Reference no: EM133272195
Assignment:
Case
In 2015 Andi Workman started a small Etsy shop at her kitchen table in her tiny apartment, hand making a few Christmas ornaments to share with friends. She had always had a creative spirit and loved to share her handcrafted items. When she became engaged, she couldn't find exactly what she was looking for in the wedding industry: simplicity, beauty and affordability. She quickly dove into the world of wedding stationery, signs and décor - having no idea that she would discover something that would bring her so much joy as well as a future business venture. Her wedding was beautiful and a few of her friends wanted her help in designing and creating items for their weddings. It was in those moments of creating custom pieces for her wedding and other brides that Workman Creative Co. was born. WCC now offers a complete line of hand designed custom stationery items for every wedding need, hand lettered signs and other custom décor.
Andi is the creative director and the driving force of the business but she is well supported by her husband and her own family of entrepreneurs that are the behind the scenes 'workmen'. Over the past year Workman Creative has focused on building a strong, positive following through their Etsy shop. Reviews, favorite shop status, and sales are the measures of an Etsy retailer. While still small, WCC is striving to move to an integrated storefront through their website and targeted, social media interaction. Etsy will remain a vehicle to promote the business, but the website and social media events will become the primary focus of promoting and marketing the business.
Through research, they have learned that the key to growing their business in the competitive wedding market is through word of mouth, positive reviews and personal referrals. As Miller and Washington noted in the retail marketing handbook, 'Social media networks are becoming prime vehicles for the wedding industry to market products and services to brides'. In the AM 2014 publication researching the influence on social media and the wedding industry, it was noted how brides of today see themselves as brand managers, seeking that unique personalized experience and sharing it widely on their own social media platforms. It is in this environment that WCC is seeking to promote their unique customized products to couples planning their perfect day.
WCC has done several things over the past 6 months to grow their business:
Launched a new website with stylized photographs, personal stories and wedding focused products and services.
Participated in two bridal showcase events to build brand awareness and expose a local, target market of couples with wedding dates in the next 24 months to WCC and their beautiful, affordable, customized options.
Joined a regional wedding association that shares social media posts, contests and other interactive strategies to couples planning their wedding, referring them to the exclusive members of the association.
Created Instagram and Facebook pages for WCC. Launched 1 giveaway and participated in a week long posting challenge hosted by another creative entrepreneur.
Researched, followed, posted and liked other creatives that compliment WCC products and services without being direct competitors.
Invested in technology and equipment to support the graphic design and printing requirements to deliver a one stop source for wedding stationery designs.
WCC is now facing several challenges with the business.
Please answer the following questions based on the information provided in the case:
Q1. What social media branding strategy can WCC use to effectively grow their business in the short term1? What strategy will work in the long term2?
Q2. What content strategy can Andi employ to keep the blogs, Instagram posts, FB feeds fresh and interactive?
Q3. What should WCC do to improve their online presence and expand their target market?
Q4. What strategies should WCC utilize to develop a social community filled with brides sharing stories, offering advice and recommending WCC to their own community?
Q5. Rank the top 5 social media platforms or apps that you would recommend WCC to help them grow their customer community? Justify your recommendation with facts / data.
1 Short Term = Less than one year.
2 Long Term = More than one year.