuals who have a passion for tea to actual tea companies.  Initially I just entered the word “tea” and that brought up many companies and bloggers to follow. I didn’t have to play around too much to find what I was looking for.    To begin with I started with the following:

TeaQueen                       @TeaQueen

The Tea Spot                  @TeaSpot

English Tea Store           @englishteastore

Tea Appreciation            @TeaAppreciation

Teavana                          @TEAVANA

American Tea Room       @americantearoom

Art of Tea                         @artoftea

Samovar Tea Lounge       @samovarlife

Adagio Tea                       @AdagioTeas

World Tea Media              @worldteamedia

The Grand Del Mar          @theGrandDelMar

L’Auberge Del Mar           @laubergedelmar

MCC Social Media            @MCCSocialMedia

MiraCosta Business         @mccbusiness

MiraCosta College            @MiraCosta

 

It has been interesting to read some of the tweets from these companies.  I was surprised on how easy it was to set up an account and start reading tweets.

At this stage in the business – I don’t know where tweeting will fit in.  I can definitely see why people like using it and maybe down the road it can be incorporated into the business.

Taking the next step into the journey of social media.

Following other similar business on social media

Just when I think I have finally figured out this social media, I learn a new side to it.

I have spent many hours getting ‘sucked” into Pinterest… and have used some of the terrific ideas and recipes found there.  Now – I was having to change the way I was looking at it. Changing my way of thinking and discovering how a business can use Pinterest to attract customers like me.

Although I couldn’t figure out how to link the FaceBook and the Pinterest… I did create a post on FaceBook for people to follow.

I thought I would have no problem finding similar business to Tea Around the World, but it was a little more difficult.  I just didn’t want to use hotels that provide an afternoon high tea; I wanted to find companies similar that also celebrated tea.

·        Bite Catering in Los Angeles, CA

http://www.bitecatering.net/social/english-high-tea

They are local company that does afternoon tea catering.   Their website is very informative and has lots of menus and ideas but they also have links to other companies and locations to hold an event.

They do have social media presence – but it looks like it’s primarily on FaceBook and Twitter. They do have a blog to follow.   They have also had one of their chefs on the Food Network which has gotten their company name out there.   

·        Anyone for Tea  in Los Angeles, CA

 http://anyonefortea.net/

http://www.anyoneforteacatering.com/

Another local tea catering company specializing in vintage style English tea & cocktail parties.   The exciting draw for this company is it is started by an English actress from the TV show “Days of our Lives”.

The website is creative and desirable to look at.  There are YouTube videos right on the home page featuring a beautiful tea event. The company does have additional social media presence on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram along with reviews on Yelp.   Their presence on these social outlets seems to be working well for them since I found them very easily when searching.

·        Afternoon Tea. Co.uk
    http://www.afternoontea.co.uk/

 I chose this one for an international flare. This company is a little different since they feature venues that feature afternoon teas all over London, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Very descriptive information about each location, with prices and tantalizing images.

They have a huge presence on social media.    I found hundreds of images posted by them on Pinterest and Facebook.   Also when you click on the “Share” button on their webpage – it links you to over 330 different options (a majority I had never heard of) to share with anyone.

I did research some other companies that had great website but no links to any form of social media.

·        Tea Traditions in San Jose, CA      http://ttraditions.com/      

·        Tea-Upon-Chatsworth in San Diego, CA    http://cu4t.com/

Another adventure down the social media path…. Now time to relax with a cup of tea.

Visual Social media platforms

Visual social media networks are great, since it can express a message or feeling instantly through an image.  Finding the right platform can be hard.  The business wants to be able to reach the right customers and followers while also being able to keep up with the social media through the uploading of pictures, blogging or posting items and events for people to follow.  The business owner can’t just start it and hope that people will keep returning but not seeing any new information.

In my small experience and exploration of discovery with visual social media platforms, the ones that I found to be the most used are Pinterest, Tumblr, Instagram and Flicker.

The ones that I think that will currently work for the business are Pinterest and Tumblr. Both require uploading of pictures and they are also about linking and following others with similar interests.  Due to the type of business, Instagram wouldn’t be a good fit at this point (maybe in the future) since there are events happening on a regular basis for the consistently photographing & uploading of images.  Although it does give the opportunity for growth and something to think about in the future.

To begin a new adventure… you must take the first step.

Future Posts

This old dog can still learn new tricks.  Who knew?  I am always trying learn, grow, change – that’s one of the reasons I am pursing a degree after all this tine.  I didn’t think it would be all that hard coming up with future posts for the business.  Then I had to start thinking of the people that would see the page and want to keep coming back.  What wuld capture their attention?  So the first few posts will be simple.  This is definitely a feature that can be used to benefit the growth of the company

·         The 1^st one is just a simple question

·         The 2^nd is a recommendation for a local hotel that has a formal afternoon tea

·         The 3^rd is an upcoming special Halloween offering.

 

7 businesses to "LIKE"

The decisions a business owner must make normally include the hiring process, the making of their product/service and interactions with their customers.  In the fast growing digital world and digital marketplace, now those same business owners must learn to navigate social media.    Since I am promoting a friend’s business, I had to understand that her company is not just about tea.   She takes extreme pleasure in making all her delicious desserts and pastries and knowing the pleasure the recipient will have.   While looking thru her website, I asked her to tell me more & heard her passionately talk about the food, the tea and the gatherings.     In choosing what I was going to “LIKE” for her business, I decided to her ask about her suppliers and training and her favorite places for tea parties.   The initial seven that I choose reflect the businesses that have meaning to her.

* Verona Chocolatier - the best chocolate she uses in all her desserts   http://www.verona.ae

* Bigelow Tea – one of the many choices of teas she uses.    http://www.bigelowtea.com

* Tevana – loose leaf teas from all over the world    http://www.teavana.com  

* The Royal Tea Club – another FB page dedicated to lovers of tea and tea parties.  http://www.theroyal-teaclub.org

* Set to a Tea - consultants who specialize in tea parties   http://www.settoatea.com/members/settoatea

* Victoria /Fairmont Empress Hotel – one of the favorite places to have afternoon tea.   http://www.fairmont.com/empress-victoria/

* Harney & Sons – tea supplies and customized designed tea flavors.  https://www.harney.com/

In my opinion, a company should “like” companies that they deal with or have business with. It can also be other companies that do similar business.   For example – one of the pages that I “liked” was the Fairmont Empress Hotel. The hotel is known worldwide for its afternoon tea since 1908.   They might do the same thing as Tea Around the World, but they are not in direct competition.   Maybe a “Like” can also be showcasing someone else’s blog or event.

And I continue the exploration of social media…….

Learning to understand FaceBook definitions

A company wants to make more money and reach as many potential customers (past, present and future ones) as they can.   With this digital age and the need for sitting at home on a computer no longer a requirement, companies must learn and grow and target their customers in the best ways possible.  FaceBook is one of those ways to target and reach untapped markets.  Now the test is learning how to utilize FaceBook (and understand some of their particular terminology) to benefit the company’s needs and goals.

Discovering the difference between post reach and post engagement was a little tough for me.  First of all not being familiar with how a business operates on FaceBook - these terms didn’t make a lot of sense and I seemed to come across conflicting definitions.   Besides FaceBook – who define it as Impressions & Reach; other websites define it as Post reach & Page Visits, engagement & insights, and engagement rates.

So in my understanding…

Post Reach: is defined by the number of people who see a FaceBook post.  This can be either when it is first posted or while it’s in a newsfeed location and other people respond to the post.

Post Engagement: is defined by how fans/customers interact with a post or FaceBook page.   This can be when then Like a page, add their own comments or share a post or page with their own friends.

The difference is important because a business can learn what visitors are just glancing at in the NewsFeed or what they are stopping to Like or share with their own friends.   It will help a company learn what promotions are working or what captures a visitor’s attention.  With some of the other tools and metric systems that are available on FaceBook, this can also be later narrowed do to age of visitor, location of visitor or how you might compare to a competitor in a similar business industry.

And I continue on this path of new discoveries and learning while I traverse this new land called social media.

UPDATE: turning passion into reality

Who knows what can happen when you start talking to co-workers.

I had just posted my blog the night before about the hypothetical company I was going to do my project on.  I happened to be talking about it at work…. Low & behold one of my coworkers already has a similar company but had never thought about using social media to promote her business.   Not only is her business almost exactly along the lines of the business I was going to “try” to market.  She already has a client base and a website – but had never gotten any further than that.   She is really excited to have me update her website and start the ball rolling on her company’s social media presence. 

So I now will be continuing the project for a company called Tea Around The World.   She does personalized formal tea events, makes & delivers all types of sinful desserts (even if not having a tea party) and has studied all over the world.

Here is the website if you want to check her out

“teaaroundtheworld.com” 

The FaceBook page is:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tea-Around-The-World/563629907018101

Sometimes traveling and new discoveries doesn’t even require leaving you own back yard.