Alisa Detwiler

I posted feedback on the following classmates' blogs: Katalin Solymosi Katharyn Saxe Zachary Saidane Sadegh Rhezaii

During the past few months, I’ve learned a great deal about how to effectively use social media to build my business.   I definitely prefer some platforms over others but feel they all have something to offer, depending on the type of product or service a business offers. My least favorite social media platform is Twitter.   It could be because I have a preconceived notion that it’s mainly used for political issues.   Regardless, I don’t feel it’s as easy to navigate as other social media platforms and it doesn’t seem to be advantageous in marketing my machine rental business. LinkedIn is a great platform for networking on a professional level.   However, based on what I’ve learned, it is not the right medium for promoting my business.   Setting up and using a blog has been a good learning experience for me.   Although I think it’s an excellent platform to share information, I don’t’ feel it would benefit my business.   There’s only so much...

As of December 3, 2019, the Margarita Man San Diego Facebook page has 150 followers and 137 likes.  Prior to this assignment, my page had 133 followers and 135 likes.  There's been an increase of 17 followers and 2 page likes since Monday of last week.  I appreciate that I can see the cities that my visitors live in as well as gender.  I was surprised to see that 77% of my "fans" are women.  I figured there would be more women but did not expect such a significant difference.  I learned that 41% of my "fans" are between the ages of 45 and 54, which was not a surprise.  However, I was surprised to learn that only 10% of my "fans" are between the ages of 55 and 64.  I deal with a lot of people who, I would guess, are in the latter age group.  Perhaps they just aren't "fans" of my site.  Being able to see how my ads and posts performed will be very useful if I apply the data to future posts and ad campaigns. 

Google Analytics is a valuable tool that provides feedback on how your site is performing as well as visitor demographics.  There are many features that I look forward to learning about but the ones that I feel will be most beneficial are the visitors' city, date the site was visited, and conversions.  Since my business serves only local customers, it is important to reach people who live within 45 miles of my business.  Knowing which days of the week my site is visited most will allow me to post ads are days that typically have more traffic.  And, when spending money on ads, knowing the conversion rate will let me know if my money is being well spent. 

This Instagram ad is perfect for late spring.  The goal is for people to be intrigued and want to learn more about how they too can be "refreshed."  The link to my website is the CTA. A high percentage of people who attend KAABOO are part of my target market.  Partnering with Infinium Spirits at KAABOO Del Mar is a great way to draw attention to my business. Click on our blog link to find out where we're headed this week.  Spot us around town, post a pic, and get entered into a drawing for a free margarita machine rental. This would definitely appeal to my target audience.  Many of them are young, successful, and adventurous, so I feel they would be drawn to this ad and want to learn more. 

The implementation of sponsored Facebook ads/posts and boosted posts has opened the doors to small businesses that don't have much of an advertising budget.  Businesses are in control of their marketing budget and schedule.  They can choose to design and implement their ads on their own or hire a person/agency to promote their business. They can also determine the number of days they'd like to run the ad, as well as the maximum they'd like to spend. I've boosted Facebook posts to advertise my business on a number of occasions.  I've noticed that if I put some thought into the design and wording, I tend to see more engagement.  If I just throw something together quickly, I see very little engagement because the ad wasn't well thought out and the design/graphics/photos were lacking appeal. With a previous business, I dabbled in banner ads.  The same amount of thought and creativity should go into a Facebook ad as does a banner ad.  Well, any ad for that m...

1. Following is an analysis of social media used by businesses similar to mine: Margarita Man San Diego Website:   www.sandiegomargaritaman.com Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/margaritamansandiego/ Blog:   https://margmansd.blogspot.com/ Twitter:   https://twitter.com/MargaritaManSD/ Yelp:   28 5-star reviews CTA:   “Make a reservation today” link on website Instagram:   https://www.instagram.com/margaritamansd/ I have Facebook and Instagram but no links on the website Margarita Express Website:   www.margaritaexp.com Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/Margaritaezpress/ Blog:   On website - Last post 4/6/16 Twitter:   https://twitter.com/margaritaexpre1 ; Improper grammar and spelling; unprofessional sounding posts make me wonder if the poster was “Tipsy Tweeting.” Yelp:   No reviews CTA:   Website CTA is a button the visitor can click on to call the business.   EZ Pour...

Yelp... I have mixed reviews about this.  I have mostly 5-star reviews on my Yelp account.  Customers check out reviews to determine if a business is worthy of their patronage.  By reading reviews, a person can get a pretty good idea as to the type of service, quality of products, and overall experience they may have with a business.  I received a 1-star review from a lady who was NOT my customer.  She had booked a machine with another margarita machine rental business, and they did not show up. She actually called me to ask where her machine was.  After speaking with her for a few minutes, we determined that the man she spoke with was, indeed, the owner of another business.  I empathized with her as I can only imagine how frustrating it would be for a vendor to not show up for an event.  I explained that even though she had booked with someone else, I did not have a machine available or I would have rushed one to her.  She thanked me for m...

A few online marketing tools that would be important in growing my business are Yelp and MeetUp.  I have a Yelp account with mostly 5-star reviews.  Many of my customers tell me that they chose to book with me because of my Yelp reviews.  There are a few other margarita machine rental businesses that do not have such favorable reviews. I think it would be wise to upload more photos to my Yelp account so that customers see fresh content.   It would require stepping outside of my comfort zone, but I think MeetUp could help grow my business.  I can attend events and networking meetings to spread the word about Margarita Man.  

Email marketing can be a valuable tool in driving sales for a business.  In the first page of this weeks lecture, the graphic states that “Customers who receive email marketing spend 83% more when shopping.”  When I stopped to think about my spending habits, I had an “a-ha moment.” I thought about how many times I received an email from one of my favorite stores that advertised “30% off your entire order...” My husband says I’m a marketer’s dream as I often get sucked in to this type of advertising.  That being said, I have to agree that it is fairly effective. For my business, I feel that one newsletter post every 3-4 weeks would suffice.  Even though I have repeat customers, people don’t typically rent a margarita machine on a regular basis.  I have a few corporate clients that rent every month or two, but most repeat customers rent no more than two or three times a year.  I would not want to bombard my customers so one post every 3-4 weeks should suffi...

My target audience includes a wide age-range of men and women.  They are middle to upper-class, enjoy socializing and going out to restaurants/bars, and consume alcohol.  I feel the following categories would appeal to my target market and increase traffic to my site: Events (our customers' events) Extras (fun things to add to any party; life-size Connect 4, ice cream machine...) Entertainment (ideas to kick start any party) Mixed Drinks (old favorites, and new drink combinations) Party Themes (let's "taco" 'bout a fun party theme) Out and About (the adventures of the Margarita Man) Customer of the Month (our favorite customer each month) I feel all/most members of my target audience would find many of the posts in these categories interesting.  People searching for party ideas may stumble across my Blog and realize they "need" a margarita machine at their event. ___________ I liked or followed all of my classmates' Facebook, Instagram,...

People want to make connections.  When they see or hear something that triggers emotion, they are more likely to be interested.  If they feel connected to the content of what they are seeing or hearing, it sparks basic human interest, which will keep them coming back for more. Readers who also happen to be young mothers are more likely to respond to a post with a headline such as "You'll never guess how I finally got my baby to sleep through the night," or "Teach your child these 3 things and they'll excel in life."  These headlines will entice young moms (and other curious people) to scroll through the blog or website to find the "magic" answers they've been searching for. Appealing to human interest is a great way to drive traffic to your blog or website.  However, if it's an awkward or even tragic topic, sticking to the facts may be best.  If the Blog is for a professional business, you may have to refrain from getting too personal. ...

My new Twitter account can be found at  https://twitter.com/MargaritaManSD  or @MargaritaManSD.  I added the same profile picture to Twitter as I have on my Facebook page so people will recognize that it's the same business.  First of all, I chose to follow all of the Twitter sites of my classmates who had posted their links.  I thought it would be great to increase their number of followers, and hopefully they'll choose to follow me in return. I used the following key words to find business connections:  margarita man, margarita machine rental, san diego event planner, san diego wedding planner, san diego party rental, san diego taco catering I chose to follow several businesses that I felt could be a good connection for Margarita Man San Diego.  They include @AshleysPartyRentals, @SDStyleWeddings, @SDWeddingParty, @VisitCarlsbad, @socal_events, @BestBarMitzvah, @TacoGurus, @MamaLikes2Party, @ModernTimesBeer The two lists I created on Twitter ...

My Margarita Man San Diego Instagram account has 98 followers and follows 132.  A total of 32 posts have been made.  Post "likes" range from about 8 to 50.  This shows me that I need to spend more time determining my target market, hashtags, and posting inviting photos. Hashtags that I commonly use are: #margarita #margaritas #margaritamansd #margaritaman #sandiego I also include hashtags that pertain to the particular post.  E.g. #cincodemayo for a Cinco de Mayo post Visual media can be an excellent tool in promoting my business.  After researching some of my competitors' websites, I have found that most of them do not have a Facebook or Instagram page.  Using the information I learn in this course, I can use this knowledge to my advantage to increase brand awareness and boost sales. Following are stats pulled from competitors sites: Margarita Man San Diego www.sandiegomargaritaman.com I have Facebook and Instagram but no links on the websi...

I think Facebook would work the best visual platform for my business. Consumers search Facebook for businesses and can find information regarding the products or services they’re interested in.   Facebook allows consumers to engage via messenger, email, and phone for quicker response to their inquiries. I receive alerts when customers engage via Facebook.   This allows me to have a quick response time which people seem to really appreciate.   This is especially important for the younger generations that value instant gratification.   My target market consists of middle-upper-class 25-65 year old people who enjoy drinking alcohol and hosting parties.   According to Pew Research Center, approximately 80% of people between the ages 25 and 49 use Facebook.   55% of people 50 and older use Facebook. 1   This is a huge amount of people utilizing Facebook for both social and business purposes. Utilizing this social media platform can be useful to build br...

Scheduling posts ahead of time is genius!  With my busy schedule, I often find myself scrambling on Sunday night, trying to catch up.  Being able to schedule posts will be a valuable tool for my business and help me promote upcoming holidays, promotions, and events.  My first scheduled post invites people to think about Halloween drinks/margaritas.  Our Mango and Feelin' No Pain flavors are orange so they would be a cool Halloween concoction. The second post is designed to engage people hosting a New Year's Eve party.  It's great to remind people that Margarita Man offers drink mixes that work well with liquors other than tequila.  One of my favorites is our Summertime Lemonade with Smirnoff Raspberry Vodka.  Yum! Lastly, who knew that there is a day dedicated to margaritas?  National Margarita Day is February 22nd.  We tend to rent to more corporate customers for this celebration so I'd love to reach out to more people who may decid...

I was over the moon to learn how to "like" a business page as my own page, Margarita Man San Diego.  I prefer to keep business and social separate so this is a big deal for me. I "liked" the following business pages: 1. Big Boys Tacos 2. The Food Dood 3. Tacos y Gorditas 4. Devil Dogs BBQ Catering 5. Ashley's Party Rentals 6. Z Perfect Party 7. Margarita Man HQ 8. Leo Carrillo Ranch 9. Green Gables Wedding Estate 10. Modern Times Beer 11. Pure Project Brewing 12. Thunderhawk Alements The first four business pages I liked belong to local catering businesses.  A high percentage of the parties we deliver machines to also have their food catered.  Tacos and margaritas are always a great combination so I think it is wise to network with local taco caterers.  I have worked with Ashley's Party Rentals and Z Perfect Party on numerous occasions.  Building relationships with party rental and party planning businesses could lead to an increase in bu...

1. Post Reach is a measure of how many people actually view your post.  Post Engagement measures how many people show interest in your post by clicking on it to learn more, liking your post, commenting, and/or sharing your post. 2. Just because your post reaches a lot of people doesn't necessarily mean that they are interested in it.  By engaging with your post, it provides you with a better idea of the number of people who are actually interested in the content of your post.  Reaching your target audience is important, but engaging your target audience is essential.  If people who view your post see that there is a high level of engagement, that may compel them to engage as well.  Engagement lets the poster know that their content, product, information, etc. is interesting to their target market. 3. Facebook Insights provides valuable information including age, gender, education, job titles, relationship status, likes, interests, hobbies, and more.  On...

I considered a wide range of demographics to determine my target market.       Age – based on past rental customers, the target age range is 30-65      Gender – both male and female are part of my target market      Marital status & family size – neither of these seem to be relevant to my target market      Income – mostly mid- to upper-class customers are part of my target market      Education – mainly college graduates      Occupation – mainly white collar and business owners      Race – does not apply      Religion – I do not target any particular religion as most religions encourage people to not drink in excess or not drink at all; that being said, I have rented to churches, synagogues, and other religious organizations and customers. After carefully considering the above demographics and psychographics, I have determined my target m...

Target Markets/Demographics/Psychographics Armstrong Garden Centers’ target market includes the middle class, middle-aged and up, all races; do-it-yourselfers, people who care about the appearance of their yard or find interior plants to be aesthetically pleasing.  I don't think their target market includes Millennials or Generation Y as the site is not cutting edge or modern.  Myrtle Creek’s target market includes young families, nature-enthusiasts of all ages, middle class, farmers, and local residents, those that prefer the small-town feel and find value in supporting mom-and-pop shops.  It also targets photographers as they offer access to multiple areas for a fee.    Website Differences Armstrong’s website contains a number of good design elements which include concept, alignment, typography, ease of use, and depth of content.  The website is colorful, organized, and informative.  There is a lot of information available but ther...

I would be lying if I didn't admit that Amazon.com is my "go to" site for the majority of items I'd like to purchase.  Amazon.com is very easy to navigate, search, and checkout.  It makes buying products extremely simple and convenient.  The concept is obviously to sell almost anything under the sun.  There are very few tangible items that I haven't been able to find on Amazon.  The depth of content is is unfathomable.  Although, Amazon keeps items and information organized so that you're not overwhelmed by product descriptions.  Once you click on an item, you can get a more in depth description, product specifications, and customer reviews.  Repetition, alignment, and contrast are evident on the Amazon website.  These three concepts make it easy to navigate and may lure visitors in to continue "shopping." Another website that I use frequently is sdccu.com.  I have personal and business accounts at San Diego County Credit Union, and I ...

The first website I chose to evaluate is gatesnfences.com. My initial impression was that the site is very outdated and unprofessional.   I see three potential problems for visitors.   First, although there is color contrast, the palette is very unappealing.   The grey color used for the background of the body is very dull and boring.   The peachy marble-like background used on the entire page is very cheesy and outdated. Second, the depth of content is overwhelming.   There is too much information on the main page as well as the subpages. It is difficult to skim through to find a keyword or information on the product a person may be interested in.   Lastly, the typography is all the same font.   The sans-serif font used in the body is Arial or Helvetica, but the web designer made the mistake of making it bold.   In addition, royal blue, red, white, and black are not pleasing colors to look at for an extended period of time. The website ...

I own Margarita Man San Diego.  There are a handful of other margarita machine rental businesses here in San Diego. Margarita Man San Diego www.sandiegomargaritaman.com I have Facebook and Instagram but no links on the website Last IG post 9/9/19 Last FB post 9/9/19 EZ Pour Drinks www.ezpourdrinks.com No social media links Margarita Momma www.themargaritamomma.com Facebook is mentioned, but no link; link to blog (last post in 2016) Mr. Margarita www.mrmargaritaorangecounty.com No social media links Margaritas on Tap www.margaritasontapsandiego.com No social media links I learned that none of my competitors have links to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or other social media platforms.  I'm embarrassed to say that I don't have links on my site either.  I will be adding links in the very near future and will make a point to stay current on social media posts. Having links to a business' social media accounts allows customers to learn more about the bu...

I have had difficulty communicating with several businesses, but one stands out in my mind.  When I switched from AT&T to T-Mobile this past January, I was looking forward to saving money and having better cellular service.  When I received a bill from AT&T in February, I assumed it was my final bill, prorated, so I paid it without hesitation.  When I received a bill for the same amount the next month, I confirmed that I had paid it.  This is where the trouble began. I have to say, I was a little frustrated, but I was certain I could resolve it quickly.  I had proof that the bill had been paid, so what could go wrong?  I logged in to my online account with AT&T.  When I opened the e-bill, I noticed that there was a charge for service on a tablet that had been canceled months prior to switching carriers.  I started a chat session with a customer support rep (CSR), thinking this could be quickly resolved.  Unfortunately, the CSR k...

This week, I commented on the following blogs:  Lindsay Walsh, Sadegh Rhezaii, and Donald Burks II.

There are many forms of social media.  Some are geared more toward personal use, and some seem to be more business oriented.  Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Snap Chat tend to be used more for personal use.  Although I have searched Facebook for businesses, I tend to go to Google or Yelp when I'm in need of a recommendation.  I appreciate reading reviews from other people so I can make a somewhat informed choice in restaurants, mechanics, dentists, etc. I have both a personal and a business Instagram account, but notice that most of the people I follow are friends and family.  I will switch over to my business account for business posts rather than add them to my personal IG.  However, I think it would be okay to post something about my business on my personal page every now and then.  That being said, I don't want to bombard people with business posts who only follow my personal IG.  I am not very familiar with Snap Chat, but it seems to be...

I enjoyed looking at everyone's blogs.  There is a lot of creativity in this group!  I commented on the following blogs:  Jordan Loera, Katharyn Saxe, and Benjamin Karp.

As a small business owner, I recognize the importance of social media to boost sales and build brand awareness.  I rent frozen beverage machines so the majority of my customers are hosting a party or event.  Customers or margarita connoisseurs should feel like the blogger is interested in their overall experience. My website has bright colors and a fun, welcoming feel to it.  I chose this template because it allowed me to add a colorful photo at the top of the page, which also ties in to my business website.  The lime green colored band on the bottom of the page is bright but not overwhelming.  In addition, many margaritas are served with a lime so I felt the color was perfect! Easy navigation is important in all types of social media.  If the customer/contributor is not able to navigate easily through the site, they will, most likely, get frustrated and leave.  I chose this template because it has a very clean look and should be easy to naviga...