CSIT 155 FA - GBurke - Week 10 Email Marketing

 Email Marketing

1. My company sends a monthly email promotion which is intended to both introduce customers to potential new products and also inform which industries may use these products. So at least 12 times a year we are either introducing something new or attempting to resurrect a new product launch.

We sell casters and wheels and I am in charge of growing our sales so everything we do to generate sales. Our customers are looking for new products to promote. Currently, our customer base is 60% distribution and 40% OEM. 

Most of the promotions of all our promotions are aimed specifically at our dealers that may be unaware of our newest products or we tend to recycle some existing products and we are trying to remind them and solicit new orders.

We try to balance the amount information we send out and with short email blasts that are attached at the bottom of our email signatures.

We are not sending out newsletters.  Personally, I receive a ton of random, unsolicited emails for business promotions and almost 95% of the time I hit the delete button. I just don't have the time or interest to read everything sent to me.

I can only think of a view such type of emails that I might open up and check out to see if there are any specials that might be interesting. I do read the emails from Omaha Steaks, and Harry & David to see if there are any food specials that may perk my interest. But both companies overwhelm you with daily emails so that can get annoying. 

2. The information that my business is trying to convey is specific and aimed at a certain target market segment. For example, we have identified the electronic rack and enclosure industry as a new growth sector. Many social networking companies are now investing in their own hardware services and we have provided casters casters for Facebook, Salesforce, and Google. So we created a mailer for these type of customers. The business machine caster listed below is an example.

I am enclosing a few other examples of some email signature promotions that we have used this year. With the Pandemic I have had to change our strategy for reaching customers. Only within the last month or so have I made any in-person sales calls. 

I sell casters and wheels which are used in an industrial applications. This is a niche market and I have found that most of my customers are interested in short, bullet point type of presentations.

Part 2.

I commented Palomar Sports, Julia's Deserts, and Jumping Jelly Bean. Some good ideas. I think the newsletter that Jumping Jelly Bean  wants to send out monthly is a great way to connect with your customers.

CSIT - 155 FA - GBurke Week 9 - Human Interest Stories - Blog, Vlogs

Blog Post 1.

 A good human interest story is an excellent way to improve your blog and compel others to read and follow you. To develop followers one needs to give them a reason to take notice. Adding a story which offers a personal touch helps you develop a theme and can have an impact on your readers. You need to draw them in and keep their attention.

There are several ways to add this type of story to your blog. First, you can recreate the heart of an event and document this to motivate your followers curiosity.  An example of this is many of todays automotive manufacturers attract customers by posting commercials of parents reflecting on their first attempt at driving then quickly fast forward as their kid is taking the car keys and leaving for the first time. This type of image is family oriented and followers are able to relate and connect through their own personal experiences. There is a sense of deja vu and anyone with a teenager can relate to that moment. Its both terrifying, rewarding, and somewhat sad that your child has moved on to the next phase of their life. But it also helps to convert customers that may be nostalgic, and that is why many companies use this type of storytelling marketing approach.

Personal interests stories should be simple yet relatable. It also helps if their authentic and entertaining. You don't want to bore your readers. 

Within my blog I would use a customers testimonial to authenticate my companies products and services. An excellent example of this just took place this week. We supply all the casters for the primary fabrication company that manufactures food equipment for all the McDonalds in the world. The main purchasing manager for this company sent a very lengthy, complimentary, email this week raving about our service, and telling our owner what a great job that I have done helping/supplying them through various projects. This was a great testimonial and was sent to my boss, the owner. Additionally, our customer has multiple locations in Asia and has recommended our company to all the various buyers for McDonalds in the Far East.  I would definitely use this type free advertising and incorporate as a an example to other prospective customers. It is authentic, interesting ( in my sector ) and tells a good story vs. just some facts that might say we have good pricing. This type of sales promotion is a good example of describing a personal experience.

I think it would be unwise to add a human interest story that may reveal too personal details, or subjects involving religion, and perhaps politics. I know there out there but I think readers are more interested in subject matter that is interesting and are entertaining.

I did some research online and many of the marketing geniuses that write blogs emphasize stories that are simple and add clarity. You want to bond with your reader. Not bore them with facts. Many of the better human interests stories strive to win the readers attention and inspire some type of action. Although, readers like drama too much of it will turn them off. Better to keep it personal and in conjunction with whatever your particular theme is.

Blog Post 2

Types of Categories:

Since we sell casters and wheels for every industry I would start out with the following: Casters for the Light Duty Market - Load Rating 50lbs. - 500lbs. Casters are picked for their specific applications based on a number of factors but the load rating or weight carried by the cart is the most common format to start with when choosing a caster or wheel. Next, Medium Duty Casters - Load Rating 500lbs. - 1,500 lbs. per caster. Finally, Heavy Duty Casters - Load Rating 1,500lbs. - 10,000 lbs. This is a very generalized strategy but would help a potential follower or customer narrow their choice.

Next, I would use specific categories for certain industries to help lead the customer to make the right choice. Examples, Furniture Industry, Food Equipment, Restaurant Equipment, Hospital, Manufacturing, Light Fabrication, Aerospace, Automobile Manufacturing, and Hospitality.

Each is a category that a potential follower or buyer can identify with and then select the specific caster or wheel that falls within that category. Makes it easier to choose and helps narrow down the selection.

Finally, I would have a sub category called Quantity Needed. That would help identify whether this is something that I need to pursue or a homeowner, maybe a  hobbyist looking for something something that they could find at a local hardware store. If more then 50 casters are needed then this is a potential good deal.

Instagram Screencapture: 

I have attached casters that include a stock order for Lowe's, a caster used on Lab. equipment, and wheel and casters used internally by Home Depot.

Comments;

I reviewed Palomar Athletics, Alternate Health Service, and Jumping Jelly Bean. All were well written and stressed the human element is what attracts new followers. Potential new customers want to be entertained. Also, the importance of testimonials for attracting a potential new customer. Finally, a point was made that you do not want to get too emotional. Make it interesting and uplifting.

Everything that I read was very well done.

CSIT - 155 FA - GBurke - Homework Week 8 - Instagram Hashtags

Week 8 - Instagram Hashtags

Part 1

For this assignment I did some research on four of my direct competitors that manufacture in the United States.  Additionally, I chose one indirect competitor that imports their own line of private label casters from China. Grainger is one of the largest industrial suppliers in the world and they now import casters and wheels and have made an impact in my industry.  Going to start off with Grainger.

Grainger 

Out of the five companies that I reviewed it appears that Grainger is the most active participant in Instagram. Which is bad news since they have the largest footprint in North America and now are actively engaged in selling casters and wheels. 

In looking at their Instagram posts Grainger offers a wide variety of visuals to keep their customers up to date with their products and their message.  Grainger promotes the image as providing products for all industries and all applications. So they definitely have a strategy and are telling a story that resonates with customers.

Their hashtags are catchy titles that attract their customers to their posts. For example,  #GraingerEverydayHeroes, #GraingerKnowhow, and #GraingerforThe Ones. A rather effective hash tag is #GraingerKeepStock. This is relevant for customers that need to be reminded they can obtain products in a timely fashion.

They have several videos listed and this is an effective way to relate on their products are used and this also leads to success stories which they are sharing.

Grainger has 7,216 followers with 604 posts and 88 followers. So out of the group I have reviewed they are by far the most active on Instagram.

Most of their content is related to how they solve problems and offer solutions and there are numerous success stories listed that details the Grainger expertise.

Additionally, they are effective in listing pictures of products that are related to Covid. This is timely and attracts followers that may be interested in their safety related products.

Grainger has many personal stores listed and they call them Everyday Heroes so they are up to date on telling their followers about First Responders that may also be using Grainger as their supplier. I think this is an excellent idea and probably drives sales.

Their highest content related related responses are the posts regarding Small Businesses, and they have made a decision to capture the attention of small business owners. This list includes list a number of likes but on every post that reviewed the likes were four times as many as the traditional picture of a product. Which means stories and pictures that connect with the small business owner is effective.

The last post was 2 days ago and is a reminder to restock your go to items. This ties into their website which is one of the best in the industry and makes ordering online so convenient. Just point and click.

To Improve they may consider a hashtag with a map of all their locations in North America. Maybe add some contact information. 

Overall, I think their Instagram posts are very effective and I am glad they have so many products that their caster program gets lost in the marketing scheme. If they just concentrated on casters & wheels we could be in trouble.

RWM Casters

RWM is caster manufacturer that makes the majority of their casters and wheels in a factory in North Carolina. They are an older, US caster manufacturer that recently let go of their entire outside salesforce and in now trying to upgrade and sell their products  by utilizing the internet and technology.

Their Instagram posts are particularly weak and they are not very active.

They only had 37 posts, with 151 followers, and 8 following. So it looks like they are in the beginning stages of this new marketing philosophy. 

Hashtags seem to be all same which states: rwmcasters and then have various pictures with some special products that they have built and sold along with some quality pictures showcasing their manufacturing capabilities. Not a lot of detail and not real effective.  For a company that is now promoting their social media they have not spent much time and effort on this part of Instagram.

Their most recent post was on March 18 of this year and this was a promotion for the Modex Material Equipment Show which is one of our industries largest annual conventions. Looks like it was posted at the time the Covid Pandemic was hitting the USA. So they may have placed everything on hold.

They only list a few pictures and most of these are photo's that show their factory in Gastonia, NC long with some pictures of testing equipment.

If they are serious about taking the next steps to promote their products and the company I would revaluate what message they are trying to convey. If I was in charge I would create a 3 - 5 minute video and highlight the advantages of their company and products. Many customers want USA made casters and this is increasing due to the backlash with Covid and China's perceived negligence in allowing this to spread to the USA.

A #USA Made would be an effective message. I would definitely emphasize American made products. There is a certain segment in business that supports domestic manufacturing. RWM only has 8 followers and I am happy about that. I am glad that I looked at this because one of my customer is following them which probably means their buying from them. I need to check on this.

In order to improve their presence they need to be more active and start upgrading their posts and pictures. Maybe they could be more interactive and have a contest for customers that post the most likes. Another suggestion would be to improve their Biography and develop more of a story on their history and why they are located in North Carolina.

Tente Casters

Tente is one of the largest caster manufacturers in the world. The Corporate Office is located in Germany and they have a large manufacturing center located in Kentucky. They offer a wide variety of products but specialize in products for the medical industry. Specifically, bed casters for hospitals and medical bariatric manufacturing.

Tente has 45 posts, and 136 followers, with 211 following. For such a large, diverse, company they do not put much emphasis on posting for Instragram.

Most of their Hashtags are representative of buzz words used in my industry. #castors, #wheels, #manufacturing, #supply, #material handling, and #maintenance. These are words synonymous with the caster business so they do a good job with this aspect of Instagram.

Additionally, they specialize in casters and wheels for the furniture industry and they have several pictures detailing some products used on this type of equipment. A typical like response would be 23 likes.

The last post was in 2019 so they are not active. I would assume this is due to the covid crisis and using Instagram is not a priority.

The content that includes pictures of casters for medical equipment received the most likes.

If I were advising them I would include a regular hash tag with an emphasis on products that are used on ventilators and other covid related medical devices. This is their strength and what customers associate with the Tente brand.  They have a few of these products listed but very little activity.

Furthermore, since they have a large share of the international market I would probably post pictures of their other manufacturing locations and perhaps follow up with a post and pictures of their field offices. This is a benefit that they could leverage and help promote sales. For example, hashtag tente casters worldwide with a map. Maybe they could add some more filters and make their pictures more attractive.

Because they are worldwide they do have an email contact for the United Kingdom which is a good idea. I did find a related post called Tente North America but this looks like an afterthought with almost no activity. Perhaps, the business is so strong they don't need to work on this aspect of marketing.

Blickle Casters

Blickle is the largest caster manufacturer and distributor in the world. Blickle is a privately owned German Caster Conglomerate with factories and sales offices located in almost every country. Global sales are estimated at $300 million. They are privately owned and are making a big push in the North American market.

Blickle USA has 403 posts, 385 followers, and 105 following.

The last post was three days ago and most of their post showcase a particular product with periodic pictures of new products. They do have some attractive pictures that demonstrate the different colors that are offered urethane wheels.

Typical Hashtags include #blickle solutions, and #blcikle aviation @ case study. Blickle has taken a more solutions provider type of story and they tie this into whatever product group that may be used for this application.

They are creating a branded hash tag with solutions and I find this both effective and persuasive.

Blickle has a number of likes and comments and they are doing a good job of using industry specific hash tags. This is a well thought out strategy and the management appears to be promoting not only the brand but their expertise in solving problems out in the marketplace.

They have posted some videos that are also a great way to tell their manufacturing story and both likes and views are posted.

Areas that could generate more interest would be to start a conversation and request some feedback from their followers. Perhaps tie this into a promotion for the best response. But overall, out of my caster competitors Blickle USA has the best plan of action and they incorporate products with solutions.

Caster Concepts

This is another small, manufacturer of Heavy Duty Caster locate in Michigan. Caster Concepts specializes in casters for Aerospace and related industries.

The post that they are the leader in industrial caster and wheel solutions for virtually every industry.  

However, Instagram does not seem to be part of their marketing program. They have zero posts, 75 followers, and 119 following.

Last post was 6 days ago and it is a picture promoting @GirlsWhoCode. Most of their posts are related to promoting social causes and include Hashtags like #Teamwork, and #CasterCares, and #Because we care.

Not much related to their business more emphasis on people and community service. I went back through all their posts and they all relate to this cause called Caster Cares. They do give back to the community and are trying to help those less fortunate.

All the posts are related to helping others and this is great but nothing associated with the manufacturing or production of casters and wheels.

I would hire someone to help develop a marketing program with picture and videos of the various products and maybe some videos on how the manufacturing process. They really have no business plan regarding what they actually make and sell as it relates to Instagram.

Caster Concepts does not post often and the content is not related to their company. But rather the social programs that the owner seems to be interested in. They have small business attitude and do not show any signs of growing.

Hashtags that may show improvement include:#heavy casters, and #casters for Aerospace. They need to be more focused on their core strengths.

Part II

Hashtags 

I posted Hashtags that revolved around specific products that I thought would generate some activity. I took pictures of some new products like our new bakery wheel for oven racks. Some comments were complimentary on the look of our wheels. I tried to take pictures of products that are specific to my business.

Additionally, I drove to our West Coast Distribution Center in Santa Fe Springs, and made a short video which shows are DC Warehouse and the assembly area. I find videos to be the most effective way to promote my products ( casters & wheels ) and I think customers get more value out of checking out our capabilities by watching a short video. The key is to make it interesting and quick.

I am going to try and create an industry specific hashtag that promotes our Durable Brand. I plan to post a new video this week showing how we assemble a caster. A teaching video.

I did some research and some of the articles stressed keeping the message fresh and not to be boring. So this is no easy task when your business is selling something that most people have no clue about. It is a challenge.

It would be great if I can build a brand and become somewhat of an influencer for my industry. I have been doing this now for a number of years and there seems to be no one really identifiable with my industry.  I do enjoy Instagram and have learned that the power of images can boost your profile and your business.

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CSIT 155 - FA20 GBurke - Week 7 Get Visual

 Part 1 Student Review:

Jumping Kelly Bean

I thought her Instagram was relevant to her theme which is gaming. She posted some nice pictures which included her with headphones and participating in a gaming event. She is is on Twitch and this is an online gaming format posted competitions. She is doing good with all the pictures which help identify her brand.

Heather Williams - Homelifestyle.com

I like Heathers Instagram. Looks very clean, with warm rustic pictures. Reminds me of the couple that had the home decorating show and own Magnolia Farms. Definitely, stylish and I would follow her to see how this grows. I like the story telling format. Good job.

Part 2 Company Reviews:

I picked three of the largest athletic shoe manufacturers to see how they promote their brands on Instagram.

Nike

Nike is considered the largest brand in the world. They have the 4th largest following on Instagram. They publish posts at least once a week and they utilize very, high quality imagery and produce professionally constructed videos.

They stay consistent by highlighting sport athletes and teams aligning the brand and their content with the community that follows them.

Under Armour

They engage their customers through using powerful images. The use hashtags for calls to actions. This generate shares and likes. They try and stay consistent by the promotion of imagery reflecting images of winning and success. The image is one of success and they try and stay consistent.

New Balance

New Balance follows a social content theme. 

Their strategy is threefold:

First, introduce the public to the brand.

Second, provide tools, information, inspiration, and encouragement. They are educating their customer base and want to personally connect with their followers. 

Finally, they celebrate sports achievements. They like to give a shot out to winners and follow this through their Facebook page.

Some of their best posts include details on behind the scene videos demonstrating how their shoes are made.

CSIT - 155 - FA20 - GregB Week 6 Part 2

Here is my screenshot. I tried this twice because on my first was a little difficult to read.

For my first post I chose a picture of our Brass Casters because this is specified to the higher end luxury hotels and usually at this time of the year they are updating their equipment and spending money from their budget that has been allocated for maintenance. If they don't spend the money then typically they will have less dollars in next years maintenance budget/plans.  This year is an anomaly with the Covid Crisis so it remains to be seen how much will be ordered. The casters are used on Bellman Carts and have a one year warranty for materials and defects.

For my second post this relates to our expanded offering of stainless steel casters and these are used in a variety of industries. I plan on targeting the biotech industry which is booming right now with numerous companies competing to come up with a vaccine for Covid. All of them use stainless fixtures which rust when washed down in clean room environment. Casters come in a variety of sizes and are excellent for wash down applications.

Finally, for my third post, I wrote a very generalized proclamation stating that we offer and stock more types and sizes of casters then any other company in North America.

CSIT - 155 - FA20 - GregB Week #6 Facebook Strategy - Part 1

7 Like Businesses

I chose 5 competitors and two large ends users that purchase from my company.

Competitor #1  - Caster Concepts

This is a small competitor based in MI that sells products to the Aerospace and Automotive Industries. I chose them because we recently started supplying them components and I hope to expand this aspect of our business. They are not considered a dealer but more of a competitor that happens to buy from us. We have relatively, friendly, relationship and I expect to sell them more of our products throughout 2020 into 2021.

Competitor #2  -RWM Casters

Very similar situation. RWM buys some special products and resales them as part of their product offering. Currently, purchase about $10,000 a year and we are always open to supplying them more product. I listed them so I can keep track and see if they are offering anything new.

Competitor #3  -Darnell Rose Casters

Darnell Casters is a long time customer that buys over $100,000 a year from us and uses several wheels which are components and they resell these items as part of the marketing mix.

Competitor# 4 - Hamilton Casters & Wheels

Hamilton Casters is based in OH and we recently started private labeling products for them under their name. They have bought consistently from us for the last decade and are more focused in purchasing more items from us.

Competitor#5 - Trio Pines Casters

Trio Pines Casters is one of my largest competitors. They import product from both Korea and China. I go toe to toe with them in the marketplace and listed them so I can keep track and see if they are promoting any new products.

Boeing Aerospace - #6 

Historically, Boeing has purchased a significant amount of our products which are used on dollies and equipment. Every time Boeing introduces a new Airplane they have budgeted for all new tooling fixtures and they would spend lavishly on all new casters and wheels. However, with all their current production problems Boeing is now struggling and have cut their purchasing down to less then 5% of what they had been buying. I listed them to keep track of any new developments.

Costco - #7

I sell Costco all their casters and wheels which are used on all the mobile equipment that are used in stores throughout the world. This is a rather large account for my company and I need to keep in constant contact with this customer to see they are producing any new equipment. They use our casters and wheels on their shopping carts, platform carts, and all portable equipment within the store. Business has been growing at a rate of 15% a year and I expect this to continue in 2021. Costco is expanding into Asia and we expect this market segment to grow despite the on-going Covid Crisis.