Happy Ending

As we wrap up the digital marketing course we discuss here what topics we have enjoyed. I must say discovering the "why's" behind the "what's". I bet you're wondering "What does that mean?" Well it means we learned about different searches like organic searches where companies don't pay to appear at the top of a Google search. I learned about wireframes which is the skeleton outline of websites. I even created one of my own. Of course it was centered around shoes, purses, and clothes, a girls favorite!
We talked about privacy, and what information is shared with other companies when you visit their sites or make online purchases. We even discussed how does that impact different age groups. My age group as a whole has grown up with this type of technology and tracking and for better or worse has made some things more simplistic becasue of it. Take Amazon's one touch ordering for example or their ability to predict ans suggest different purchases. How awesome is that? We also explored some of the down sides of too many ads and to much capturing of our data. Downfalls like pop up ads and data overload can be quite frustrating. Companies have to find a nice balance to not annoy their customers while subtly introducing new products so they create a lifelong customer.
Exploring fortune 500 companies and evaluating if we thought they had good practices of advertising and layout of their mobile and desktop was also a fun topic for me. Brand loyalty was another fun topic for me. I wouldn't say I'm all about brands but, I do have some brand loyalty to certain purchases and will only support those brands. However, some brands I don't see the value in support regardless of affordability. I can see how a company can gain and keep a loyal customer base, based on this ideal alone. i.e. Apple.
Overall this class was enjoyable and I was able to learn a lot during the duration.

Analyzing AT&T

Today I get to talk about one of my favorite companies, AT&T. AT&T I feel is the premier provider in not only entertainment but provides an all immersive experience when you visit their website. With so many options of websites to visit, what grabs your attention, and keeps it is a forever changing challenge. Companies have to continue to tailor their websites to fit the customer unlike past times when companies would put out what they thought you should want. On your mobile device att.com has a display that automatically scrolls to their 6 top offers. The layout is consistent in each screen as well, big picture of a darker tone with a few bright pop out colors, bold lettering to quickly grab your attention, and then a orange bar with a call to action. "Learn more", which is obviously a link to get signed up for the offer.
When going to the full website the first the first thing that appears is the Mark Wahlberg commercial (haven't seen it? No worries! you have the ability to click the link and watch) that has been shown during prime viewing hours. Instead of a quick 3 screen scroll, when you page down on the full site you see the offers that come across the screen in the mobile view. It's hard to think of what I would change about the layout. If I had to say something I would say allow individual stores to tailor the website within a certain geographical location. That way people can get follow ups from their local AT&T store rather than customer care.

Come and talk to me

IAB Guidelines

I looked at several websites that I typically frequent, including Akira, Windsor, Macy's and Amazon. I did this to look for IAB guidelines and compliance. I explored these websites on my laptop and on a mobile device to test for continuity. What I found was astonishing. IAB looks for a seamless transitions across all mediums. So if you're using a mobile device of laptop your experience and operation of the website should closely resemble one another. I have found that companies these days make their websites very mobile friendly. I think this is a common theme among companies now. Even service providers such as AT&T speaks to the ability to be able to watch entertainment wherever you are. Companies that I frequent I feel have internalized this fact becasue I can easily shop on my mobile device as I can my laptop. What I have found in the past was the mobile sites were so slow and didn't offer much to do and you were almost forced to go to the full site. Fast forward to current day and Amazon for example, makes it extremely easy to order from your phone. One touch pay (paying with your fingerprint) is a lot easier than typing in a credit card number on a desktop.
I haven't found anyone using mobile rising stars however. AT&T is one of the companies I am following and they have an ad out that actually helps other business advertise more effectively and specifically to DTV customers. This is an amazing concept. WHy not take a robust company like AT&T and have them filter your advertising to their subscribers only. That gives DTV customers exclusive content, and who doesn't like being apart of an exclusive group?

Who's Watching Me?

This week we are learning more about organic searches. How do we increase viability to our log and get people to actually click on my blog for review. Keywords typically help blogs get more visibility. However, my blog isn't being reviewed by anyone at the moment. When I check my analytics I don't show any new views. Are my topics of discussion not interesting to people? I wanted my blog to be view by stay at home moms looking for additional activities while the kids are at their summer camps. However, these days most people are interested in what's going on on Love and Hip Hop and that Lebron didn't win the championship even though he's "King James".  People tend to look for drama over substance these days. I think other metrics that would we great to consider are income, and even maybe younger age groups. I think if I send a twitter tweet at 5pm on a week day I would find people who would be interested in possibly exploring my blog. Also, if I send a tweet first thing in the morning when my target after kids have been dropped of at school my target audience would have had a moment to themselves. After trying these methods I should receive more viewers.

CAN-SPAM Act

You may or may not  be familiar with the CAN-SPAM act but I for one am appreciative that it exists. Marketing companies and merchants use email marketing to solicit more customers and to allow current customers the opportunity to purchase more products. The emails I receive typically have the unsubscribe link right at the bottom of the email in fine print. However, have you ever felt that when you click on the unsubscribe it makes you answer several questions before you can in fact unsubscribe?

Why do I have to answer why I'm unsubscribing? I don't want the emails anymore (and here I thought that was implied when I clicked the link). I used to receive emails from Toys R' Us (yes, I'm the mom that signed up for one coupon and lived to regret it). Toys R' Us made me remember a log in password prior to be able to unsubscribe. That forced me to keep the subscription longer than I wanted. I definitely would eliminate the need to jump through so many hurdles to unsubscribe.

One of the companies I follow is Amazon, they are using the internet to the full advantage becasue the use techniques such as web 3.0 and other strategies to keep customers interested and engaged.

Utility Model Explored

We're studying business models in my current Marketing class and I'm looking more into the utility model. In short this model is a pay as go type feel. Some current companies who participate in this type of model are Skype and Google Voice to name a couple. When exploring if this has been a profitable business model I reviewed Skype's 2016 annual report. "We generated $85.3 billion in revenue, $52.5 billion in gross margin, and $20.2 billion in operating income this past fiscal year... revenue was $92.0 billion with $27.9 billion in operating income (Microsoft, 2016)." Based on that initial statement this model is profitable. However, when exploring further, Skype has actually seen a decrease in profits across three years. Productivity and Business Processes is actually down $489 from from 2014 $29,976. With exploring this one company we can surmise that this business model doesn't show a positive trend in all three areas consistently. 

Conversely, if Skype were to pivot to a subscription model ( a fee based model based on subscribers as opposed to pay as you go) they may be able to see more of a profit. Subscriptions would at minimum allow Skype's customers to predict the revenue of the company on a more consistent basis. With Skype I think their current business model would serve them best and will continue to see them as a relevant company.  

Creating Value Week 1

AT&T does a great job of reaching its customers on and offline. There is targeted marketing to consumers which explains the detail of what the company has to offer. With AT&T shifting to an entertainment company, they really showcase what they have to offer by using multiple platforms to grasps a customers attention. AT&T utilizes interactive and offline channels to draw customers. For example, the flagship location hosts' special events for its customers like the cast of Empire of having a Cubs player visit. AT&T also has a strong website presence, making it easy for potential customers to learn more about the advantages.