Final Blog- Reflection

It is finally the last blog for the semester! We made it almost to the end.  This blog is all about the final reflection from this class.  

When I first signed up for this class, I didn’t know what to expect.  I love how even though this is a Merchandising class, we also got a lot of insight on the marketing and promotional skills that we can utilize in our future places of employment.  Social media is such an up and coming area within businesses today.  Companies are beginning to create job positions just for a social media person to help promote and draw positive attention to the company.  I think we have learned a lot of new ways to incorporate these great things.  For example, I have no idea what an infographic is before this class and now not only am I familiar with them, but I have also made one and know how to work well with infographics.  This creates a whole new area of advertisement and presenting facts about a product of business.  

The work that we do together in class with our groups has helped me a lot.  I think I would be confused and behind if I didn’t have my group to help with assignments and projects.  We work well together and all seem to learn in the same ways so that has been beneficial to me.  I also like how we discuss as a class and everyone is open to giving opinions and thoughts throughout the process.  I also liked how we had a class Facebook page.  I found that very beneficial.  I often read my other classmates blog posts and assignment posts from our Facebook page.  This helped me to better understand the concepts and to be able to develop my own ways of thinking about the topics.  

The design process was a good tool to develop for the final project.  I haven’t really brainstormed like that since I was in high school.  It was a refreshing way to develop ideas and come up with ways to make something better and more detailed.  The weirdest ideas are often the most successful.  

The social media campaign has been a challenge.  I do feel like this a real life situation that current employees are trying to deal with today.  Many successful businesses are i a position where they see the positive effects of social media and want to implement that within their company but they don’t know how to get started or how to make it successful.  This is where new ideas and positions have been created.  Someone is hired to create a social media name for companies all the time and we are faced with this challenge through this class.  It has been a tremendous project but I have learned a lot form it.  It takes time and effort and creative ideas to bring people in and grab their attention.  

It has been really neat to see how other businesses are incorporating the things we are learning in this class in their own social media campaigns.  It helps for us to see a more finished product or where we are headed with our projects and it becomes motivating.  

One thing I would change would be switching the projects among our groups.  I think we should have kept the same work within our one group the whole time.  I think I got a little confused going from one objective to the other but I like how we openly discussed the questions in class and how we each meet with Dr. Y to make sure we were all on the right track.  This class has been very eye opening for me and I had no idea how much of an impact social media has in the business world and what a difference it can make in positive and negative ways.  

Chapter 10 Blog

Chapter 10 Blog

It is hard to believe this is our last blog.  For chapter 10, the main ideas were centered around measuring social media outcomes.  Evaluating what works well together and what needs improvement.  The book also discussed how to calculate these measurements and outcomes.  Chapter 10 was an interesting one.  It did a good job of explaining everything to where students can easily understand.  However, the examples didn’t seem to flow as well as the text.  I felt like the examples could have been stronger but overall good.

Five new terms

• Relative Pull- A comparison of how well different creative executions generate a response.
• Viewthroughs- The number of people who are exposed and do not click through, but later visit the brand’s website.
• Activity Metrics- Measure the actions the organization takes relative to social media. 
• Reverse Tracking- Conducted after an activity or campaign has concluded.  
• Measurement Maps- Displays the types of branded messages produced and distributed and invitations for consumer engagement with the brand games, consumer-generated advertising contests, promotions, and interactive brand experiences.

  Metrics makes me think of numbers and equations.  There is always a right and logic answer when it comes to this.  It can determine outcomes and provide logic for unclear areas.  Metric is also the same all around the board, which lowers the risk for error.  

Delta Delta Delta Sorority has recently begun to utilize social media a lot more in order to bring more awareness to the USM chapter.  They have a great Instagram and Facebook page who is all operated by the same girl for each year.  A certain office position is elected each year and that Tri Delta member is in charge of the social media for the time being.  This is a great way to make sure social media is getting across efficiently, when one person is responsible for it’s success.  Their account shows recent chapter events and fundraisers that the USM Tri Delta chapter is participating in from week to week and what they are doing to better the campus and community.  The engage in activity metrics through posting about chapter activities throughout each week.  They also are apart of interaction metrics through the whole chapter changing their facebook profile pictures to represent a campaign for Homecoming or Fat Talk Free Week when the chapter promotes a positive body image.  Tri Delta also participates in return metrics through raising thousands of dollars each year for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.  

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The main ideas for chapter 8 were social commerce and e-commerce.  E-commerce is the buying and selling of products and services via the internet.  Social Commerce uses social media to enable online shoppers to interact and communicate during their shopping experience and also to assist customers during the process.  Ratings and reviews were also a major point.  A rating is more to reflect quality and satisfaction.  Ratings and reviews help people make choices about the brand they will buy or the product.  Other peoples opinions on products is something that current or new customers want to know.  

Strengths of this chapter included social proof.  Social proof made a lot of sense to me because I see how true it is among people, especially girls.  Social proof is when a style or place becomes continuing popular and people assume that makes it the right choice.  Working in a female clothing boutique, it’s funny to see when a group of friends come in to the store to shop together.  They feed off of each others style and ideas of how clothes would look cute together.  There always seems to be a “leader” of the group that the other girls follow and listen to.  I see this mostly with high school age girls but even some college girls act this way when it comes to shopping, atleast.  Conformity was also discussed in this chapter and this plays a huge role in what I was just talking about.  Conformity is changing beliefs and actions as a reaction to group pressure.  I love to people watch, it is always entertaining because the human race is so diverse.  Social proof and conformity are so common among people, even though it shouldn’t be.  One of the weaknesses that I noticed was the psychology of social shopping.  I found it a little difficult to understand that way the book explained it.  I thought it could have been written and explained a little differently.  

I have never looked through the ads on social media.  When I’m on social media, it’s to either catch up on events or people that I’ve missed out on, or it’s to post something of my own.  I don’t ever even think to look at the ads honestly.  I don’t ever find them to really be geared toward anything I’m interested in either.  A lot of them seem like they would go to a scam site if you clicked on them.  

I prefer shopping in stores more than online.  Although shopping online seems more convenient, I like to try on clothes before buying them because I am so picky about what I wear.  I also like t touch the material and feel the garment.  I also like to know if it wrinkles easily or not because I don’t like to iron.  Almost every time i have order clothes online, I end up sending it back or giving it away to one of friends because I wasn’t satisfied with it once I got it.  I also don’t like to wait a few days, I like paying for it and taking it home that same day.  

I personally like to read reviews from other customers more than from other experts.  Customers are more honest when it comes to how they liked a product.  They know hey paid their hard earned money for something that weren’t pleased with so why not help others realize that too.  I always try to write review if I am unpleased.  

I think the evaluation of alternatives is important in social shopping.  It offers price comparisons, recommendations, reviews, testimonials, popularity filters, and referrals.  This is very helpful because not every shopper has something specific in mind. 

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

This week we are talking about video games.  I don’t play any video games really, only if it’s on the Wii or something with my family.  I am choosing to interview three people on how they enjoy gaming and the time they spend doing so.  First, I am interviewing my friend on Call of Duty.  He said he enjoys playing Call of Duty because of the competitiveness.  He plays this through Xbox live and can communicate with other people who are also playing online.  He said he plays this game 2-3 hours a week.  Second, I interviewed another friend about their love for FIFA.  They also play this game online through Xbox live.  One reason he likes playing FIFA is to help him learn the rules of soccer better and because it is such a competitive game.  He plays this game about 2-3 times a month.  He plays this game more when he’s hanging out with other friends who like to play this game as well.  Third, I interviewed another friend on why they enjoy playing Madden, which is a football game.  They play this game live through Xbox and also not online, just against the xbox itself.  He spends about 2-3 a month playing this game.  This is also what I consider a “social” game because he mostly plays this game when others are sitting around hanging out.  

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The main ideas of chapter 5 are how users develop a social networking profile that shares a picture, personal and professional information and so on.  Brands have three main ways to utilize social communities.  They are social ads, interactive application and user generated contest campaigns, and and encourage people on brands. 

The strengths of this chapter was the marketing applications in the social community zone.  The book discussed paid media in social networks, earned media and brand engagement, user-generated content campaigns, and how the brand is ready for social relationships.  I thought this was a strong point because of how in-depth the book went for each of these segments.  The weaknesses were that they stuff was broken into too many pieces.  Some of it could have consolidated a little more.  

A few terms that I were not familiar with from this chapter are virtual goods.  Virtual goods are something that consumers buy in large quantities and continue to spend more of their time in an online world rather than in the physical world.  Vertical networks is a new word for me.  This is when some sites are designed around object sociality or the ability of an object to inspire social networking.  Identity portability is another word that I am not familiar with.  This is when a single profile would provide access across social networking sites with a single login and shared information.  Earned reach is gained when people share positive brand opinions using word of mouth communication.  A gallery is is when others can view and pass the content on to their respective networks. 

I don’t think that social media should own personal social data but some people don’t think twice about what they share with the world through social media.  You have to use your best judgement when it comes to sharing private information.  

I think depending on the professor, I might add them on Facebook.  I don’t see a problem with being Dr. Y’s Facebook friend but a teacher who barely knows my name or doesn’t seem to care too much, I’m not going to add on Facebook.  It’s just like anything else, it depends on the person.  

I don’t think that Facebook friends are real friends.  There’s no way to really be friends with however many people I’m “friends” with on Facebook.  You have to have a relationship to be friends, it doesn’t just happen because you think someone is nice. I do, however, think Facebook fans are real.  I follow many singing groups and celebrities and people keep up through that.  You can find out when they’ll be where and what’s going on in their world.  

I visited Nikes Facebook.  I thought that they had a great page.  I even found out about a new app that they have to help you keep track of your runs and workouts through their app.  They advertised it so well on the Facebook page that I might download it for myself.  They have 1 million users for the app which is crazy.  I do wish they showed a little more apparel or shoes that are new and maybe a little better image.  

I really liked this chapter.  I learned many new terms that I can use at a future place of employment and I love learning about social media because it is such a rising and booming industry that many adults don’t know how to incorporate into their businesses and I think our generation has a promising career in that.  

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

My social footprint in the social community, zone one, is through actively using my accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Vine, and Foursquare.  I mostly look at these websites through the app on my phone.  I rarely look at these websites on my computer, unless I’m doing homework for this class and I need to access the Facebook page.  However, I do like to see what my friends and family are doing and who’s birthday it is that day or who is traveling where.  These are all great ways to stay connected.  

In zone two, social publishing, my social footprints are in blogging, Twitter, Vine, Instagram, and YouTube.  Although I have only made one or two vines, I revine a good bit so I think that counts.  I also have never made a video on YouTube but I have watched some.  This one relies a little more on other peoples posts, not everyone who has accounts in this zone are active users, just observers.

The social entertainment or zone three is not really where I spend a lot of time.  I don’t particularly like all the games like FarmVille, Bubblewitch or which ever most people play.  I played Candycrush for about a month or two after it had been out for a while.  I can’t stare at my phone screen for long periods of time so I normally don’t play games on my phone.  I do like Spotify and Pandora though.  I like to listen to music when I get ready for the day and these are two great apps for free music.  

I love zone four but I often have hesitation.  Online shopping is an amazing gift but I often find myself sends clothes back whenever I order online.  I like to try clothes on before I buy them and some clothes look so different in person than they do online.  As a matter of fact, a lot of things look different person than the picture they show online.  For example, jewelry, shoes, purses, bedding, etc.  I would much rather pick it out in person and feel the fabric and see what the quality of the item is like before I pay for it.

If I could create my own digital brand it would be something to do with a Daisy.  My sweet little pups name is Daisy and she is the center of my world and a huge part of my life.  Also, daisys are such a beautiful flower and who doesn’t love flowers?  Daisys are the friendliest flowers, as Meg Ryan reminds us in You’ve Got Mail.    

 I do unfortunately consider myself a social media addict.  It is a habit when I’m bored to just get on my phone and go through Facebook, Instagram, email, Twitter, Pinterest, and so on.  I remember the first social media account I signed up for was Facebook in 2006 or 2007.  I was in the 8th grade and it was the “cool” thing to do then.  I have continued to create more accounts on different social media and now am an active user of many social media sites.  

My group worked with Kristee in helping her think of new ideas to better her own personal business, Dash Forward.  We discussed her target market and market size because she utilizes social media to create sales.  She incorporates Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. 

Online, Dash Forward posts pictures of what they are selling and creating and they also take and complete orders through Facebook and Instagram, as well as over the phone.  In the real world communications, Dash Forward has a permanent location where customers come to place and pick up orders.  

Dash Forward uses social media to increase their market size, bring in new customers, offer easy access to ordering, and personable and friendly service in order to increase profit and revenue.  

This chapter opened my eyes that social media isn’t just to post personal things, it can also be used for businesses, and marketing and advertising as well. 

Chapter 1

CH. 1 Blog

I consider myself a digital native for sure.  I can only remember a short time when technology wasn’t a part of my life and that was only because it wasn't’ a big part in anyones life at the time.  Even growing up, I remember my parents have some type of phone.  I also remember vividly playing games on the computer, although they were all educational unlike more today.  I feel like I have easily adapted to technology.  I think out generation has it the best though.  We grew up learning how to deal with technology.  I can remember a time when technology wasn’t around, but I learned how to use along the way.  The generation before mine has a more difficult time adjusting to technology and the younger generation doesn’t know how to live without. 

To become active in the social media world, you have to know how social media works and use it for its good.  Through my place of employment, we use many social media tools.  For example, we post outfits and jewelry to the stores Facebook and Instagram accounts.  We get hundreds of likes and numerous comments and phone calls each day from people who want to pay and have us ship them certain items.  This has taught me just how powerful social media is how much people actually do pay attention to it.  

Being a co-creator turns users into producers and consumers.  This gives them an opportunity to make something their own and add a personal touch in order to increase it’s effectiveness.  

Some of the downfalls that I have seen through social media when it comes to marketing and merchandising is follow ups.  Some places are so overloaded with requests that online orders via social media often get lost, misplaced, sent to the wrong address or wrong payment information.  Some places may even be so over whelmed  that they won’t respond back to the customer and this creates a bad name for the company and their product.  

In order for FMO to grow more, I think that they could do some things differently.  They could increase awareness through going to some of the Merchandising classes and talk to the students about what FMO does and the benefits of being apart of the organization.  FMO could influence people to join through talking about what they do or trips they have previously taken or even through handing out cookies while talking to classes about their organization.  Also, FMO could gain more commitment through a points system amount its members.  Whoever has the most attendance points from meetings at the end of the semester could get a prize, for example. 

Chapter 6

I chose to research the website for my place of employment, Material Girls.  Material Girls’ website incorporates SEO through an easy lookup.  They are the first website to pop up on Google when you type in the stores name.  Material Girls also asks if you want to join their emailing list for updates on sales, new arrivals, and other great things.  This option is the first thing to come on the screen when you go to their site.  Material Girls also utilizes SMO through linking other social media to their site.  You can look at Material Girls’ Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter page all through the links on their website.  As an employee, I know that we make a large percentage of our overall sales through Facebook and Instagram so it is important to link these pages to their website.

Some good key words to help customers find the website better would be the three cities that Material Girls is located in.  These include Hattiesburg, Oxford, and Jackson.  Also, boutique, or some brand names that we carry would help too, for example Love AO, Kendra Scott, Piko, Ronaldo, Lauren G. Adams, or Flying Monkey.  

I had to click through some on Google to find the website whenever I used just “Hattiesburg boutiques” but whenever I typed in “Kendra Sctot Hattiesburg” it came up as one of the options.  

The sponsored listing is the Kendra Scott direct website and the organic is the businesses in Hattiesburg that carry Kendra Scott’s line of jewelry.  Kendra Scott’s website is obviously more influential than the local stores because the local stores only have a select range of items that they have ordered and think will sell in their store, but Kendra’s direct website allows you to see every piece of jewelry they make and sell. 

Design Thinking Process

I thought this week was informative and eye-opening.  I honestly haven’t done a brainstorming activity since I was high school and I forgot how open minded it is and how it brings up so many endless possibilities.  I had a difficult time at first really thinking outside the box instead of what was right/wrong.  I also had a hard time really beginning this project in class  because I hadn’t spent enough time reading and going over the rubric before hand.  I feel like that was the hardest part for me to really dig in and get started on where I wanted to take my part of the project.  I feel like I have a good overall understanding of the steps and the project but I just need to go over it a few more times to get all the details together in my head.  

I think I can use this seven step process in work situations also.  If I have a large task to accomplish or need to really focus on a certain area, then I can use these steps to keep me on track and reach the goal.  The final project will be difficult but I know it will be worth it in the end.  I know that I personally will learn a lot that I can use later in the workforce.  As long as I follow the steps, work well with my group members, and take the adequate amount of time, I should complete it successfully and learn a lot, at the same time.  

Chapter 4

We can learn a lot from chapter 4; for example, online communities and how ideas travel within these communities.  Online communities stem from networks and their foundations.  These communities are also built around social objects.  For example, objects of similar interests among community members.   These communities also thrive on conversation.  We all know that communication is the most important thing in almost every situation.  These members abide by a certain standard and share beliefs and ideas with each other.  

This chapter explained online communities very well, I thought.  It gave great examples and even went into depth on opinion among leaders and how that can effect a group of people, or a community.  This chapter had only a few flaws.  I thought it could have gone a little more in to depth about certain definitions to help me better grasp the concepts.

One terms that I learned about in this chapter is social proof.  I work in retail and so this made a lot of sense to me.  Social proof works by encouraging consumers to make decisions that mimic those of the people in their social network.  People, especially in todays world, are so influenced by their friends and who they interact with.  This could be a tool that could help influence sales at my job.  Another word I didn’t know before reading this chapter is homophily.  This refers to the extent at which people are similar in terms of education, social status, and beliefs.  Also, meme a great new word to be familiar with.  It is a snippet of cultural information that spreads person to person until it eventually enters the general consciousness.  Open access sites are also something that I learned about.  These sites allow anyone to participate without registration or creating an account.  I like these type of websites more because I have so many logins that I don’t like to make additional ones.  Norms is also a new term to me, it is also known as rules that govern behavior in order to operate.  These are obviously very important in every aspect of the work place.  

I have over 2,000 friends a Facebook so obviously majority of them are weak ties.  I keep up with family and friends and people from other times in my life.  I moved around a lot growing up.  I lived in 9 different states by the time I was two years old but fortunately, we started to stay in a few places longer than others when I became school age.  I keep with people from this time in my life through Facebook too.  

The creator of Twitter was a genius when they started to associate hashtags with their social media site.  Hashtags are a quick way to see millions of posts related to the same topic.  We can find complaints, praises, pictures, general feedback, promotions and so much more by searching one hashtag.  It really is a neat option in today’s social media. 

I learned a lot from this chapter and how social communities relate to social media and merchandising.  It really is neat to see how it all connects to form one large circle.  

Until next time, 

Blake

Chapter 2

Hello everyone and thanks for reading my blog.  Just to define a few terms before we start, a marketing plan is pretty much a plan that takes into account the product, pricing, distribution, and promotional strategies that will help in the achievement of certain marketing objectives.  One reason why it is not successful to begin the trial phase without further research is because it is just a phase to test out social media, it doesn’t actually consider how effective these strategies are going to be later down the road.  This phase is meant more for learning a new way to communicate and so forth.  I think it would be beneficial to do the research and figure out what social media methods work best for the particular situation.  You need to know the targeted market and the way to approach them.  

There are three phases in the social media marketing maturity life cycle.  The first phase is the trial phase, which we just discussed above.  It consists of testing out social media platforms but not really considering how it can play a roll in the overall marketing plan.  Next, the transition phase occurs when more social media is happening but it is more s however, a more organized way of thinking starts to occur within the organization.  The third phase is the strategic phase.  At this point, a formal plan to use social media marketing strategies is put into place and it is more effective.  

Organizational structure is used in three ways to help support social media marketing.  The first way is through centralized structure.  The social media department report s to a CEO and they are responsible for all the social media activities that happen.  The problem with this is that all the social media activity may not be properly presented.  The second one is distributed structure.   All employees represent the brand and work social media into their roles.  This happens through training and used across the organization.  The down side to this is that the wrong message could be sent because any employee could respond.  The third is combination structure.  It involves both centralized  best practices and decentralized execution.  A committee or social media leaders is formed in order to make decisions on the social media position or voice.  

The seven steps to the social media strategic planning process is to conduct a situation analysis and identify key opportunities, state objectives, gather insight into and target one or more segments of social consumers, select the social media channels and vehicles, create and experience strategy, establish an activation plan using other promotional tools, and execute and measure the campaign.  

Hope this was helpful and informative.  See y’all next week

-Blake 

Introduction

My name is Blake Castle and I am a fourth year student at Southern Miss.  I am majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies with concentrations in Merchandising and Tourism.    I love my degree because it’s almost like having the best of both worlds.  I get to study both fashion and tourism even though I still have no idea what career I want to have after graduation.  I feel like this degree plan gives me wiggle room incase I don’t like one area, I’ll always have a backup.  I have never made a blog before so I’ll try my best at this.  I am creating this account for my Merchandising 478 class.  I plan to learn what I can about marketing through social media and actually get the see it play out in the real world.  Working at Material Girls, a women’s clothing boutique, I get to see how our four stores use social media in order to make sales and boost the companies growth.  I hope that I can take away some things from this class that could help me become a better employee. 

 I have many personal and professional goals for my life but I don’t have many details worked out yet.  I know I want to have a family one day, as well as a successful career.  I grew up in a family that always traveled and I want my children to experience that also.  Traveling is one of my favorite things to do and you learn so much about the world and the people that we share it with.  One day, I hope to own my own bar and grill and make it something so unique and special, that it’s unlike any other dining out experience.  I want to offer something to all types and ages of people but still have an overall feel.  I also love the idea of maybe owning my own clothing store, or interior decorating store also.  I know I can’t do it all but these are just some ideas that I have come up with.  My grandfather created his own pipeline company 15 years ago that my dad now owns and operates and it is continually growing and climbing it’s way to the top so I know that I want to create my own business one day too.  I think that it’s in my blood to be an entrepreneur and create my own opportunities.

Strengths and weaknesses are never fun to talk about but everyone has them.  I would have to say that my three strengths are compassion, determination, and appreciation.  I am a very compassionate person.  I always care how people are effected by situations and how they feel about things.  I always want the people I’m around to have a good time and enjoy themselves.  I’m also a determined individual because I like to get things done.  I was raised to never quit anything in the middle, you always finish strong, no matter what it is.  I am also a very appreciative person.  I think about the effort someone went through when they do something for me.  I know the value of time and effort and I appreciate it as much as I can.  My three weaknesses would be time management, communication skills, and staying focused.  I like to wait to the last minute to do things which always makes it harder on myself but I still continue to do it pretty often.  I also lack some communication skills.  I tend to have a hard time saying what I want to or getting my point across the way I intended to.  I can get pretty distracted sometimes and want to veer off track.  

One of my favorite social media tools is Pinterest.  I think Pinterest is a great way express yourself, as well as hold all your favorite things in one place.  I also like Instagram though and I think that both of these sites are great ways to market for businesses and individuals.