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WeberStateUniversityBachelorofIntegratedStudiesProgram

Name:AdrienCovington

Date:February6,2014

ProjectTitle:ContentMarketingandE-CommerceinaMultimediaDrivenSociety/ShowGuppy.com

BriefSummaryofProject:

Thewebsite,showguppy.com,ane-commercewebsitededicatedtofurtheringtheknowledgeofandthesellingoffancyguppiesandsupplies,wascreated.Thiswebsiteprovidesinformationonbreeding,genetics,shipping,nutritionandhowtopurchasefancyguppies.Supplementarytothewebsite,Ihavecreatedtheaestheticsandsubstanceassociatedwithitincluding;logos,promotionalvideosandtutorials,alongwithane-mailmarketingcampaignandsocialmediapresences.Theseaforementioneditemsserveascontent,drivingcustomerstothewebsitewhilesimultaneouslyestablishingarelationshipbetweencustomersandthebrand.Iintendtoutilizethiswebsiteanditsperipheralstocreateaviablebusinesswhichwillgenerateincomewhilesimultaneouslyfurtheringtheknowledgeandadoptionofbreedingfancyguppies.

AreaofEmphasis1: Marketing

CommitteeMemberfromthatDiscipline: Dr.ClintonAmos

AreaofEmphasis2: PublicRelations

CommitteeMemberfromthatDiscipline: Dr.KathyEdwards

AreaofEmphasis3: Multimedia

CommitteeMemberfromthatDiscipline: Dr.LauraMacLeod

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TableofContents

Introduction....................................................................................................................................3

ContentMarketing......................................................................................................................3

PublicRelations...........................................................................................................................4

Multimedia.................................................................................................................................6

Application.....................................................................................................................................9

Overview.....................................................................................................................................9

TargetMarket...........................................................................................................................10

WebSite....................................................................................................................................12

SocialMedia..............................................................................................................................13

E-mailMarketing.......................................................................................................................15

Branding....................................................................................................................................16

Analytics....................................................................................................................................17

Conclusion....................................................................................................................................19

Bibliography..................................................................................................................................20

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Introduction

ContentMarketing

TheadventoftheInternetinstigatedarevolutioninthebusinessworldallowingforamorediversemarketplaceinwhichchannelsoftradebecameaccessibletothepublic.Nolongerwereconsumersrestrictedtopurchasingproductsbytraditionalmeanssuchasbrick-and-mortarstores.Theynowhadtheabilitytocommunicate,learnaboutandpurchaseitemsfromindividualsandcorporationsaroundtheworld.

Withtheplethoraofmerchantspermittedintothemarketplace,itquicklybecamesaturated.Businessesneededawaytodifferentiatethemselvesfromthecompetitionandunderstoodthatlowerpriceswereoftenunattainableonthisnewglobalscaleofcommerce.

Businessespromptlyrealizedthatevenwiththisnew-foundwealthofinformationavailabletothemasses,thequalitywasoftenpoorandnotuseful.Theyrealizedthatprovidingworth-whileinformationalmaterialrelatingtotheirproductsinconjunctionwithqualityproductsandservicesresultedinnotonlyhighersalesvolumesbutanenhancedbrandaffinityaswell.

Thisideaofprovidingqualityrelevantinformationhasbecomepopularlyknownas“contentmarketing.”

“Contentmarketingiscreatingyourownvaluable,relevantandcompellingcontenttopositionyourselfasthetrueindustryexpert.Whenyoudothat,yourprospectsandcustomerstrustyoumoreandaremorewillingtobuyfromyou.It’salmostlikebecomingthemediacompanyforyourindustry,butinsteadofsellingadvertisingagainstyourcontent,youareengagingcustomerswiththebeliefthattheywillbuymoreofyourproductsandservicesfromyouorcreateabetteropportunitytokeepthemascustomers.Contentmarketingcantakemanyforms,likecustomprintedmagazines,advertorials,whitepapers,printnewslettersandevenwebinarsandwebcontent,”(Pulizzi,2012).

Thoughexactlywheretheterm“contentmarketing”wascoinedisambiguous,itbegantobewidelyusedinthelate1990’sandiscurrentlythetrendy,borderlineclichéphrase.Theideaofcontentmarketinghasbecomesynonymouswiththeinternetasamedium;howeveritsoriginspredatetheinternetbymorethanahundredyears.

AccordingtoWikipedia,someoftheearliestnotablecontentmarketingstrategiesincludeJohnDeere’smagazine“TheFurrow,”whichprovidedinformationtofarmersonhowtobecomemoreprofitable,publishedin1895.In1900,MichelindevelopedtheMichelinGuide,whichoffereddriversinformationonautomaintenance,accommodations,andothertravel

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tips.AndevenJell-Osalesmenwentdoor-to-doordistributingtheircookbookforfreein1904,toutingthedessertasaversatilefood(Wikipedia,2014).

Theideaofcontentmarketingistheoppositeofthetraditional“interruptionmarketing.”Interruptionmarketingreferstotheactofplacingpromotionalpiecesinplaceswhereanindividualmustlookattheminlieuoftheirprioractivity.Thisistraditionallydoneontelevisionandradioprogrammingwherethecontentbeingconsumedispostponedandreplacedwithcommercials.

“InterruptionmarketingisgivingwaytoanewmodelthatIcallpermissionmarketing”(Taylor,1998).Contentmarketing,orpermissionmarketingasWilliamTaylorcallsit,allowspeopletoseekinformationthatispertinenttotheminsteadofbeingshownapredeterminedadvertisement.

Themarketingindustryasawholehasmovedawayfrompureinterruptionmarketingtowardsmorecontentmarketingaspeoplehavebecomedesensitizedtoadvertising.Peoplenowroutinelyignoreadvertisementstheyarepresented;theyfast-forwardthroughcommercials,ignorebillboardsandthrowdirectmailinthegarbage.Thebestwaytoreachpeoplenowistoprovideworth-whileinformationonthingstheycareabout.

“Aspeoplelimitthewaysinwhichtheyareexposedtotraditionalinterruptionbasedmarketing,andwiththeever-increasingamountofinformationavailableontheinternet,moreandmoreconsumersareheadingtoaquickinternetsearchastheirfirststepinfindingaproductorservicethattheymaybeinterestedin”(Huber,2014).Inregardstomessages,AdamSingersays,“whynotputtheminfrontofusersseekingthemoutinsteadofinterruptingduringmorepersonalmoments?”(Singer,2012).

Whiletheinstrumentsfordisseminatingcontentmarketinghavechangedandvarieddramaticallyovertime,theconcepthasremainedthesame,tocreatevaluable,relevantandcompellingcontentthatengagesyourcustomers.

PublicRelations

Publicrelationsistheinfluenceoftheculminationofeachconsumer,purchaser,individualandstakeholderwhichmakesupthegeneralizedpublicandwhomcontrolthecomprehensivesentimentofanorganization,businessorperson.

AccordingtothePublicRelationsSocietyofAmerica(PRSA),publicrelationsisdefinedas“astrategiccommunicationprocessthatbuildsmutuallybeneficialrelationshipsbetweenorganizationsandtheirpublics”(PRSA,2014).

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Theterm“publicrelations”isintrinsicallyambiguousandhasamultitudeoffacetswhichmustbeheededinordertobesuccessfullyimplemented.

Duetotheambiguityoftheterm“publicrelations,”itshistoryisdebatable,thoughitiswidelyacceptedthatpublicrelationsasaformofprofessionbeganintheearly1900’s.SpearheadedbyIvyLeeandEdwardBernays,whoareoftenreferredtoastheoriginatorsofmodernpublicrelations,itquicklygrewintoa“reputable”profession.

"WesomewhatarbitrarilyplacethebeginningsofthepublicrelationsvocationwiththeestablishmentofThePublicityBureauinBostoninmid-1900,"explainsScottCutlip,“TheoriginsofPRcannotbepinpointedtoanexactdate,becauseitdevelopedovertimethroughaseriesofevents”(Cutlip,1994).

Manyearlypublicrelationsendeavorsdealtwithreformingpoorpublicimageoflargecorporations.“MostPReffortsintheUSatthetimeweredamagecontrol,”statedStuartEwen(Ewen,2008).Manyofthepioneeringeventswhichledtowidespreadrecognitionofpublicrelationsasanoccupationdealtwithcorporatescandalswhichleadtocriticismanditspractitionersbeingreferredtoas“spindoctors.”

InEdwardBernays’book“Propaganda,”publishedin1928,hestates,“Theconsciousandintelligentmanipulationoftheorganizedhabitsandopinionsofthemassesisanimportantelementindemocraticsociety.”

IvyLeepublisheda“DeclarationofPrinciples,”whichsaidthatPRworkshouldbedoneintheopen,shouldbeaccurateandcovertopicsofpublicinterest(Plessis,2001).Hedevelopedthemodernpressreleaseandthe"two-way-street"philosophyofbothlisteningtoandcommunicatingwiththepublic.

Theroleofpublicrelationsinconjunctionwithacontentmarketingstrategyisofpivotalimportancetotheuserexperienceinane-commercewebsite.Publicrelationsoriginallybeganasameanstodealwithnegativereputationsandcrisismanagement.Ithasrecentlyevolvedintoawayofbuildingrelationshipswithcustomerstoestablishanaffinitywithsaidbrand.

Companiesarenowengagingtheircustomersinfriendlyconversationandinteractionsonsocialmediaplatforms.Oftentimesthisiscoupledwiththepreviouslymentionedcontentmarketingstrategy.Thecontentcreatedshouldbepredominatelyvalueorientedwithonlyasmallproportiondedicatedtosales.

“80%ofyourpublishingshouldbedevotedtothehelpfulvaluablekindofcontentyoucreatewithyourclientsfirmlyinmind,andtheremaining20%shouldbeyoursalescontent”(Jefferson,2013).Mostofthecontentcreatedshouldeducateandengagethecustomerinthe

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hopesofestablishingarelationshipsowhentheydecidetopurchasetheyrememberwhohelpedtheminthepast.

Ithasbecomecommonplaceforbusinessestohalttheirindividualconsumerrelationseffortsafteratransactionhasoccurred.Afteratransactionhasoccurredisthebesttimeforabusinesstoestablisharelationshipwiththeconsumer.Thisisoftenreferredtoasrelationshipmarketing.

Relationshipmarketingfocusesondevelopinglong-lastingrelationshipswithclientstosecuresaleswellintothefuture(Brown,2014).Transactionalmarketingisfocusedonthesingleobjectiveofmakingthesale.Relationalmarketingstrategiesofferahigheryieldofreturnoninvestmentovertimethanstrictlytransactionalstrategiesdo.

AccordingtoUrvashiPokharna,every5%increaseincustomerretentioncanincreaseacompany'sannualprofitsbyasmuchas125%,whilesimultaneouslyleadingtoareductionof10%inmarketingcosts.Anexistingcustomerwillspend33%morethananewcustomertobuyyourproduct/service.Mostbusinessesspendasmuchas80%oftheirbudgetformarketingexpendituretoattractnewcustomers(Pokharna,2011).Byattainingmoreloyaltyandsubsequentlyhigherretentionratesincustomers,businessesachieveincreasedprofitability.

ByadheringtotheideologiessetforthinIvylee’s“DeclarationofPrinciples,”onecanassureamutuallybeneficialrelationshipbetweenanorganizationandthepublic.Thiswillleadtoanenhancedprobabilityofprofitabilityinbothmonetaryandsocietalaspectsforyourorganization.

Multimedia

Multimediaistheuseofmorethanonemediumtoexpresscommunication.Thisallowsforamoreindepthinteractionbetweenthecommunicatorandtherecipient.Whenvariousmediaworksynergistically,theycreateanexperiencethatenhancesthereceiver’sinvolvementandaffinitytowardsthesource.

Theterm"multimedia"datesbacktothelate1960s,coinedbymusicianandentrepreneurBobGoldsteinwhilepromotinghiseventLightWorksatL'Oursin,aclubinSouthampton,NewYork.L'OursinwasdescribedbyoneNewYorkMagazinewriterin1968as"anexperiencethatwrapsrestaurant,discothèqueandlightshowintooneorganicentertainment"(Zuras,2010).

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Thiseventwasoneofthefirstnotableusesofmultimediainthesensethatweknowittoday.Ittrulyintegratedmultiplemediumscreatinganinteractiveenvironmentandexperiencefortheaudience.

Manyofthefirsttrulyinteractivemultimediaexperiencesrevolvedaroundartwork.“Artworkshadalmostalwaysbeen"viewed"byviewers;theviewerpassivelyreceived(andtriedtoperceive)theworkanditsmessage,butwasnotpartoftheart-makingprocess”(Zuras,2010).

"Weviewpaintings,"saidDickHiggins,aBritishartist,"Whatarethey,afterall?Expensive,handmadeobjects,intendedtoornamentthewallsoftherich,orthroughtheirmunificence,tobesharedwithlargenumbersofpeopleandgivethemasenseofgrandeur.Buttheydonotallowofanysenseofdialogue."

Byallowingtheuser,orcustomer,tobecomeactivelyinvolvedinthemethodusedtodisseminateamessageyouensureenhancedparticipationandadeeperlevelofunderstanding.Thisistrueofnotonlyartandentertainmentbutofanyproductorservice.

MatthewZuras(oninteractivemedia)states,“itwasn'tuntildigitaltechnologyenteredthepicture-ascomputers,digitalvideocamerasandprojectiontechbecamecheaperandmoreubiquitous-thatitbecameadistinctmediuminthemid-tolate1990s.”

Multimediahasapplicationinvariousfieldsincluding;art,advertising,entertainment,businessandeducation.Astheaforementionedquotearticulates,itallowstheaudiencetoactivelyparticipateintheprocessandthusenhancestheirexperience.

Withtheuseoftheinternetbecomingincreasinglyprominentforinformationsearches,entertainmentandshopping,peopleexpectittobeaseamlessexperience.Theyexpectqualityinformationinconjunctionwithinteractivityandinvolvement.

Multimediaintermsofinternetsitesmayincludetheimplementationofvideos,pictures,sounds,textorsocialmediaaswellasthedesigninterfaceandoverarchinguserexperience.One-commercewebsitesutilizingvariousformsofmediasuchasthesewillincreasetheconnectionbetweenpurchaserandvendor.

TheinfancyoftheWorldWideWeb(WWW)containedastaticandboringtextbasedexperiencegreatforparlayinginformationbutdidnotyieldagreatmediumforcommerce.Asitdevelopedandintegratedmoremedia,itbecameaviablealternativetothetraditionalmodesofexchange.

“Theinternetisoneofthemostprofoundandinfluentialtechnicalaccomplishmentsofthetwentiethcentury.Itembodiesmanyrevolutionaryideasnottheleastofwhichisthe

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discoverythataglobalinfrastructurecanevolveinanorganicfashionfromthelooselycoupledeffortsofmanyindividualsandorganizations,”saysStephenWeinstein(Weinstein,2005).

Byleveragingvarioussourcesofmediaandcreatingamultimediaexperienceforyourcustomer,youallowformorepersonableandinteractiveincidences.Whenthisiscombinedwiththeaforementionedcontentmarketingandpublicrelations,youwillestablisharapportwithyourclienteleandultimatelyhavegreateropportunityforsuccess.

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Application

Overview

GuppieswerefirstdiscoveredbyWilhelmPetersin1859inVenezuelabutnamedafterRobertJohnLechmereGuppywhosentspecimensofthespeciesfromTrinidadtotheNaturalHistoryMuseuminLondon(Magurran,2005).NativetoSouthandCentralAmericatheguppyhasbeenintroducedtomanycountriesaroundtheworld.Itwasexpectedthattheguppieswouldeatthemosquitolarvaeandhelpslowthespreadofmalaria,butinmanycases,theseguppieshavehadanegativeimpactonnativefishpopulations(KottelatandWhitten,1996).

Guppieshavebeenbredincaptivityformorethanacenturyduetotheirhighyieldofoffspring,fastgestationperiodsandreadilyvisiblegeneticvariationswhichmakethemdesirableforselectivebreeding.Guppybreedersoftencometogetherandformunifiedbodieswheretheirrespectiveknowledgecanbesharedandassessed.TheInternationalFancyGuppyAssociation(IFGA),WorldGuppyAssociation(WGA)andInternationalesKuratoriumGuppyHochzuchtare(IKGH)arethethreemostprominentgoverningbodiesintheguppybreedinghobby.Thesegoverningbodiesoftenorganizecompetitionstojudgeguppieswithstandardizedcriteria.

TheIFGA,whichbeganin1966,has16individualclubsinvaryinggeographiclocationsprimarilywithintheUnitedStatesofAmerica(USA).Itholdsseveralcompetitionsthroughouttheyearandhasanoverallchampion.Organizationssuchasthisareessentialtotheadvancementandlongevityoftheguppybreedinghobby.

Mystep-father,RickGrigsby,whohasamaster’sdegreeinmicrobiologyandadeepfascinationwithgenetics,hasbeenbreedingfancyguppiesfor40years.Hehastransformedhisgarageintoagiantfishroomwithoverthreehundredtanks.HefrequentlyentershisguppiesinIFGAsanctionedcompetitionsandhasplacedfirstmanytimesinmultiplecategories.Heoftensellshisfishtootherbreedersovertheinternetandisconstantlyalteringhisproprietarystrainsofguppies.

Thecurrentmethodsofselling,purchasingandattaininginformationonguppiesareantiquated.Theprocessoflocatingquality,reliableinformationisexcessivelytimeconsumingandoftenresultsincontradictoryormisinformation.Buyingandsellingisprimarilyaccomplishedthroughthirdpartyinternetsiteswhichdonotallowfordetaileddescriptionsofproducts.Informationfoundinthesemarketplacesislimitedandprovidesgreatuncertaintyaboutthequalityofproductsoffered.

Ihavecreatedane-commercewebsite,showguppy.com,dedicatedtofurtheringtheknowledgeof,andthesellingof,fancyguppiesandsupplies.Thiswebsiteprovides

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informationonbreeding,genetics,shipping,nutritionandpurchasingfancyguppies.Supplementarytothewebsite,Ihavealsocreatedtheaestheticsandsubstanceassociatedwithitincluding;logos,promotionalvideosandtutorialsalongwithane-mailmarketingcampaignandsocialmediapresences.

Theseaforementioneditemsserveascontent,drivingcustomerstothewebsitewhilesimultaneouslyestablishingarelationshipbetweencustomersandthebrand.Thiscontentwillserveasacalltoactionforcustomerstopurchaseproductsfromthesite.Theywillbeabletolearnaboutguppiesandguppysuppliesandthenbedirectedtopurchasesaiditems.

Iwillutilizethiswebsiteanditsperipheralstocreateaviablebusinesswhichwillgenerateincomewhilesimultaneouslyfurtheringtheknowledgeandadoptionofbreedingfancyguppies.

Iampassionateaboutsupportingthefancyguppyhobbyandcreatingasustainablebusinessformyfamily.Thisprojectwillprovideaunifiedcollectionofknowledgepertainingtothebreedingoffancyguppiesandalocationformystep-fathertosellguppiesandengagewithfellowhobbyenthusiasts.UltimatelyIhopeforthewebsitetobecomeaplacewhereallbreedersselltheirfishandcontributeknowledgeasitbecomestheonesingleplacetobuy,sellandlearnaboutfancyguppies.

TargetMarket

Theguppybreedingcommunityconsistsofanichegroupofindividualswhosharecamaraderieandanalmostaltruisticviewontheprogressionofthehobby.Whilethereiscertainlyacompetitiveenvironmentduethenatureofthehobbyanditsawardssystem,itdoespromotethesharingofideasandtheevolutionofthehobby.

Whileguppybreedersarelocatedaroundtheworld,thereareconcentrationsofhobbyistsinWesternEurope,South-EastAsia,BrazilandUSA.Showguppy.comwillbefocusingprimarilyupontheUSAmarketwithothergeographiclocationsontheperiphery.

Theaverageguppybreedingenthusiastis50yearsofage,ofCaucasiandescent,maleandhasanannualincomeofgreaterthan$60,000.Theyarelocatedwithinthe“GenerationX”and“BabyBoomer”generationalcohorts.Mosthavefamilieswithchildrenandliveinsuburbanhousing.

Mostguppybreedersarelocatedinarelativelyoldergenerationalcohortandthushavemoretraditionalorconservativeviewpoints.ThismaynotaffectShowguppy.compoliticallyandsocially,butonaneconomiclevelitwill.Inordertoaccruesales,theproductsmustbe

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portrayedasaninvestment,showingtheimmediatevaluealongwiththelong-termvalueassociated.Theyarefiscallyconservative,althoughtheyarerelativelyaffluent,andthereisagreatneedfortheassuranceofqualitybeforetheyarewillingtopurchase.Thisisdonebyprovidinginformation,aboutthegenealogyofthefish,awardswonbythefish/breeders,testingandanalysis,associatedcontentandresearch.

Guppybreedersareclassifiedunderthelatemajoritydivisionofthemarketingdiffusionmodelintermsoftechnologicaladoption.Marketingdiffusionstatesthateverymarkethasgroupsofcustomerswhodifferintheirreadinessandwillingnesstoadoptanewproduct("diffusionofinnovation,"2014).Thesegroupsarecategorizedbasedupontherateatwhichtheyadoptnewproducts.Thesecategoriesinclude;innovators,earlyadopters,earlymajority,latemajorityandlaggards.ForShowguppy.com’stargetmarketthismeanstheyarenotattheforefrontoftechnologyandwillnotbeusingthelatestmeansofcommunication.Usingthelatesttechnologicalfadortrendwillnotbeaviabletoolfordisseminatingamessagetothisgroup.

Thetargetmarketiscomfortableusingtheinternettosearchforinformationandmakepurchasesinregardstoguppies.However,anapparentuneasinessexistsintheorderingprocessandtheconfidentialityoftheinformationsurrendered.TheapprehensivenessincurredduringthesetransactionsarequelledbytheuseoftrustedthirdpartypaymentfacilitatorssuchasPayPal.Frequentcommunicationandshipmenttrackinginformationalsohelptosubsidefearsassociatedwithonlinepurchasesforthetargetmarket.

MembersoftheIFGAoftentraveltoandcongregateatsanctionedguppycompetitionswheretheyshareinformationandevaluatethecompetition.Attheseeventsmembersareacquaintedwitheachotherandshareinformationoneverythingfrombreedingtechniquestoconstructionoffishrooms.Theseinherentlysocialeventsprovideaplatformforlike-mindedindividualstocollaborateanddisseminatetheguppybreedinghobby.

Guppybreedingisahighinvolvementactivitywithbreedersdevotinglargeamountsoftimetothehobby.Withthisinformationinmind,theelaborationlikelihoodmodelcanhelpguidetheformationofmessagestoreachthisaudience.Thismodeldefinestwouniqueprocessingroutes,centralandperipheral,inwhichapersuasivemessagecanbeformed.Acentralrouteistypicallyusedforhighinvolvementproducts,whileaperipheralrouteisusedforlowinvolvementproducts.ThereforemessagesforShowguppy.comwillusethecentralprocessingroutebecausetheaudienceisknowledgeableabout,andcaresaboutguppybreeding.Thiswillbeaccomplishedthrougharticlesonthesitecomposedbyexpertsintheguppybreedingcommunityaswellasdetailedproductdescriptionswhichprovideelaborateinformation.

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WebSite

Basedontheaforementionedtargetmarket’spsychologicalandpurchasingbehaviors,Ihavecreatedane-commercewebsitededicatedtopurveyingfancyguppies,suppliesandrelatedknowledge.

Showguppy.comhasbeensecuredasthedomainnameofthewebsite.Thisnamewaschosendueto“showguppy”beingacommonvernacularamongsttheguppybreedingcommunity.Itisalsoasimplethree-syllabledescriptivenamethatiseasilyrecognizableandisimmediatelyassociatedwithguppybreeding.

Themaindrivingforcebehindattainingnewandrepeatcustomerstothewebsiteiscontentmarketing.Itisutilizedthrougharticlesandvideosontopicssuchas,howtobuildabrineshrimphatcher,genetichistoryofbreedinglines,choosingthecorrectfood,geneticvocabulary,howtobuildanautomatedover-flowsystemetc…

Thefrontpagedisplaysthemostrecentandfeaturedcontentfromthesiteinanaestheticallyappealingmanner.Athree-panelcontentsliderdisplaysthefeaturedimagesandarticlesinaconsistentlyalternatingpattern.Thisalsoallowsforinteractivityasalltheimagesfeaturehoverstates,andtheslideriscapableofmanualusertransitions.Beneaththesliderisareversechronologicallistofblogpostings.Navigationislocatedonthetopofthepageandfeaturesdrop-downmenustoaccessallcontentofthesiteincludingstore,blog,aboutandhome.Awidgetizedsidebarontherightofthewebsitefeaturesasearchbarandcategoricalviewofposts.Alloftheseaspectsconjointoproduceaneverchangingandlivelyexperiencecomparedtothetraditionalstagnantwebpagesoftypicalguppywebsites.

Thewebsitefeaturesafullyfunctioningshoppingcartpermittingcustomerstoaddandsubtractproducts,whichincludefishandsupplies.Theshoppingcartfeaturesaccountcapabilitiesallowingcustomerstocreateapersonalizedaccountforthewebsite.Thisallowsthemtoadditemstoacart,checkontransactionprogressandreviewpurchasehistoryallfromdifferentdeviceswiththeuseofausernameandpassword.

Acheckoutsystemaccompanyingtheshoppingcartallowsuserstoreviewtheirorder,checkavailableshippingratesusingtheUnitedStatesPostalService(USPS)applicationprograminterface(API)andplacepaymentusingthethirdpartyfacilitatorPayPal.

UsingPayPalasthirdpartypaymentfacilitatorheightensthesecurityandconfidentialityofpurchaser’spersonalinformationincludinge-mailaddressesandcreditcardnumbers.Utilizingthissystemallowsshowguppy.comtoremaindetachedfromanypersonalinformationandfearofdatabeingcompromisedthroughunauthorizedaccesstothewebsite.Forusersit

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givesasenseofsecurity,asPayPaliswidelyusedandacceptedasasafeandreliablemediumoftransactionamongtheguppycommunity.

PayPalalsooffersprotectionfromfraudonboththevendorandpurchaserendsbynotallowingeitherpartytocomeincontactwithcreditcardinformation.Allofthisiscompletedthroughtheuseofasecuresocketslayer(SSL)protectedwebsite.AnSSLcertificateenhancessecurityandaidsthesuppressionofsuspiciousnessinonlinebuyers.

SSLCertificatesaresmalldatafilesthatdigitallybindacryptographickeytoanorganization’sdetails.Wheninstalledonawebserver,itactivatesthepadlockandthehttpsprotocolandallowssecureconnectionsfromawebservertoabrowser.Typically,SSLisusedtosecurecreditcardtransactions,datatransferandlogins,andmorerecentlyisbecomingthenormwhensecuringbrowsingofsocialmediasites(Sign,2014).

Afterapurchasehasbeenmade,anautomatedverificatione-mailisimmediatelysenttothebuyerconfirmingtheirorder.Thebuyerisconstantlyinformedoftheprogressoftheirorderthroughouteverystepoftheprocess.Oncetheorderhasbeenshipped,atrackingnumberissentallowingthemtoseeexactlywheretheproductsareintransit.

Consistentcommunicationswiththeclientelebefore,duringandafterapurchaseisoftheutmostimportanceinestablishingrapportandlonglastingrelationships.Thedesiredexperienceofshowguppy.comisnotthatyouarepurchasingfromabusiness,butthatyouarepurchasingfromanindividualwhosharesthesamepassionforguppybreedingasyoudo.

SocialMedia

Duetothetargetmarket’spsychographicsandsocialmediausagetendencies,showguppy.comwilllimititssocialmediaoutletstoFacebook,YouTubeanddiscussionforumsonthesite.Theseformsofsocialmediaaremeanttospreadthecontentcreatedforthesiteaswellasstimulateconversationamongtheguppycommunity.

AFacebooksmallbusinesspageaptlynamedShowGuppyhasbeenestablished.Thispagefeaturespostsonvarioustopicsinamoreinformalmannerthanisfoundontheshowguppy.comwebsite’sblog.ArticlesonthewebsitearepostedsimultaneouslyontheFacebookpageaswell,butthispagefeaturescasualpicturesandupdatesfromtheinnerworkingsandday-to-daylifeofRickGrigsbyandShowGuppy.

Postingsonthissiteincludepicturesofnewbreedinglinesindevelopmentandtheday-to-dayprocesses,newproducts,fishroomadjustments,otherbreeders’fish,competition

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results,etc.ThemainintentionoftheFacebookpageistoengageguppyenthusiaststhroughconversationsthatsparkinterestandprovideinvolvement.

Throughtheseback-and-forthdialogues(whichRickGrigsbywillbefacilitating),asenseoftrustwillbeestablished.Thistrustwillleadtoanenhancedbrandaffinityandsubsequentlymoresalesandalargercustomerbase.

YouTubewillbeutilizedbyprimarilypostingtutorialvideoswhichwillaccompanyarticlespublishedtothewebsite.ItwillbeutilizedmuchlikeFacebook’scommentingsystemtoanswerquestionsfromviewerswhilesimultaneouslyattractingnewones.

ThelevelofactiveengagementonYouTubewillbeinherentlylowduetothetargetmarket’spsychographics.Howeveritplaysavitalroleintherelationshipbuildingprocessbyprovidingadifferentvisualmediumtoaccompanyarticles.Italsoplaysasignificantroleinattainingnewcustomerswhoaresearchingforrelevantinformationregardingguppybreeding.

InordertogrowfollowershipandengagementontheFacebookpageandYouTubechannel,ShowGuppywillcommentonbreederpostingsandpicturesaswellastagindividualsinitsownpostings.Byactivelyparticipatinginguppybreeder’sactivitiessuchascompetitionresults,newguppylinesandroomconstructionimprovements,morepeoplewillbeexposedtothemessages.Subsequentlythiswillincreasetraffictothewebsiteandspawninteractionandsales.

OneveryapplicablepageonthewebsitethereisacommentingsystemlinkedtoFacebookwhichallowsuserstoaskquestionsandprovideinformationrelatingtothecontent.Thisprovidesamultifacetedapproachtoinvolveenthusiastswhodesiremoreinformationonaparticularsubject.

Showguppy.comalsofeaturesaforumforregisteredusers(registrationisfree)tosubmittheirownquestionsandanswerother’squestions.UnliketheFacebookcommentingsystem,thispresentsanopportunityforpeopletoaskanyquestiontheydesireandanswerinanopenandunrestrictedformat.

Oneofthelong-termgoalsforshowguppy.comisforittobecomeanall-encompassingrepositoryofinformationregardingguppybreeding.Theforums,commentingsystemsandsocialmediaoutletsprovidemeansforcontributionsfromtheguppycommunitytoaidintheadvancementofthehobby.

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E-mailMarketing

Theprimarymeansofcommunicationbetweenshowguppy.comandpurchasersise-mail.Manyofthepreliminarye-mailsinthebuyingprocessareautomatedtoensureafastresponsetimeandimmediaterecognitionofthepurchaseorder.Laterintheprocesstheybecomemorepersonalizedascompanyrepresentativesdirectlycommunicatewiththeconsumer.

Throughallpurchasesane-mailaddressisobtained,whichallowsfortheuseofe-mailmarketingtocommunicatepromotionsandeventstopatrons.Duringthepurchasingprocessthereisanoptionforcustomerstoprovideadditionaldemographicinformationsuchasage,genderandincome.Ifthecustomerdoeschoosetoprovidethisinformationtheywillberewardedwithamonetaryincentivesuchasfreeshippingorapercentageofftheirnextpurchase.CollectingdemographicinformationonthecustomerbasewillallowShowGuppytobettertailormessagesandcontenttowardsitsaudience.Bymakingthedivulgenceofpersonalinformationvoluntaryandsourcedthroughanopt-inmethod,itwillcreateanenvironmentoftrustbetweenShowGuppyanditscustomers.

Alle-mailmarketingmaterialswillbedeliveredthroughthethirdpartysourceMailChimp.Thisallowsshowguppy.comtosendlargequantitiesofe-mailstoapredeterminedlistofrecipients.MailChimpalsoprovidesanalyticaldataincludingdeliveryrates,openrates,uniqueclicksandunsubscribes.

Theabilityforrecipientstounsubscribefromthee-mailinglistisoftheutmostimportancesoastonotintrudeanddegradetherelationshipthathasbeenestablished.ItisalsoindirectviolationoftheCAN-SPAMActtonothavetheabilitytounsubscribefrommarketinge-mails.

TheCAN-SPAMActisalawthatsetstherulesforcommercialemail,establishesrequirementsforcommercialmessages,givesrecipientstherighttohaveyoustopemailingthem,providesvalidphysicalpostaladdressofsenderandspellsouttoughpenaltiesforviolations(FTC,2014).

Thecontentofthesemarketinge-mailswillconsistofabi-annualnewslettercontainingarecapofafewofthemostinterestingarticlesduringsaidtimeperiod.Twiceduringtheyear(winterandspring)apromotionalpiecewillbesentoutcontainingacouponcodewhichcanbeusedonthewebsite.Thesecouponsmayconsistoffreeshippingonordersover$100or10%offyournextpurchase.Thesewillincentivizerepeatpurchasesandhelptoestablishconnectionsbetweenshowguppy.comandpatrons.

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Branding

ThedescriptivenameofShowGuppyandshowguppy.comwerechosenbecausetheyareeasilyrecognizableandclearlydescribethegoodsandservicesprovidedbythebrand.ShowGuppyisentirelyinternetbasedwithlittletonoadvertisingbudget.ThisnamehelpswithSearchEngineOptimization(SEO)enablingpeopletoeasilyfindthewebsitewhensearchingforhighqualityfancyshowguppiesandinformation.

AlogowiththeacronymSGandaguppymorphingoutoftheGwascreatedtosymbolizethebrand.InmostinstancesthefullnameofShowGuppyorshowguppy.comwillaccompanythelogotoaugmentitsunderstandability.Astimeprogressesandthecomprehensionofthelogoincreasesamongstconsumers,itwillbecapableofstandingonitsown,unaccompaniedbythefullnameofShowGuppy.Thelogowillfeaturedifferingcolorschemesdependentuponthemediumbeingused.Variationsofthecolorsincludeblue,orange,blackandwhite.Usewillbedictatedbythesurroundingcolorsandjuxtapositionofadjacentelements.

AllvideosassociatedwithShowGuppyhaveabriefintroductorysegmentfeaturingtheaforementionedlogomorphingoutofthetext,ShowGuppy.Theentirevideoandallpicturesarealsowater-markedwiththeShowGuppylogo.Thiswillaidincreatingimmediatebrandrecognition,unifyingallthecomponentsandkeepingtheShowGuppybrandontopoftheuser’smind.ThisalsoenablesindividualswhodiscoverthecontentthroughorganicsearchestobecomefamiliarizedwithShowGuppyasabrand.

AlargeamountofvisitorstoShowguppy.comareexpectedtocomefromorganicsearchresults.InordertoincreasestheselectionofShowGuppyresultsinthesesearchesIhaveimplementedsomeoptimizationtechniquesincluding;keyworddensity,headertags,inboundandoutboundlinks,pictures,videos,wordcounts,alternatetext,excerpts,andGoogleAuthorship.

GoogleAuthorshipallowspicturesofanarticle’sauthortobedisplayedinsearchresultsnexttotheexcerptfromthepage.Showguppy.comsearchresultsfeatureapictureoftheauthor,resultingina60%chanceofbeingviewednomatteritspositioninthesearchresults(Muralidharan,Gyongyi,andChi,2012).

Complimentarycolorsoforangeandbluewereselectedduetotheirlightcontrastandemotionevokingqualities.Bluewhichsymbolizestrust,wisdom,confidenceandintelligenceisusedastheprimarycolorschemeandforthebackgroundandarticletitlecoloringsofthewebsite.Orangewhichrepresentsenthusiasm,fascination,happinessandcreativityisusedasthealternatecolorforthewebsiteincludingbuttonhoverstatesandsubstitutelinkcolorings.

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ThecombinationofalltheseelementsresultsinaunifiedexperienceacrossallplatformswheresomeonecancomeincontactwiththeShowGuppybrand.Eachcohesivecomponentcontributestotheauraofquality,knowledgeandtheadvancementoftheguppybreedinghobby.

Analytics

TheeffectivenessofeachindividualaspectofShowGuppycanbemeasuredthroughtheuseofempiricaldataandanalyticalsoftware.TheuseofGoogleAnalytics,MailChimp,LabsMediaclickheatandotherthirdpartyanalyticalmeasurementdeviceswillallowShowGuppytodetermineeffectiveandineffectivepractices.Thisdatacanthenbeutilizedtodevelopmorebeneficialandprofitablemarketingandbusinessprocedures.

Socialmediaeffectivenesswillbemeasuredthroughthetraditionalyetsuperficialmeansofcalculatingengagementaswellasmoreindepthevaluations.ThetraditionalmeansincludecountingviewsofYouTubevideos,likesontheFacebookpageandtotalcommentsreceived.Thesemetricsaregreatfordiscerningthebreadthofengagementacrossthesocialmediaplatforms,butarenotsufficientatdeterminingdepthorthequalityofengagementandhowthoseinteractionscorrelatetosales.

Toeffectivelytrackhowsocialmediainvolvementcorrelatestosales,ShowGuppywillemployGoogleAnalytics.Thissoftwareallowsforthetrackingofwhichsocialmediapostsresultedinuniquecustomersvisitingthesite.Thesevisitscanthenbetrackedthroughoutthewebsitetodetermineifitultimatelyresultedinasaleorinquiryofsomenature.InformationsuchasthiswillallowShowGuppytotailoritsmessagesforeachsocialmediaplatformsoastoenhanceinteractivityandincreasesales.

Showguppy.comhasbeenintegratedwithGoogleAnalyticstoprovideinsightsintoaudiencedemographics,behaviors,technologyusage,siteflowandmuchmore.ThroughthisusageShowGuppyisabletodeterminethegeographiclocationsofvisitorsalongwiththeirageandgender.ThisenablesShowGuppytoadaptitsmarketingstrategiestomorepreciselytargetitscustomerbase.Thebrowsersandmobiledevicesusedtoviewthesitearealsodiscernable,makingtheoptimizationprocessinclusiveofmodifyingpagestofittechnologicalusage.Behavioraltendenciesofcustomers,includinghowtheylocatethesiteandhowtheynavigateorflowthroughpages,aretracked.LandingpageA/BtestingisavailablethroughGoogleAnalytics,whichallowsforexperimentationonthemosteffectivepagelayouts.KnowledgeofthisinformationpermitsShowGuppytoperformSEOandredefinethenavigationalstructurethatultimatelyleadstoconversion.

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CurrentdatafromGoogleAnalyticsindicatesabroadspectrumofwhoisvisitingShowguppy.comandtheirtendencies,granteditisasmallsamplesizegiventheinfancyofthesite.InthetwomonthtimeperiodendingApril4,2014therehavebeen170uniquevisitswitha25.78%bounceratefrom14differentcountries,primarilyUSA,usingthebrowsersofChrome,InternetExplorer,FirefoxandSafari.Visitorswereacquiredthroughfourdifferentchannels;direct39%,organicsearch30%,referral24%,andsocial7%.Thesevisitorsaccessedthesitethroughcomputers85%,tablets14%andmobiledevices1%.

E-mailmarketingwillbenumericallyanalyzedthroughtheuseofMailChimp,whichprovidesdataone-mailssenttolargegroupsofrecipients.Datacollectedthroughthissystemincludesdeliveryrates,openrates,uniqueclicksandunsubscribes.A/Btestingisavailableinconjunctionwithsegmentationofe-mailrecipientstodeterminethebestpracticesinareassuchassubjectlines,sendtimesanddesign.ItisalsointegratedwithGoogleAnalyticstoconnectpurchasedatawithe-mailcontents.

Theprimaryreasoningbehindestablishinganalyticalmeasurementsandstandardizedmetricsistodeterminethemostsuccessfulpracticeswhichinturnaidintheprofitabilityofthecompany.Bymeasuringallofthesedifferingaspectsanddeterminingthemosteffectiveprocesses,ShowGuppywillbeabletotailoritsmessagesandcontenttoitstargetmarket.Carefullyanalyzingallofthisinformationonareoccurringbasiswillensurethemosteffectivepracticesarebeingimplemented.

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Conclusion

Theconcurrenceofpublicrelations,marketingandmultimediawithintheshowguppy.comwebsiteandthecomprisingShowGuppybrandhasresultedinanefficientendeavorwhereinguppybreedingasahobbyhasbeenfosteredwhilemaintainingamonetaryprofit.Theultimategoalofthisprojectwastocreateaviablebusinesswhilesimultaneouslyfurtheringtheknowledgeandadoptionofbreedingfancyguppies.

CurrentlyonlyRickGrigsbysellsguppiesandguppyrelatedproductsonthewebsite.ExpectantlymorebreederswillhavetheirguppiesandsuppliesavailableforpurchasewithShowGuppytakingasmallbrokeragepercentage.

Showguppy.comhasestablishedaplatformforguppybreedingenthusiaststocommunicateandshareinformation.Thenetworkshavebeenestablishedforguppybreedersaroundtheworldtosubmitcontenttothesiteandhaveitpublishedforfellowaficionadostoreview.Thisnetworkofcontentflowwillincreaseparticipation,credibilityandrecognitionofshowguppy.comamongsttheguppycommunity.

Itisthevisionofshowguppy.comtobecomethedefinitivelocationtobuy,sell,andlearnaboutguppiesandtheguppybreedinghobby.

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