Week 5 Part B: Learning about FaceBook Data Collecting

 Post reach is important to know how many people/pages you were able to get seen by. This is important because once you are seen and they see you somewhere else or are in need of something you have they'll remember you. Post engagement is a great tool to see how many people are liking, reacting or sharing your posts. These help to determine what to keep posting. I see it as a way to easily get feedback. 

I commented on:

DW Equipment

Inside the Circle Specialist 

Spanky's Garage 

Week 5 Alternate Assignment

 The use on my Facebook page is similar to my Instagram one. I currently have 156 followers on that page. Typically, the posts that I post on my Instagram page show/post automatically on my Facebook business page. 

Facebook Page:

Bella Dona

They are using their page very often to post about their items and current events in their city. They seem to be posting once a day. The cover picture is nice very on brand. I feel I could post more on my page as well. Not just on my items but on current events going on. 

Chula Clothing

This page uses their Facebook for what it is. They promote their business and any collaboration they do with others. Lots of postings within the past months. I would like to see more about the owner. She has a total of 3.2k followers on her page. 

Viva La Bonita

This page seems to be posting a lot more than the others. They have more than 26,000 followers,, which is impressive. They post about twice daily. I did notice however their likes on each post are not as much. They have a link to all their items on their posting which makes it easy for customers to click and purchase. 

After reviewing the three pages I see I need to be more present on Facebook and use links to my website to make it easy for customers to click and purchase. The presence makes a lot of a difference. Not just posting to post but for meaning and representation of the brand. 

By Tuesday Blog Week 4 Part B

The perfect audience are women ages 15-45 that use cosmetics and that love the classic cars. This brand started because I realized there isn't something to represent women in the lowrider community. I started Lowkitas to empower women to be part of the car community. It's been a man's world but women can also have a passion for cars and that's were Lowkitas comes in. My perfect customer is one that is in love with the lowrider car culture and the car community. They love the era of the 90's the culture and street fashion. This customer understands that being a classic car enthusiast is not just cars it's about family and community.

My audience are women that have goals and aspirations that they want to achieve. Getting a new lipstick or lashes can make you feel happy with energy to conquer the day. They feel empowered to be themselves and go after their dreams.

Lowkitas is a dreamer that never stops dreaming. 

Week 4 Part A: Defining Target Markets Post 1

 Defining a market for these two grocery stores: Cream of the Crop and Sprouts. These two are very simialr, but they have their unique differences. 

Cream of the Crop I feel is very general overall. They are aiming towards a local market as they do promote they have local grown crops and local brands. A small mom and pop shop supporting local farmers. Sprouts is aiming towards a healthy lifestyle. They are aiming towards individuals that have healthy habits and encourage anyone to be onboard. They provide information for different types of diets one may have. They also have a page with recipes for certain diets which is amazing. 

The audience they both aim towards are for individuals that are looking for a healthier alternative in foods. They both have the local grown and healthy organic variety of choices. Theay also both have deli and offer fresh foods in store. The difference I see in them is that Sprouts has seems to be more engaged within the community and partnerships. They seem to offer individuals an easy way to choose healthier foods with out making it too difficult for them. Recipes are great to have and they have them on their homepage. This makes is easily accessible for them and it is also a great way to get customers to purchase as well. 

Overviewing both the websites I noticed Sprouts has recipes that seem easy to make and delicious. I also like how they promote to be part of their community with the youth. Cream of the Crop promotes fresh local grown produce, which is great and it will definitely have locals in the door. As I looked at their page more the deli and the juice bar is what caught my eye. Everything looks very fresh. 

Sprouts has a logo that definitely emphasizes farmers market. The colors are great as well very green and earthy feeling. Cream of the Cop also has a logo that emphasizes local grown and healthy. However, I do feel they can improve on the colors. A darker green in my opinion will feel better. Also to add more information from the community or local farmers would be awesome. I noticed they have their social media banner at the bottom of the page in a green color that would be great to use for their logo. They both have fonts that compliment their focus and are legible. Cream of the Crop has two different fonts for the logo. I prefer the one that is on the home page on the top right corner. It is easy to read and bold, makes a statement. Overall both businesses are aiming towards the same customer base they just both ahve different approaches. 

Week 3 Part B: Developing a Brand

The development of my brand took a while to come alive on a site. I always had envisioned how and what I wanted. The esthetics is very important that others are able to comprehend and understand the information. My brand has a logo that I was able to make and have it digitalized. My logo is basically half a face that consists of lashes and eyebrows. I wanted to make it seem like it was a woman with her eyes closed (hence the lashes). The logo also has my business name on the top of the eyes and lashes. My brand has two taglines which are; Empowering Through Cultura and Never Stop Dreaming.  The taglines are not part of my logo. However, I do have it on my website and on my social media pages. 

Developing my brand was fun but also a lot of work. The minimalist thing you think can actually make a big difference in how the brand or site are seen. People begin to recognize a brand for a certain color, font or logo. I have learned that logos are very important and are how you are recognized. I first started my logo with a drawing which was digitalized, and then ended up adding my brand name. I now have them both as my logo. People seem to recognize it and remember it. 

I have chosen two most common colors for my logo, black and white. My site has the similar colors with different shades of grey. I wanted to make it very simple and clean with accents. My favorite colors are dark colors, but I know having a black page as a background can be bold and a bit harsh on the eyes. The page was eventually changed to white with a black font. The fonts can be changed to any color and it can be customized to your choice. However, I wanted to add a shade of pink but when I did that I noticed it can be confusing and not match. I ended up keeping all black font. So many thing I wanted to change but I put myself in the customers shoes to see if it was legible. I had to get input from others to make sure the colors would match and compliment each other. 

There are many different fun fonts you can choose from, but I chose one that is easy to read. Originally I wanted to use Old English font. I changed my mind because I wanted my brand name to be distinguished from others. I found a font named Amador, once I saw it I knew that it was the one. I wrote a couple sentences to make sure it was easy on they eyes yet a bit bold. On my site I use the font Monserrat. I love that font, because it is very modern but elegant. Monserrat looks very nice on the website I have been using it with advertising. I make sure to use the same fonts so people are able to distinguish my brand. 

I have been using both the same fonts in my business cards and in newsletters I send out. In any type of branding or advertising I make sure to use both fonts Amador and Monserrat. I want to make sure that they know it is my brand and keep it consistent throughout everything. On my Instagram posts as well, I try to keep it the same. The color schemes are all very similar back, white and grays. I have created thank you cards that is sent out to customers who order online and I use the same fonts as in my website. This will help them relate those fonts back to me. 

Week 3 Part A: Aesthetics, Design, and Branding

 Website 1:  http://www.pennyjuice.com

This website has 1, very bright colors. 2 pictures used are not the best quality, and 3 information doesn't seem to be very easy to read and understand. 

The creator of this site didn't have in mind of what the readers would face. Seems careless and very rushed to finish off the site. It needs a lot of improvement.

One of the problems this website has are the colors that were chosen for the pages. Both are very bright and not pleasing to the eye. The colored banners it has are also bright and very colorful which seem to blend in with the background colors. Secondly, the pictures are not the best quality. In order to sell a product the pictures have to be appealing. The photos chosen are not the best and could use some better angles or shots.

Website 2:  https://best-electronics-ca.com/

The site needs to be organized. First the Logo or name of this business is not visible right away. Second, the font needs to be changed to where it is easy on the eyes. Thirdly, a navigation needs to be added to this site. 

Who ever created this site needs to keep in mind of the readers and what they are looking for. The font needs to be adjusted to focus on information. The size is way too large it I can't seem to know what I am reading. All the font is in bold, and it is very unpleasant to read. I had to get out of that site. They need to put themselves in the customers shoes and make it legible and accessible to what it is they are selling. The information is too much and not having a navigation makes it really difficult. 

This website California Center for the Arts, Escondido (San Diego North County) (artcenter.org), is very nice and clean. It is easy to read and to navigate through. 

The icons help to identify where they can be reached at and how. Information is very nicely played out. The colors are very contrast and easy on the eyes. They have links that make it easier to get more information from and take you to other pages on the site. This site is nicely put together. 

Apple, of course has one of the greatest sites I have seen. They have lots of links that take you to other pages and it is very easy to navigate. The font is perfectly structured. This site sells products, clearly it is easy to see what they want the focus to be on. Scrolling down the page keeps getting better. The page has links that become bigger as you hoover over them. The effects are great and pleasing to the eye. 

Looking over all these websites made, and the lecture really helped to identify what I could possibly change in my own site. Making the font legible is the most important and of course the colors of the page as well. Sites that have a very smooth color pallet is easier to read and pleasant to see. I can definitely say that it makes the color of font very legible also. I didn't know there was a study on the type of font for websites, that is very interesting how a font can have so much impact on the readers. I always like to put myself in the readers shoes and make sure I can understand the information. 

Week 2 Part B

 Funk Freaks

1. https://funkfreaksboutique.bigcartel.com

2. This is a small business boutique located in Santa Ana, CA. This is a brand that emphasizes and promotes the era of funk music from the 80's. They currently have a record store and a boutique. 

3. This business is very active on Instagram. They have two accounts, one for the record store and one for the boutique. They do not have their social media links on the website. They do have the website link on their social media page. 

        The last post was done on 2/4/23 on the boutique page. On the record store page, they happen to be         more active. They seem to post 2-3 times a day. The last post was 2/4/23.

        They have 22.5K followers on the boutique page. On the record store page, they have 33.5K                    followers.

Reviewing their different pages and I see that on the record store page they have more followers, and they happen to interact more with followers. I see they reply and post pictures of their customers when they tag them on a picture. I noticed the boutique happens to be less active and doesn't interact much with the posts and people commenting. 

Bella Dona

1. https://bella-dona.com

2. This is an apparel and accessories store. Their focus is to empower women to shine through their LA streetwear apparel. They are proactive in promoting selfcare and selflove. 

3. Bella Dona has an Instagram page along with a Facebook page. They do have their social media accounts on their website. 

     On Instagram they have 423K. followers. On Facebook they have 153 followers. 

    

    The last post on Instagram was 2/1/23

    On Facebook it was 10/01/2020

Bella Dona has been active on the Instagram page. Even if they don't post something on their page daily they do post on their story. I notice they do engage with their followers. This is only a online store, but I've seen the popup shops they host crowded with customers. I feel they are doing a great job on engaging and advertising themselves. 

Camp Coffee

1.https://campcoffeeco.square.site

2.Camp Coffee is a small business located in downtown Oceanside. The esthetics are very camp like and make one feel welcomed and cozy. 

3. This coffee shop has both Instagram and Facebook. Their website does have the links to both of their social media accounts. 

    They have 5,060 followers on Instagram and 856 on Facebook

    The last post on Instagram was on 2/5/23 and they last posted on Facebook on 1/32/23

This business is mostly active on Instagram and has a good number of followers. They post pictures of their customers and seem to be very engaged with them. I like how they also embrace their employees and post about them as well. I also noticed they post personal posts about the owner which is awesome. 

Start Fresh Cafe 

1.https://www.startfreshcafeoceanside.com/

2.Start Fresh Cafe is a small family-owned business in the south part of Oceanside. They are opened for breakfast and lunch. 

3. Their website has links to their social media accounts on Yelp and Instagram.

    They last posted on Instagram on 3/20/2020.

    They currently have a total of 777 followers.

This restaurant is amazing, and they have been doing great from what I've seen in person. Every time I go to this restaurant it is packed with customers. I do feel their social media can be definitely improved, they need to be more active and consistent. They were doing great posting about the restaurants different dishes and the customers having a good time. 

Oceanside Sports Bar & Grill

1. http://www.osidesportsbar.com/

2. This is a small business bar in downtown of Oceanside. It is where locals can come and have a great time. Local events are hosted here with a different variety of music and vibes just like Oceanside. 

3. The business website does include both of their social media pages for Instagram and Facebook. 

    The last post on Facebook was on 6/30/2022.

    The last post on Instagram was on 1/27/23.

This bar hosts many different events during the week which I wasn't aware of until I looked in their website. Something else I noticed is that they have food, I know the name itself says & Grill, but to be honest never have I seen anyone eat food from the bar. After going through the site I realized they have a Wing Day Wednesday, like whoa ok. I went back to their social media page and didn't see anything promoting Wing Wednesday. Hmm, okay I feel they could use more postings about the food. I haven't seen one picture of their wings or burgers they have. Now I need to try one. 

I've thought I have come to the conclusion of my problem, well somewhat at least. After the research I have just done I realized that consistency is key. All these three businesses have social media accounts, but it's how they are using them that can actually help their business. I realized that the more engagement you have with your followers the more content you seem to be posting. At least for the Funk Freaks record store Instagram account is what I saw. I noticed they had closed their apparel store they had before which was a big hit. I realized they changed it to the Funk Freaks Boutique, and it is being managed by the spouse of the record store. I noticed the difference in the management changes. The boutique doesn't seem to make much connection or engage much with the followers. Yes, their following is quite big, but the engagement seems to be a big part of the business. The record store page has much more followers and much more posts and comments. I remember following them when they had a couple thousand and now, they are becoming bigger and bigger. 

I also think that not every post has to be about the business but about the owners and or its employees. People like stories, and stories are what sell. An example I saw during my research the owner of Camp Coffee took some time off and went on a camping trip for his birthday and posted a picture with his significant other. I thought that's awesome! Makes sense why he named it Camp Coffee, it gives customers a personal connection to the owner and his vison of the shop. Bella Dona has something similar on their website. A picture of the owners telling their story on what inspired them to start this business. They had a dream to embrace the neighborhood style and neighborhood stories. They promote a lot of selfcare and selflove. I notice that they post lots of quotes on their Instagram page. I see customers asking for a that quote to be printed on a shirt. They are very engaging with their followers replying back to their comments and posts. 

I also noticed that some of the businesses do listen to their customers after all. A great example is Oceanside Sports Bar & Grill. I recall lots of customers requesting to have an 80's funk music day, since then now they have Old-school Saturdays every weekend. Every Saturday you'll see the bar packed with people having a great time and enjoying themselves. Never have I seen a Saturday empty since then. It's only been about 2 months that this has happened and so far, the events keep getting bigger and bigger. This proves that listening to your customers is very important. Just imagine if the owner had pushed back to have such events in his bar. Would it be as successful as it is every Saturday? The amazing thing about this is that the lowrider community has become a part of these weekend events. A classic car or a lowrider is exhibited at the bar for the customers to admire. This is amazing because I see it as the business giving back to the community. Start Fresh Cafe is also listening to what the locals have to say. Oceanside being known for the laid-back chill vibe and classic cars and lowriders parading down on PCH. They have created a breakfast plate in their honor, they named it Lowrider Plate. They had it as a special for breakfast on the menu. 

I noticed that with these 5 businesses that I did research on they all have several things in common. They listen to their customers. Although some might be lacking their presence in social media they are still listening to their community and are involving them into their business. They could all use help in different areas of their social media business but overall, I feel like it comes down to the main thing which is listening and giving back to the community. 

Week 2 Part A: Communication Between Business & Consumer

Communication is now easier than ever for anyone and especially business. Technology has been advancing rapidly throughout the years not just for personal use. How will we know if the strategies that we are currently doing work? Social platforms have a great impact on business to communicate effectively with their consumers and know what they really think of them, 

Who would have guessed that we would have the ability to communicate with each other through a small handheld device. Now we walk around with a cell phone all day, and we are able to communicate with someone on the other side of the world. This is very important especially for business. They are able to get their message across more efficiently and easily. I wonder how long it took before to receive a response for a simple question. How did they advertise before social media? Newspapers I assume would have been the main point of advertisement besides word of mouth. Social platforms make it simple to advertise and receive input from consumers. 

Never really thought of Yelp being a social media platform, but now that I think about it, it actually is. It's a platform where businesses can promote themselves and have others give feedback. Not only does this help promote the businesses, but it gives them a better look to what customers see their business as. Business owners get to listen to their consumers' needs and wants. I searched up some of my favorite local spots in town and I noticed on the negative comments the business owners would step in and reply to their concerns. I feel by doing this the business seems to really care about their consumers and what they think of them. They want to fix the issue and make sure the same customer keeps coming back. 

I’ve always been taught in the school system to listen and this is something very important that one would have to do in order to succeed in business. After reading the first chapter of this book I began to read named Likable Social Media by Dave Kerpen, I began to realize that is something very important. At times business owners might not take this into consideration. However, how could they start listening and start taking action? Well, after reviewing some of the Yelp reviews I realized that it’s very simple. Having a social media platform to connect with your consumers makes it easy to listen. I mean everyone has social media today. We carry our phones 24/7, and with the touch of a button we can easily connect. There is a story in this frist chapter on how a dentist was on Facebook and noticed a patient of hers complained about a procedure they had gotten recently. The dentist reached out to the patient and asked for a picture of the affected area. It turned out the patient had a severe infection in which she needed to be hospitalized. Now that makes me think of how important it is to listen. I began to think what if the doctor had never reached out to the patient? What would have happened? 

Listening and communication is very important for a business to succeed. Today we have several and many platforms in which we can use to our advantage to receive both positive and negative feedback. Listening to both is very important, consumers will tell it like it is and you’ll want to know what is working and what can be improved.