Revised to a new posting. Two part assignment: Powerpoint AND word document needed.
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part_2_anottated_outline.docxRunning head: Part 2: Annotated Outline 1
Part 2: Annotated Outline 9
Part 2: Annotated Outline
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Introduction
The aim of the assignment is to choose a company which uses the social media and the internet as a marketing strategy. The assignment also requires me to analyze the implication of the use of The Internet and the social media for the future of business, focusing on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and the threats and offer credible sources. I will also propose an evidence-based strategy for the company which I have chosen and also identify and evaluate ethical raised in the future.
Company Description
Buffalo Philly’s Restaurant is part of the White Feather Group family of business. The company is situated in two location, with the first and the oldest being in Smoke Town Road Woodbridge Virginia. The oldest franchise was established in 2004. The second is located in the 2074 Daniel Stuart Square in Woodbridge VA. The URL of the website of the company is www.buffalo-phillys.com.
The company sells goods and also offer services. It sells cuisine which is cooked by the American way. It serves a wide range of meals such as burgers, subs, fries, onion rings, and cheese steak sandwiches among other foods. The company is in the sports foods industry, and it is in the restaurant category.
Buffalo Philly’s Restaurant assessment on the internet and social media usage
The restaurant has its own website and also a Facebook page. The company also utilizes online order such as Beyond Menu, Eat 24, and Delivery.com to make it reach a wide range of customers. One of the strength that the company shows is the use of online orders partners to reach to its customers. Figures have shown that using order online partners have boosted the business by 300% within two years.
Another strength portrayed by the company is an attraction of customers who are tied by either at a job or handling home responsibilities. These people can make orders online ahead of time or calls the restaurant. The online partners have shown that they attract customers and time and expenses are saved which might otherwise be used when traditional methods are utilized. Kathy (2015) states that “the internet helps businesses save time and money.”
Analysis and implications of future of using the internet and social media
The use of the internet and social media has implication which can either be a strength, weaknesses, opportunities and also threats. The strength of using the internet is that it has boosted businesses but at the same time the businesses have been exposed to potential liabilities. This is because online strategies using websites online services have increased the revenues by 300%.
The weaknesses of using the internet and social media are that negative customers can post negative comments about the company, and this makes the restaurant to be vulnerable. When new customers see the negative feedback, they can be driven off costing the company expansion of the business. The negative customers can also be a threat to the business when they comment bad reviews, such as stating that the food is bad so that they can secure a free meal. Kelly (2012) argues that “The value of a customer base for companies is substantial. We’ve heard that it cost more to get a new customer than to keep the existing ones. So it makes sense that we would see more companies develop strategies to engage customers with the social channel.”
Ethical considerations of using the internet and social media
Privacy and fairness are the ethical considerations which can be an impact of using the internet and social media in the business. The customers commenting negatively do not have to use their real names when they do so. The issue of fairness is presented here. “Lastly, there are ethical concerns around the use of social media data for brand marketing purposes where the lines blue between ‘relevant’ and just plain old ‘creepy’” A customer who is anonymous can post a bad review on a social media , but then the review do not affect the establishment but affect the customer’s views.
Also, visiting the internet and social media leaves cyber footprints. For instance, Facebook has been transformed from being a public space and is becoming a behavioral laboratory. In one study, it was revealed that 71% of people have drafted at least one post in which they never posted. Therefore, Facebook and other social media websites can be good for business abut be aware that everything is being watched. It is a place where a company can be built, or it can be broken down.
Strategies for future internet and social media usage
The strategy that I propose for the future of the restaurant in the use of the internet and social media to establish a website which has e-commerce functionality, reduce the number of online orders which claim 15% of each sale and spend more time on engaging customers into a personal conversation so that they can know them better. The restaurant’s reputation depends on how the customers think of the restaurant. Moreover, the restaurant employees are also an important factor in the establishment of the company. When a customer gets to know the employees of the restaurant, they will hardly consider errors. Kelly (2012) states that the second strategy is to attempt to increase value to the customer experience through the social channels.
Another strategy is to ensure that a business set aside time to review the metrics that have been generated by a social media. It can be done in once a month. The metrics to be considered should be the number of posts, the growth of followers, and clicks to the products, pageviews, and a number of liked or shared posts. The different channels should be looked and analyzed independently and compare to the competitors to see how the competition is. When it is challenging to track of the online metric, a software which can do the job can be purchased to keep track of the data. Once you have identified what is important to the customer, you can choose to make a repurpose in the future.
Recommendations for the internet and social media
I recommend that the companies which rely on social media and the internet should set up an e-commerce portfolio on the website of the company as well as increase the number of online partners so that they can maximize their revenue. The restaurant should also incorporate Twitter as one of their social media accounts. Khurana (2015) states that “When you read the following list of advantages of e-commerce for business and customers, you will get the sense that e-commerce is the holy grail of retail.”
Moreover, when a company uses more than one social media to market its product and service, for instance, Facebook and Twitter, each of the channels should be treated as individual entities. This is because of the different audience in different social media websites. For instance, LinkedIn has people who are more business-focused and looks for educational content. When compared to Instagram, you will realize that it is mainly concerned with visual content. Therefore, a company should know the type of social media in which they are in so that it can benefit them.
It is also recommended that a company should keep tabs on their customers, and not just the customer services that they offer. Sometimes customers post at a company’s website or tweets in the company’s Twitter account. When they receive no response, they have lost that customer. Therefore, a company should ensure that there is communication between them and their customers. Responding to the customers promptly will be advantageous to the brand and so is to the company.
Conclusion
I conclude this assignment by assessing the chosen company which uses the internet and social media, identify the areas where it has strength and opportunities and where it suffers weaknesses and threats. I have also supported the information using credible evidence. I also put across an evidence-based strategy for the restaurant and also supported the choice of strategy with credible evidence to identify and evaluate the potential ethical question which comes up in the future vision.
The social media and the internet are powerful tools which can maximize the opportunities, but there are also risks that are involved in using it. However, it should be noted that the benefits of using the social media and the internet for business purposes overweigh the risk of using them.
References
Gutierrez, Mateo (2012), Huffington Post. The Ethics of Social Media, retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mateo-gutierrez/social-media-marketing_b_2206357.html on May 4, 2015
Kelly, Nicole (2012), Social Media Examiner, Customer Increased Revenue, retrieved from http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/turn-customers-into-increased-revenue/ on May 4, 2015
Khurana, Ajeet (2015), About.com, Advantages of Ecommerce for business, retrieved from http://ecommerce.about.com/od/eCommerce-Basics/tp/Advantages-Of-Ecommerce.htm on May 5, 2015
SouthernLiving.com, (2015), Southern Living, Fan Favorite Game Day Dishes, retrieved from http://www.southernliving.com/food/entertaining/football-party-food-recipes on May 5, 2015
