The business I have chosen to represent for the duration of
this course will be LoBue Laser & Eye Medical Centers, Inc. In addition to being a patient of this practice, my sister has worked there for the past 5 years.
Dr. LoBue has been in the Temecula Valley for 21 years and in addition to providing your regular "E FP TOZ" eye exams (can you tell I've been through that one a couple of times?), they also provide the area's leading specialists in cataract lens implant surgery, all laser LASIK, glaucoma, dry eye, cornea/external diseases, retina and oculoplastics services.
Target Market
Some fun facts about the eyeballs in the United States:
20.6 million adults age 18 and older reported experiencing vision loss of some degree
of these 20.6 million adults, 12.4 million are women and 8.2 million are men
Because Dr. LoBue operates his practice out of the Temecula Valley area, we will consider the demographics of the that region.
The Temecula Valley region is located in the southwest portion of Riverside County and includes the following cities:
Canyon Lake
Hemet
Lake Elsinore
Menifee
Murrieta
Temecula
Wildomar
and outlying unincorporated areas.
Some other facts and figures about our neighbors to the North:
Combined population above the above listed cities/areas: 465,187
Median home price: $244,780
Median income: $55,526
mostly a commuter region, with many residents traveling to San Diego County, Camp Pendleton, and Orange County for work.
Median age = 34.4 years
Other than old age and yearly eye exams, it is hard to predict whether people are going to need the types of vision surgery or correction Dr. LoBue offers. However, using the demographic information, we can segment the potential market into 5 categories to help address the needs that may arise.
Discriminating Health Investors
They want the best, and they will pay for it. They value high quality products, advanced technology, and seek to develop trusted relationships with providers. Attracting and retaining these patients can be challenging, as they often rely on word-of-mouth recommendations. By making the visit personal and providing excellent customer service, this will work to retain these level of clients.
Skilled Shoppers
They seek to minimize what they spend, but want quality at a good deal. These customers seek out competitive pricing and may go elsewhere to find it. By providing education on frame and lenses and additional in office incentives for purchases, this may help to secure this customer base.
Effort Minimizers
The largest of the five segments, these patients are more concerned about saving time vs. saving money. These buyers make impulse, spur of the moment decisions and do not put a lot of advance thought into their vision needs. Review ways to make visits easy and provide means for external patient conveniences (ordering or scheduling online).
Constrained Budgeters
Like the Skilled Shoppers, they want access to the best care and quality, but will most likely forgo in office conveniences in favor of saving money. These patients often rely on stretching time between lens replacement cycles and comprehensive exams due to budgetary constrains. Discount programs and specials and bundling services/materials will help attract these customers on a more regular level.
Cost Minimizers
These customers are focused on one thing: price. There are no differences perceived in value other than it needed to get done. Building a high volume practice helps to offset the promotions and discount programs needed to lure in the customers in this and the Constrained Budgeter segment.
I am looking forward to applying my Marketing background to this side of social media! Let's get started!
I think Amazon is effective because of the content they
offer and free shipping features. If Amazon did not have these points going for
them, I cannot say that their website alone would bring me back. I feel like
Amazon is a guessing game and unless you know EXACTLY what you are looking for,
you stand a very good chance of weeding through a ton of stuff that isn’t IT to
find IT! For example, I was looking for a kids’ iPhone 4s case – something that
I could put my old iPhone or iPod in and let my son play with it for 10 minutes
and not worry about him destroying it (which has happened before. Thank
goodness those screen replacement kits are fairly inexpensive and I have nice
“Nick Burns, your company’s computer guy” type friends).
I had heard of something along the lines of what I was looking for; I just
didn’t know the EXACT name. So I started with kids’ iPhone 4s case. I got all
kinds of selections from One Direction to Twilight. Some Hello Kitty, which I
love me some Hello Kitty but Hello Kitty is not 18 month old throwing down the
stairs-proof. Ok…Regroup.
“kidproof iPhone 4s case” – close, but no cigar. I get the
“rugged” and “durable,” but not kid-oriented. However, I do see a Fisher-Price
one. Ok…moving closer. I checked the “recommendations.” I see stuffed monkeys
and iPad cases and nothing that I’m looking for. Moving on.
“fisher-price iPhone case” – more iPad cases [scroll scroll scroll] monkeys again
[scrolling] next page [scrolling some more] BINGO! Found it!
That is what I inherently dislike about Amazon. I understand that when you carry everything under the sun, those type of hurdles are bound to happen. Plus, if you are a goldfish like myself, you get caught up in the what's recommended and leave spending money on stuff like this. Amazon is not mad about that.
I think that is why Amazon's site is the way it is...to hook the goldfish like me. But I find myself not using Amazon to search for something, but instead going to it when I know the EXACT item I'm looking for. If there was a way to eliminate the specificity of the categories, if so desired, then that might open up some search capabilities? That part, I'm not sure of, but it's a great theory in my head. Once I'm captured, then let the goldfish tendencies take effect (why yes, Amazon! I do need a Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine...and in two days please!)
Yes, I went there. Blackboard drives me blackbatty! However, it is an effective website because it's required, under some type of contract with your educational institution and definitely better than Moodle or other platform offered.
Blackboard does offer repetition of layout and customization of design and colors for contrast. Navigation is what gets me. I wish you could mess with the settings so everything is standard throughout, but I understand that the standardization is limited to what the instructor utilizes.
Obviously, I keep coming back because I need to so I can complete my assignments. And while highly customizable aesthetically, I would like to see more functional customization.
Choose two of the following websites and identify at least three potential problems for visitors. What could be improved on this website and why? Choose two and identify what they have done right. How does design, aesthetics and branding impact your reaction to the websites?
This is a subject near and dear to my heart. I like bling. I love seeing the bedazzled, bejeweled, and be sequined (I'm not sure that's really a word, but just go with it) ladies at Bingo halls who unpack every Troll doll and rabbit's foot in existence and lay it out ever so carefully to harness the aura of win and sprinkle it like fairy dust over her carefully selected cards. They know what they've got going on. They know the message they are trying to convey. But to everyone else who enters, they are just crazy old ladies who you force yourself to pay attention to only when they are in the path of what you need.
Those are similar feelings I have regarding cluttered website. There is a time and a place for clutter - for websites, there is never a good time and never the right place. For our assignment this week, we are going to take a look at two good and two that could use some (a lot) of improvement and analyze them in the C.R.A.P.H.T.E.D context, which stands for:
C - Concept and Contrast
R - Repetition
A - Alignment
P - Proximity
H - Hierarchy
T - Typography
E - Ease of Use
D - Depth of Content
Let's get the not so good out of the way first - I like to end things on a positive note:
I'm just going to go ahead and get this out of the way. There is a TON going on!! My mind doesn't know what to do, where to read, or even what's going on. I feel like I need a time out to process......okay. Let's begin.
C - Way too much content and not enough contrast. Everything is the same size and the comments by the "actual welders" are bigger than the links to the actual products.
R - There is none. The only flow is that there is no flow.
A - If this were a car, it would have tracked right off the freeway into a ditch. Everything is in whatever place it was dropped and that's about it.
P - It looks as though some type of orientation was attempted on the sidebar. Good start, but I still have no idea how I would begin to navigate this site.
H - There was another attempt to let the user know what's new and exciting; however, it's drowning. Quickly at that.
T - I had to bust out my readers for the Company History section of the site, the print was so small. And there (again with the attempt word) is an inkling of differentiating sections.
E - Ease of use. Well, if you can't already tell my feelings, I don't know. But to be blunt, this website is not easy to use. I am not an TIG welding enthusiast or anything and I imagine if I was, the review of this site may change. But as Stacey Sanders, critical eye of the web, navigating this website might as well be my attempt at navigating the Space Shuttle.
D - This is more than just a flash in the website pan...this obliterated any interest I had and would skip over this site entirely just to avoid reading it. It makes me not want to check out any social media presence that may exist.
I am sure this company is very knowledgeable about their industry, based on this blurb from their albeit convoluted company history statement:
"The TEC design staff is headed by the most prolific TIG torch designer ever, founder and former owner of the Weldcraft® Products Company which he started in his garage. He is recognized worldwide for his innovative designs, quality construction techniques and attention to detail, and is carrying on the proud tradition of leadership in TIG welding torches.
TEC welding products are sold through welding supply distributors across the USA, Canada, Mexico, UK, Europe, Japan, Australia, and most industrial countries."
I bet the wild Bingo lady's lucky cards that even someone who was using this company based on the brand recognition or brand loyalty amassed would be turned off by this website.
A brief respite from the confusion of the previous website....please note the term brief. Once I scrolled down, I began to get flashbacks. Again, I think I need a moment.......okay.
C - There is definitely a lot of contrast. The white font on the black background does make it easy to read. But again with so much content. This would be best served broken up on different pages - not greeting you with a loud HELLO! right when you first click.
R - Repetition is better on this site. The heading with the company information is present on all pages. Some of the links ask you to make selections from a sidebar versus using the standard format, but that is navigable.
A - Alignment is structured within a layout, but the text within each text box is all over the place - especially on that first page. Never get a second chance to make a first impression!
P - Again, even with the convoluted layout, the proximity of information and photograph is manageable.
H - At first glance, I thought this was a fan site or racing site. Not until I started clicking on the sidebar links did I figure out they sold parts too. The information being presented on the homepage would be great and appropriate for that of an "About Us" or "See Our Parts In Action" type of link (see D for further explanation)
T - The type used on this site is easy to read. I didn't even have to get my readers out for this one! It remains continuous throughout the site and has a repetitive flow.
E - Once I understood that the site actually sold parts, I found the parts section easy to navigate. I believe much of the clutter could be taken away simply by using drop down menus and other links/media to highlight the racing activities.
D - Continued from H, social media would be a SPECTACULAR place to house and link this kind of information to! Have a featured fan link where fans can upload their parts in action. Hashtag famous is a real thing (just make sure your target market understands what hashtags are all about).
Now let's take a look at two sites who, for lack of a better term, got it goin' on:
For a company that posted $171 billion in revenue and $37 billion in profit in 2013, I would hope they have people who have been off the turnip truck for a while working behind the scenes on their website. And it appears they do.
So what is it about the product that makes people wait in line and drop the GDP of some third world nations on a device that they, most likely, will use to take bathroom mirror selfies and crush candy? Design. Aesthetics. Brand recognition. According to a 2013 NY Times article, Apple has surpassed Coca-Cola the most valuable brand in the world. The world.
The concept and contrast of the site is directly on point. I know where I'm going, what I want, what I now think I need and feel like I cannot exist without, and fulfills a purpose I didn't know I was lacking and in a very short amount of time. And there are features highlighted on Apple's site. You know what the new, big thing is. You can watch the keynote speech introducing the iPhone 6 and immediately share it to your Facebook page. Seamless integration - executed in reality with their products and virtually with their website.
Like Apple, Toyota is a HUGE established global leader. They can afford to have a team on the payroll to make sure they get traffic to their website and that traffic stays until it detours to the local dealership and drives off the lot in the exact car the consumer was looking for. There is a revolving hierarchy highlighting the model lineup, waiting patiently to catch the eye of an interested party. There are links to social media with the various hashtags that lure in even the coolest of parents. I know what to expect when I click on a page and don't have to waste time fumbling around. This is a clear touchdown!
So what does this mean?
It means that it pays to have your website represent your brand well, both in design and aesthetics. Well at least it does to me, the average consumer. Maybe I'm not the average consumer, but I am an average picky consumer. My feathers are ruffled if you don't have a mobile site. It takes less than two-tenths of a second for an online visitor to form a first opinion of your brand and only another 2.6 seconds for that viewer's eyes to concentrate in a way that reinforces that first impression. Don't hide behind confusing Troll dolls and bling! Make your presence known and don't lose a customer before you even had the opportunity to wow them!
Have you ever experienced difficulty communicating with a business? Would social media have made it easier to get noticed or get your problem solved? If not, have you ever had a positive experience communicating with a business through social media?
Once upon a time, in the land of Leave it to Beaver and The Brady Bunch, the majority of your personal business was done on a face to face basis (Sam the Butcher, anyone?) The next door neighbor was the paperboy, the neighbor one block over worked at the grocer, and everyone knew everyone. Fast forward to the faceless companies you deal with and the somewhat meaningless interactions, if any interaction at all. So, if (when...not trying to be 'glass is half empty' kinda gal, but I'm a realist) you have a problem, how do you go about finding the solution when you can't even find a real person to talk to?
A while back, I had a problem with a certain cell phone carrier that maybe you can guess, based on the title of this post. I joined this carrier somewhat reluctantly when the husband and I joined forces. I was a tried and true loyalist to the other big time carrier since my Nokia 5160 days.
Snake, anyone?
At first, I thought I was going to be ok. But then the smartphone revolution happened - and I jumped on that bandwagon. I watched the iPhone 3G come out, but still couldn't pull the trigger. I had retired the Nokia long ago, but made the switch to another manufacturer that rhymes with Schmotorola, thanks in part to the enticing sales pitch about how this was the BEST phone ever with no problems blah blah blah. I was sold and in an instant, my comfy, no issue with the cell phone first world existence was sent into a dysfunctional spiral. I'll save you the dramatics, the back and forth, the RUDE customer service people who told me things like I probably broke it and am trying to scam the system (this was after I received my 3rd replacement and had it for less than 24 hours), and on and on and on. This was in the time where we rode the MySpace ride until the train came to a full complete stop and Facebook wasn't the hashtagging magnate it is today. The point was I had zero recourse in the matter. My only option was to mail it in and hope for the best. Eventually, I was able to reach someone who finally let it go that the phone I kept being burned by was actually a HUGE problem and failure on both the carrier and manufacturer's part. She asked me if I wanted to go with a different Android phone or if I wanted switch to an iOS device. By this time, I bit into the Apple and had acquired my first i product. So I went with the iOS device and haven't looked back. The moral of this story is I now loathe *insert V carrier here* and anytime I have to call them, all it does is conjure up feelings about the wasted time and travel and postage and effort. Even though they are a large, faceless corporation, those big guys now have a bigger guy to contend with...social media. One post and depending on what it is and how far it travels, can cause disarray in the woven fabric of sales promotions and lackluster customer service. Social media gives a type of transparency to an organization and gives you, the customer, the power to "reach out and touch someone."
Had this problem happened today, I could write a fun song, maybe make a catchy video...there are so many options! I don't know if it would have been easier to get my problem solved, but the point is I could feel like someone cared enough to solve my problem - maybe that's only because the squeaky keyboard gets the grease?? I'd like to think it's because companies now realize the value of social media and the impact one post could have on their image.
