Week # 6B: Reach & Engagement

In order to make it easy to understand how these two terms are totally different, I'd like to make a simple analogy to compare a business as a kid in the school.  Thinking like this might help me to set out my plans for two different approaches depending on whether I am a new kid in the school or not.  Let's discuss each strategy one at the time.

#1. In case that I'm a new kid at the new school = a brand new business

As a new kid, of course, I would be so nervous to introduce myself to other kids on the first day but no matter what I still have to do this to get to know who would be my friends.  At first, I probably "reach" out as many kids as I can and introduce myself to them.  

It's just like I'm creating a "brand awareness" of myself to other kids to know about me.  At this moment, I probably don't care much how many kids actually want to be my friends but at least I put my name out there even they slightly know who I am.  Obviously, it doesn't mean that everyone who knows me would come to talk to me but just some kids decide to introduce themselves to me and get to know each other more.

#2. In this case, I want to find my close (best) friends = an established business

Once I stay in the same school for awhile, now it's time to find my best friends and be a part of a group.  This would be a harder part since I might need to do some studying on each group of kids in my class and see who they are, what their interests are, or even what they don't like about.  Then I have to think which group(s) I really fit in and whether they will accept me to be their friends.  

Now it's time to create some "engagements" among these kids to know more about me.  I have to make my personalities shine, show them how cool I am, and why they want to be my friends.  As you know, not all of your friends are your best friends.  It takes a long time to build "trust, loyalty, and relationship" to have best friends whom I can freely communicate with.  It's very important to keep a great relationship with my best friends no matter how hard to do but I still keep in touch with them regularly.

I hope that my analogy makes sense enough to explain what differences between "reach" and "engagement" are.  If you're running a business, first of all, you should ask yourself what your goal of using Facebook is, what stage of your business is, and, more importantly, how you can make it better to reach your customers or get them to get involved with your Facebook pages!

Week # 6A: Alternate Assignment

I set up Gin Arai Facebook page in March'17 when I first had the business idea.  I immediately started it since I want to make sure that the business name I wanted to use was still available.  After that, I didn't do anything much since I had to prepare other things to set up my business.  

Recently, I came back to update the page to make sure that everything was set up correctly and ready to use when the business is about to launch.  I just invited only my family and close friends to like my page.  So now I have only 60 likes.

I have been studying hard on how other companies in the meal-kit delivery business use their Facebook pages.  There are 5 companies as follows:

1. Thai Direct : 999 likes 

This company would be very similar to my company since they are a start-up company and focus only local customers in NY.  It seems like they update their posts on and off which are about 5 posts a month.  I totally understand their position since it's hard to update their page due to time and (probably) money. 

These four companies below are established companies.  They're well-known companies and have been in business for a long time.  They have a great number of their followers.  Obviously, they have a great social media team taking care well of their pages. 

2. Blue Apron : 1.8M likes  Post 1-2 times a day. 

3. Hello Fresh : 1.35M likes  Post 3-4 times a day.  They post more videos and each week they use Facebook "Live" to connect with their customers.

4. Plated : 269K likes  Post 2-3 times a day.   

5. Marley Spoon : 223K likes  Post 1-2 times a day.

Week # 5B : Gin Arai Target Market Analysis

Gin Arai Target Market Analysis

In order to understand Gin Arai target group, I've spent more time studying on established companies in a meal-kit delivery service industry, for example, Blue Apron, Hello Fresh, Plated, Marley Spoon, etc.  I'd like to separate the way to analyze Gin Arai target market under two categories: 

Demographics: 

• Young & busy working professional singles
• Young families with working parents (dual household income earners)
• Middle-and upper-income
• Have more disposable income
• Live in urban areas 

Psychographics: 

• Eating healthy and staying fit
• Don’t have much spare time
• Willing to pay a premium-priced meal
• Like the convenience and value, especially compared with eating out, ordering in, or shopping at expensive city grocery stores
• Love to try new, adventure, interesting ingredients and recipes that they might not be able to normally find easily in their local markets
• Interesting in cooking and Asian food, especially Thai cuisine
• Enjoying the benefits of cooking and eating at home, without the hassle of planning creative meals and shopping for groceries
• Want high-quality ingredients and food

Week # 5A: Target Market Analysis

 VS 

No doubt that I chose these two companies since they are restaurants and this will help me understand more about the food business as well.  Luckily, I'm so familiar with them since they're one of my family restaurants when we go eat out.

Let me keep this analysis simple by comparing them side by side:

	Demographics:	Psychographics:
Chili’s	* has a large consumer base * families of all ages * franchise restaurants (a big corporate) * convenient locations * middle income	* family/ group style dining * affordable dining * a laid-back, casual atmosphere * want higher quality food than a fast food chain * internet user (kid’s friendly) * Spicy, Tex-Mexican-style food eaters * special deal lovers
Teri Cafe	* teenager, young people up to 45 * working class * middle income * local only in Oceanside, CA	* fast food/ takeout restaurant * very cheap with a big portion meal * Asian, Japanese, Hawaiian style food * want to support the local business * easy outgoing people

If we only look at their websites, we could see several differences between these two companies as follows:

Chili's is more professional and global like.  On their home page has two calls to action which are "promotion" offer banner and "online order" that customers can just order food on the website by using a curbside pickup service.  Their design has a clean look and very user-friendly.

On another hand, Teri Cafe uses a vide to show its atmosphere that they are fast food or takeout restaurant, unfortunately, that I get annoyed with this video after watching it for awhile.  With their story, they have been running their business for a long time and only focus local customers.  They don't take orders online or don't have a promotional offer as a call for action through their website at all.

Week # 4C: My favorite websites

First, I'm not a shopaholic but there are two websites that I visit in a daily basis.  It sounds crazy and I don't know why I have to check and see whether they have new products on the sites.

1. Amazon

I have so many great things to say about Amazon.  I and my husband has been shopping with them since we started dating in 2005.  At that time, we even joked around that we would buy their stocks which were about $100 per share.  Unfortunately, we didn't do it.  It was a big mistake we ever made since it's now $986 per share!!!

Let alone their amazing customer service, Amazon has the best friendly-user website.  Although they have products posted on their site close to 400 million items, you don't even notice it since the way they organize all products into product categories/ departments.  It's so convenient for clients to search for items they want in just a second.  Moreover, they even give you a list of suggested items that you might be interested in buying by using client's previous orders.  This is a big trap that I always fall in.  Well done!  😭😭😭

Nobody is perfect, right?  The downside of having million products can be overwhelming for the first time users since they probably don't know where to start and how to search for products they want.  Once they get used to it, they will definitely enjoy shopping more and more...just be careful!

2. Memebox

First time I knew about Memebox was when I saw their promotion ad video on Facebook about Pore Remodeling Mask.  The video looks so gross but it really caught my attentions that I visited their site and bought at least 5 items for my first visit.  They use social media to promote their products, especially with their Facebook page.  They have 777K likes which is quite successful for a company that just started in 2012.  

Their website is simple, clean and easy to use.  The great thing I love about this site is that they use a short video to demonstrate how to use their products.  Using video is a great marketing tool since their products are made in South Korea and are so new for American customers.  Videos don't even give information about the products but they show to their audience how the products really works by using ordinary people instead of supermodels.  Furthermore, you can read reviews from real customers who bought the products from their site.  It makes you feel like you can trust and make a decision to buy right on a spot. 

I have been using Memebox site for over 2 years and I have no problem using it at all.  I don't see anything that they can improve since their site is way too easy to search for products I'm looking for and I end up buying more what I really wanted 😂😂😂  

             

Week # 4B: Blogs I commented on

Blogs I commented on:

Jasmin, Felipe, Karen D, and Izik.

Thanks,
Krong

Week # 4A : Web Design & Brand Aesthetics

Two websites that need improvements:

1. Penny Juice  

# The first thing I found a BIG mistake on their front page is about FlashPlayer (shown as below). I had to take another step to enter the site or just give up and forget about it.

How to improve: I guess that they built it a long time ago and it's time to update to be a responsive website for any kind of format.  

# After choosing the right platform, I got to see their second page with vibrant color and designs. However, I still didn't know exactly what they're doing or what the product they're selling.  Then I had to choose from those 5 links.

How to improve: At this point, they should give an initial information about the company by adding either a company's tag line or a short company's description here.  It's very important to inform the visitor who you are at the very beginning of the site.

# The worst thing happened when I clicked one of those links to find out more about the company and now my patience was totally gone!  I just couldn't force myself to read what they had on the page.

How to improve: Due to contrasting colors and alignments, they can easily design with only one simple color for its background and then separate contents by using paragraphs to make it easy for the reader to follow the page.

2. Arngren

# The word that came to my mind when I opened the website is a "MESS".  Sorry for such a strong word but it is unorganized, confused and full of difficulties with many links on the left.
How to improve: They need to reorganize their pages by having main product categories that link with many products listed after that.

# I felt like playing a jigsaw puzzle to find a piece of information I needed, for example, a company's contact information.  If you're lucky enough, you would find it 😅😅😅
How to improve: The main problem is that there are so many things going on their page.  They need to make the important content stand out and catch the reader's eyes.

# I was so shocked to see "Christmas" banner at the bottom of the page.  It shows that they don't update their website at all.
How to improve: The easiest way to improve this issue is just taking away the banner since it doesn't add any value on the website at all.

Two websites that have done right:

1. Riverside Art Center

# First impression is their "subscription" pop-up page.  It's a call for action button that helps remind a visitor to sign up for their email list.

# I like the design since it's very simple, clean, and organized.  They separate the contents on the front page by using two colors, orange and green which are related directly to their logo.

# The menu bars on the top of the page contains detailed information for whatever a visitor wants to find out about them.  

# They even promote their Facebook page and encourage a visitor to "Like" it immediately.

2. Apple

I do believe that over 80% of our classmates would choose Apple as a great example of all.  Who doesn't like Apple?  Even checking on their website, it already convinces me to buy a new iPhone8! How does Apple website really influence me?

# A well-designed website is the main reason here.  It looks modern and makes you feel like you're a next generation of the future if you use Apple's products.

# The website has a great friendly user interface.  It's easy to navigate the site even for the first time user.  

# They use high-resolution pictures to show their products.  They don't need to put much information to describe what the products are since the pictures say it all.  

# Their design aesthetics really make me trust the brand and definitely influence credibility in their products.

Week # 3C: How Meal-Kit Delivery Companies use their social media!

First of all, I'd like to give you a quick introduction about my upcoming business that I plan to launch as soon as the website is finished.  It's called "Gin Arai" in Thai meaning "What to eat".  There is a short video on the website to show you how Gin Arai works.  I haven't done anything to promote my business yet since I patiently wait until the website is live.

Please check and give a feedback for all social media listed in the table that I just set up and plan to use when the company gets going.  Feel free to subscribe and like if you guys want to be the first followers!  

* Please note that I gathered information on Sep 9,17.
* I prioritize these companies by the numbers of "Likes" and "Subscribers" to show how well they manage their social media.

Company	Social Media#1	Social Media#2	Social Media#3	Social Media#4	Social Media#5
Gin Arai Thai	Facebook	Instagram	Twitter		YouTube
Thai Direct (only in NY) *I think there is now only Thai meal delivery service in the US.	Facebook Last Update: Sep 7, 17 1,003 likes	Instagram Last Update: Sep 7, 17 2,093 followers 350 posts	Twitter Last Update: Sep 7, 17 275 followers, 378 Tweets *Rarely used it before Aug’17 but just recently updated almost every day.	Pinterest They rarely use it.
1.Blue Apron	Facebook Last Update: Sep 9, 17 1.8M likes *They post 1-2 times a day.	Instagram  Last Update: Sep 9, 17 288K followers 2,023 posts *They post a picture one time a day.	Twitter Last Update: Sep 9, 17 56.3K followers 32.4K tweets 22K likes *They tweet at least 4 times a day.	Pinterest 45.7K followers 5,851 pins 57 boards	YouTube 7,465 subscribers 42,193 views 6 playlists 139 videos *Most of the videos uploaded a year ago but 2 recent videos were posted 7 months ago.
2.Hello Fresh	Facebook Last Update: Sep 9, 17 1.35M likes *They post 3-4 times a day.	Instagram Last Update: Sep 9, 17 231K followers 2,730 posts *They post pictures 3 times a day.	Twitter Last Update: Sep 9, 17 26.2K followers 28.7K tweets 24K likes *They tweet at least 6 times a day.	Pinterest *No Pinterest listed on their website.	YouTube *No YouTube listed on their website but I just searched on YouTube. 1,416 subscribers 3,389 views 8 playlists 195 videos *Regularly upload 1-2 videos a week.
3.Plated	Facebook Last Update: Sep 9, 17 269K likes *They post 2-3 times a day.	Instagram Last Update: Sep 9, 17 93.6K followers 2,680 posts *They post pictures 2 times a day.	Twitter Last Update: Sep 9, 17 21.2K followers 26.6K tweets 30.9K likes *They tweet at least 5 times a day.	Pinterest 15.9K followers 7,381 pins 36 boards	YouTube 18,366 views 12 playlists 95 videos *One video a week regularly.
4.Marley Spoon	Facebook Last Update: Sep 9, 17 223K likes *They post 1 time a day.	Instagram Last Update: Sep 9, 17 24.4K followers 1,425 posts *They post pictures 1-2 times a day.	Twitter Last Update: Sep 9, 17 5.5K followers 1.9K tweets 1.27K likes *They tweet 1-2 times a day.	Pinterest 925K followers 634 pins 14 boards	YouTube *No YouTube listed on their website but I just searched on YouTube. 45 subscribers 86K views *Only 3 videos were uploaded a year ago.

Week # 3B: Blogs I commented on

I wrote comments on Karen's, Jennifer's, Izik's and Felipe's blogs.

Thanks for sharing your experiences with social media!

- Krong

Week # 3A: Difficulty communicating with a business

By the definition of communication, it's the imparting or exchanging of information or news.  The picture I post here is a perfect explanation for a meaning of communication.  It's included both listening and speaking.  Any two-way communication that has immediate feedback is considered interpersonal communication.  

About 5-10 years ago, almost everyone faced an unpleasant experience to contact the big companies when you needed help or problems with their products or services.  I personally don't like to call a customer service with 1800 numbers since it always brings me to listen to a robot talking to me.  I need to speak with a real person who understands my problems and helps me to solve it right away.

Thanks for social media nowadays!  It helps customers express their needs or problems directly to businesses. It doesn't only benefit for customers but businesses would take advantages of comments and feedbacks as survey and research tools since feedback is the type of communication that helps people understand how well they have done something and how to improve.  Amazon is a good example for business endeavors including a great customer service.  

As a business owner, I have a good experience using social media with Facebook and Yelp.  Yelp is a huge platform of "word of mouth" marketing.  The reason why I have 5 stars reviews on Yelp is that I know social media would hurt my business if I don't do my jobs correctly.  So this is a good thing of social media that somehow forces businesses to do better jobs if they want to avoid negative reviews. 👍👎   

Customer is now beyond king!  The power is in customer's hands, fingertips, and keyboards.  Isn't it scary for a business? 

Week # 2B: Blogs I commented on

I wrote comments on Izik's, Cody's, Jennifer's, and Jasmin's blogs.

https://iziksblog.blogspot.com
https://csit155f17codyh.blogspot.com
http://csit155f17jenniferl.blogspot.com
https://jasminvaladez.blogspot.com

Thanks everyone for great works!