Community Platforms and Small Business.

For this week’s assignment, I was required to create a Destiny Electric presence on two community platforms. For the assignment, I picked Pinterest and Flickr. Full disclosure, I was not overly familiar with either platform. I have been on both looking at pictures, but I had never before posted on either. So this was a learning experience.

Also, this community platform is a new process for Destiny Electric. So as I mentioned in one of my previous blogs, the photo bank we have at our disposal is lagging, and due to that I am relegated to using some familiar pictures. Ultimately though, I think this was a good start.

The first platform I chose was Pinterest. 

Destiny Electric Pinterest Account

The first platform I chose was Pinterest. Which was daunting at first but it turned out to be a fun process. When I first started the task of creating a Pinterest page for Destiny Electric I thought it was going to be somewhat useless. However, after selecting the initial pictures for the Pinterest page, it seems as if I was done with the task (excluding the captions). While it seemed as though it was going to be a quick process, fortunately, it wasn’t. In reality what happened was that I realized that I was going to have to add/create new tags. After I started to edit the tags, I then realized I could only link to one web address to each photo. So I decided to edit each image with either the Facebook page or web address (making sure that correlating pictures received the same link). However, I did try to link an even number to both the company site and Facebook page.

By this point, I have spent so much time that I did not want to use my initial comments, which led to my having to rewrite the tags, which leads to new information being included in the actual page. I then had to add new information, such as a creating an album name, and making sure to include the “City of Jacksonville” on each image. In the end, I created what I see as being a good start to the Destiny Electric Pinterest page, and I believe we will upkeep the Pinterest page for years to come.

The second platform I chose was Flickr.

Destiny Electric Flickr Account

I think I honestly made a mistake choosing Flickr as my second choice. The reason for that opinion is that Flickr never got easy, and in the end, I’m not very happy with the look. Also, Flickr is a site that has always had a spotty history regarding users and what was free, and what was not free (Kim, 2016; Honan, 2012). So I have always been a little hesitant in my use of Flickr because it reminds me of Webshots (remember them) which is a company that burned me years ago. In using Flickr, it always seems lonely, in that rarely do you appear to do anything but play the waiting game. The images are nicely presented, and you have the ability to put captions and links (I prefer the way Flickr displays web links) on the pictures, but it never seems like a community. With Pinterest, I was able to see the bank in which my photos were included, but there was nothing like that on Flickr. Also, it was a bit cumbersome to navigate regarding photo placement and page manipulations. I’m sure that it is a great platform, but is it worth the time? For many, the answerer is an emphatic yes, but for me, I am just not sure.

In the end, this assignment was fun because it took me a bit out of my comfort zone. I created a couple of pages (Pinterest and Flickr) for the brand/company. Both of which will help with the online presence of Destiny Electric. As mentioned earlier, I do not think I will stick with the Flickr account. I am in no way saying it is useless, but I don’t believe it is worth the time invested. However, the very opposite holds true for Pinterest. In fact, when time permits, I intend to create an account specifically for Destiny Electric, not just a page on my personal account (which I had never used for more than access to pictures). I was able to quickly see just how easy Pinterest makes it to show off your company to many people.

References:

Kim, E. (2016, March 12). Don’t Trust ‘Free’ Photo Hosting Sites, or: The Problem with Flickr. Retrieved March 10, 2017, from https://petapixel.com/2016/03/11/dont-trust-free-photo-hosting-sites-problem-flickr/

Honan, M. (2012, May 15). How Yahoo Killed Flickr and Lost the Internet. Retrieved March 10, 2017, from http://gizmodo.com/5910223/how-yahoo-killed-flickr-and-lost-the-internet

Manual Links:

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/joshuaschery/destiny-electric-servicing-jacksonville-florida-si/

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/136194272@N05/albums/72157681270254315

Creating a Facebook Carousel Ad.

 

In today’s connected world, the traditional ideas of business and society have changed. 20 years ago, social media didn’t exist, and it was not a problem if your company didn’t send email. Now, because of the Internet, everything is a local business, even Amazon has become a local business, and a friend is someone you may never meet. Those socio-economic changes have brought about a new form of public awareness. Most importantly, your company must be easily searchable by anyone that cares to find your brand.

Fortunately, with the help of the internet, maintaining a public appearance is easier than ever. It is as simple as creating a Facebook page, and sending out emails that are unique to the audience you target. That is what drives engagement and keeps your name at the forefront of the customer’s minds (n.a., 2016; Rowley, 2016).

One of the biggest mistakes that small businesses make is they assume that just “existing” on social media is good enough. The most important aspect of any current marketing plan is that it provides intrinsic value. Intrinsic value doesn’t mean a special deal or promotion as many assume. What intrinsic value means is that there needs to be a reason for a customer to take a moment to look at what you have decided to show them. It can be a how to message, an exclusive deal, a funny anecdote, or an interesting picture. Whatever you choose to show, it must in some way highlight your brand (Rhoads; 2017; Daly, 2015; Rowley, 2015;).

For Destiny Electric, showing (what) they do has always been a great benefit, because rarely will you find companies in this industry that cares about fit and finish as much as the bottom dollar, and that is the primary goal of Destiny Electric.

As of mid-January 2017, Destiny Electric has been in business “officially” for 20 years (December 1996). The company has maintained many loyal customers, most of which have helped build the brand into what it is today. As mentioned in a previous post on this blog, the average customer for Destiny Electric is between 25 and 60 years of age. One of the biggest reasons for Destiny’s decision to move to social media is due to the economic downturn in the mid-2000’s, which took a toll on the contractors and developers that frequently did business with Destiny Electric. Now Destiny Electric is a growing company that is trying to reach a larger customer base. Today it is making changes, at times things go well, other times they fall flat, but the company is growing, and the benefits of the current changes have severely outweighed the negatives.

In creating a carousel ad, the process seemed daunting at first. However, it was quite simple once I found the “create ads” link on the Facebook menu bar. Hint!: it is on the drop down arrow beside the Facebook page administrator.

The newest campaign for Destiny Electric is the 20th anniversary. “Serving Jacksonville for over 20 years”. Destiny Electric is very proud of the 20 years that the company has remained in business, especially during the most turbulent time for the construction industry since the Great Depression. Currently, there is not a logo on the trucks designating the 20 years of service. After weeks of consideration, that is a designation that will be staved off until the 25th anniversary. The lack of 20th logo is due to the company putting two new trucks on the road, launching a new logo in May of 2016, hiring new employees, and thousands spent on new wearable’s and equipment.

For a class this week I was asked to create a carousel ad for Destiny Electric. It was a fun experience that took a little Facebook know-how and creativity but was worth it in the end. I will share the experience with you now…

For another guide, please follow this link: https://www.facebook.com/business/help/1375829326076396?helpref=search

For inspiration, follow this link: https://www.facebook.com/business/help/927639917355563

The first step to creating a carousel ad is to log in as administrator and select the drop down arrow. In the menu select the option to create a new ad. Then, choose what type of advertisement you want to run. I chose local awareness because Destiny Electric is not large enough to provide service outside of a 60-mile radius.

If you have set up a Facebook page before, then from this point forward the process is quite simple. As the image above illustrates, you have to follow the menu bar (located on the left side of the page). Pick the range, age, and reach of the advertisement. As noted previously, Destiny Electric does not serve an area outside a 60-mile range, so I chose the closest range available, which was 45 miles.

After you have filled out all of the tabs on the left side of the page, click continue at the bottom right. That brings you to the page (menu). This is the page where you will actually set up the appearance of the advertisements, in which you can select 3 to 4 (or more) images to be included in the carousel.

The above image is the final design page, and it is by far the most important. It is at this step when you design what the advertisement will look like.

At Destiny Electric, the company is celebrating its 20th year in business. This “celebration” it is not as pronounced because the real celebration is being planned for the 25th anniversary, which takes place in 5 years. Nonetheless, the 20th is something the company, and it employees are proud to be part of. That is what is pushed in the new advertisements.

To highlight this, there are a few blocks of text included in the ad. The text boxes are “Text” and “Headline.”

In the Facebook Text box I included an agreed upon statement.

“Destiny Electric has been servicing the Jax, Orange Park, Middleburg area since 1996. Commercial, Residential, Service Calls and New Construction. We have the expertise to cover it all!“

It was part of the new-year plan, that Destiny Electric should start adding dates in the the social media posts.

The Headline text was a nod to Destiny Electric’s original slogan: “Let Destiny Work for You!” which decorated the business cards, shirts and vans until 2007.

The final two pages that you will be brought to are the above “final look” image and the analysis/data page. These two pages allow you to get a final look at your ad, before you post it. The second image (below) shows the actual data page, this allows you to see the activity the post will receives throughout the duration of the post.

The following four photos are the ones used in the carousel:

Unfortunately, due to poor photo taking habits, we are not able to find any pictures older than six years, due to lack of photos, we decided that it is out best option to show what Destiny Electric “is,” not what Destiny Electric “was.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While this may seem to be a random selection of photos, it was strategic. The reason for choosing the four previous photos is that Destiny Electric want to show that not only is quality important, but the variation in the projects is important as well. A barber shop remodel, repairing/updating light poles in a parking lot, or a clean install in the homes of customers. (note) The DE staff took those photos before leaving the job, because the job isn’t done until everything is as clean as it was when we arrived. The photos show that we are up to date with new technology (I have yet to see new cree led lights on telephone poles in Jacksonville). Most of all, the photos are intriguing, and we believe they were the best click-bate we had a the moment.

 

The final product is shown in the following screen caps.

DESKTOP VERSION

MOBILE VERSION

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog,

-Joshua S. Schery

 

 

References:

Daly, J. (2015, December 07). Email Marketing Best Practices: 40 Tips for Dramatically Better Emails. Retrieved February 08, 2017, from http://www.getvero.com/resources/guides/email-marketing-best-practices/

n.a. (2016, December 19). Retrieved February 08, 2017, from http://www.attn.com/stories/12673/difference-between-working-now-and-thirty-years-ago

Rhoads, J. S. (2017, February 6) MMC5006 Week 6 Lecture. Email.

Rowley, T. (2016, January 12). The Importance of Social Media in Email. Retrieved February 8, 2017, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/importance-social-media-email-thomas-rowley

Electrical Contractor Website Management & Branding

DESTINY ELECTRIC

Push/Pull Techniques?

I’m afraid that the push tactics used by Destiny Electric are lacking. Email marketing is non-existent. Neither is mail, online and/or event advertisements. After 2006 much of the paper marketing was discontinued, due to lack of ROI and closure of outlets used. While Destiny Electric lacks in Push marketing, the company has always had a strong pull marketing structure. Nearly all of the Destiny’s tactics used for reaching the customers is through the pull strategy. Many marketers argue that word of mouth is the most important, and that has held true since the company’s founding. However, word of mouth has dropped over the last eight years. The explanation for the decline in WOM is that the economic downturn has caused the demise of many of the general contractors, and small businesses the DE has been working with over the last 15+ years. Therefore, adjustments have been made. Since the waning of WOM in the last 5-6 years, Facebook has become a beneficial tool for Destiny to reach potential customers. In fact, there was more than an 18% uptick in sales figures within the first 12 months of creating a quality Facebook page (the original FB page was poorly handled and was replaced in 2016).

Mobile Friendly?

Destiny Electric has a mobile friendly site (see mobile screenshot below) in conjunction with the traditional site. When Destiny worked with the website designer, having a mobile friendly page was one of the contractual requirements. The mobile friendly page allows for a large display of the company logo, company phone number, a link to the Facebook page, a link to Angie’s List reviews, and a menu button. All of the items listed are included on the main page of the mobile site.

 

Sharing Social Buttons?

The site includes a link to the Facebook and Angie’s list pages. Destiny does not have the manpower to handle multiple social media pages. Destiny uses Facebook because Facebook has a broad audience, but unlike many social media pages, Facebook has a booming older demographic. Since the customer base is homeowners and business people, Facebook is the best choice. Twitter is another option but is requires constant updates throughout the day to stay visible. That is what led to the elimination of the other social media choices.

Recommendations for site IMC/Branding?

The first three recommendations I would make are as follows. Create an Instagram account, follow other companies on Facebook, and make Facebook posts on a more regular basis, or at least post on the same day every week. Instagram is a site that many people visit to get inspiration. That visitation could lead to viewers becoming inspired to start a new project, and by association, hire Destiny Electric. I would recommend putting link buttons between social media, but NOT linking the posts. Always keep the social media posts original and on their specific platforms.

Lastly, continue the current branding plan. One of the most significant changes that have been made in the last six months was the new company logo. In trying to create a stronger brand image the logo was created using a design that incorporated the name into a design, instead of a generic logo, that is nothing more than a name. That has helped the vehicles stand out on the road. With that new logo, has come new pens, company shirts have been completely replaced, business cards have been updated, and all employees now have cards (one of the only forms of push marketing used). Lastly, all pages and paperwork now have a consistent logo that gives Destiny Electric a real brand identity.

COMPETITION

Competitor 1 (United Electric)

Push/Pull Techniques?

In living in the same city (and the child of a former employee), I can say that I have never seen any form of push marketing by United Electric since the yellow page’s advertisements 20 years ago. In reality, the company is a staple in Jacksonville, Florida. The company has been around since the 60s and is one of the oldest electrical contractors in Jacksonville. However, through using United’s online presence as a litmus test, there is very little regarding advertising, by United Electric. It appears that word of mouth (pull) marketing is their greatest marketing strategy.

Mobile Friendly?

No. The sight designed for regular web use is the only page that exists (screen cap below). It is not the most convenient, and worse; it makes it more difficult for the user to navigate the site on a mobile device (due to its small size).

Sharing Social Buttons?

After 10 minutes of searching, I could not find any UE social media pages. Therefore, there were no social media buttons to be had, inevitably the corporate site was void of social media buttons.

Recommendations for site IMC/Branding?

In general, United has created a significant presence with the orange truck/vans that they put on the road every day. It has worked very well, which is why the company still exists. However, UE is getting smaller by the year. The first recommendation would be to start social media pages and create a mobile site. The number of customers that have mentioned that they found Destiny through Facebook was a shock to everyone at Destiny. United has always had a bright market presence, but the company is fading. That is why a simple Facebook page and Google+ page, using an identical profile image, will help re-energize a strong public image. United Electric is far too established (50+ years), to look so “new” in the online format. Update the web presence. Create a presence that demonstrates the fact that the company is a staple in the Jacksonville community.

 

Competitor 2 (Moore Electrical Contractors Inc.):

Push/Pull Techniques?

Regarding Push techniques, I cannot see much that suggests that Moore has any strategies in place when it comes to push marketing. I don’t see any billboards or mention of flyers or newsletter. I also do not see any mention of the company outside of their website. The company seems to rely heavily on the website to show the customer that they exist. However they do seem to have a presence with the BBB and Angie’s List.

Mobile Friendly?

Moore Electrical Contractors Inc. has a very nice mobile web page, which is a must for today’s busy viewer. The idea that for a person to see your web page, they have to be sitting in front of a computer screen is an outdated perception. On the home screen of Moore’s mobile page (see below). They quickly allow access to email, the name of the company (with a link to go inside the site). More importantly, they have the phone number and a picture depicting the quality of their work and a menu button. This is an example of a high-quality mobile website.

Sharing Social Buttons?

In what could be a detriment to the company; there are not any social media buttons on the website, which is not surprising because there does not appear to be any Moore Electrical social media pages. I believe it is a severe mistake to opt out of creating a social media presence.

Recommendations for site IMC/Branding?

In this industry, the product/service provided is very much controlled by the consumer. Therefore, the contractor doesn’t much control over trends. However, using social media can be not only useful for reaching new clients, but it can also be helpful in learning about new trends. Social media is a new and intriguing tool for market research. An electrical contractor shouldn’t learn about new products after a customer brings it up, it should be previously researched so that you can provide the best possible opinion for the client to consider. However, getting a social media (at least Facebook) is an absolute must for and small business. If nothing else, a Facebook page is like a website, it gives you a chance to show that you are not a company of poor quality, and/or out of touch.

 

FINAL NOTES:

Today an online presence is one of, if not the, most important aspect of an Integrated Marketing Plan. In the analysis of these three companies, it is apparent that they all have a very similar structure and client base. However, there are a few IMC/Branding changes that would be beneficial to all three. Continue to make changes to the website because it is the home base, there should always be something new to entice the customer, but understand that nothing is perfect. Therefore, you must get information out quickly, even if it is not perfect, sometimes good enough is as good as you can afford (Erickson, 2016). The website is the hub of the online IMC, and once it is solidified, you must branch out. Start sending emails to clients and former clients, and build a significant online presence. That doesn’t mean creating a “bland” account on every social site, what it means is pick one or two sites. Facebook and Instagram are good choices if you have the workforce to afford to make constant posts, consider Twitter. However, DO NOT link your account posts, each post on each forum should be original, don’t be boring and have your Instagram automatically post to Facebook. It is annoying, and it doesn’t give viewers to an incentive to check both accounts regularly. With a quality social media presence created, two things must be completed. One, you must start to build relationships (preferably) by answering questions. Two, join other groups, it helps bring a presence to a larger audience, and it makes it easier for people to find your company and page. The final things all of these companies must do is, be patient and analyze traffic data. In one afternoon of analysis at destiny we discovered that we were posting (primarily) too early or too late in the day. (Rhoads, 2017; Erickson, 2016; Godwin, 2016; Mineo, 2015)

 

 

References:

Erickson, K. (2016, April 10). 42: 7 Ways to build your online presence now. Retrieved February 03, 2017, from http://www.eofire.com/7-ways-to-build-your-online-presence/

Godwin, L. (2016, November 15). Creating a Strong Online Presence for Marketing Success. Retrieved February 03, 2017, from https://www.ducttapemarketing.com/online-presence/

Mineo, G. “The Do’s and Don’ts of How to Use Facebook for Business [Infographic].” HubSpot Blog Homepage. N.p., 16 Nov. 2015. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.

Rhoads, J. S. (2017, January 30) MMC5006 Week 5 Lecture. Websites & SEO.