CSIT 155: Week5C - Alternate Assignment

Hi again Friends and Fellow Bloggers,

For this week I will be addressing different businesses that are similar to my real business. Again, my family business is “Sharon’s Cozy Pet Warmer”, an individual pet warmer to ensure the safety of outdoor pets during the winter months. Here’s the link to our facebook page:

Sharon’s Cozy Pets: http://www.facebook.com/sharonscozypets

The businesses I have researched and elected to use for this blog post also produce pet heaters/warmers/animal clothing of different varieties, they are as follows:

Warm Hearts Bun Warmers: https://www.facebook.com/bunwarmers/

 

Sweeter Heater: https://www.facebook.com/Sweeter-Heater-543772455653674/

Spuds Dog Coats: https://www.facebook.com/Spudsdogcoats/

Warm Hearts Bun Warmers: Is a small-business that manufactures hand-made, microwaveable heating pads for small pets and humans. The crafter designs them carefully and offers water-resistant, washable covers as accessory purchases.

Warm Hearts Profile Image and Cover Picture.

Her facebook page is simply designed and depicts that of a DIY crafter who has found a niche in the animal department with her skill. Although he design is lovely, and cost efficient, her page is lackluster and provides little information about the company and the product. Her most recent post was September 23, however, I would assume this is also a seasonal product and sales (as well as posts) will increase as the temperature drops. Their cover photo is sloppy and seems to be a clipped collage of a few images with the warmer at work. It is effective, but bland.  Her profile picture, however, is cute and clever, and attractive – although it does indicate this device is used simply for rabbits, and doesn’t indicate the versatility that is possible with her product. Her only call-to-action button is the message button. I imagine more time dedicated to the facebook page, the development of a visually pleasing cover page and logo, and regular posts (despite the season) would be beneficial to their facebook experience and effective in business promotion.  I do not see anything in this particular page that would inspire me to change my own facebook business profile. 

Sweeter Heater: This product is wonderfully close to the product of “Sharon’s Cozy Pets”, allowing only for certain safe temperatures, anti-shock or burn safety measures, and can be used in multiple locations.

Sweeter Heater Profile picture and cover photo.

Their facebook page is quite current, with a post from October 6^th, including a variety of images of their product with different animals, and a video of installation for viewers. The facebook page as a whole is well designed and maintained, and all the information necessary to contact the manufacturer or learn more about the product is a simple click away. This company has made good use of the call-to-action button “shop now”, which links directly to their website and their many choices of heater, complete with pricing. They also have connections to other social media sites, as well as sale sites, and overall is well organized. Their cover photo is a little misleading, as it may seem to limit customer audiences, and their profile picture has the same flaw. This company should reconsider these two images, as they are the door to sales for their excellent product, and offer little information about their versatility. I would say this page is designed and maintained very similar to my family’s business page. I am re-considering my cover image because of this.

Spuds Dog Coats: Is a company that hand crafts the most adorable animal onesies to keep pets warm, as well as other accessories of this nature. I’m not certain where Liskeard, Cornwall is located, but I assume it is somewhere in Europe, as their prices are set in pounds. The product is adorable, and the site features many wonderful pictures of the material in action.

Spuds Dog Coats profile picture and cover photo.

The facebook page is simple yet effective, and depicts attractive animal subjects in aesthetically pleasing pictures, wearing the products. The most recent post was on October 2^nd, indicating an active facebook page (although they should consider keeping it a little more active), so far, of my three reviews, this page is in second place of activity – whereas each of these pages should have a post once or twice a week, or daily during the winter season. I am not certain the weather in Europe this time of year, but I do know the site advertises they ship world-wide and are always open, meaning they are capable and willing to accommodate people in America experiencing chilly October weather.  Despite this little setback, I discovered there was little information about the product and company on the facebook page, but plenty of reviews and images to peak interest – all of which led to their website, which was pleasantly designed.  The facebook page didn’t have a logo, per se, but did successfully advertise the product through both the cover design and profile picture. If anything, I would create and include a watermark of an original logo on the corner of the photos displaying products. There is little I see that would inspire me to change my own page, but I am inclined to run adds for new animal models, and get some fresh content on my family business page…. and soon.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post!

Cheers!

JennL.