Our Target Market

I will be presenting Cockrell Electric, Inc., for the duration of the course. Cockrell is an electrical contracting company that has been in business for 25 years based here in Palm Springs. We work all over Southern California, but do most of our work in the Coachella Valley, throughout Riverside County, San Bernardino County, and San Diego County. We are currently expanding our Service Department and would like to use Social Media Marketing to become more involved with our customers, see what our customers are looking for, and to use an advertising platform targeting our specific customer base.

Our target market is high income home owners. These people live in gated communities, and drive very nice, expensive vehicles. They go to the theatre and are members at the country club. Most either play tennis or golf. These people have second and third homes and tend to have one of those homes on the Southern California Coast as well as the desert. They also have second and third homes in the Northern mid West states or Canada. They shop on El Paseo while in the Desert and on Rodeo Drive or at the Grove when in LA. Our target market is heavy in to philanthropy, many of them regularly holding local and abroad Charity functions. They travel and vacation around the world and have friends in very high places. They own fortune 500 hundred companies and are considered some of the wealthiest people in the United States and in some cases the wealthiest people in the world. We also do work for past movie stars and musicians from the 60's, 70's and 80's. Again, our target market are people with high incomes and multiple homes. They are people with an online presence that can absolutely be marketed to.

Demographically our target market is as follows:

Age: 35 to 80
Income: $225,000 to $1,000,000 plus per year
Education: Highly Educated, doctors, lawyers, business owners
Ethnicity: 95% Caucasian, 5% Other (A large percentage of our customers here in the desert are Canadian. Currently I do not know exactly what percentage is Canadian, but I am working with our service guys to put together a percentage of out of towners that are only here during the on Season and that of locals that are here year round.)
Gender: Male and Female equally
Marital Status: Married w/ Children, Double Income No Children, Married No Children
Family Size: 2 people plus
 

Two Websites That I Visit Daily

 

TMZ.COM

I visit this site multiple times a day. It is easy to use and updated frequently throughout the day. I really do love this website. The TMZ stands for three mile zone. Which is the perimeter around Hollywood. It was started by Harvey Levin, who was and still is the lawyer that gives his opinion at the end of every Peoples Court show. It was just a website at first, that only reported on famous people and what was going on in Hollywood. It is so much more than that now, with the website becoming as popular as it has, TMZ is now a television show, a webcast, and a Hollywood tour. What they have been able to do with the brand has been amazing. They often get news about stars before any other news outlet, sometimes being the only ones that actually get the story, but they have also began to run national news story and they have it out there as quick as the AP sometimes. In the beginning it was an extremely authentic website, being the only one that was able to represent the entertainment industry the way it has. It has been able to continue it's authenticity with it's move from the internet into television that includes live call ins from fans and stars during the broadcasts. It's a fast pace show with a "story's around the campfire" kind of feel. It has the latest gossip and their stories are often quoted by other influential media outlets. One of the reasons I think it has been able to do so well is their awesome app that they have released. If you are anywhere and see anything that they might be interested in, there is a choice on the app to let them know immediately what is happening.
The website site itself is a great design. It's a bright red background with a silhouette of the Los Angeles skyline. You are able to search past photos that they have posted, news involving sports stars, news involving celebrities, the TMZ merchandise store, Hollywood bus tour info, etc. There is not really anything I can think of that I would necessarily change, except maybe less ads, but I know if that happens they would probably have to sell subscriptions, so I can deal with the ads for now.
It is a great website. Every time I check it throughout the day, they have posted new story's, usually with some kind of funny info about the picture. They also often post video of their photographers interactions with celebrities, sometimes good, sometimes bad, but always entertaining.

Modcloth.com

Modcloth began when the owners boyfriend suggested she open a vintage store because she had collected so much vintage clothing. It was not long ago, the owners were in college at the time, and are now running Modcloth.com. They still have vintage pieces on the site that go up for sale daily, but it is mostly new up and coming designers that they carry. I love everything about this site and check for New Arrivals daily. They update the site constantly throughout the day and always have new and interesting items. It is a great site to use and so pretty. The site itself is bright and colorful, like the clothes that they sell. They have a tab that links you to their blog. They have a great Blog called "Story by Modcloth" that I read daily. It gives advice, showcases new designers, posts videos, and tons of other info. They let you know when an item in your favorites is on sale or when one is going to be sold out soon. They have grown tremendously since I first started ordering from them so it has been very exciting to watch it change for the better. They have been patient about their growth, always listening to their customers, sometimes changing the look of a dress because the "people" have spoken. When I'm on this website, I feel like I am contributing to the website, I feel like my posts are being noticed and my opinions matter. More than once I have received a reply to a statement I made in a review about a dress. They show they are listening and they show they are interested in what I think too, that it's not just about how much they can sell. The only thing that I would improve, I would love to filter my clothing or item search more than the choices we are given. I am literally on this site everyday and really enjoy it.

Aesthetics, Design and Branding

Gforceracecars.com was the first website I looked at. It is a nicely designed website. The bright red grabs your attention and is flashy, but I think the Home Page could have better pictures prominently showing. Racing is such an exciting sport, the photos should be action shots with the smoke billowing behind the cars as they take off from the start line. The aesthetics of the front page is not very appealing. It's long and should be broken up. Maybe it would be nice to add a tab that is just a "Winners Circle" and only having the news under the News tab, not on the front page.
The name Gforce is a great name and should have a Home page that just talks about their brand, where they came from and what they are about. It's basically a good website, very informative, lots of up to date info and one I would continue to check back on if I was into Drag Racing.
I like that they have a parts list that they carry, but it would improve their website dramatically, and their bottom line for that matter, if they actually sold their parts online. I think they are making a huge mistake in that area.
With Gforce having such a marketable name, I think they could also really do well if they added a woman's clothing line. It would add to their branding and most likely would be great sellers since woman are really beginning to make themselves known in the racing world.

Swagelok.com was the second website that I visited. It was a really nice site, very thorough, very clear and very easy to understand. I loved the "Explore Our History" tab and how it takes us through the years with the company. They immediately feel as if they can be trusted to do a good job.
I love the aesthetics of the site. It's very easy to read, the colors are nice and calm, and not over whelming. I like how all the news is confined to the News page, and I also like how each page is kept short and to the point. It's an easy site to navigate.
It's also really incredible with what they have done with their branding. Making and selling custom parts, product sales, in-person and online courses, energy audits, equipment rental, etc. They are in 57 countries on 6 continents. They really seem to know what they are doing regarding branding themselves.

Tectorch.com is the next site I looked at. It was very busy with so much going on just on the Home page and once you leave the Home page, it is difficult to find your way back. It's a great story on the front page on how the company started. This should be all that's on the front page. To get the people to trust them right away and to get them to trust their product right away. I think the front page could also be stream lined just a little, giving it better aesthetics and a better design. Some color should be added, making it more pleasing to the eye. Some pictures of the inside of the facility would be a great bonus and would help in the customer trust factor also.
Another part of the site that could be fixed is the Sidebar. All of the links that are there now could be combined into each suppliers tab, totally cleaning up that whole Sidebar.

Toyota.com was the last website that I visited. I evidently saved the best for last, because this is a really nice website and the design is incredible. It's easy on the eyes and very easy to navigate. It's totally user friendly and very clear. It really is a beautiful website. The pictures are all so clear a vibrant. I love the Popular Videos tab and continuous funny stories that keeps people coming back. It is a great site all around regarding design, aesthetics and branding.

BUSINESS WEBSITES AND THE SOCIAL MEDIA THEY ARE USING

This assignment was a huge eye opener for me. I had no idea how many businesses have now embraced Social Media. It was almost impossible to find a business website that didn't list some kind of Social Media. I knew it was important to take this class and to get with the program regarding Online Marketing, but I had no idea how important it is. I realize that I need to really narrow down our customers into categories then target those specific categories with online advertising. It's as tedious as any other kind of advertising, but so much more targeted and easily far reaching. The websites that stood out the most for me that are basically only using Social Media to market themselves and if there is any other kind of marketing that they are using it is very minimal.

1) Zappos.com
    - Zappos lists Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter as its Social Media links. They also have an
      entirely separate website that is specifically for their very own blog. It is at blogs.zappos.com.

2) Yelp.com
    - Yelp is a well known site that has been entirely on line. It is a national local search website. Yelp
       is based on users reviews and Social Networking. It is as big as it is because of Social Media.
       They also have a mobile app for their website. The Social Media sites that they have
       incorporated into their site are Facebook and Twitter. These two Social Media sites are the most
       popular with businesses and work extremely well for sites like Yelp that are totally based on user
       input.

3) Modcloth.com
    - All of Modcloth's success is from Social Networking. There was a great article in the New
      York Times just recently that talks about how Modcloth got started and how they have become so
       successful in such a short period of time. The article states that ModCloth has built a fan base
        that includes more than 2.2 million followers on Pinterest, almost one million likes on
       Facebook, more than 100,000 Twitter followers and more than 200,000 followers on
       Instagram.Their Social Media links are Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, Instagram,
      Tumblr, and Youtube. They also have a few different blogs.
Link to article mentioned above: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/fashion/modcloth-is-selling-an-era-they-missed-out-on.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

4) Thebluebook.com
    - This is a website that lists General and Sub Contractors. They are connected through Youtube,
      Facebook, and Linkedin. It is a construction search website where you can find contractors, bid
      listings, plans and specs, etc.

5) Cockrellelectric.com
    - This is the website that I am building for our company. It is one of those rare businesses I
       mentioned earlier that isn't utilizing free Social Marketing. We are currently implementing a
       Service Department and would like to begin advertising online and using Social Media to our
       advantage. There are no Social Media website links on the website now. I am not sure yet which
       ones will best for our business. I know that I will be adding Facebook, just because it is the most
       popular and fastest growing for our customer base. I think that Instagram would not be
       beneficial for our business, but Twitter might be a good idea. I would love to hear others ideas
       on what Social Media websites would be the best for our situation.

Does Social Media Help Solve Problems When Communicating With Businesses?

We have all had to deal with it. We want to make a complaint to a business or get an issue taken care of, but we don't have hours to sit and wait on hold for the supervisor. We don't have time to make the call, nor do we want to repeat our problem to customer service person after customer service person just to be told there is nothing they can do and that's that. How do we get them to be accountable? How do we get them to try to help solve our issue? How do we get them to at least follow their own policy.

I have dealt with it so many times. I need something taken care of, I need to return something, I need some form of paperwork sent to me, etc., and as soon as I hang up the phone after being promised everything will be taken care of, I am out of site and out of mind. It is so difficult to get anything done these days and this is coming from an overly positive person. I am frustrated and just want to be able to take care of issues. I know things aren't always perfect and sometimes things aren't going to go exactly how you planned them, but it has gotten to the point where we have just expected bad service. We have gotten to the point where ok is good enough.

At this time I am dealing with a certain department store where I buy our employee's uniforms. With every so much you spend you get so much in store credit. Recently, they have made a couple of pretty big mistakes regarding a significant amount of my store credit. I have now spent over three hours on the phone trying to get this resolved. I have spoken to countless so-called managers and received twice as many promises of this being solved, to no avail. It wasn't until reading out class assignment this week that I realized that I need to use Social Media to get my problem solved. I don't mean in a negative way at all. My plan is to email everyone I can that has anything to do with this certain department store and to leave reviews where they will be seen by this certain department store. I am not spending another second on the phone with them and can't wait to get my campaign started. I will keep you posted.

SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS: Business and Personal

We have so many ways to communicate now that it seems just talking on the phone has become blasé. We text, we imessage, we tweet, we post, we chat, we email, the list goes on, and now we do most of it on our phones. They have gone from just being phones to being Social Media Platforms themselves. You can send multiple texts, movies, or pictures to multiple people at once. They are called Smart Phones because they are literally smart. They do anything and everything for us now. We use them to do our banking, our travel plans, our grocery shopping, etc., and they just keep getting smarter. It's incredible and I don't think it's going to change anytime soon. It seems like regardless of what type of social networking you are using at any given time for any given reason, you are now doing it on your phone. The best Social Networking sites are keeping up with this trend and making it possible to do everything you can from your phone that you can do from your computer. This has got to give them an ultimate advantage. 
I tend to stick to the same few Social Networking sites for personal use and business. I know that I need to expand my Social Networking world now that I am going to attempt to use it as another advertising outlet for our company. The few business and personal Social Networking sites that I do frequent are listed below.

Etsy - A great site if you are crafty. I really like this site and use it because of the variety of items you can find. They have everything. The only two rules are that your items either have to be home made or vintage. It is a great site if you have this type of business. I use Etsy for birthday and Christmas shopping or when I am looking for a specialty item. It has a big social networking aspect to it and an incredible choice of home businesses to choose from.

Facebook - I have had a profile on here since about 2004. It was fairly new at that time and something my friends back home in Hawaii were really getting in to. They talked me into joining, saying it would be easier for me to keep up with what was going on at home. Turned out they were right. I have been able to watch my friends grow up and turn into adults, then watch their kids grow up and see changes happening in their lives, good and bad. It definitely started out as a personal website, but has grown into a world wide phenomenon and is the most used social networking site. Lately it has become just as much a business site as it is a personal site. I just recently started a Facebook profile for our company and I am very excited to begin working on it.

Flixter - This may not be a usual pick for a social networking site, but I think that I use it that way. Whether we are in town or out of town on vacation, I have used this site for more than just what movies are playing. I will use it to find movie theaters and specialty movie theaters. I also use it to to watch movies trailers, but the main thing I use it for is the reviews. There are more than a few movies I've skipped because of the reviews on Flixter. It is definitely a business networking site and I have found some great out of the way theaters and have seen some great movies because of it.

Google - It is the ultimate social networking business site. I use the Google search engine all day everyday for a variety of tasks, but the number one reason I use it is to find businesses. Regardless of what kind of business I need or why, I can find it on Google. I do not remember the last time a searched for a business and did not find it, or anything else for that matter. After finding the business, I then use Google maps, to locate the business and get directions, but not untill after I have read the reviews.

LinkedIn - Mainly a business and professional networking site. I did have a profile on here for a while, but did not find it useful and received too many junk emails because of it. I also had more people requesting to friend me interested in the Social aspect of it than the business aspect of it. I decided LinkedIn wasn't benefiting me and closed my profile down.

Myspace - It totally began as a personal social networking site, but has gone on to bigger things. I had a Myspace profile when it first came out, but social networking sites were still so new at that time, at least to me they were, that I didn't spend much time on it. Then Facebook came in to our lives and Myspace was all but forgotten. I do know that recently Justin Timberlake purchased a big share of Myspace. He has kept it a personal site, but now with a huge emphasis on music. If you are a musician its a business site for you.

Yelp - This is absolutely a business social networking site and a great one at that. There are very few businesses that I frequent, online or in person, that I haven't checked out on Yelp. It is at most times pretty accurate. It has become so popular that you can usually find up to date reviews. They have business reviews and ratings. I trust their ratings and find them extremely helpful. I don't know if I haven't found a business I was searching for on Yelp, but I don't think so. They also advertise businesses and are probably mostly funded by the advertising.

Choosing A Template

I am happy to be writing my very first blog. I have always wanted to be interesting enough to write a blog or creative enough to fake it. I was so happy to see this as one of the assignments, just so I could learn how to do it. It definitely isn't as difficult to get started as I thought. 
Obviously the hard part is to get people 
to want to read it and to keep them coming 
back to it. For my first blog I chose the 
Simple Template. I chose it because it is 
similar to the website I created for our 
company, cockrellelectric.com. And out of 
the few template choices that we had, I felt 
I could work with this one the best and 
and make it how I want it.