This article, Grading the Cycle 19 Changes, discusses the change that the hit TV show America's Next Top model has gone through to incorporate fan feedback via social media into the judging of the competition. Top Model has opened itself up to criticism from users who are able to vote for their favorite photograph every week. Each model's social media score factors into their overall score for the week and the girl with the lowest score is voted off of the show.
I think that it's really interesting that ANTM has chosen to allow for viewers to interact with the show in such an incredibly huge and innovative way and I think that it shows that they're really trying to actively involve fans in the show. Really great job of increasing publicity and marketing the show to their online audience.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Online vs In the Flesh
I'm not entirely sure if I whether I'd have an actual store or an online store if I were to open a business. I think it'd have to depend on what I was trying to sell.
Online stores are cost efficient and easy to run if you're able set yourself up with a user-friendly and accessible website. You don't have to pay anyone to make sure the store looks presentable and keep items in stock. There's not really any clean-up or maintenance to worry about. There aren't any extra utilities to pay and you don't have to deal with douchey customers.
However, you miss out on several opportunities that you would have if you were to own an actual building with a store set up inside. Once a customer buys something from you, they have to wait for it to ship. People are impatient and might not always be willing to wait before they can have their stuff. In a store customers are able to see in person what they are about to buy. They can smell or touch or sometimes even taste what it is you're selling whereas online the only interaction they'll have with the product is what's on the page. Customers don't get to physically interact with what they're buying so you have to make sure you have the best information posted without weighing down potential customers with too much. We all know how fickle internet users are, if you don't draw them in or provide them with too much to read, you've lost them. Impulse buying happens a lot less online so that opportunity is also lost.
Overall, I think that some types of businesses might transition entirely to online sales and some may never make that jump. I can see primarily media distribution happening almost entirely online once technology develops a little further. People are already downloading books, music, movies, and games. It's just a matter of time before those retail industries shift online. However, there are also some businesses that will likely never be sold exclusively online such as bath products, which people often want to be able to smell before they buy, and food, which won't retain freshness if you have to wait for it to get to you in the mail.
Online stores are cost efficient and easy to run if you're able set yourself up with a user-friendly and accessible website. You don't have to pay anyone to make sure the store looks presentable and keep items in stock. There's not really any clean-up or maintenance to worry about. There aren't any extra utilities to pay and you don't have to deal with douchey customers.
However, you miss out on several opportunities that you would have if you were to own an actual building with a store set up inside. Once a customer buys something from you, they have to wait for it to ship. People are impatient and might not always be willing to wait before they can have their stuff. In a store customers are able to see in person what they are about to buy. They can smell or touch or sometimes even taste what it is you're selling whereas online the only interaction they'll have with the product is what's on the page. Customers don't get to physically interact with what they're buying so you have to make sure you have the best information posted without weighing down potential customers with too much. We all know how fickle internet users are, if you don't draw them in or provide them with too much to read, you've lost them. Impulse buying happens a lot less online so that opportunity is also lost.
Overall, I think that some types of businesses might transition entirely to online sales and some may never make that jump. I can see primarily media distribution happening almost entirely online once technology develops a little further. People are already downloading books, music, movies, and games. It's just a matter of time before those retail industries shift online. However, there are also some businesses that will likely never be sold exclusively online such as bath products, which people often want to be able to smell before they buy, and food, which won't retain freshness if you have to wait for it to get to you in the mail.
The Marketable Blog Makeover
I think that if I were to use my blog professionally and try to market myself through it, I'd definitely change it quite a bit. I feel that when you're trying to market yourself, it's important to be clear, concise and put your best foot forward while still retaining your personality and what makes you you.
1 First of all, I'd put a lot more of my more recent and more developed work on it and maybe take down some of the earlier things that I've done that might not be as good as some of the things I've done recently. It's important when marketing yourself to really show people what you are capable of. Along with quality, you should also demonstrate the breadth of your capabilities by showing a variety of work that expresses your versatility.
2 Secondly, I'd probably streamline it aesthetically and use a lot of clean lines so that it's very clear and relatable what I'm showing. I'd definitely tone it down and try to make it look more professional while still giving it a little bit of edginess because that's my personality. I feel that when you're trying to market yourself, it's important to be clear, concise and put your best foot forward while still retaining your personality and what makes you you.
1 First of all, I'd put a lot more of my more recent and more developed work on it and maybe take down some of the earlier things that I've done that might not be as good as some of the things I've done recently. It's important when marketing yourself to really show people what you are capable of. Along with quality, you should also demonstrate the breadth of your capabilities by showing a variety of work that expresses your versatility.
2 Secondly, I'd probably streamline it aesthetically and use a lot of clean lines so that it's very clear and relatable what I'm showing. I'd definitely tone it down and try to make it look more professional while still giving it a little bit of edginess because that's my personality. I feel that when you're trying to market yourself, it's important to be clear, concise and put your best foot forward while still retaining your personality and what makes you you.
Online Marketing and Social Media
I think that this picture demonstrates great use of Facebook as a medium for advertising within a social network. Here Rob Zombie promotes himself both as a musician as well as building publicity for his upcoming film release of his new film Lords of Salem. I think that this sort of advertising works really well on Facebook because the only people who are going to see it are people that have liked the page, therefore it only shows up for people who are already fans of Rob Zombie's work. This style of advertising isn't designed to draw in new fans, however it is a great way of advertising to preexisting fans.
A person that sees either one of these posts may be convinced to buy:
A) A ticket to see Lords of Salem when it comes out
B) A ticket to see Rob Zombie live on tour
C) CDs or MP3s in order to familiarize themselves with his music before they see him live
All in all, I think that Facebook is an excellent place for bands to advertise to their fans and I think that Rob Zombie does an excellent job with reaching out to his fans through social networking via Facebook.
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