Week 17: Wrapping It Up

 Wrapping It Up

This has been my second attempt at this class. Life demands got so great I didn't finish it before. In that class I used my business, Matigan Golden Retrievers, as my project. Even without finishing the class that time I took many tools with me. I had previously only used social media for personal use. I was able to grow my following on Facebook from nothing to 1.6K with limited and irregular posting. My daughter had started an Instagram account for me but I had never learned to use it and she had only put a few pictures on there. Over the last few years I forced myself to use it more because it seemed like Facebook was fading out and Instagram was taking over. Now I have 397 followers. My social media marketing with the breeding business has been successful. In fact too successful. I cannot keep up with all of the calls and messages. That was then and this is now.

This time around I had to take the marketing knowledge I had gained from the class before and chuck it out because the business I used for my previous project required completely different strategies. I haven't figured out how to effectively market a consultant for Organization Development, but it is becoming more clear. The issue that makes TPC difficult to market is that is a service. Service-oriented business have unique challenges. 

Services are intangible because you can't see, though, taste, or examine them. People have no idea if your service will work for them until after it is performed. I had that same issue in my previous career as an acupuncturist. What you need to promote your services are things that are tangible. 

People are a tangible asset. So if your customer perceives you as an expert, if you can develop trust and a relationship with them, they will be more likely to hire you. How do you build these relationships? Professional networking, making presentations, writing books and articles, and letting people get to know you through thing like social media. 

Information is an asset as well but for it to tangible it must be written. Information can be presented in depth on a website, in the form of education, proposals and guarantees. 

Customer testimonials can be tangible as well. What better way to make use of social media and websites. You can convey confidence in your service to your audience through the experience of other people. A credible recounting of the key benefits of using your service is a great marketing tool.

The class this semester added some units that I did not originally see as true social media venues. I thought it was only platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. I am so very grateful that the topics of Blogs, Newsletters, and Networking groups were introduced because those are so very helpful for a service related industry where your product is your self - your expertise, your personality, and your solutions.

For me, I wish I had been able to explore YouTube more. It is one way to showcase the person behind the service. In the fall I am taking a production class that will focus on video for business promotion. I realize that particular platform can easily take a whole class in of itself. In fact branding can be a whole class. Marketing IS a whole class, or number of classes.We were able to hit on so many aspects of social media marketing.

As of yet, TPC has not had a single customer. There have been no interactions on Facebook and Instagram. I wish I could see an impact and I have to blame my poor understanding of the niche he is in and my inability to convey how valuable his services are. I'm going to keep trying and hopefully I will hit on the thing to create a buzz and get the ball rolling. 

I am very grateful for this class, and for the understanding when some of my assignments were late. Us middle aged students have some unique challenges. I got a tremendous amount of knowledge about marketing in general as well as focused social media marketing knowledge. My lack of success is not a reflection on the content of the class, but on my inexperience reaching this kind of market segment.