Lesson #11 - Grow Your World

The International Spa Association recently held their annual conference and expo at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. According to their website,

“The annual event provides an opportunity to network with spa industry professionals, 30+ educational speakers covering a variety of business-related topics, the latest trends in spa products and much more! In addition, the ISPA Expo brings together the leading product suppliers in the industry for one-on-one time with spa decision-makers.”

While the expo only ran October 21^st through October 23^rd, the ISPA began utilizing their social and internet platforms to spread the word and create excitement among attendees weeks before the conference kick-off.

Prior to the beginning of the expo, ISPA shared ideas on what to pack for your trip to Las Vegas on their blog and uploaded a PDF conference and expo guide to their website with information on sponsors and events. They even shared photos on Instagram of their supply truck, the expo set-up process and goodie bags the thousands of attendees would be receiving. All of their pre-event social activity was meant to help their attendees prepare for the event, as well as create excitement for the event among staff and attendees alike.

Pre-Event, Event and Post-Event Social Activity

Their pre-event promotion mainly focused on utilizing their Twitter and Facebook accounts to keep their followers updated on the event progress. They would tweet and post essentially the same things on both platforms, generally posting quick blurbs about where the staff was and what they were doing. Occasionally, they would encourage viewers to click on the link to their event specific website for more in depth information.

During the actual event, ISPA focused on using a combination of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to engage with their attendees. They encouraged attendees to utilize the ISPA2013 and GrowYourWorld hashtags on all social platforms pre-, during and post-event as well. They posted real-time event updates to their Twitter account and would often retweet follower’s posts about a specific speaker or experience they had during the event. They also used Facebook to communicate event updates and highlights in essentially the same format as Twitter, just not as frequently or in as great volume.

While their business Instagram did not see that much action during the event, they did encourage attendees to utilize #ISPA2013 and #GrowYourWorld for a chance to be uploaded onto the event website. There is a specific section titled #ISPA2013 that housed several of the Instagram photos that used the event hashtag. Looking at the section now, it clearly did not archive all of the photos that were posted with that hashtag. It seems to serve the purpose of encouraging attendees to use the Instagram platform and search the hashtag themselves.

Post-event activity has not been very exciting to be quite honest with you. While they posted a few farewell tweets to Twitter and posts to Facebook, there has not been much buzz surrounding event post happening. ISPA did try to keep the buzz going by posting this to both their Twitter and Facebook accounts:

It doesn’t seem to have worked very well though – only gaining 5 likes on Facebook!

Key Social Platforms Utilized

While we have already discussed most of the social media platforms ISPA utilized for their expo promotion, let’s revisit a few and discover some new ones!

Facebook: ISPA utilized their company Facebook page to post updates via text and photos prior to the event and during the actual event. The Facebook page kept attendees engaged by using consistent hashtags in #ISPA2013 and #GrowYourWorld and providing links to speaker bios and website information when necessary. The Facebook page utilized for this event was the company’s main fan page, so it’s hard to tell how much of the follower interaction was directly connected to the event attendees.

Twitter: ISPA utilized two different Twitter accounts to promote this event pre-, during and post-event dates. I actually didn’t realize there were two accounts until I clicked on one of the items retweeted and it took me to a completely different ISPA Twitter account. It looks like they had a pre-established company Twitter account and an event specific Twitter account. While the majority of the posts are the same, the user interaction differs between accounts clearly showing that not all followers are followers of both accounts. Even though there are apparently two separate accounts doing much of the same work, Twitter still seemed to be the easiest and most effective way for ISPA to communicate with their attendees. With quick, short bursts of information and a link you can click to gather more information, it makes sense that on-the-move event goers would gravitate towards Twitter more than any other platform.

YouTube: While there was nothing posted on their YouTube page that directly correlated with their annual expo, it’s worthy to note that they do have an account. The account seems to only be updated when an executive member has some type of quarterly update or a new study has been completed. In fact, the 2013 study was referenced in one of their pre-event posts on Facebook and Twitter.

Instagram: This platform was utilized mainly during the event and was predominately attendee driven. As I noted before, ISPA uploaded a few pre-event and live event photos but the majority of the Instagram traffic came from attendees posting their own photos and including the consistent hashtags #ISPA2013 or #GrowYourWorld. This platform, along with Twitter, are the easiest to use on-the-go and from a mobile device making them the perfect duo for event communication and engagement.

Pinterest: Oddly enough, ISPA also has a Pinterest account. They posted a few things pre-event, showcasing their award recipients, their chairman’s update video and a link back to their blog for tips on preparing for the ISPA 2013 Expo. It’s a very strange use of Pinterest given ISPA’s industry and the plethora of ideas and products they could be posting to Pinterest boards that are directly related to their profession.

Website: The event specific website was really just a place for attendees to go to gain general information on specific events, exhibits and sponsors leading up to, during and after the event. Nothing too exciting to talk about with this platform as it is a necessary tool with every large corporate event.

Mobile Application: ISPA did encourage their attendees to download and use their event specific mobile app on their smart phone devices. They posted on both Facebook and Twitter the link to download the app prior to arriving at the event which allowed attendees to gain up to the minute information, access to accurate event schedules and instant alerts sent directly to their phones.

Types of Content Shared

The majority of content shared by ISPA before, during and after the event included photos about the event or attendees enjoying event experiences, reminders on what specific events were coming up and links back to the event specific website. The same or similar content was shared on all of their social platforms (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) and tended to be more informational than truly engaging. Little was mentioned about specific vendors and/or sponsors; however, there is a tab dedicated to sponsors on the event specific website.

Hashtags, Retweets and Vendor Highlights

Consistent hashtags were used throughout each of the social outlets before, during and after the expo events, including #ISPA2013 and #GrowYourWorld. While there were no specific platforms dedicated to truly highlighting their vendors, they did occasionally retweet vendors who specifically called out one of their Twitter handles. Aside from retweeting the occasional vendor, ISPA did a decent job at retweeting attendees when they posted relevant comments or thoughts about a key-

note speaker or experience.

Sponsor Promotion

ISPA did not do a great deal of sponsor promotion on their various online and social media sites. Each of the sponsors were spelled out in the PDF event guide and the larger sponsors were showcased on the Sponsors tab of the event specific website. With such a large conference, it is difficult (if not impossible) to give face time to every single sponsor. With that being said, retweeting more of their sponsor’s posts (both large and small sponsors) would be a great way to meet in the middle next year!

Additional IMC Examples

While the event was promoted via their company website and their various social media outlets, there seemed to be a disctint lack of promotion elsewhere. This could be because I am not “plugged-in” to the spa culture, but other than self-promotion in the spa industry’s magazine, Pulse, I could not find any other attempts at marketing this event. Granted that could be because this event is truly for industry professionals; if that’s the case, they probably all know about the event already and are anticipating registering so there may not be a large need for multichannel promotion.

Consistent Branding and Theming

Overall, branding and theming was relatively consistent throughout the entire event and on all social and online outlets. The same logo and colors were used on their event specific website, PDF event guide and Twitter background. The same company logo was consistently used at the profile photo for their various social media outlets as well, making it easy to find the correct profile to explore. Like I mentioned earlier, they consistently used the same hashtags on all available outlets with #ISPA2013 and #GrowYourWorld.

This Stood Out to Me

The Relaxation Area really stood out as unique to me. While this wasn’t promoted a lot on their social media sites (one or two references at the most), this was probably one of the most frequented areas of the entire expo. The Relaxation Area allowed attendees to experience complimentary spa treatments from industry professionals and various sponsors. This was a chance for attendees to not only experience great service, but to get a first-hand look at specific products that they could potentially utilize in their own practice. Obviously, this is something that you are probably only going to find a spa expo and I wish it would have been showcased more!

Room to Improve

Overall, I think ISPA did a great job at utilizing various methods of the internet and social media to promote their event at different stages along the way. However, I wish there would have been more pre-event activity to help create more buzz and excitement among attendees. I imagine that the industry professionals attending this expo get extremely excited about the event and it would have been nice to see ISPA encourage more engagement among attendees and staff members. By actively posting articles on the ISPA blog or updating an event specific Facebook page, they could easily prompt social engagement from readers and followers. Retweeting and sharing user’s posts would be a simple and quick way to encourage and maintain engagement and conversation as well.

This week’s focus really got me thinking about how exciting and entertaining it must be to run the social media aspect of a large event. Having worked in event planning for the past three years and being a part of some very large conventions from an operations standpoint, I know how busy those staff member and meeting planners really are. I think it would be beneficial for any large event to have dedicated staff members whose sole purposes are to update and maintain the event specific social media. I mean, let’s be honest, that would be the BEST job ever!

{Let's Make A Connection}

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Lesson #9 - Wired Up With WeddingWire

WeddingWire first began back in 2007 as a way for the wedding industry to efficiently connect consumers with merchants in an online platform. Timothy Chi, WeddingWire CEO, helped launch the company from his living room and has continued to expand their inventory, both with staff and member numbers, ever since. Today, WeddingWire is one of the largest wedding sites in the world and their technology helps to power other leading wedding industry sites like Martha Stewart Weddings. In fact, their platform now powers over 14,000 small businesses across the globe. However, at its core, WeddingWire is still doing exactly what Chi set out to accomplish; connecting customers with vendors efficiently and effectively.

So what can WeddingWire do for you? It would probably be easier to tell you what WeddingWire cannot do for you, but here are some of the highlights of their interactive and informative website:

• Local Vendor Search
• From venues to photographers and florist to catering teams, the WeddingWire website has over 200,000 vendors in their database
• Each vendor has their own page on the WeddingWire website with photos, deals, FAQs, and customer reviews
• This page also contains a link to the vendors actual website (if applicable) and buttons to find the vendor on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest
• Wedding Forums
• This is a place for customers and companies to interact via discussion boards based on a wide variety of topics
• Don’t see the topic you wish to discuss? You can create your own discussion board forum at the click of a button
• Find Your Dress
• Allows visitors to sort through bridal gowns, bridesmaid’s dresses, flower girl dresses and more by brand, neckline, silhouette, price, etc.
• You can also search through photos of invitations, favors, jewelry and much more
• If you find a dress you love you can click the “save” button located at the bottom of every photo and it will be stored on your “inspiration board”

There are several other tools on the WeddingWire website such as gift registry assistance, travel recommendations, and search tools to find truck shows and bridal events in your area.

Most of the tools listed above are available to anyone that comes across the WeddingWire website. However, once you are a registered member, even more tools become available to you! After we got engaged, I began using one of WeddingWire’s competitors, TheKnot. However, their personalized website service does not even come close to comparing to the options that WeddingWire gives you. That was enough for me to make the switch!

Their website options are not the only aspect of WeddingWire’s planning tools. In fact, let’s take a closer look at how WeddingWire can help you plan your big day.

• Your  Profile
• Much like a Facebook profile, this is a snapshot of who you are and what you are interested in talking about with other couples
• Allows you to add photos, videos, vendors, and inspiration boards to better connect with other users
• Fun fact: this has a cute little wedding day countdown on the side too!
• Wedding Checklist
• After you create your profile, and plug in your wedding date, a personalized checklist is
  created for you
• This serves as an excellent guideline as to when you should begin thinking about certain aspects of your wedding and when you should actually be locking those details in place
• Once you have completed a task, just click the box and away it goes!

• Inspiration Boards
• Essentially, this is the exact same concept as Pinterest boards; allowing you to add items to your inspiration boards that you find while browsing the WeddingWire site
• Unique to this option though is the ability to customize where your photos are displayed – in the end, your board can literally look like you created a bulletin board
• Wedding Website
• This is the main reason why I joined WeddingWire! It’s easy to use and has hundreds of background/template options
• You can customize the areas of your site (i.e. Wedding Party, Venue Locations, etc.)
• Allows you to create a unique URL with you own wedding name
• Fun fact: our wedding website is still under construction, but feel free to take a look
• www.weddingwire.com/laceeandsteven
• Interactive Room Diagram
• This is also one of the best features of the WeddingWire website and one that many other wedding website services do not offer
• Type in the dimensions of your reception venue and begin creating your customized room layout
• Options to add various types of tables and bars to the diagram to see just how many people will fit your space
• After you have input your guest list, the seating chart gives you the opportunity to individually place each guest in a chair on your diagram

• Budget Calculator
• Lists all of the individual costs that you might come across while planning and executing your wedding
• Columns for the estimated cost, the actual cost, the amount paid, and the amount due
•  Also gives you the option to add in your own costs, if they are not already listed

WeddingWire’s planning resources are incredible and I login to their website at least once a week. However, their most helpful tool happens to be their mobile application. All of their planning resources are accessible on their mobile app, as well as various photos, discussion forums, and inspiration boards. You can literally plan your wedding at any point in time at virtually any place you happen to be. WeddingWire is not only mobile friendly, but is “other network” friendly as well. Social share buttons (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+) are included at the bottom of every photo on the WeddingWire website and you can even download their Facebook app to share your wedding story with even more couples and wedding lovers.

While WeddingWire does a great job of working alongside other social media networks, they could use some work in the proximity marketing department. Some things they could consider would be offering deals or coupons to customers that check-in at their “WeddingWire Rated” locations or claiming venues or vendor locations as WeddingWire approved on services like Yelp and FourSquare. WeddingWire Rated vendors have had a certain amount of positive reviews in areas like quality of service, professionalism, and value. Allowing their positively rated venues and vendors to use the WeddingWire name for these purposes would help the venue and vendor’s credibility at the same time the WeddingWire name is being spread to more and more potential customers.

All in all, WeddingWire offers a unique and pleasant dreaming and planning experience for brides, potential brides, and wedding lovers alike. With easy sharing options and on-the-go tools, WeddingWire has taken its target audience of small business owners and eager brides and turned themselves into a wedding industry staple. 

{Let's Make A Connection}

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Lesson #7 - Serious Social Savviness

Welcome back! We’ve been talking a lot about the different social media platforms that exist and how important it is for companies to incorporate those outlets into their integrated marketing campaigns. But, it’s not just about incorporating every social outlet available; it’s about incorporating the RIGHT platforms for your brand and including a consistent look and message on each of those platforms. Let’s take a look at three brands that are doing an outstanding job of incorporating consistent branding and messaging on their social platforms.

First up is Target. Target can be found on all the major social platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and even LinkedIn. Target does a great job at incorporating a consistent look on each of their pages; most notably, the profile thumbnail photo on each platform is the same. Target’s red target logo is easily identifiable and respected, by using this as their profile photo alone drives traffic to their sites. Their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages are all similar in the items they are promoting at the tops of the pages. Currently, Halloween costumes, décor, and other offerings are being highlighted in these areas. The Target Google+ page is a little different in that only a recent article with the Halloween hashtag is promoting the holiday, rather than their cover photo or background photo. In a similar fashion, Target’s LinkedIn page is very professional and clearly a business space. There are no advertisements or product pushing here. Instead, there are articles about resume writing, charity work, and flu shots. Clearly focusing more on Target’s business side rather than their in-store marketing side.

The content on Target’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages is updated every day at the least, but usually multiple times a day. Their LinkedIn profile usually has one post every day or every other day. Target’s Google+ page, on the other hand, only has four posts total beginning on September 30^th. I’m not sure if this is just a glitch on my computer or maybe Target is just new to the Google+ world. If that’s the case, hopefully they will begin to use this platform more frequently and effectively.

Target does a great job of using various hashtags on all of their sites (with the exception of LinkedIn) to help users search through content and to join in conversations. Also, each platforms clearly lists the Target website in the “About  Me” section and generally includes the website link in each posts. They do not, however, do a very good job of promoting their other social outlets. You cannot find a link to their Facebook on their Twitter page or their Instgram handle on their Facebook page. They do, however, tend to post the same images/stories on each of their social outlets.

Next up we have T.J.Maxx. Much like Target, T.J.Maxx is present on all of the major social media outlets including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and Pinterest. Also, similar to Target, their profile photo is the same on each and every social outlet; creating a consistent and familiar place for fans and followers to connect and explore. Each of their pages have a similar look and feel (even the photos to the right are hard to tell apart), showcasing the latest fashion trends, current product offerings, and style tips and tricks.

Their content is updated extremely frequently, unlike Target who has a few platforms that are lacking in the department. T.J.Maxx generally posts multiple times a day on each of their social media outlets; their Google+ page tends to only be updated once a day or several times every other day, but still keeps content fresh and current. Also, each of their social media outlets lists their website at the top of each page, but only occasionally includes the URL in their actual posts.

T.J.Maxx uses hashtags incredibly well, especially when promoting their Maxxinista campaign. All of their social outlets encourage fans to share a photo of themselves in their latest T.J.Maxx finds and post it on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram with the #Maxxinista for a chance to win a $1000 gift card. The one downside of their social media outlets is that they do not do a very good job of promoting each other; there are no “find us on Facebook” links on their Twitter page or a “follow us on Instagram” on their Facebook page.

Last but not least, we have Ebay, the king of online auctions! Ebay can also be found on all of the major social media outlets including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and YouTube. Also, just like Target and T.J.Maxx, Ebay uses the exact same logo as their profile photos on every social media platform, allowing fans and followers to quickly find their pages when searching. Unlike the other two brands I’ve mentioned, Ebay does an incredible job of including their various social media accounts on each of their pages. You can find Ebay’s Facebook and YouTube handles on the background of their Twitter page, there are buttons at the top of their Facebook pages that link you to their Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and YouTube pages, and they have included the same buttons on their YouTube page. The exception to this would be their Instagram and Google+ page, neither one of these outlets includes anything but the Ebay URL (which the other three platforms include as well).

For the most part, each of other social media platforms showcases the incredible items that you can find on their website. The use of hashtags is not as prominent on the Ebay pages as the other two brands we’ve talked about; they usually keep it to a general #ebay that is used predominately on their Instagram page and nowhere else. As mentioned before, their website URL is listed at the top of each of their pages, but Ebay also does a great job of including a specific link on each of their posts. For example, if the post is a photo of a Halloween costume, the link attached will take you directly to the page where you can purchase said costume. Ebay’s YouTube channel is unique in that it showcases not just their products, but ways to use and get creative with their products. This helps to create a sense of industry knowledge with their fans and followers, furthering their followers trust and loyalty with the brand. In addition, their social platforms are updated on an extremely frequent basis, generally posting multiple pieces of content each day.

Overall, each of these three brands does a great job at balancing the use of multiple social media platforms. While there are a few things that could be improved with each of these brands, they have an incredible foundation created and the sky is really the limit. These are all great examples of brands embracing social into their integrated marketing campaigns and not being afraid to set the bar extremely high for their competitors. 

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Lesson #6 - A Fairy Tale Email

Greetings!

I’m so glad you took a little leap and opened my email! Allow me to introduce myself – my name is Lacee Utt and I’m a passionate wedding event lover and an avid social media enthusiast. Now, I’m sure you hear that more often than you would like, so let me explain what I mean by that statement…

Much like most young girls, I grew up playing in princess dresses and hosting pretend (albeit quite real to me) tea parties for my dolls and stuffed animals. However, I quickly realized that my fascination with all thinsgs glittery and magical ran much deeper than a simple girlhood dream. I’ve always had a “pixie dust” approach to life, but when I joined the Walt Disney Company my senior year of college, I’m pretty sure that pixie dust quadrupled! It was a range of emotions that can pretty much be summed up like this…

I haven’t had the most typical professional career journey to say the least. From operating theme park attractions to solving guest situations while wearing a plaid wool vest in 90 degree Florida sun, nothing has ever been off limits. It’s been through these “interesting” positions that I have found the core skills and values that make up my professional self. Impeccable guest (customer) service, exceeding guest expectations, anticipating guests needs and desires before they are ever mentioned, and remaining calm, kind, and understanding in high stress and demanding situations. All of those experiences, coupled with incredible skills that I learned along the way, eventually led me to the mecca of all things pixie dust filled: Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings!

My time with the Disney Weddings team has lead me to my true passion; creating and executing fairy tales for any person brave enough to dream of their very own happily ever after! With this passion and my growing knowledge of social media and marketing, I would make an incredible candidate for your Social Media Manager position. While David’s Bridal already has a strong social presence, I would love to further and deepen that presence by creating lasting and real relationships with fans, followers, and customers alike. By taking your existing social media outlets and adding in even more personal touches, together we could take David’s Bridal to places never thought possible. Adding in places for tips and tricks from wedding professionals, places for Brides and Grooms to dream and create their perfect day (take a look at my Pinterest board for an example), and places to showcase real life fairy tales come true are all ideas that I would bring to this position. I hope to strengthen the idea already brought forth in your television commercials…You’ll love David’s Bridal.

I love David’s Bridal and I hope that you will love me too!

In Love and Laughter,
Lacee Utt

{Let's Make A Connection}

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Lesson #5 - Blogging Right Along

Blogs are something that has remained quite mysterious to me over the years. I have attempted to dabble in the art of blog writing a few times throughout college and beyond, but each time I would get bored with it, run out of topics to discuss, or simply get caught up in life and forget about writing. After reading an article post on Copy Blogger’s website, I understand now that the one of the biggest reasons I was an unsuccessful blogger was because I was focusing on me! This quote petty much sums it up, “There’s nothing wrong with a healthy ego, but your blog really isn’t about you. It’s about your readers.”

So this week, I will be taking a looking at several blogs that got the memo and are not simply writing about themselves (or not). I will examine what type of blog it is (news, professional, semi-professional, recreational, link sharing, or group), what its purpose is, what makes it unique and how it reflects its brand. I will also look at what drives traffic to the blog, if it’s a “successful” blog, if there are advertisers potential for advertisers, and what I think is missing from the blog.

J. Crew Blog

• This would be considered a semi-professional blog as they post generally just once a day or once every other day. It’s hard to tell how many contributors there are on this blog as no blog is “penned” by a certain person.
• The purpose of this blog is to showcase the latest offerings from the J. Crew brand and this is primarily done through photo sharing and very limited text. The text that does appear is generally quotes from the featured designer and/or a brief question and answer session with the designer.
• The most unique part of this blog is the fact that it’s primarily a photo blog; it’s even powered by Tumblr, which is known for their photo blogs. The blog does an incredible job at showcasing their designers and giving the consumer “sneak peaks” or “backstage looks” at how some of their favorite pieces of clothing come to life.
• This blog reflects the J. Crew brand accurately and effectively. Starting with the easy to follow and eye catching layout, the blog embodies J. Crew’s easy going and polished relaxed feel of their brand and stores. By featuring designers and new pieces of clothing, it allows their followers to build a better relationship with the brand as a whole, as well as very specific aspects of the brand (i.e. shoes, accessories, sweaters, etc.).
• The best way to find the J. Crew blog is through their website. There is a link to the blog at the very top of the site; right next to their various departs (men, women, girls, boys, etc.). When J. Crew is typed into Google, the blog is not one of the first links to populate; in fact, it’s nearly at the bottom of the search results.
• By most accounts, I would say this is a relatively successful blog. I think that it’s geared toward a very specific, fashion focused reader and therefore may be missing out on potential followers. For the casual shopper or J. Crew browser, the blog might be a little too intimidating as it focuses on the details of fashion creation. However, for those that love the industry or have a passion for fashion, it’s a great place to look around and learn from professionals. Also, the blog allows its readers to follow the brand on their various social media platforms through widgets and social sharing buttons as well as making the blog itself easy to follow (i.e. “Follow Me” button in the bottom right corner of the page, even as you scroll).
• The one piece missing from this blog is the ability to find it! Even though it’s a very specific audience they seem to be playing to, pushing their blog content more could be a way to expand their audience and gain new followers (and eventually customers).
• There are no advertisements on this blog and there really doesn’t need to be, in my opinion. It’s a blog for a specific brand and advertising another brand might confuse the follower. The only way to advertise on a blog like this would be to showcase brands that are not in direct competition with J. Crew (maybe a make-up line or hair products).

Starbucks Blog

• Even though this is a HUGE brand, I would have to say that their blog type is actually rather recreational. Their content is produced very sporadically and really isn’t characterized into one specific cause or purpose.
• It seems that the random posting on the Starbucks blog is centered on their philanthropic efforts and their community involvement.
• The most unique part of this blog would be the style of their blog posts. Each post (albeit small in quantity) generally tackles a social issue of some sort and incorporates photos, links, or videos to drive the message home. The latest post is actually an open letter to customers from the CEO talking about certain customer policies and what the “vision” of Starbucks really is.
• The blog is the same layout of their actual website, so it’s easy to navigate and consistent with their overall branding scheme. We all know Starbucks to be a very community centered and environmentally involved company and their blog is an extension of these values.
• To be completely honest, I have no idea how this blog attracts readers (or if it really even does at all). The blog does not appear anywhere on their website or social media outlets and it is not one of the options when Starbucks is searched on Google. The only way to find the blog is to either type “blog” into the search engine on the Starbucks site or to type “Starbucks blog” into a global search engine (i.e. Google).
• By all accounts, I would consider this an unsuccessful blog. It is virtually impossible to even find the blog and once you are there, the quantity of posts is quite disappointing. While there are options to socially share the content on the blog, quite frankly, it’s not really worth sharing.
• There are no advertisers on this blog and the only real potential would, again, be brands that are not directly competing with the Starbucks brand. Possibly the artists that Starbucks showcases could buy a bit of promotional ad space or even earth-friendly merchandise brands would fit nicely. However, without better marketing of the actual blog, no advertiser should spend their precious budget on a blog that posts maybe once a month.

Perez Hilton 

• This would be considered a news blog as it reports the latest and greatest in celebrity and pop culture information. It is maintained by a team of writers even though Perez Hilton himself is the main face of the blog and the person followers connect with.
• The purpose of this blog is to provide the most up to date and exclusive celebrity news to their followers, all done with a snarky and humorous tone.
• Perez Hilton himself is what really makes this blog unique. He is a hilarious, crude, and smart-mouthed person and his blog is nothing short of the exact same thing. Each post generally contains a photo that his team has drawn terribly inappropriate or absolutely hilarious remarks/art work on that further increases the hilarity of the post.
• As previously stated, Perez Hilton himself is a terribly inappropriate and crude man, and his blog site is a true and honest reflection of himself.
• Just by typing in “celebrity gossip” into Google, Perez Hilton is the first link that appears. His take on pop culture and the “paparazzi” lifestyle is extremely well known and quite trusted (as crazy as it may seem).
• This is a very successful blog, all across the boards. While there is no way to “measure” the amount of followers on this blog, Perez Hilton does have more than six million followers on Twitter! His blog allows for easy social sharing with buttons on the bottom of every single post and he utilizes his Twitter account to drive traffic back to his website by posting teasers coupled with links to his site. There are multiple stories posted daily (even hourly) on his blog, so there is never a shortage of fresh and “hot” topics.
• Perez Hilton does a great job of utilizing advertisements on his page. Occasionally, the entire background will be promoting a brand, movie, or event. Currently, the entire top banner of the page is promoting the Emmy awards. Also, towards the bottom of the site, you can find various clothing, shoe, and accessory brand advertisements.

Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings – Ever After Blog

• This would be considered a semi-professional blog simply because there are not multiple posts per day. However, there is at least one post every day or every other day. There is also only “one” contributor to the blog, Korri.
• The purpose of this blog is to showcase real life weddings at the Walt Disney World Resort, as well as share unique stories, adorable photos, new and fresh ideas, and of course, yummy Wedding Cake Wednesdays!
• What makes this blog unique is their ability to weave incredible storytelling together with beautiful photos and real life stories. Disney is known for impeccable storytelling, and this blog is absolutely no exception. I would be lying if I said I didn’t cry nearly every time I read a new “Real Wedding Spotlight” post.
• The Ever After Blog reflects the Disney brand by being true to the art of storytelling, like I mentioned above. It also continues the rich “personal” tradition of the company by showcasing real life events and including real names. Disney is a “first name company” and theses blog posts include that same principle, allowing readers to follow along and truly feel like a part of the couple’s journey.
• This is absolutely a successful blog. It can easily be found on the Disney Weddings website as well as when searching Disney Weddings on Google.  There is a social media widget on the blog so you can easily connect with other Disney Wedding social platforms, as well as social sharing buttons at the bottom of every post. Another unique piece of “sharing” is the “Love It” option attached to every photo posted on the blog (and website). This feature allows the reader to essentially “pin” a photo to the Disney Weddings version of a Pinterest board, called a Dream Board.
• Of course I’m pretty biased toward s this particular blog and I really don’t see anything missing! If I could, I would allow the photos to be “pinned” to a Pinterest board and not just the person’s Dream Board. I see what we are trying to do in this case, keep the traffic on our specific site, but it could be a way of spreading our brand to followers that might not visit the Disney Weddings website.
• There are no advertisers on this blog and there really isn’t a place for them here. This is intended to be a clean and worry free space for followers to dream, create, and get inspired. Plus, when planning a Disney wedding, all of the details are taken care of for you. So, having catering companies, floral designers, or DJs advertising on this blog would not make any sense.

Caleb’s Heart

• This is a recreational blog written by a family friend from home. The posts are not always posted on a consistent basis but they are all generally centered on one topic, Caleb.
• The purpose of this blog is to communicate to family, friends, and followers the daily/weekly progress of Caleb. Caleb was born with a congenital heart defect and was placed in the hospital on a heart transplant list nearly a year ago. Caleb’s mom, Katie, maintains the blog and keeps everyone updated on the latest visits from doctors, the newest information regarding Caleb’s overall health, prayer requests and needs, and the well-being of her husband and their other son, Jonah.
• What makes this blog unique is the honesty and truth in Katie’s writing. Through the past year, we have been able to experience the highs and lows of their journey through Katie’s writing. She doesn’t sugar coat things and when she needs our prayers, she’s not afraid to ask for them. Their entire family has developed an incredibly positive outlook on their situation, and it’s refreshing to read about how great everyone is doing in the midst of pain and challenge.
• While there is no real “brand” in this case, Katie’s writing truly reflects her and her family’s outlook on life and their approach to handling tough situation. It’s a breath of fresh air reading about Caleb having a great day and it’s heart breaking to read about Jonah missing his brother’s company at home. Katie does a wonderful job of making us all feel like part of the family through her writing and allows us to personally connect with them, even when we are thousands of miles apart.
• Katie and her family and friends do a great job of posting a link to the blog each time a new story is posted. Although only 144 people actually “follow” the blog, through Facebook and Twitter sharing, countless more have the opportunity to read about and experience this family’s journey.
• For what this blog is trying to accomplish, I would consider it to be very successful. Katie posts real and honest updates on a fairly regular basis and the content is shared all over Facebook and Twitter. There are social share buttons on the bottom of each post, so it’s simple to spread the word and get more people reading.
• Since this is a relatively personal blog, I wouldn’t change anything that Katie is doing. Like I said, the blog is serving its purpose of keeping friends, family, and followers updated and in the loop. For that same reason, there are no advertisers on this site, nor does there need to be. This blog is being used simply as a common communication tool to share stories with those would like to read.

There are so many different types of blogs out there just waiting to be read, followed, and shared. I encourage you to venture out on the world wide web and find some of your favorites...maybe even get inspired to write your own! With imagination and creativity, the sky really is the limit!

{Let's Make A Connection}

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