COM0014 – Blog #7: Personal Reflection

For a business, using certain social media platforms to consistently tell stories is very important. It’s a way to engage with customers, keep them interested, and harbor positive relationships with them. Throughout the course we have successfully learned how to create appropriate digital content for specific target audiences using different social channels. Also, we’ve learned that storytelling is key to having great digital content that follows company branding, while still grasping consumer attention.

I believe creating engaging content for a company is key to gaining social followers and standing out amongst other accounts. Companies need to stay active on their accounts and interact with consumers on a daily basis. Another thing businesses should remember when creating digital content, is to always inject some of their own personality into it. Otherwise, they can produce content that is too corporate and drive consumers away. Staying true to the brand, while making content fun and interesting is the only way to be successful in the social world.

In the end, customer want to see interesting content that they can take away from or engage in conversation about. Therefore, determining your voice and storytelling path early is key to having an excellent social presence for your company.

COM0014 – Blog #6: Do people know your story?

What is your favourite customer story?

Photo from Flazingo Photos

Working most of my teenage years in customer service I’ve had to deal with a ton of customers, and they definitely weren’t always nice. But since starting my full time job, I’ve heard a lot of stories of positive experiences my coworkers have had with customers. And I just find it so interesting to see the difference between a smaller company that cares about their customers and a larger chain that focuses more on sales.

I don’t particularly have one customer story to tell, but rather an ongoing story that involves multiple customers. That being a story of how focusing on customer relationships, through appreciation events and giving back to customers, really can help your business produce sales and gain more consumers. I’ve been able to see first hand how a business with great customer service can really drive a Google + review campaign and receive such positive feedback from all of their customers.

I’ll always remember this customer story because it just goes to show that excellent customer service does actually pay off in the long run, and that customers are willing to share their appreciation for the service they’re provided. It gives me great pleasure to work for a company that spends this much effort on perfecting their customer relationships.

COM0014 – Blog #5: Personal Brand

Before this blog post, I had never really thought about my personal brand and what noteworthy qualities I have. So it definitely took me awhile to come up with a few, but after some thought, I think I’ve figured it out and now know what my strong suits are.

I think some of my best traits that stand out are that I’m very passionate, I’m a team player, and a very selfless person.

When I find something I truly like doing and believe in I tend to be very passionate about that one thing and follow through no matter what it takes. Whether it be what I’m studying in school, a professional project at work or a personal project, I will always believe in the subject and speak very highly of it to others. I think people should live passionately, and love what they are doing.

Two other qualities that I believe I possess are being a team player and a selfless person. I think these two qualities go hand in hand, as I usually put others needs before my own and will always take one for the team if someone needs my help.

All three of these qualities play a key part of what makes my personal brand and the way I act professionally and personally towards others. These traits are a few that have created my personal brand and brand identity what they are today.

COM0014 – Blog #4: B2C Case Study

American Eagle Outfitters sells clothing and accessories to teenagers and young adults. Using social media as a key component of their marketing plan is essential for engaging and interacting with their target market. After completing some research of American Eagle’s social media presence, it is clearly noticeable that they are using popular social media platforms to their advantage and they are using them successfully.

Two important strategies they are using on their social channels are the use of interacting with their consumers and creating a network of influencers and ambassadors that push their product.

American Eagle has an active Twitter account that they use to engage with their consumers. They are active enough on their account that they are able to monitor who is talking about their products, and they are successfully joining in on online conversations. American Eagle is successfully responding to consumers concerns and questions on a daily basis through Twitter, and they are doing so in a personalized manner. This positively impacts consumers and allows them to trust the brand.

As seen on American Eagle’s Instagram account.

Another popular social media outlet American Eagle is effectively using is Instagram. Recently, American Eagle has started posting and reposting photos of social influencers wearing their clothes and accessories. For example, they regramed a photo of Aspyn Ovard, an influential fashion and beauty vlogger, wearing some of their clothing pieces. This strategic post can help them spread awareness of their brand to all of her Instagram followers and more.

Therefore, I believe American Eagle’s approach to social media and how they use it as part of their marketing plan is definitely working and helping them gain consumers and create trusting relationships with these consumers.

COM0014 – Blog #3: Target Audiences

Defining a target audience for a business is a very important factor that can make a company successful. There are several factors and demographics a business must take into account when researching and developing their target audience, including gender, age, education, income, and more. All of these aspects will guide businesses in the right direction for creating a strong social media and marketing plan.

Classic Tile + Stone is a natural stone supplier and installer in the Ottawa and surrounding area. Classic does both residential and commercial stone jobs, including kitchens, bathrooms, floor work, lobbies, outdoor kitchens, pools, and more. That being said, their target audience consists of two core streams: business to consumer (B2C) and business to business (B2B).

Some characteristics of Classic Tile + Stone’s target consumers are:
• Male or females aged 35 to 55, usually families or couples
• Have been through post secondary education and have a decent/well paying job
• Middle class or higher income level
• Average willing to pay per job is $4,000 to $8,000
• Lives in the Ottawa and surrounding area

Some characteristics of Classic Tile + Stone’s target businesses are:
• Interior design or home building companies
• Looking for stone for one or more jobs
• Average job costing $18,000 to $30,000
• Based in the Ottawa and surrounding area

Applying these characteristics to a social media and marketing plan would greatly increase traffic for Classic Tile + Stone. So far they have found success using Twitter as a communication tool. By showcasing recent work they have completed and staying active in design news and questions on their Twitter page, Classic has been able to gain a decent following from both markets. Another social media tool they could use is Pinterest. This idea board medium is great for attracting attention from local designers and women looking for design trends, as well as showcase all the beautiful jobs they have completed.

COM0014 – Blog #2: Storytelling and Communication Styles

The most important thing in this week’s lesson was the fact that the use of storytelling and communication has for the most part, remained the same.

Even though society, technology and lifestyle have drastically developed over the years, storytelling and communication will forever be a tool humans share and use on a daily basis.

The most important aspect of storytelling and communication that has changed is the medium used to do so. From cave drawings to the Internet, humans have evolved and the tools they use to communicate must as well. That being said, using the web to relay messages and stories is becoming the most popular platform humans use.

Therefore, some of the most important things to remember when writing for the web are the following: defining target audiences, placing important information at the top (Inverted Pyramid), writing clearly and concisely, and checking for misuse of grammar and voices.

Because the average person only skims through most online content nowadays, web writing must be carefully structured. By following the above guidelines, readers are able to retain all necessary information quickly.

Engaging readers, through discussion, questions or interactive content is another way to get key messages across without losing readership.

COM0014 – Blog #1: What I Did on My Vacation

My last vacation, which consisted of me actually leaving the country, was last December. My family and I went to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for a week at Christmas.

It was a very relaxing vacation, but it definitely felt weird not being in freezing cold weather and having snow on the ground. That being said, I shouldn’t complain because I was able to spend Christmas day on the beach, under the sun with white sand between my toes.

Apart from spending most of my time soaking up the sun on the beach, my family and I also had the chance to take a boat tour of all the million dollars homes, watch a Florida Panthers game, and enjoy some of the best food at the trendiest restaurants.

The boat tour took us down the Intercostal Waterway, where actors, singers, and entrepreneurs have huge houses and vacation homes. I remember our tour guide telling us a story about a father buying his daughter one of the houses as a marriage gift. Obviously, I had to ask my Dad if he would be doing the same for me. He responded with an unenthusiastic head shake.

Because we’re Canadian, and it was Christmas time, watching a hockey game was necessary. No surprise, tickets for the one hundreds section for a Panthers game are a quarter of the price hockey tickets cost in Canada. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the game and I was able to take a Panthers hat home with me.

The last highlight of our trip was being able to try all the amazing restaurants in downtown Fort Lauderdale. One of my favourites was Rocco’s Tacos and Tequila Bar. They had some of the best tacos and margaritas I’ve ever had. Oh, and homemade guacamole!

In the end, my family and I had a great Christmas trip down south and made some great memories.

As winter weather creeps up on us, I’m definitely looking forward to my next trip somewhere warm!