Week 2 Part B - Business Research: Hello, I'm here

 Hello, I'm here: The business of building a brand 

The business of building a brand is intense. Not only does one have to focus their efforts on the daily business requirements, production of products or offering of services, they also have to provide continuous content on their social media platforms to stay relevant in the eyes of the consumer; that is to say, the public. I took upon myself the task of taking a deeper dive into the world of social media and brand building. 

Let's take a look into the world of social media for five small businesses, each with a different take on the world. I hope you enjoy the adventure.

Sundrenched Vibes - San Diego, CA

Sundrenched Vibes is a lifestyle brand, based out of Julian, California. Its founder, Sue, is a professional photographer, who focuses her artwork on the California Reggae Music scene. As her website grew, she expanded her passion to include product lines, as well as a showcase for her Artist Retreat. Today, Sundrenched Vibes’ products include an eco-conscious, sustainable, and refreshing Sage Mist Spray, a clothing line, crystal pendants, jewelry, and of course, her photography.

Sundrenched Vibes is a small, local business, ran entirely by Sue. All of her social media links are housed on the main page of her website, with ease of access by the consumer. She manages Instagram pages for Sundrenched Vibes, Sage Mist Spray, as well as her artist retreat, Reggae Ranch.

Sundrenched Vibes Facebook Page currently has 982 followers.

Consistently updated, often in batches. The last post was on September 2nd, 2020. A few of the features I noticed were:

•      A pop-up Messenger AI bot, available for quick questions
•        Great info section, with a full description of her mission
•        Tabs for Instagram, Photos
•        Services Tab, with pricing for her photography services

Sundrenched Vibes Instagram Page currently has 2,106 followers.

Also consistently updated, typically in batches. I believe the artist utilizes the integration features that allow for multi-platforms postings simultaneously from one interface, such as Instagram. Since she updates via the integration, the last post was also on September 2nd, 2020. She typically posts weekly.

Sundrenched Vibes Twitter Page currently has 87 followers. Since she updates via the integration, the last post was also on September 2nd, 2020. 

Sundrenched Vibes Pintrest Page currently has 79 followers. 

This really impressed me, as I have not considered Pintrest an area to promote ones business. Great idea. Her last post was on September 2nd, 2020. Typically she is posting on a weekly basis.

On her Reggae Ranch (the artist retreat) Instagram, she currently has 1260 followers

Her newest IG is White Sage SD, she currently has 29 followers. This page was created a week ago to promote specifically her Sage Mist Spray.

Use this link to see all the products!

Use coupon code: JESSIEFIEDLER

Sundrenched Vibes utilizes their social media well. They focus the majority of their social media efforts on Instagram and Facebook, and that reflects in the number of followers present for those respective platforms. Their posts are engaging, beautiful to look at, and create a sense of community. I appreciate this brand for their ability to network with all sorts of artists and musicians, and collaborate with them to create new products and art. Their line of crystal pendants, for example, are a collaboration with an artist that hand-dips locally sustainable crystals and creates pendants.

Hiking My Feelings - San Diego, CA

Hiking My Feelings is a non-profit organization, based out of Julian, California. The Team consists of Sydney and Barry Williams (spouses). The organization was born out of the writing of Hiking My Feelings (the book), by Sydney. Sydney Williams tells a tale of hiking and healing from life trauma and fighting a battle against diabetes in the process. Her fighting continues, as she has created (and is creating additional) programs to help individuals learn how to battle their own inner or physical demons by connecting with nature on a deeper level. The organization is currently raising money to build the Wilderness Retreat Center, in Julian, California, to house additional programs and retreats. The founder, Sydney, has a career background in Marketing, specifically, social media.

Hiking My Feelings Instagram currently has 4833 followers. Their last post was on September 8th, 2020, in the morning. They post multiple times per day, typically in batches. Their posts are lengthy, and comprehensive. They cover a myriad of topics including: healing from trauma, rape prevention, hiking, self-awareness, mindfulness, and self-love and care. They make great use of the story archiving feature in Instagram.
Hiking My Feelings Twitter currently has 15 followers. Their last post was on February 24th, 2020. The focus doesn't seem to be on this platform for this organization. 

Hiking My Feelings Youtube currently has 316 followers. Their last post was on September 8th, 2020, in the morning. They do a vlog of their adventures. This is incredible to watch. Plus, they make friends with cool musicians and get to hike with them!

Hiking My Feelings Facebook currently has 1286 followers. Their last post was on September 8th, 2020. They are engaging and like to create a sense of community with their followers. They have since moved much of their community-minded work to the Mighty Networks platform. 

Overall, I would consider Hiking My Feelings’ social media output a success. Her in-depth stories lend themselves better to a Facebook or Instagram post over a Twitter posting. I believe this is the reason for the low Twitter numbers. The focus on this organization is not on Twitter at this time. The stories are engaging, the call to action is clear. The photographs are spectacular. I find I can live vicariously through the posts online.

Stick Figure Music - Oakland, CA

Stick Figure Music consists of Scott Woodruff, as a musician, producer, and distributer of his own music. He is the band Stick Figure. He collaborates with other amazing musicians to create his albums and send them to the world. His studios are based out of Oakland, California. To date, he has many albums, a full merchandise line, and a Kombucha drink branded with the band name.

Stick Figure Soundcloud currently has 57.3K followers. Their last post was in July, 2020. 

Stick Figure Apple Music I couldn't locate their followers or last posting, but it's huge they are on Apple Music. 

Stick Figure Spotify currently has 1,331,098 monthly listeners.

Stick Figure Facebook currently has 321,247 followers. The last post was on September 4th, 2020.

Stick Figure Instagram currently has 274k followers. The last post was on September 4th, 2020. 

Stick Figure Youtube currently has 277k followers. Their last upload was in August, 2020.

Stick Figure Twitter currently has 32.9k followers.  Their last post was on September 4th, 2020.

I had only heard a few Stick Figure songs in the past, before a friend invited me to the ‘Stick Figure Family’ Facebook group. Since then, there have been ‘Stick Family Singles’ groups formed, and other ‘Stick Figure’ -related groups created. Stick Figure’s social media is so good, and so consistent, that I found myself preordering his next album, complete with a tank top! If it had not been for social media, I may have missed out on a great band and person.

Fabimerch - Avalon, CA

Fabimerch is owned, created, and managed by Fabiola Sillas. Growing up on Catalina Island, Fabi began her artistic career by drawing for friends and family. After focusing her efforts on schooling and practice, Fabi decided to share her gift with the world! Fabimerch offers a Catalina Island vibe, anywhere the merch is found!

Fabimerch Instagram currently has 584 followers. Her last post was on September 7th, 2020.

They post approximately every two days. Their content is focused on showcasing members of the Island community wearing the merchandise. I feel social media could be levered better here with the addition of a Facebook page. She does a lot of promotion of her brand on her personal Facebook page (which connects her with a multitude of Islanders), however, I feel a business page would benefit her cause. With all that being said, I know that this brand is only 2-3 months old in the online world, so I am suitably impressed with Fabimerch’s progress made.

NDMK - Avalon, CA

NDMK is a Catalina Island-based clothing brand, that has since expanded to include a Fish House on the Island. It is a one-person show, a ‘family’ brand, that focuses on ‘Fish, Surf, and Family.’ I have personally purchased a multitude of hats as gifts for friends, and many of my favorite pieces of clothing are from NDMK. They typically post every week.

NDMK Facebook currently has 863 followers. Their last post was September 8th, 2020. 

NDMK Instagram currently has 2943 followers. Their last post was September 8th, 2020

I feel they’ve done really well with what they have done so far. They were able to grow their clothing line to a level to fund their new Fish House in Avalon. They could do more to balance posts about the clothing with the restaurant. They have an active following that tags them often on Instagram, thus building their online presence.

Exploring five different companies, I looked into their websites, social media platforms, last date of postings, and the relevancy of said postings. What I found from this exploration is that consistency is key in the social media world, many companies leverage Facebook and Instagram, and few focus their energies on promotion via Twitter. 

The number of followers per platform really showcased that consistent postings and interesting content is very important to gaining and keeping followers. Youtube was leveraged well in a few cases. The platforms chosen definitely vary depending upon the company's products or services offered. I also learned that with consistency, dedication, and a keen eye for marketing, even tiny companies can be successful in their given mediums.