Week 17

And this semester is finally coming to an end. To be honest, I am so excited to get a little break. I definitely need it.

Over the course of the semester I have learned so many useful things. Probably the most useful thing that I learned was how to schedule Facebook posts. I never even knew that you could do that and it's so easy. Scheduling a post is very convenient, especially if you're like me and don't get around to posting until the middle of the day when the days already half gone.

Since I have prior knowledge of some social media sites, the only real difference that I have seen is more of my target market has been checking out my website. The section when we learned about Google analytics was very useful for me. I never really went in too deep to try and discover all the cool things that analytics can do but this class forced me to and I believe that now I know how to properly target certain demographics, and my business is getting more views.

The only thing that has changed about my viewpoint of social media is that social media it is even better than I realized for marketing a business. As long as you keep up with the trends and the updates that these platforms give you, your business will flourish. I can honestly say though, I still have a lot of work to do with all of the tools that are out there with social media. I think it would be very beneficial if I took another class on this, that goes even deeper in depth, especially with Google Analytics. But I think I need a little break.

I definitely do have a better understanding of how to use social media platforms for business marketing. I feel more confident marketing my business or anyone's business, ending this class and when I started this class. the one thing that I don't feel very confident about is still using Twitter. I just don't think Twitter is my thing, nor do I think it will benefit my barber shop in any way shape or form. I don't see Clipper junkies using Twitter as a form of marketing or communication.

Even though I did not come across any businesses that I will be using or that will benefit me, I did however, get inspired to start advertising my other business, Forever Daizy, more in depth. While doing research for this class I did come across businesses like Forever Daizy, and I see them marketing all over Facebook. They even make cool videos of how they make their cups and I think that's something that I should start getting into. Forever Daizy is already doing decent but if I can use all of these tools that I have learned about to really skyrocket my sales, why not? All-in-all, I only see a brighter future for either Clipper Junkies or Forever Daizy.

Thank you to all of my fellow classmates who have followed Clipper Junkies on social media, I really appreciate it. I do hope that you continue to follow us on top of coming in and giving us a try. I can honestly say you won't be disappointed. Our barber Charles, (my husband) is the best of the best. I know that completely sounds bias but I'm serious he's really good with a lot of experience and a lot of knowledge. Hope to see you guys around!

And thank you Professor! I have learned so much in this class and it has been very enjoyable. I now feel even more confident when marketing my business. 

Best Wishes,

Ashley at www.clipperjunkies.com and www.foreverdaizy.com

....(mic drop)

Week 16 Part 2

Not many people in my group completed the blog post for week 16 part 1, so I was only able to comment on the two people that did. I commented on:
Donald Burks and Katalin Solymosi.

Week 16 Part 1

Wow, what a semester this has been. It feels like it has been the longest semester thus far and I am so excited for it to be over, I need a little break. With that said, this has been a great semester. Especially in this class. I have learned quite a few things that are really help out Clipper Junkies.

So far, my favorite tools to use for marketing the shop are Facebook and Google. I will always be a huge fan of Facebook. There are just so many positive things Facebook has to offer for advertising and so many people are on Facebook. I also really like Google. Without Google people would have directions to my shop and most probably wouldn't even know it's there. And analytics are just amazing. Now I am able to really hone in on my target market. To be honest, I still do not care for twitter. I really don't see it being useful for my business. Plus, I didn't really find any tools for advertising my business. I probably wont be using Twitter at all. In fact, after this class ends I'll more than likely delete the account.

Continuing forward, I will be using Facebook (including the local groups I'm in), Instagram, Google and Yelp for the advertising of Clipper Junkies. All of these tools have already proven to do wonders for me and why wouldn't I use all tools available to me? Facebook is just all around great and running ads with them is super affordable for me. Instagram is a must. Most young people use Instagram and it's a great tool to show off my barber's work to them. Google is also  a must, that way people will always be able to find the shop's location. Running ads with them is pretty affordable also. Yelp, well although Yelp is very expensive to run ads with, Yelp is a must because lots of people use Yelp to look up locations and reviews. 

When it comes to how much time I believe should be spent on advertising through social media, I'd say as much as possible. When you own a business you want to make sure you stay relevant to everyone. Spending more time on social media for Clipper Junkies is something that I definitely need to work on. Perhaps I will be able to focus more on the shop once this semester is over.

In closing, I'm just going to share a little bit about how and when I advertise. As of now I run a Google ad Wednesday-Sunday. I don't run any ads Monday or Tuesday because 1., we're not even open those days and 2., I feel like people aren't really even thinking about haircuts on those days. Plus not advertising on those two days saves me a little bit of money. When I run my Google ads, I usually run Facebook ads also. I also plan on running some sort of special every Friday, Saturday and Sunday for new clients. Probably our $10 special. It seems to do well. I will also be dropping off printed $5 off coupons to local business. And as always, we offer our buy 3 cuts, get 1 free. So again, if any of you need an amazing barber please visit Clipper Junkies at 3772 Mission Ave #124 Suite 111 in Oceanside. You won't be disappointed. We are open Friday, Saturday & Sunday 9-6 and Monday-Thursday we take appointments starting at 7:30 pm. Hope to see you all there and thanks for a great semester.

Week 15 Part 2

After doing some research from my Facebook Analytics I have come across a few changes from November 5th to today, December 3rd. First, my total page followers has increased from 155 to 169. That's not too bad if you ask me. Second, my likes have increased from 153 to 158. I'm not sure why my like only improved by 5 but hey, I'll take it, improvement is improvement. I have also noticed that my organic post reach has mildly improved, so a big thumbs up to that. And most importantly, my demographics. I have come across that the busiest time my content is seen is Friday's between 4 pm and 5 pm, and my top age group is between the ages of 25-34.

Can I just say again how much much I LOVE FACEBOOK!!! Facebook has done wonders for my business and I am so very thankful for this free tool. Well, not always free but the majority of it is. Thank you Facebook!

Week 15 Part 1

Google Analytics, in my opinion is probably the best tool available for a business such as mine. With Google Analytics you are able to keep track and really monitor almost everything about your viewers. What time your sites be viewed, how long your sites are being viewed and are these people male or female, are just naming a few of the tools Google Analytics are providing for you.

For my barbershop, I really think demographics, interests and location play a huge part in providing me the best information to advertise my business. With demographics I can monitor gender and the ages of the people viewing my advertisements. With the interests portion I am able to view what the majority of interests people like and then use those as my keywords. And of course we have location. This definitely one of the most important tools. Am I making sure to really focus on my surrounding areas with my ads? What if my advertisement is set to reach the residents of Vista but in actuality no one in Vista is looking at them? This is why location is important. 

Week 14

In my profession, ads are so important. Being that there are many options of barbershops for people to choose from, I want mine to stand out. I want to stay relevant to the community and ads are a great way to do that. I have created many ads for the shop and below is a screen shot of some of them. 

Through trial and error you can have some great success with Facebook ads. I have tried many different kinds of ads and finally I was able to hone in on the ones that were really working.

I usually run my ads for a $10 New Clients Special. It is a great way to stay relevant and also an opportunity to recruit new clients. And as you can see from the above picture, my ads are reaching a lot of people. But more importantly, people are actually engaging with these ads.

In conclusion, I would just like to add how cheap Facebook ads are. For a new business on a budget, you can really have some success in bringing in some new business with these ads.

Week 13 Part 2

Ads on Facebook are the reason I love Facebook so much for my business. There are so many different ways you can choose to advertise your business! You can set up offers, boost single posts, set up an event, or just do an average ad for a local reach. This is what I do most often with my business. If I am running a special, I choose this method of advertising so many will know. I usually do a $5-$7 a day budget and only run the ad from Wednesday-Sunday. The reason I don't advertise on Monday or Tuesday is because people aren't thinking about needing a hair yet because the weekend just passed. I figure about Wednesday people start thinking about the weekend and start planning on Thursdays. they way I advertise seems to be working well for my shop. The last ad that I ran, it reached 3,904 viewers! That's not too bad.