Week 6 Alternate Assignment

As I have an established Facebook page for my business, Shellebelle Designs Stained Glass, I've chosen to complete the alternate assignment this week.  As part of it I've prepared a small practice page - Pifinity.

But back to my Shellebelle Designs page... this page is actually one of four that I run for my business.  Since my business is a bit of a hodgepodge I've separated out its content by topic into pages so that I don't annoy people away with irrelevant posts (i.e. fans of my custom cakes really don't care to hear about my vinyl diecutting).  This is good and bad; while it does help me dial my content in more tightly my followers are spread across multiple pages and it's difficult to coax them into liking all of my pages.  But at the same time, at least I know the likes are genuine.

I started my stained glass page on April 28, 2015, shortly after I legally formed my business.  My main business page existed long before that, but got cleaned up as I refined all of my content into their own pages.  Right from the get go I was using my stained glass business page to promote my products and share my work, as I was 3 years into my stained glass hobby at that point and had work and patterns to show.  It was also around this time that I relaunched my Etsy page and was using Facebook to help promote that.  At first my posting was slow, and now I share something about once a month.  I wish I could post more, but I struggle to find the time to make new pieces and develop new patterns now.  When I do post I maybe get a few likes because Facebook serves my posts to so few people.  It's pretty dismal - but my posts do get some attention on Instagram.  As of today, the page has 75 followers.

Other businesses in my industry are Spectrum Glass by Oceanside Glass & Tile, Don Myers Stained Glass, and Ocean Stained Glass.  Let's look at their social media...

Spectrum Glass by Oceanside Glass & Tile
Admittedly, this company is in a transition phase right now, having bought up Spectrum Glass a few years ago and moved art glass production to Mexico to address stricter EPA standards.  It's been a rough start for them, especially since they've not been well-received by the glass art community, and it shows on their Facebook page.  Despite 13.5k likes, their posts get very little engagement.  Plus, they don't post as often as they used to.  Last summer they were posting several times a week - neat videos, new products, information on the transition, and more - which I found interesting and informative, especially since Spectrum glass is my favorite to work with.  However, come fall their social media efforts tapered way off and they rarely post anymore.  I also noticed by checking their website that their marketing specialist is no longer there (there's probably a correlation here).  Needless to say, their posts aren't as interesting and engaging as they used to be, and in fact when I checked their page I noticed two posts that hadn't even been served up in my timeline from today.  Granted, I'm a firm don't feed the metrics Facebook user and I never like any post from any source, and only post comments when I have something to say.  I know Facebook takes this as me not being interested in the page, which is discouraging.  Their photos (including cover photo) are all well formatted and loaded correctly, I just wish there were more.

If I had to make a suggestion for how to improve the page I'd suggest that they post more.  I loved their production and product videos, styled pictures of new products, and helpful updates.  In fact, last spring the company put out the call for glass artists to send in pictures of their work to be featured (with attribution) on their page.  I sent in several of my pieces with the hope that Spectrum's platform could help get me exposure, but nothing ever happened with that.  That was disappointing me to me as someone who enjoys seeing the work of others as well as using their product.

Don Myers Stained Glass
Don Myers is a big name in the local stained glass scene.  His page has 80 likes and was created in October of 2010.  Unfortunately, this is another page that has gone stale - its last post is from 2017.  And if you scroll a bit further you see a bit more active posting, but it's just memes.  I want to see his work!  The imagery on the page is otherwise set up properly, though their cover photo does clip off a bit (likely due to Facebook constantly messing with its size).  There are no calls to action.  This page could be greatly improved by posting more and by sharing photos of their actual product.  His speciality is architectural glass, which is a field I don't work in but I certainly appreciate and would love to see more of.

Ocean Stained Glass
Ocean Stained Glass is a new shop for me, but I was happy to see that their nearly 500 followers are getting more interesting content than the other two pages are sharing.  Here, they post about once a month and do a good job sharing inspiring photos to encourage their target market to get their creative juices flowing.  However, their cover photo could use some work.  It's of a stained glass work, but zoomed in too closely to tell what it's of and it's poorly lit.  I suppose they were trying to show off the glass itself, but they don't accomplish that well.  Plus, the picture is a bit fuzzy and I see a break in one of the pieces of glass (breaks are our absolute nemesis).  It's unfortunately not a good look, and could be improved with a clearer photo that either showcases more interesting glass or a more identifiable section of a work.  They do feature a call to action with a post about inventory and gift certificates, but at first glance I thought it was a student work post.  They do, however, encourage action with a Send Message button enabled on the page.

I think this page could be improved by posting more, especially about what products they have on hand.  Trips to glass stores are a bit of a production, so knowing ahead of time what products they carry would help encourage me to make the trip up to Dana Point to visit them.

Week 5 Post 2 | My Company

My business, Shellebelle Designs Stained Glass (SDSG) markets to two groups: stained glass crafters and people who wish to buy completed stained glass works.  For the purpose of this post I’ll explain them separately:

Stained Glass Crafters

SDSG targets fellow stained glass artisans for the purpose of selling stained glass patterns that they can use to create their own panels.  They are often middle income, middle age and above, and moderately tech savvy.  They are all creative types and both male and female.  SDSG has a goal of expanding into a younger age bracket (Millennials and above) to take advantage of new interest in traditional arts there.

Completed Stained Glass Work Buyers

SDSG also targets consumers who wish to buy finished stained glass by way of offering completed, ready to ship pieces, and custom pieces.  These buyers are typically high middle income and comfortable with tech.  This market has an appreciation for handcrafts and values their bespoke nature, but may or may not be creative themselves.  Both men and women are marketed to.  SDSG has a goal of increasing awareness of its finished stained glass offerings among non-stained glass crafters.

Week 5 Post 1 | Target Markets

Let's talk about target markets!  As a succulent addict fanatic, I am excited to write about Amstrong Garden Centers and Rancho Vista Nursery in this post.  While I'm familiar with Armstrong, Rancho Vista Nursery has definitely won me over with their awesome weekend succulent farmstand.  They have some unique plants that I've not seen elsewhere (plus a very sweet little dog that likes pets).

Before moving into analyzing their pages, I know that Rancho Vista Nursery is an independent wholesale-only nursery (with the exception of the weekend farmstand) and Armstrong is a chain that accepts all customers.  Because of this, both companies will market their product differently - the market for one is industry professionals looking for good prices, bulk availability, and a good selection of core plant species.  The other market is homeowners - some with a green thumb, some not - looking for "pretty", affordable, and easy to get home and care for.  Right off the bat this difference in markets is apparent between the two websites.  Armstrong has a fresh, lively website that immediately calls you to action with their landscape design service.  For an individual consumer who perhaps doesn't quite know where to start with their yard renovation, this is an excellent strategy to connect with those "I don't know what to do..." customers and call them to action.  Rancho Vista has a much more basic website - while it is tastefully designed it is limited to critical information only.  Because their market is landscape professionals who already know what they're looking for, there's no need to list exhaustive details about their inventory and its care.  It's also likely that they've built numerous relationships with local landscapers so all business is quickly handled over the phone.  In fact, their market probably barely even visits their website if at all.

Rancho Vista's site only has two pages that I can find - one for the main company and another with basic details about the farmstand.  Armstrong, on the other hand, has an extensive listing of pages that cover their products and services - from professional installation to "Pink Peace" roses.  All written information is clear and is written for an audience that doesn't have expert-level knowledge of horticulture.  Plus, there's a product listing with clear pictures of each item to help home gardeners locate their desired item.  Further information offers education by way of a blog, videos, and available classes.  A lot of time (and money) was clearly spent to make Armstrong's site convey the message that they're the go-to nursery for the home gardener and they're ready and willing to help you make your yard beautiful.  Their overall tone is friendly and reassuring, while Rancho Vista's site doesn't do that - simply because it doesn't need to.  Rancho Vista's site is more to the point without being rude.  Their message is roughly "if you have a resale license you'll find everything you need in person."

While non-industry consumers can't shop at Rancho Vista, Rancho Vista's industry folk certainly can shop at Armstrong.  They probably wouldn't look at the website either.  However, in all likelihood industry folk probably do get some measure of an industry discount at Armstrong, though Armstrong and Rancho Vista specialize in different kinds of plants.

The differences between these two websites are great examples of how to market to different demographics and their knowledge of the product.  There's no need to hash out information consumers already know ad nauseam, but there are huge benefits to catering to consumers who don't know what end is up when it comes to gardening.

Week 4 Post 2 | My Website Critques

After my last post about what websites were doing wrong, I'd like to talk about two websites that do things right.  The concept of "right" can be summed up with only two definitions; it's aesthetically pleasing and it's easy to use.  These two websites do these two things well, and enjoy the benefits of good traffic that comes and stays a while.

YouTube
Everyone knows YouTube, and while it's well stocked with cat videos and how to's, YouTube is actually very thoughtfully designed.  Upon loading, visitors are greeted with two rows of recommended/subscribed videos in the center of the screen.  The eye immediately goes to this area - and that's a smart move on the part of the YouTube designers.  By putting the content that you're most likely to engage with front and center, you're more likely to click.  They add more value to these recommended videos by including clear uploader-provided titles and timestamps right along the video and also having them autoplay for a few seconds if you mouse over.  This can help users make quick judgements about if they want to watch the video or not.  Then, as the user scrolls down a bit more (below the fold), they are greeted with a single row of newsworthy videos.  Then, below that, it's back to the recommended videos.  All of the videos are arranged into a neat grid based on your screen size (or a single column on mobile) - making a colorful, graphical repeat as you scroll.

As an accessory to the visuals of the videos, users have very fast access to custom searches by way of a persistent top search bar.  This search bar is easy to use, and has a keyword match function as the user types to help narrow down what videos to search for.  This search has a side effect of sometimes autofilling suggestions that the user may not have thought of, leading to interesting explorations through YouTube.  Account maintenance, playlists, and quick links to subscribed channels are easily available though a left side navigation bar on the home page.  The overall design is simple, with a clean grid layout and simple typography that utilizes excellent typography to clearly highlight what information is important.

The user experience is also enhanced for video watching - with the availability of several view modes users can choose how they prefer to watch, and additional functionality tucked away under various easy to find buttons controls playback speed, captions, and translations.

As for improvements, YouTube would benefit from not forcing certain playback features on users, such as the autoplay feature.  As many times as I've disabled it, it still sneaks back to enabled and that's not always what I want.  Its user metrics for recommendations could also use a little tinkering, as over and over again it recommends the same videos I'm not interested in or videos that I've already watched.

All of this user-centered design and ability to customize the experience helps YouTube to deliver an excellent experience for its visitors - regardless of if they're there to find something specific or just to waste time.

Zillow

Real estate site Zillow also does an excellent job in user design as well.  Upon first loading the site, visitors are greeted with a peaceful, stylish photo of a home that changes on occasion to keep things fresh.  Today, that photo is a dusk photo of a peaceful Cape Cod style beach bungalow - immediately making the visitor ponder summer nights at the shore around a cozy fire and s'mores.  The photo effectively gets users thinking of the possibilities in their real estate searching and ultimate purchase (if they get that far).  A search box is prominently placed over the photo to encourage users to get started in their search.  The site features little more above the fold aside from some basic navigational elements.  Below the fold Zillow provides information on how they work as well as links to mortgage information - helpful additions to users who are just beginning a real estate purchase and may not quite know where to start.

Upon performing a search, users are taken to a clean, grid-designed result that features a prominent map search feature as well as individual real estate listings organized into several rows.  The listings also feature quick information with an eye to typography - it's easy to get their address, price, and status, as well as know if there's additional sales features available like a 3D tour.  It's easy to adjust the map, search parameters, and click into listings to get more information.  Helpful flyouts provide more information on moused-over areas so users can get quick info to help them decide whether to click into something or not.

Zillow works much like YouTube in that it lets the content create the visual interest.  There's very little decoration or design to the site other than its strong, easy to navigate layout.  One downfall of the site, though, is that its blue color for branding is somewhat harsh on my screen.  I feel like it competes for visual attention with the other important elements on the page, and that is a bit distracting.  I also find that the overlay-style real estate listings require more scrolling than I'd like - making them into their own page like Redfin does allows for more columns in the design, and therefore more content up higher.

All in all, there are some heavy hitters in the online real estate market and while they use similar features, one way they can differentiate is in design.  Zillow achieves this easily with a heavy emphasis on featuring imagery in a way that helps them to do the talking.

Week 4 Post 1 | Website Critiques

This week we're looking at websites and asking ourselves "What are they doing well?  How could they improve?  And where do they just need to start over?"  Despite the internet maturing to where it is now, admittedly not everyone is a web designer or knows the principles of web design.  And yet, some do it extremely well.  Here's a small collection of thoughts on four websites:

The Bad
Jami Lin's Passions - This website caught my attention because I immediately didn't know where my attention should go.  There's quite a few concerns with this website design, namely with hierarchy of content, navigation, "tone", and typography.  The site's hierarchy struggles because there's no focus; all of the text is smashed together into a narrow column (I'm guessing this site is from the 1024x768 days), roughly all the same size, and there's little imagery to direct us quickly to what things are.  In addition, all of the content seems in conflict with each other.  One area talks about Feng Shui, another real estate, then chakras, then its owner, and then anti-aging products.  What is this site selling?  The most eye catching element is the top header, but it's wild and garish in and of itself.  Its navigation also struggles - I count at least three separate menus.and am not sure which one would take me where I want to go.  And, the astonishing thing is that for as much content is on the front page there's...even more pages with even more content.

My major concern with this site is that it deals with traditional beliefs of thought that have to do with inner peace, peace within an environment, and balance.  A business should convey their tone by way of their website, and no part of this site brings me "peace".  It's cluttered, spastic in thought, and uses garish colors.  If nothing else, it makes me worry that I'm going to get a computer virus from the assorted ads.  The typography is also a struggle because it is all consistent - there's very little in the way of headers to distinguish sections of copy.  I feel like every section is shouting for attention all at once.

This site also has major SEO issues (keyword stuffing, image-based text in the most important places, unclear navigation and headers, duplicate text, and more).

How could this be fixed?  The first task would be to refine all of the content.  All of the content needs to be consolidated into sections of thought.  I would imagine that if you really picked this site apart you'd find that a lot of the text repeats and could be simplified significantly.  Then, all but the most important information needs to be organized into pages under one menu.  The next step would be to sort out the website design to fit the product it's selling.  A website theme with a more simple layout and lots of white space would help to bring peace to the site, as would nice images of Feng Shui in use.  Information about blog posts and more "train of thought" information could be neatly placed at the bottom of the page where it's still easily findable, but not screaming for attention.

Gates N Fences - This website also has some major struggles.  Like the previous site, it struggles from trying to say too much at once with poor typography and hierarchy.  The design is also especially problematic, and the methods they used to counteract it only make it worse.

By placing every single thing they want to say about the business right on the front page I don't even know where to start reading.  The key with web design is getting your point across in mere seconds, and I have to admit it took me more than a moment to even figure out what this company does.  There is no hierarchy to what they're trying to say - everything is coming at me all at once.  Plus, the text is all too small to read.  There's no change in typography to help emphasize points or separate content.  Even links use the default blue color when that's easily changed in the site CSS.  The website navigation also needs to be refined - it's another case of cramming in whatever they could think up as "possibly being important".  It also takes a lot of scrolling to view it all, and likely important sections are getting lost to the SEO because they reside below the page fold (the viewable area when first loading the site).  Much of this menu could be refined into a 2-3 level menu that simplifies information into sections so that certain customers know where to find content, and others can find other content.

The design of the site is also troublesome with a repeating pattern in the background and nothing to isolate page elements from it.  To counteract this, they simply dropped all text onto gray backgrounds that clash and all images sit on white backgrounds.  There are also major SEO issues on this site too - keyword stuffing, lack of headlines, lack of focus, and more.

To fix this site I would suggest starting by refining the content more carefully.  What products do they sell?  Make those navigation headers.  What would they say about their company if they only had three seconds to say it?  Make that the most apparent text when the site loads.  And then I'd build out a much better layout that better isolates the page elements from the background (such as on a white background).  This helps the text and imagery to pop better.  The typography could also be spruced up with better headlines and font sizes.  Then, I'd suggest moving all subtopics under their appropriate menu as flyouts to help clear the clutter.  And, given that this company focuses on a very visual product, get some of those pretty pictures front and center.  Let potential customers see your capabilities without saying a word.


The Good
In contrast, there are some excellent websites out there too!

Toyota - The Toyota website shines by being focused without fluff, much like their vehicles.  Immediately I am presented with hierarchy - the four links at the bottom of the screen to build a vehicle, find a dealer, and more.  Were I in the market for a Toyota that's certainly information I'd be looking for.  Then, an animation loads and loops to keep visual interest, plus offers enticement to travel to another part of the site to view a commercial.  This is an excellent teaser that doesn't compete with the rest of the site.  And then, I notice the navigation waiting patiently at the top of the screen for any additional needs I may have.  A little more scrolling reveals easy links to specific vehicles below the fold - indicated with a picture of the vehicle.  This helps to solidify recognition of the vehicles, and satisfies the visitors that only know what a car looks like and not necessarily its name.  The design aesthetic is clean and with a minimal palette, and the color red indicating things that I can do.

Toyota's careful design of their site leaves me feeling like I can easily figure out where to go to find the information I want.  I happen to be a bit of a car nerd so I'm already familiar with all of their products and where they sit in the market, but this site is exceptionally digestible to those who perhaps aren't as savvy.  Those visitors could shop by car category, price, and more easily.  The entire site is clear and pragmatic, which is what I would expect from Toyota.

National Park Service - The NPS website is another example of an extremely well done site.  Immediately I am greeted with their highlighted story on African American Heritage with a clear link of how to get to it.  Below it in hierarchy sits three more highlighted stories, each also supported with clear imagery that conveys the message of the story.  And then, my eye notices the drop down selector for parks within the system.  Perhaps I came to this site looking for information on a specific park, but I was also gifted with other learning opportunities too.  Scrolling below the fold reveals more highlighted stories and sections of the website that I may visit, all with clean, clear typography and earthy colors.  I haven't visited many national parks, but it is certainly on my bucket list.  Showing me beautiful pictures of the outdoors is something that certainly gets me excited to continue digging through the site.  Expanding the navigation reveals many more subcategories that help visitors find what they're looking for.  And then, it collapses out of the way.

The simple design of the site leaves me pondering the simplicity of the outdoors.  I also appreciated how easy it was to find information in the first place - either through menus or the search box.  The design leaves me feeling like I can quickly find exactly what I'm looking for, with some bonus information along the way if I want it too.

Week 3A: Blog Postings

This week I commented on the posts of Patricia Rabito, Sandra Sanchez, and Miguel Velasco.

Week 3 Post 2 | Stained Glass + Social Media

As I will be focusing on the social media for my stained glass business this semester, I’ve researched the social media habits of a variety of companies within the stained glass market.  For reference, the term “art glass” refers to manufactured decorative glass intended to be cut further and assembled into glass works.  The term “glass art” refers to any art created from glass, such as stained glass, kiln-fired fused glass, blown glass, or lampwork pieces.  My list of companies is as follows:

Kokomo Opalescent Glass

https://www.kog.com/

Kokomo Opalescent Glass, based in Kokomo, IN, is a leading manufacturer of art glass and is a medium size international company.  They utilize Facebook and Twitter for their social media, and I also found their unadvertised channel on YouTube.  However, their social media links on their website point to the platforms themselves – not their business pages – leading me to have to search for them.  A simple oversight that is surely hurting them from a SEO standpoint!  Their social media metrics are as follows:

Social Platform	Date of Last Post	Average Posts/Day in 2020	Number of Followers
Facebook	February 6, 2020	2.05	15,731
Twitter	February 3, 2020	.2	860
YouTube	September 6, 2016	0	146

As you can see, they are focusing their SEO labor where it matters, which is Facebook.  However, in scrolling through their posts from this year most of them were simply event pages for classes they were putting on.  As a follower from a more than a thousand miles away, posts about classes don't do much for me.  And, clearly not for others either as the posts that were not geographically limiting had much higher engagement.  Their Twitter account is fairly quiet as well, and their YouTube efforts are dead.  I find the last one a bit disappointing because the process of making art glass is actually pretty neat to watch - they could certainly drum up interest in the company by posting neat videos about their product!  However, I think what's at play here is their target market.  Stained glass crafting is predominately done by retirement-age people, and they don't really hang out on Twitter or YouTube.  But everyone has a grandma on Facebook.  If Kokomo had to choose one platform to focus on I agree, Facebook is it.

Delphi Glass

https://www.delphiglass.com/

Delphi Art Glass is a leading vendor of art glass and supplies for making stained glass panels.  They are a Lansing, MI – based medium size international company that has a local storefront (that also offers classes) and a robust online sales business.  They utilize a variety of social media platforms for their business (easily found on their webpage); Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.  Their social media metrics are as follows:

Social Platform	Date of Last Post	Average Posts/Day in 2020	Number of Followers
Facebook	February 4, 2020	.28	28,133
Twitter	June 30, 2019	0	1,530
Instagram	February 4, 2020	.15	6,992
Pinterest	dates not listed	dates not listed	2.5 million "monthly viewers"
YouTube	October 24, 2019	0	19,200

Delphi has similar metrics to Kokomo, and I think for the same reason of their target market being more on Facebook than anywhere else.  I did notice, however, that their Instagram posts got much more engagement than on Facebook, and perhaps that's because the platform forces them to focus on sharing quality photos of finished works instead of sales notifications and the like.  Their YouTube channel could be much better utilized as well, as I have most certainly turned to YouTube for a technique tutorial or to better understand a new product.  YouTube videos cross post to Facebook very nicely, and this would in turn drive engagement and interest in their product (especially if they were showing off new glass!).

Blue Dolphin Stained Glass

http://www.bluedolphinglass.com/

Blue Dolphin Stained Glass is a San Diego-based “mom and pop” art glass and stained glass supplies store that also offers classes on-site.  They do not ship products and are a small, local business with only about five employees that I’ve seen.  They utilize Facebook for their social media promotion and their page is not advertised on their website.  Their social media metrics are as follows:

Social Platform	Date of Last Post	Average Posts/Day in 2020	Number of Followers
Facebook	December 25, 2019	0	140

There is not much going on here, unfortunately.  And, in scrolling through their posts it's mostly "business-y" type content.  No pictures of students' works, profiles on their employees, or showcasing new products.  The biggest advantage to their store is being able to select your pieces of glass (they are each unique!) and it would do them well to showcase that, plus you get the satisfaction of supporting a small business.  And, I'm sad to say, the last few times I've made the 40 minute trek down to the store I've not been able to find what I'm looking for and have had to turn to Delphi and wait a week for it to arrive.

Holdman Studios

https://www.holdmanstudios.com/

Holdman Studios is a Lehi, UT based glass art production studio that specializes in manufacturing and restoring stained glass.  They are a medium-size international company and are well known for manufacturing the stained glass panels used in the construction of Mormon temples.  They utilize a variety of social media platforms for their business promotion, such as Behance, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, which are all easily found on their website. Their social media metrics are as follows:

Social Platform	Date of Last Post	Average Posts/Day in 2020	Number of Followers
Behance	February 8, 2017	0	n/a
Instagram	February 6, 2019	.07	2,903
Pinterest	dates not listed	dates not listed	66,700 "monthly viewers"
LinkedIn	n/a	0	55 connections
Twitter	February 3, 2020	.21	172
Facebook	February 3, 2020	.21	6,541

Unlike the other businesses I've listed, Holdman does a good job of mixing up their social media content.  There's news articles, photos of installations, pieces in progress, and finished works.  This keeps their social media interesting and engaging, despite not posting very often.  In fact, they have pretty good engagement compared to the other companies (especially on Instagram) despite having only a fraction of the followers.  The thing about artists is that we like to see the work of others and appreciate it (and hit Like), and finally a stained glass company is giving us that!

The Season of Glass

No website

The Season of Glass is a business owned and run by sole proprietor Heidi Weghorst Stanhope in New Hampshire.  She sells her pieces through a local gallery and an Etsy page that ships worldwide.  She does not have a website - I only know about her because she followed my Instagram and I was impressed by her work and followed her back.  I was only able to find an Instagram and Facebook page for her business.  Her social media metrics are as follows:

Platform	Date of Last Post	Average Posts/Day in 2020	Number of Followers
Instagram	February 8, 2017	.5	1,933
Facebook	February 6, 2020	.57	127

In comparing her social media efforts, her Facebook page is much more interesting in content, but it gets hardly any engagement.  Her Instagram does decently though, and it features lovely photography that shows off her skill (I will nerd out for a second here and say that her lead work - the shiny parts - is legit).  I actually asked her for simple advice once and she kindly responded with a helpful suggestion quickly, which was a good effort on her end.

Thoughts

In all, I feel that most of these businesses could be doing social media "better".  And by better I mean posting either more often, or posting a greater variety of content.  Or, they could be taking advantage of what video would do for their sales and run with it.  I feel that many of them are just slapping up ho-hum content and not getting any traction and saying "oh well".  Or, another issue could be one that plagues all small businesses on Facebook - the fact that unless you give the mighty Facebook money they won't serve your content to your followers.  This is a really discouraging tactic of theirs and it frustrates me to no end.  I don't want to run ads - my products sell just fine when people see them.  Plus, plenty of my business followers are my actual friends who just want to see what I make because I don't post every last thing to my personal wall.  It's interesting comparing the same posts between Instagram and Facebook - the Instagram posts always do better.  That's likely because they're served properly, and on top of that a lot of new content can be browsed easily - and that makes for better engagement and more followers.

Of the grouping, I feel that Holdman Studios and The Season of Glass are having the best results with social media despite not posting constantly.  Both post a good variety of interesting content as well as eye-pleasing pictures.  As I mentioned before, the key to keeping artists as followers is to give them inspiration.  You can do this by posting about work in progress (Holdman), or even new ways to use stained glass (The Season of Glass).  Heidi's work has got me looking closely to inspect her lead work and dissecting how she makes her glass orchids because I kind of want to try one myself.  She also doesn't do the traditional "church window" stained glass style and I try to work in more modern styles too.  And Holdman tells a good story.  The rest of the bunch just post about sales and closures and classes.  Nothing to inspire me as their target market, or engage me into their production process.  Kokomo and Delphi would definitely benefit from short videos showcasing their products, but I recognize there's a big time and cost commitment to making those videos look good.

The additional issue of this all is that stained glass crafters as a market are pretty small.  A majority of them are Baby Boomer age and older, while there's us young crafters taking new approaches to the ancient art.  I do not personally know anyone else who makes stained glass, and it's not really an art that you casually ease into.  It's expensive - you're either all in or not.  And with such a small market, a majority of which is traditionally limited in their participation with social media, it's hard to market.  This isn't a Nike-level fanbase and these are quite often small companies that don't have the budget for serious social media professionals or slick videography.  Honestly, it's a tough market, and I've seen it myself.

Week 3 Post 1: Business Communication

As a consumer ready to hand over money for a business’s product, nothing is more frustrating than getting silence from that business.  It delays you accomplishing your goals, sheds a negative light on that company, and makes you unsure of if you will get what you want out of the transaction.  It’s even worse when your options to go to a competitor are limited.  I encountered this just last year while filing for guardianship of my nephew.  One of the steps that had to be completed before my court date was serving official notice and copies of all the court documents to my sister in law (my brother is deceased, so I didn’t have to serve him).  As she’s in a city that’s not close and I have no contacts in, I had to hire a process server to handle the task for me.  I set about searching for one online and was immediately presented with a handful of agencies that served her area, and started scouring their websites for ones that looked like some care and attention went into them (a company that puts effort into a good presentation is a good sign for a good product).  I found a few, and then started looking for contact information.  Many of them required you to call, and I have to say, I hate phones.  Plus, with a time difference between here and there, calling meant either getting up early or calling during work hours (which I really wasn’t supposed to do).  Ugh.  I did, however, find one with an email address!  I sent a quick email asking about fees and what they needed and if they were able to complete the proof of service document the court required.  And a day or so later, I got an email asking me to call.  Ugh again.

I found some time to sneak away from work and made my call, and it was answered by a gruff man who barked off what he needed, how he needed it, and where to send it to.  He did not have time for my questions.  It was an unpleasant experience.  Nevertheless, I sent off my documents with my contact information in case they had a problem…and nothing.  For several weeks it was radio silence on my phone and at my mailbox waiting for the proof of service document.  Were my documents lost in the mail?  My sister in law still hadn’t been served (she knew the forms were coming).  I had to pay by money order and the online system showing if it’d been cashed or not returned no information.  Ugh.  So I called again.  And was again greeted by the gruff man who had no time for me and my questions.  His response was basically that he doesn’t pay attention to what envelopes come in; he just hands them to “his guy” and it’s out of his hands.  A little bit of "Oh yeah, I did see your envelope" would have gone a long way!  It was so frustrating and I was just left hoping that the job would be done and I’d get my form in time for my court date.  And that I hadn’t just thrown $125 down the drain.

In the meantime, I called another process server in the area just to have a backup in case the first was a bust.  I left a message, and didn’t hear back for two weeks.

And then one day, a happy little envelope addressed in my handwriting was in my mailbox (I had sent them a self-addressed envelope to eliminate any chance of issues returning the form).  It was the finalized proof of service document!  Finally!  And then I hustled it off to the courthouse in time for my scheduled hearing.

Overall, I wasn’t expecting much from a process server as they generally don’t have the best reputation.  But, this agency went above and beyond in being difficult to communicate with, even when I just had a basic inquiry.  Perhaps the emotions were tightened a bit because of the looming court date and paperwork anxieties (there was A LOT of paperwork and five states involved), but overall I hope to never have to deal with another process server again.

Admittedly, I am a fan of written communication and love businesses that allow me to communicate that way.  I don't feel right stepping away from work to handle personal calls, and being able to send an email lets me be more productive in handling my matters at night.  Another way that we can communicate with a business is through social media - either through reviews, posts, or direct messaging.  With the exception of direct messaging, what you say is out there for all to see - good or bad.  Had a problem with an order?  Tweet it!  Want to make a suggestion about a way to improve a product?  @ it!  Just want to tell them they're doing a good job?  Tag it!  And, any company that cares about their reputation will act quickly to respond.  Social media makes it easier to communicate with a business because it puts them on the spot, and you can often find support from other consumers who respond to you too.  Being put on the spot, especially when it's clear that you're not taking care of your customer, is certainly bad publicity for the company and consumers will notice.  Even before social media news channels have had consumer advocacy segments where they advocate on behalf of a viewer who has been wronged by a company.  And, quite often, the impending bad publicity on the evening news is what gets that company to straighten out and resolve the complaint - often with little effort on the part of the consumer advocate.  Funny how that works.

Reviews are also a good way to get the attention of a company.  So much of Amazon's business model rides on their 5 star rating system - anything that is below 4 stars or so is not worth buying to many people.  Reviews are also a great way for potential customers to understand how the product works, potential issues, and more.  Plus, smart companies know that by checking their reviews and making problems right they can win back a customer.  But me personally?  I really don't leave reviews.  I'm just not chatty like that.  However, when a product is wildly different than explained or does not work as intended I will may leave a few words as a warning to other potential customers if my concerns haven't already been said.  I'm always very to the point and factual with my reviews, and explain how the discrepancy affected me.  Being emotional doesn't solve much, and it doesn't give the company concrete information to use to improve.

When it comes to my own business, I respond quickly to all communication that needs a response.  Someone have a question?  I'll answer it.  Someone have a problem?  I'll let them know I'll fix it.  Customers want to be heard, especially when they feel that their money has been wasted.  Because of this I am very mindful of their feedback, especially when it's not great, and also take it as an opportunity to improve.  For this class I'll be using my stained glass business as my guinea pig and while my social media posts have gotten very little "negative" attention, if they did I would be all over it.  And, depending on the circumstances I would try to leave those comments visible to all so that other users can see me working to solve it and give great customer service.  Should someone complain about a piece arriving broken I'd discuss repair with them, and also make a mental note to address my packaging methods.  I care very much about everyone enjoying my work and keeping a good name for myself, so every interaction with a customer is a learning opportunity.

Week 2B: Blog Postings

This week I commented on the blogs of Karen Mendoza, Sandra Sanchez, and Miguel Velasco.