Week 3B: 5 Businesses and Their Social Media Usage
My own personal business is called Matigan Golden Retrievers. I sell beautiful Golden puppies. This business morphed from a hobby. In the beginning I did not care so much about making money, but after losing money many years in a row I decided to either shut it down or step it up. I decided on the latter. Now I am looking at related industries in which to supplement my income, since I have reached what I consider my maximum output without compromising the welfare of the dogs and puppies.
KV’s website is organized well and uses Responsive Web Design. They had a pop-up window inviting you to order and save 10%. There were 3 links to social media.
All I all I think Sit Stay has utilized social media very well. They are responsive and consistently regular in posting. The content is compelling. I would love to see more variety amongst the different platforms, but I wouldn’t call it a deal-breaker.
Shadalane Golden Retrievers
Shadalane’s website is very old fashioned (in not a good
way). Graphics are dated. It has too much copy and is does not utilize
Responsive Web Design.
Facebook
(Last post Aug 8, 2017)
Shadalane has had 13 posts in the last year with most of
them in January. They have 21 reviews, all but one rated 5 stars. They have
only responded back to one post but they have “liked” most of them. They are
liked by 2,471 people, which to me is awesome for a Golden Retriever breeder. Most
posts have at least a few comments and an average of 25 likes.
Twitter (Last
post Aug, 2011)
There are only 3 posts total and they were spread out over 6
months. It looks like they started out and then forgot about it. It is not
linked to their web site; I had to search for it. They have 10 followers.
YouTube (Last
post 3 years ago)
Shadalane has a YouTube icon however it is not clickable. When
I search up his YouTube channel it is in the owner’s name, not in his business
name. There are 40 videos. Most were done 9 years ago with the most recent being 3
years ago. They have decent engagement, after all these are videos of Golden
Retriever puppies!
Wordpress (Last
and only post Feb 7, 2011)
Defunct.
Shadalane has used social media well in the past, but it
looks like they have been unable to keep up. To note: when I compare what
Shadalane has done on social media to other Golden Retriever breeders, he far outshines the
rest.
KV
Supply (Veterinary Supply)
KV’s website is organized well and uses Responsive Web Design. They had a pop-up window inviting you to order and save 10%. There were 3 links to social media.
Facebook
(Last post 5 hours ago)
They are very active on Facebook, posting cute pet pictures/memes/video
3-4 times per day. None of it really relates to their products but many of their
pictures are shared and liked: about 10-30 likes per picture and several shares
per picture. The whole page is like by 8,907 people. Unfortunately, they
have a number of visitor posts complaining about products that never arrived
and I could not find responses to the customer complaints. It would make me
think twice before ordering from them.
Twitter (Last
post 5 hours ago)
Their twitter is just like their Facebook page with posts of
cute dogs and cats, 3-4 times per day.
Pinterest
They have one board with 17 pins, the same type of pictures that was posted on Twitter and Facebook. They have 100 followers.
YouTube (Last
post 11 months ago)
They
have two how-to videos on using Lactated Ringer’s solution. They have 5
subscribers.
KV Supply seems very active on their social media platforms
however I am not sure how valuable it is to them since it doesn’t relate to
their products
Tote
Tails
https://totetails.com/
Tote Tail’s website has a white background with an
uncluttered look to it. The navigation is easy and you can find the item or
animal you are searching for easily. They have a link to their blog in the main
navigation menu bar. They also link to five other social media sites at the bottom
of their page
Blog (Last post
July 7, 2017)
They have multiple authors posting. The focus is on how to
care for your pets and how pets can care for you. Well done.
Instagram
(Last post May 31, 2017)
Their
Instagram site shows close-up pictures of their cute products. I like how it is
focused on their products and simply laid out. They have 270
posts and 372 followers.
Facebook
(Last post 9 hours ago)
They have 3799 likes and they post every 2-4 weeks. However,
when they post they engage their audience. It has a more interactive feel to
it.
Twitter (Last
post Aug 30)
Interestingly, their Twitter focuses on building a business
and entrepreneurship. They post on average once per week.
Pinterest
Cute pet related pins.
I like how they utilize social media. They showcase their
products and provide useful information. You get a sense of the real people
behind the business.
SitStay
The website is simple and easy to use. It is bright and
cheerful. It utilizes responsive web design. They have a link to their blog on
the main navigation menu and to four social media sites at the bottom of the
page.
Blog (Their
blogs are not dated so it is hard to tell when the last one was posted)
Their blog is a combination of helpful dog are articles, pet
articles, and product highlights. I believe it is a good combination and one I
would like to emulate with my future blog.
Instagram (Last
post 1 day ago)
They regularly post pictures and make very good use of hash
tags. The content is fun and inviting, highlighting some products but mostly
just fun pictures and memes.
Facebook (Last
post Sept 11)
The posts are the same as the blog posts and the Instagram posts.
There are quite a few visitor posts and they almost always comment back on
those posts so they have a very good response rate.
Twitter (Last
post 6 days ago)
Their Tweets are the same as their Facebook… pictures with a
caption. There is very little viewer interaction; maybe a like here and there.
They have 2033 followers.
Pinterest (Last
post - I’m not sure how to determine that)
SitStay has 26 boards. They range from product posts, to
cute pet pictures, to pet recipes. They have 748 followers.
All I all I think Sit Stay has utilized social media very well. They are responsive and consistently regular in posting. The content is compelling. I would love to see more variety amongst the different platforms, but I wouldn’t call it a deal-breaker.
Chewy
I have used Chewy a lot in my own business. Their web site is not
very flashy, in fact rather plain, but I never have any trouble finding
anything on their site. I have gotten some great deals as well. They were
recently bought by Petco but I see no outward changes on their website. At the
bottom of the page they link to four social media sites.
Facebook (Last post – minutes ago)
Chewy appears to have a full time “Facebooker.” There are
frequent posts and responses to all of the positive customer posts. I didn’t
find a single bad post. Here is a company doing it right, although I know
personally I do not have the time to make Facebook my full-time job.
Instagram (Last post 5 days ago – their headquarters are
in FL and Irma may be a factor)
Another example of doing it well. The have 84K followers and
frequent posts by the company and customers. They have their products
intermingled with fun pet photos. Hash tags are well utilized.
YouTube (Last Post- 5 days ago – Irma may be a factor)
They are very active on YouTube, posting videos almost
daily. It highlights their products as well as having helpful pet care videos. Again,
very well done.
Twitter (Last
post Aug 30)
Their twitter feed is updated many times per day. Cute pet
pictures always have appeal.
Chewy is a company that is doing it right. They are
consistently active in 4 major social media platforms and their content is
visually appealing.
_____________
I didn't feature many breeder's web sites because very few used ANY social media, and when they did it was solely Facebook.
After reviewing all of these sites I got a lot of inspiration. I am not sure if the market is over-saturated, but maybe I can find my niche. I feel like I should have reviewed my own business. I am severely lacking on the social media end and I think it could be very valuable.
What I liked about what I consider the businesses that utilized social media the best was the way they inter-dispersed helpful information in with featured products. I think that is the model I would prefer to run with.
_____________
I didn't feature many breeder's web sites because very few used ANY social media, and when they did it was solely Facebook.
After reviewing all of these sites I got a lot of inspiration. I am not sure if the market is over-saturated, but maybe I can find my niche. I feel like I should have reviewed my own business. I am severely lacking on the social media end and I think it could be very valuable.
What I liked about what I consider the businesses that utilized social media the best was the way they inter-dispersed helpful information in with featured products. I think that is the model I would prefer to run with.
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