Week 13, Post 1 - Online Advertising


1. Following is an analysis of social media used by businesses similar to mine:

Margarita Man San Diego
Website:  www.sandiegomargaritaman.com
Yelp:  28 5-star reviews
CTA:  “Make a reservation today” link on website
I have Facebook and Instagram but no links on the website

Margarita Express
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 Drinks
Blog:  None
Twitter:  None
Yelp:  4.5 star average
CTA:  “Contact Us” button, static on each page of the site

Margarita Momma
Blog:  Link to blog on website (last post in 2016)
Twitter:  None
Yelp:  15 5-star reviews
CTA:  None

Mr. Margarita
Website:  www.mrmargaritaorangecounty.com; very outdated, too busy looking
Blog:  None
Twitter:  None
Yelp:  3.5 star average
CTA:  None

Margaritas on Tap San Diego
Website: www.margaritasontapsandiego.com
Facebook:  None found
Blog:  None
Twitter:  None
Yelp:   None
CTA:  “Make your reservation today” on website


2. Social media advertising needs to draw your attention quickly.  You can use catchy slogans, catch-phrases, graphics/photos, and bright colors.  These type of ads tend to draw my attention.  Many advertisers’ CTA include contact forms, quick links to call/email/join mailing lists.  Ads that appear to be thrown together, have loud/obnoxious sounds (i.e. alarm clock going off), or use low-quality graphics are annoying. 

3. Some forms of traditional advertising have lost their effectiveness with the world being taken over by social media.  We live in a “me first” and “instant gratification” society. 

Newspapers are almost a thing of the past.  Older generations may still have a newspaper subscription so the ads would need to be tailored accordingly.  Magazines, surprisingly, are still popular.  People subscribe to magazine that focus on their interests, such as Home & Garden, Sports Illustrated, Surfer, Interior Design.  Advertisers can place ads in magazines whose readers are in the same target market.  People still like to flip through magazines and have them to reference when their theme is something they are interested in.  TV ads can still be effective, but they have to be clever so as to grab the viewers’ attention as they’re fast-forwarding through the commercials, watching their favorite recorded shows.  Billboards are still an effective form of advertising as people continue to drive and gather in public places.  We can’t help but see large media ads when they’re smack dab in front of us.  The wording needs to be short, precise, and large font, along with a photo/graphic that quickly grabs a person’s attention. 

Having links to a business' social media accounts allows customers to learn more about the business.  I post on my business Facebook and Instagram sites, but realize the necessity of adding links on my website.  By doing so, it could increase the number of visitors/likes on both social media accounts.  With this business being very "word of mouth," it's important to have a platform for people to share their great experiences with The Margarita Man!

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