Week 2 Part B: Business Research

1.) Aquaphor 

2.) https://www.aquaphorus.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwguGYBhDRARIsAHgRm4_vqmHTsut2_kfMQSQ8PfbXLVzm-lR8H9GN13-Xe3Yq4ZdLjzMh-KwaAg0yEALw_wcB

3.) Aquaphor is a body care product line that is available internationally. They have multiple language accessibility options at the top of their page so that anyone can shop for their products. Aquaphor is a very well known brand that has a range of body care products. 

4.) There are links at the bottom of their main website to an Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube channel. 

•   Instagram: 38.8k followers, last post: 12 hours ago...they post 3-4 times a week 
•   Twitter: 16.4k followers, last post: 4 hours ago.... post 3 times a week 
•   Facebook: 143.1k followers, last post: 12 hours ago....post 2-3 times a week 
•   YouTube: 9.21k subscribers, last post: 2 months ago, post monthly 

Thoughts: 

    It was interesting to me that Aquaphor has many language options on their main website, but every single social media platform that was linked to their main cite was called AquaphorUS. They do seem to post pretty frequently on their most popular forms of social media, but do not post on their top platform. Aquaphor has the most followers on Facebook, but their posts are second to last in how frequently they use this platform. It makes sense that Aquaphor doesn't use YouTube as often as other forms of social media since they have the least amount of followers on such platform, but I believe that it would make more sense to spend time creating a heavier amount of content on Facebook. To me, it seems as if Aquaphor is attempting to follow the main social media platforms of GenZ and millennials, but most of their following comes from later millennials, generationX, and baby boomers. 

1.) Peet's Coffee 

2.) https://www.peets.com/pages/supply-chain-transparency 

3.) Peet's is a mostly local coffee brand to California that sells individual coffees and coffee grounds, though they do have some shops across the US.  Obviously, they are not as well known as Starbucks, but they are pretty well known in California. 

4.) Just as Aquaphor, Peet's has links at the bottom of their main website to Facebook, Twitter, Instragram, and YouTube, but they also have links to Tiktok and LinkedIn.

•   Instagram: 83.9k followers, last post: 13 hours ago....post 5-6 times a week 
•   Twitter: 59.3k followers, last post: 10 hours ago... post about once a day 
•   Facebook: 676.4k followers, last post: 12 hours ago...post roughly 5 times a week 
•   LinkedIn: 36.7k followers, last post: 3 weeks ago...post about twice a month 
•   TikTok: 1540 followers, last post: 1 day ago...very back and forth with the amount of posts, either post 6 times a week or once every couple of weeks 

Thoughts: 

    Honestly, Peet's does pretty well with their social media. They post the most on the social media platforms that are the most popular, and their posts are aesthetically pleasing, especially on Instragram. Their Facebook page always has a photo attached, but I do notice that the large photos take away from the information in the post. The posts on Insatgram are very similar to Facebook, but everyone knows that the photos are the stars of Instagram and not the captions, so it works out. It makes a lot of sense to me that they don't post much on LinkedIn or TikTok since those two are not their most popular platforms.  I think that Peet's does a good job of utilizing their social media to spread awareness of their brand. 

1.)  Nike

2.) https://www.nike.com/women?cp=90083564018_search_%7CNike%7CGOOGLE%7C71700000038284603%7CWOMEN_X_X_X_X-Device_X_Legacy_Core-NikeBrand_Exact%7Ce%7Cc&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=Cj0KCQjwguGYBhDRARIsAHgRm483FG6mTb-u1cPHIcWEPMesJluhnDNdNY0pKWq3QYwL53J0uIQ7kQsaAr5UEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

3.) Nike is an international company that provides, shows, clothing, and sportswear. 

4.) Nike has social media accounts such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. 

•   Twitter: 9.3 million followers, last post: September 6th...they post multiple times a day 
•   Facebook: 37.2 million followers, last post: June 1st....they post about once a year
•   YouTube: 1.7 million followers, last post: 4 days ago...they post daily 
•   Instagram: 236 million followers, last post: 15 hours ago...they post about 5 times a week 

Thoughts: 

    Nike knows that they are an extremely popular brand. Honestly, their lack of posts on the most popular platform of social media seems fitting. What I find strange is that with smaller brands such as Peet's or Aquaphor, I think that they need to post more often in order to spread awareness of their brand, but with Nike it doesn't seem necessary. Nike is so well known that they don't need to post every single day in order to spread awareness; society is already aware of their brand. the pictures and videos that they post are aesthetically pleasing, they're straight to the point, and they accentuate the company. My only critique is that they could post more on Instagram since it has the most followers, but perhaps they have the most activity and interaction on this platform. 

1.) Taco Bell 

2.) https://www.tacobell.com/

3.) Taco Bell is definitely one of my favorite fast food spots internationally, I do not care what anyone says about it. 

4.) On Taco Bell's main website there is access to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn

•   Facebook: 9.7 million followers, last post: 14 hours ago...post 2-4 times per week
•   Instagram: 1.4 million followers, last post: 15 hours ago...3-5 times per week
•   Twitter: 2 million followers, last post: 10 hours ago...post daily
•   YouTube: 124k subscribers, last post: 1 day ago...they currently post 1-5 videos per month
•   TikTok: 2.1 million followers, last post: 5 days ago...post about 3 times per week
•   LinkedIn: this one I actually couldn't go on because I don't have an account and could not read the information

Thoughts:

    It seems that Taco Bell should try to narrow their focus of where they post because they're choosing the wrong platforms. However, Twitter is limited to 140 characters; it's short, easy, and fast to read. It's like Taco Bell itself which I think is clever, but they should still post more on Facebook with their biggest following base. The TikToks aren't posted as frequently as Twitter, but the concepts of both seem to be similar in the sense that they are to the point and easygoing. Honestly it made me want to get some Taco Bell. 

1.) 55 Yard Line

2.) https://the55yardline.com/

3.) 55 Yard Line is a local bar in San Marcos, CA.  It sells alcoholic beverages along with food and a cash/card jukebox. 

4.) The website of this business only had a link to a page on SpotHopper where there are photos of food items on the menu and the gauge of the vibe in the bar i.e younger or older, dive or upscale, etc. The only other social media I could find was an Instagram, but it didn't have any posts

  Thoughts:

    Even though 55 Yard Line is a small bar, they should expand their social media platforms. If they did this, the bar could bring in a lot of business from outside of San Marcos, therefore bringing in more revenue. It's a win win in my book. I did enjoy seeing the vibe check on SpotHopper especially from being there myself, though I wouldn't say that it's as much upscale as they say it is. 

Final Thoughts

    Businesses go through stages for social media growth. Small businesses tend to have less advanced websites and social media platforms, while big companies with social media teams are able to have the best designed platforms. A place like 55 Yard line isn't going to have the same social media tendencies as Nike because they don't have a big team that brainstorms the best posts. In saying this about the quality of smaller and larger businesses, big companies do not necessarily have the best platforms. In my opinion, I liked Peet's Coffee website and platform much better than Taco Bell's. 

   

     Aesthetics are a big part of the quality of social media. Peet's website and social media utilized soothing colors and pleasing nature photos and it felt as if it established quality. The slideshows of coffee beans and forests make me want to sit out on a balcony with a beautiful view and a nice cup of coffee. It entices me to buy the product. When you go to Taco Bell's website and social media pages you see obnoxious bright colors and big pictures that take up the whole screen. I love Taco Bell, but looking at their social media and website doesn't put me in the state of mind of having a cheesy gordita crunch in my hand. 

    There really are multiple aspects to having and running a successful business cite: the colors, the proportions, the text, the designers of the website, and so on. I haven't paid much attention to the details of business websites before because I would typically know the brand beforehand and go to the website to purchase something already in mind. If I was on a new website, I would notice that the cite is pleasing or displeasing, but wouldn't realize that a picture is disproportionate to the text or the lack of social medias linked at the top or bottom of the page. I think this will make me more aware of my habits when searching through new business websites and social medias. A good business has easy access websites that have a pleasing aesthetic through their photos and a proportionate focus on the writing; something that's easy on the eyes.