Product Strategy Evolution

Hello again!

In my studies, I have been developing social media branding strategies for a local business called Silver Lake Campground and Lodge. This is a great family-owned and family-run business in the scenic lakes and mountains area of Maine. There is a campground where campers can rent daily, weekly, or seasonal tent or RV sites, as well as a fully-furnished lodge where anyone can reserve an overnight stay.

Photo by Amber Kirkwood 

The biggest challenge I have run into in my product strategy development up until this point is that I do not actually have any authority to make changes to the business's internet and social media presence. I am developing a comprehensive plan for the Lodge, and I will make suggestions backed up my research, but it is impossible to evaluate how my suggestions might change internet traffic, reservations bookings, or interest in the website, because I can not log in to their social media profiles and I do not have access to their analytics.

I am learning a lot about social media strategy and the theories that support an effective internet presence. Simply having a website is not enough - I have learned a great deal about the importance of utilizing what is known as the "Social Media Trinity," blogs, microblogs, and social networks.

One thing that a business should make a point to remain consistent upon across all of their various profiles is their tagline or slogan, and their logo. Keeping these things the same across all profiles is an easy way to signal internet users that they are in the right place.

Image from http://www.silverlakecampground.com/

The logo for Silver Lake Campground and Lodge is an image that captures the hand-painted sign that is located at the physical location of the business. This helps new visitors identify the location of the Lodge, which is helpful as the entrance would be otherwise inconspicuous.

This is how my product strategy is shaping up thus far. See my previous post to discover how my personal branding strategy is evolving

     Until next time!

          Amber

Personal Branding

Hello! I am Amber, and I would like to thank you for coming to visit my little corner of the internet!

Photo by Hanny Naibaho

I have been participating in a Social Media Marketing class this semester, and it has really helped me think about my personal brand strategy and product strategies. Since the start of the class, I have been able to evolve in my analysis and implementation of brand strategies online and mold widespread marketing theories to fit the specific platforms of social media that I frequently use.

I have run into some challenges in my personal journey through social media marketing. I am mother to two young boys, and have been fortunate enough to be a stay-at-home-parent for the past 7 years, so even though I do work on a freelance basis from home, there is quite a gap in my resume. This has created a great challenge for me in building my online professional presence and personal brand, because it is particularly difficult to identify and list marketable skills and work experience for nearly a decade of spotty work history.

Still, I have learned a lot about how to effectively use social media as a tool in a marketing strategy. Utilizing social media is a great way to connect directly with consumers and find out what they are saying about one's product or service. In the personal branding sense, using Twitter and Facebook to develop a professional presence can help me be taken seriously as a professional, and help potential clients or employers find me in the future. It helps my credibility and my image to use social media as a tool.

An interesting motto that I have always felt describes me as a person is a quote I read many years ago by Desmond Tutu in November of 2004:

"Don't raise your voice, improve your argument." 

I feel this quote represents my attitude and work ethic on many different levels, both personally and professionally. I am a capable, organized, quick-learning individual, but when I fear that I do not have the answer to a problem or if I find myself in a situation that things are not going my way, my first order of business is to gather more information. We can only improve systems and become more effective and efficient if we are willing to continue learning, and not become defensive or set in our ways.

My personal brand is deeply involved with my line of work. I own my own business called Interworks Web Technologies. Through this business I work as a website content developer on a freelance basis. I am hired by local companies and organizations to help create or maintain the content and navigation on their websites. Most of my clients hear from me via word of mouth, but this Social Media course has encouraged me to branch out into more intentional marketing practices. I began with creating a simple website at Interworkswb.wordpress.com and mocking up a business card with a potential logo.

In the future, I will create social media profiles that will link directly to my website, and use the logo so my business is easily identifiable on all of these platforms.

During the rest of this course, I'll continue to work on my professional social media presence and continue to consider how these practices can benefit product strategies as well.

        Until next time! 

            Amber