Research & Recommendations
MASC - 425 - 2013 Instructor: Sean Stewart
Table of Contents By:
Executive Summary Mission Statement Research Objectives Situation Analysis & Key Publics SWOT Analysis Communication Audits Focus Groups RQ1 RQ3 Surveys RQ 1&2 RQ 3&4 Content Analysis RQ 1 RQ 2 RQ 4 Message Testing RQ 3 Appendix
3 5 7 10 12 17 35 41 48 52 67 72 79 86 99
Elyse Brantingham Morganne Carroll Jessie Champagne Lindsey Felder Ciara Gaines Morgan Jones Maegan Kendrick Wad Khalafalla Alexandra Mossa Mindy Priddy Lian Patricia Putnam Christine Quirk Kristen Ruiz Kari Squire Conner Wilberger Cindy Wood
Executive Summary Public Relations Research is a senior-level course in the School of Mass Communications at Virginia Commonwealth University. Between May and June of 2013, its students conducted content analyses, focus groups, communications audits, and surveys to assist the communications efforts of Richmondmom.com. Richmondmom.com provided four research questions: 1. How should Richmondmom.com approach expanding partnership prospects with area nonprofits? 2. How should Richmondmom. com approach expanding the savvy saver program to make it more useful? 3. How can Richmondmom.com enhance its social media presence? 4. How can Richmondmom.com increase awareness of the site among women in the Richmond metro area?
Key Findings 1. Richmondmom.com can expand partnerships with area non-profits by reaching out to new organizations through social media such as Twitter. Current and new partnerships can grow through educating the readers and followers of Richmondmom.com and its social media. Moms who answered the survey questions indicated that coupon users are not likely to donate to charities. Conversely, people who donate to charities are less likely to use coupons. Targeting the groups separately, those who want to save money and those who want to donate money will increase effective communication. 2. The Savvy Saver program is not easily accessible and needs reconstruction. Instead of an accordion style savings card, the program needs to be taken to a mobile platform. Combining the dining deals with the Savvy Saver program would ensure more savings for readers and more exposure for
the program. The card would be used more frequently if it catered to savings for male caretakers as well as the average “Richmond mom.� Moms from the focus groups specifically mentioned the inaccessibility of the Savvy Saver Card and also how they prefer their coupons to be accessible from their mobile phone. 3. Social media presence for Richmondmom.com needs to be updated and expanded. Not only do the different social media sites need to be reaching more parents in the area but they need to create an atmosphere that both moms and dads feel comfortable accessing. Several dads who participated in both focus groups and surveys admitted they feel like the site has nothing to offer them because of the name of the site and the design. If a section were created specifically for dads, results showed the dads would be more likely to use the site. 4. The most effective way to spread awareness for the site is through 3
social media. Richmond moms are online and mobile. Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest could spread awareness for the site and its partnerships more quickly than any flyer. A majority of moms who participated in the surveys and focus groups said they would absolutely be more inclined to use Facebook and Twitter if they could access important information that Richmondmom.com has to offer.
4
Mission Statement
Our mission is to be the go-to resource for Richmond parents and families.
Vision Statement To provide families and parents with the resources they need to utilize all that Richmond has to offer.
5
Research Objectives
Research Questions 1. How should Richmondmom.com approach expanding partnership prospects with area nonprofits? 2. How should Richmondmom. com approach expanding the savvy saver program to make it more useful? 3. How can Richmondmom.com enhance its social media presence? 4. How can Richmondmom.com increase awareness of the site among women in the Richmond metro area? Research Objective 1 To gather data from parents and caretakers regarding their perceptions and interests in local nonprofit organizations concerning volunteering and donations. The research was based upon local non-profit organizations that were already partnered with Richmondmom.com as well as un-affiliated non-profits that would be a good match for a parenting/lifestyle based website. This process took place from May 20, 2013 to June 14, 2013, only several weeks after Richmondmom.com changed ownership.
This period following change of ownership was a beneficial time to audit the organization’s scope for volunteering and donations. This data will be used to explore how to approach participation with non-profits for a more beneficial partnership for both organizations. The most appropriate way to collect data was through focus groups geared towards parents or caretakers of one or more children. Research Objective 2 To gather data from parents and caretakers regarding their perceptions and suggestions on expanding the Savvy Saver Program to make it more useful and accessible. The research was based upon opinions of our target market on their experiences with the Savvy Saver Program in the previous years as well as their perceptions of generic discount programs such as Groupon or Living Social. This process took place from May 20, 2013 to June 14, 2013. The most appropriate way to collect data was through a short intercept survey with an online option accessible to anyone with Internet access.
Research Objective 3 To gather data from parents and caretakers regarding their perceptions of Richmondmom.com, specifically to understand how to enhance its social media presence. The research was based upon opinions of local parents and caretakers on Richmondmom.com. This process took place from May 20, 2013 to June 14, 2013. This data will be used to explore which social media platforms need to be used by Richmondmom.com in order to enhance their social media presence. The most appropriate way to collect data was through focus groups and message testing, geared toward parents and caretakers of one or more children. Research Objective 4 To gather data from parents and caretakers regarding their usage and perceptions of social media platforms to understand patterns. The research was based upon local parents’ and caretakers’ online usage and what resources are used for trusted parenting information. This process took place from May 7
20, 2013 to June 14, 2013. This data will be used to explore which social media platforms are most utilized among parents in the Richmond area. The most appropriate way to collect data was through a short survey geared toward parents and caretakers. .
8
situation analysis & key publics
Situation Analysis Richmondmom.com, a website for moms living in and around the Richmond area, has great potential for growth in aspects with partners and clients. The website is comprised of articles, advertisements, and events and caters to moms with great advice and ideas. With ownership recently changed, this is a great opportunity to evaluate the company and make it into a more successful business through new ideas. It is also a turning point from being a blog-based website into an online magazine. An online magazine is more up-to-date and user friendly. With these new changes, it will bring more engagement. Because Richmondmom.com is becoming more popular, there is not enough space on the site for advertiser demand. With all ad space already filled through the end of 2013, more opportunities for ad placements are needed.
Goals for Richmondmom.com are to expand partnership prospects with local nonprofits, update the Savvy Saver program to make it more useful, enhance social media presence, and to increase awareness of the site to women and families in and around Richmond, Virginia Key Publics In the past, Richmondmom.com has focused solely on traditional moms in the Richmond area. Its partnerships, articles and savings opportunities have been aimed at this one key demographic. In order to expand on all three of these categories, the key publics that Richmondmom.com targets need to be more modern and specific. The two publics identified were Richmond parents/caregivers and local nonprofits: Richmond Parents/Caregivers Targeting Richmond parents instead of just moms in the area will modernize the site and make
it more easily accessible to real life families in Richmond. Single parents, same-sex parents, grandparents and nannies are all a very realistic part of living in a city such as Richmond, Va. Continuing to cater to traditional families is just as important as expanding to include the new kinds of families. The site has so much useful information it needs to be accessible to anyone taking care of children. Local nonprofits Trying to reach out to leaders in non-profits will help Richmondmom.com expand its partnerships with area non-profits. Getting leaders in non-profits involved with Richmondmom.com will allow more effective coverage of the nonprofits through articles and social media and encourage these organizations to partner with Richmondmom.com in events that readers can attend.
10
SWOT analysis
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
partnership. When reading the article “Dream Baby Shower” on the website, prizes are mentioned and the non-profits that will receive the profits are detailed. Sweet Frog and Nurture will partner with Richmondmom.com. Sweet Frog will match donations for the contest. Richmondmom.com makes sure that it acknowledges those who helped support its non-profit project, which not only shows how many people it has partnered with, but also how grateful its leadership is for its partnerships. In business, a good relationship can go further when a successful relationship is made.
Richmondmom.com already has non-profit projects such as “Wine down Wednesdays” and “Dream Baby Shower” so it makes it easier for other businesses to want to partner with it. For a business to want to participate with another, it usually depends on how successful the business is or how many projects it had done. Based on the feedback or participation they receive, it will peak interest within the business to participate in a non-profit
The Savvy Saver Program has been active for several years and has developed a following. NBC12 news recently showcased the program and Richmondmom.com in a story which gained attention for the website as well as the Savvy Saver Card, Publicity on local television will surely boost morale for the program. As Richmondmom.com’s mission is to be the #1 online resource for Richmond families, having a discount program is a ben-
A SWOT analysis is used to determine what a business or organization is doing well and what needs improvement. Strengths are defined as advantages that the organization compared to similar organizations. Weaknesses are qualities that put the organization at a disadvantage. Opportunities are things that the organization should take advantage of. Threats are organizations or events within the organization’s market that could potentially harm its livelihood.
eficial platform for the organization to reach its target market. Richmondmom.com maintains a Facebook group, Twitter account, and Pinterest account as well as an RSS feed. It is beneficial for the organization to have more than one social media platform because it will allow for more contact with its target publics and help to obtain a larger following. The Facebook group operates as a forum, allowing parents to engage in conversation with one another. The Twitter account is especially well-maintained in that it actively retweets and replies to its followers. The account has multiple daily posts, which are beneficial in keeping its followers interested. The Pinterest account has an updated 2013 Summer Camps board. This has an advantage over the website because the website does not have up-to-date information for 2013. Richmondmom.com has already established well-known, local partnerships with businesses that moms trust. These trustworthy partners that Richmond moms are familiar with will drive traffic to the site. 12
Weaknesses The downfall in trying to build relationships with Richmondmom. com, is that it doesn’t make it clear on its website where information for the non-profit projects are located. The Dream Baby Shower is listed under the contests and giveaways section. This is problematic for the project because it seems more like Richmondmom.com is just giving money and prizes to members instead of charity. If an organization wants to be taken seriously for non-profit partnerships, it needs a section on its page dedicated solely to non-profits projects. As far as Wine Down Wednesdays, it has its own section under the “home” subheading. It makes the project seem like a routine social event where the moms can take part in wine-tastings. It’s ok for the moms or parents to have fun at these events, but when trying to draw attention to them for nonprofit partnerships, Richmondmom. com should create a subheading or section of the page that is more informative.
The format of the Savvy Saver Shopper Program is extremely outdated; the accordion-styled pamphlet of deals folds to be the size of a business card but could be easily destroyed after one day in the purse of a mom on the go. On Richmondmom.com, there is a tag for “Savvy Saver” where the viewer can choose the topic and see all posts related to it, but there are very few tagged. One blog post made on January 2, 2013 is the main page for information on the program and it is constructed in an unorganized list of partner logos and associated deals. This could be constructed better to make a concise, grid-like navigation of deals. Another major weakness of the program is there simply aren’t enough deals and the businesses that do participate do not seem to advertise it. Another weakness of Richmondmom.com is its social media in that its Facebook account operates as a group rather than a page. The Facebook group does not have the following that the Twitter account does. Not having a Facebook page hinders the company’s ability to use Facebook to its fullest poten-
tial. The group allows for members to make posts on anything that they find relevant, therefore, a content manager needs to monitor the site and ensure that only relevant content stays posted. The weakness arises from Richmondmom.com not having a page that allows for social media platforms to integrate and use tools to monitor its reach on Facebook. Having a page would enable Richmondmom.com.com to make its own posts rather than from staff writers’ personal accounts. Also, Richmondmom.com does not do enough outreach to its target audiences. Although it has strong affiliates, stronger moves need to be made in order to increase site awareness across the Richmond area. Opportunities The opportunities that Richmondmom.com could exploit are the current projects that it’s already working on. When research teams looked at other sites that supported non-profit groups, they had whole 13
sections dedicated to non-profit projects, partnerships, or community service work. It’s not that Richmondmom.com doesn’t already have projects underway or the potential to create more with other partners, it just needs to stress the importance of participating with a non-profit organization by giving it a separate section or subheading. For example, the brief advertisement of “Kahlil’s story for the Children’s Hospital” could headline one of their non-profit projects there instead. Richmondmom.com already has a subtitle that reads “Live a little, give a little” that could be used to promote its nonprofit groups instead of its volunteering work since it already has a subheading. As 2014 approaches, changes can be made to the Savvy Saver program to keep it modern and accessible. A mobile application for the Savvy Saver Program would be a paperless approach that would be easy for any parent to use. It would be a more organized format, would use less paper and could open up the Savvy Saver program
to more branding and marketing opportunities. Families that are just traveling through Richmond could even utilize it. Due to the untimely halt to the website’s dining deals, food and restaurant deals should be combined with Savvy Saver to gain content. Overall, more partners and deals would be ideal to really utilize the platform, as well as printing “Savvy Saver Business” window stickers or hangers for the front windows of participating businesses. An opportunity for improving social media communications is to obtain feedback from the current followers and potential viewers. This could be achieved through surveying and focus groups. After obtaining feedback, new ideas and better ways to project content could be implemented. It would be helpful to both Richmondmom.com and its partnerships if it used cross-promotion techniques. More collaborative efforts will increase awareness for both organizations, creating a mutually beneficial partnership.
Threats Potential threats for Richmondmom.com are the number of social events they highlight beyond the non-profit ones. Richmondmom. com could mislead a partner with the focus or mission of the site if readers see “Wine down Wednesdays” or “hot Richmond mamas.” When first looking at the site, it is difficult to determine what the focus is. It wasn’t until the research teams had a conversation with Christa Donohue, that they finally understood the purpose of Richmondmom.com. It is important for other businesses to view Richmondmom.com as an organization that doesn’t just have fun but also one that has fun giving back. Widely-used discount programs like Groupon and LivingSocial are competition for the Savvy Saver Program because they are popular resources for family deals and discounts in Richmond. Savvy Saver’s usage of the outdated paper accordion layout has been drastically declining. By reviving it with a mobile application, usage is ex14
pected to increase. Establishing the program will require involvement from more partners, an application designer as well as a more organized layout and program mission. The change in voice and perspective of the new owners that will soon be present in various social media platforms, might cause issues in maintaining current followers. Because Richmondmom.com has had a specific tone over the past five years, changing it could decrease followers if they do not like the new manner in which they are receiving information. There are a few sites that already cater to Richmond moms. For example, http://www.richmondmommies.com/ and http://www. completelykidsrichmond.com/ mom-kid-groups/. Richmondmom. com needs original information if it hopes to compete with similar sites catering to the same publics.
15
Communication Audits
Communication Audit
According to Julia Coffman, “A strategic communications audit is a systematic assessment, either formal or informal of an organization’s capacity for, or performance of, essential communications practices. It is evaluative in that it provides a “snapshot” of where an organization currently stands in terms of its communication capacity or performance. It is formative in that it also points to areas in which the organization can strengthen its performance.”
Communication is key for any organization, no matter what its focus is. In this case, Richmondmom. com wants to be the number one site for parents and the organization as a whole needs to communicate in an effective and beneficial way that continues to promote growth and support.
5-Optimized. After each practice is given a score, all the scores are averaged to result in Practice Maturity score. The overall score is calculated by giving each section a score from one through five. Once that has been completed then average the five sections needs to be completed.
Practice Maturity Scale The Practice Maturity Scale offers five levels that represent the performance for a given practice. Higher levels on the scale represent higher levels of commitment to, integration of, and performance on the practice. There are five categories that are measured: develop effective materials, build valuable partnerships, train messengers, conduct steady outreach, and monitor and evaluate. Scores for the practice maturity scale are described as 0-Not performed, 1-Ad Hoc, 2-Planned, 3-Institutionalized, 4- Evaluated, 17
Practice Maturity Scale
Implementation Chart
18
Research Question 1 How should Richmondmom.com approach expanding partnership prospects with area nonprofits? Mission The owner of Richmondmom.com, Christa Donahue, has explained that her vision for this company’s future is to be the online resource for Richmond parents and caretakers. Many of the categories currently available on the site list ideas for activities for kids and families. The first research question is, “How should Richmondmom. com approach expanding partnership prospects with area nonprofits?” The importance of addressing this research question is for Richmondmom.com to remain a large supporter of non-profits while also supporting families. Current Communications Practices
The focus of this section is to understand Richmondmom.com’s current communications practices related to partnerships with local nonprofits. Overview: To gain revenue, Richmondmom.com sells advertising space on its website to local businesses and offers a portion of this revenue to Richmond Children’s charities. Since 2009, Richmondmom.com has partnered with 14 nonprofits. These organizations are listed as follows: -CHIP of Richmond: Children’s Health Involving Parents, now Family Lifeline -CJ’s Thumbs Up Foundation -Down Syndrome Association of Greater Richmond (DSAGR) -Junior League of Richmond -KLM Scholarship Foundation -Massey Cancer Center -SCAN of Richmond, VA: Stop Child Abuse Now -LUNA Fest supporting Cleaning for a Reason and My Hands for Hope, e-organizations providing cleaning for cancer patients.
-March of Dimes March for Babies -Safe Harbor Women’s Shelter, Richmond VA -Autism Speaks Walk -Pink Tie Gala supporting Richmond women with breast cancer -Special Olympics of Virginia -Virginia Eye Institute Foundation After an analysis of the website, research indicates that the process in which Richmondmom.com partners with neighboring nonprofits is through the use of advertising, contests, and promotions. Richmondmom.com sells space on its website in the form of banners, page feature, cover story feature, site sponsorships, and promotions. Currently, Richmondmom.com has a few cover feature stories that promote its partnership with its advertisers. A few examples include: -The Science Museum of Virginia is an advertiser on Richmondmom. com. This advertiser has a cover feature story titled “Real Richmond Review: Flight of the Butterflies at 19
the Museum. (See appendix A) -iD Tech Camps is an advertiser of Richmondmom.com and has a cover feature story called “iD Tech Camps: Why 150,000 Students Chose Them.” (See appendix B) -Grove Avenue Piano is another example of a cover feature story. Their article is “Great Deal: Free Month of Lessons at Grove Avenue Piano.” (See appendix C). Richmondmom.com offers a discount card (Savvy Saver Card) that allows its readers to enjoy discounts and special promotions with advertisers until the end of the year. (See appendix D) Examples include: -Real Life Studios: offers complimentary Hayes & Fisk session or $150 off Real Life Birthday Party. -Great Wolf Lodge: 20% off best available room rates and spa services.
-Dream Dinners: 10% off any order of 36 servings or more. Richmondmom.com hosts different contest throughout the year. Typically, Richmondmom. com donates a certain amount to a nonprofit based on the amount of nominations that are made. Examples: -Dream Baby Shower: Nominees receive $3000 in prizes. Richmondmom.com donates $5 for each nominee to Nurture, whose mission is to improve the health and well-being of childbearing families. SweetFrog will match the donation that Richmondmom.com contributes to Nurture. (See appendix E). -nTelos Cares: nTelos donated $1500 to TACA and $500 to The Children’s Heart Foundation and Safe Harbor based on likes and mentions from Facebook and Twitter. (See appendix F). -SuperMom: Prizes include over $3000 in prizes including a celebration for the winner and her friends
at Brio Tuscan Grill at Stony Point Fashion Park. Richmondmom.com will make a $5 donation to CJStuf. Org for every nomination. Shannon Milligan of Keller Williams Realty will match the donations. (See appendix G) Richmondmom.com also has events with Wine Loft – Wine Down Wednesday. These events help to raise money for different nonprofits. Examples include: -Wine Down Wednesday to benefit Tricycle Gardens. It sells raffle tickets of $10 and all proceeds benefit Tricycle Gardens. (See appendix H) -Wine Down Wednesday to benefit Down Syndrome Association of Greater Richmond. (See appendix I). -Wine Down Wednesday to benefit Junior League of Richmond. (See appendix J).
20
Develop Effective Materials Richmondmom.com has social platforms which include, Facebook, Linkeden, Twitter and the Richmondmom.com website itself. The website is cluttered and the color platform is bright. As a whole, the website needs to be changed and enhanced so it is more appealing to mothers. Richmondmom.com will need to change the appearance of its website and also try to expand and gain more followers on its Facebook and Twitter. These outlets should be updated more frequently and Twitter should reply to its publics more often as well. On its homepage, Richmondmom. com should try to include Pinterest, Linkedin, Tumblr and Youtube links. This will create a larger target audience. Also, Richmondmom.com is not utilizing its outlets to its fullest potential and engaging with its followers. Based on these issues, Richmondmom.com is a level 2 rating because it does not utilize its media platforms. Building Valuable Partnerships
Richmondmom.com has linkages that exist with internal and external stakeholders. Richmondmom.com has been working with partnerships like the Savvy Shopper. This is beneficial because it offers discounts on various activities for the family and children. However, it would help if the Savvy Shopper’s card could be advertised on more media outlets such as television advertisements or on YouTube. It would be beneficial for the organization to also advertise in areas of Richmond at locations where mothers shop. Richmondmom.com has a strong partnership with The Wine Loft by which they offer appetizers and drinks after mothers donate $5. This is generating the revenue the organization needs to donate to children’s charities. Also, Richmondmom.com has partnered with Massage Envy Spa, and has supported the Special Olympics of Virginia, March of Dimes, The Children’s Hospital at Richmond, Science Museum of Virginia among others. Richmondmom.com even offers support for
education, legal, and childcare. Although the organization has all of these resources and partnerships, Richmondmom.com could do more to expand on these partnerships. It will be beneficial to recruit nonprofits that share the same values as the company and those nonprofits. This will target funding sources that will be equivalent with the organization’s goals. It would be beneficial for Richmondmom. com to choose nonprofits that also have a clear and concise marketing strategy. Therefore, Richmondmom.com is a level 4 rating based off of their previous experiences in building valuable partnerships with other organizations and nonprofits. Training Messages For training messages, Richmondmom.com is a level 3 rating because although the organization has a clear mission statement on what it would like to achieve, Richmondmom.com is not utilizing all of its social media platforms. The team of writers and staff should have its members update its Facebook 21
more often and rather than having people friend request them, Richmondmom.com should instead work to reach out to all publics in Richmond. If this organization only relies on people to just search for them then its target audience will not expand and Richmondmom. com will fall short of being the number one online resource for Richmond mothers (and fathers, grandparents). Also, the team in charge of maintaining the Twitter account should be certain that every tweet is responded to through a reply or retweet. The Linkedin profile needs to be organized and also expanded. The main problem with their social platforms is the lack of feedback and effort to expand Richmondmon.com as the number online resource. Richmondmom. com needs to get its name out there and in order to do this, it is imperative that it works on carrying out their external messages. Steady Outreach The maturity scale rating Richmondmom.com earned for its out-
reach is a 4. Richmondmom.com uses all of the latest social outlets such as Twitter, Facebook, emails, newsletters, press releases and other. The only problem is it does not fully utilize all of the platforms to the best of its ability. Things such as the Facebook page alone, lacked event updates. If Richmondmom. com focused as much attention to its other social media outlets as it does with its Twitter, Richmondmom.com could then expand the general interest of their site. Monitor and Evaluate For the monitoring and evaluation of the activities and outcomes of Richmondmom.com, it earned a 3. Richmondmom.com has a cluttered website, which hides the success behind their events. As far as having activities, it does well with that; however, the site lacks organization, listings of feedback results, and participation results of the activities that it has conducted. One can have many events, but if the public or viewers do not see the success and provide feedback from
them, it will not be known whether or not it is making progress as an organization. S.W.O.T. Analysis S.W.O.T analysis is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of how Richmondmom.com should approach expanding partnership prospects with area nonprofits. Strengths Richmondmom.com has some nonprofit projects such as “Wine down Wednesdays” and “Dream Baby Shower” so it makes it easier for other businesses to want to partner with it. For a business to want to participate with another, it usually depends on how successful the business is or how many projects they have done. Based on the feedback Richmondmom.com receives, it will show other businesses whether or not it wants to develop a nonprofit partnership.
22
When viewing the article of the “Dream Baby Shower” on the website, it can be seen that the mentioning of the prices and nonprofit to which the profit will be dedicated. The article lists about 19 prizes and the sponsors behind them, including Sweet Frog, who will partner with them in matching their donation and also a nonprofit organization called Nurture. Richmondmom.com makes sure that it acknowledges those who helped support its nonprofit project, which not only shows how many people it got to partner with them, but also how grateful it was for its partnerships. In business, a good relationship can go far when a successful relationship is made. Weaknesses The downfall in trying to build relationships with Richmondmom. com is that it does not make it clear on the website where information on their nonprofit projects is located. The Dream Baby Shower was listed under the contests and giveaways section. It discredits the
project because when one thinks of a contest or a giveaway, it seems more like it is merely giving money and prizes to members instead of charity. If an organization wants outsiders to take its nonprofit partnerships seriously, there needs to be a section on the organization’s page dedicated solely to nonprofits and their projects. As far as Wine Down Wednesdays, it has their own section under the home subheading. It makes the project seem like a fun event where the mothers can participate in wine tasting or wine socials. It appears that mothers or parents have fun at these events, but when attempting to draw attention to them for nonprofit partnerships, Richmondmom.com should develop a subheading or section of the page that seems more serious and credible. Opportunities The things that Richmondmom. com could use to its advantage are the current projects on which it is already working. Listings of partnerships are available on the right
column of the home page, but there should be a new subheading solely for nonprofit projects. When compared to other sites that supported nonprofit groups, Richmondmom. com had a whole section dedicated to nonprofit projects, partnerships, or community service work. It is not that Richmondmom.com does not currently have projects under its belt or the potential to create more with other partners, it just needs to stress the importance of participating in a nonprofit organization by giving it a separate section or subheading. The same way it has a brief advertisement of “Kahlil’s Story” for the Children’s Hospital, a nonprofit organization could also be headlined. There is even a subtitle that says “Live a little, give a little” which could be used to promote their nonprofit groups rather than its volunteering work that has a subheading. Threats Things that could be a potential threat for the site are the number of events that are highlighted besides 23
the nonprofit ones. Richmondmom. com could mislead a partner with the focus or mission of the site, if readers were to see “WINE” down Wednesdays, or hot Richmond mamas, and etc. At first glance at the site, it is difficult to tell what the main purpose of the site is. It was not until Christa Donohue, owner of Richmondmom.com, stated the mission that purpose behind Richmondmom.com was revaled. Also, attracting outside businesses is a way for Richmondmom.com to give back to various organizations and the community.
are focused in Carytown and the Short Pump area. In order to be the number one resource in Richmond, all parts of Richmond need to be a priority.
Research Question 2
Savvy Saver Program
How should Richmondmom.com approach expanding the savvy saver program to make it more useful?
As far as gaining more participants for the Savvy Saver program, Richmondmom.com needs to consider including kid-friendly dining deals, family restaurants, kids eat free locations and promotions. The SPCA, women’s centers, YMCA, malls, and more doctors (Pediatricians, OB-GYNs, Orthodontists, etc.) would be great additional businesses. To maintain the partnerships with its future and current Savvy
Mission Richmondmom.com aims to be the number one online resource for parents and families in the Richmond area. The businesses partnerships have been formed with
The untapped local markets include: Chesterfield, Midlothian, Glen Allen, North Side, South Side, Huguenot, and surrounding counties. To expand the Savvy Saver program, Richmondmom.com must reach out to local businesses in Richmond that are not in the Savvy Saver Program and are not current website partners.
Saver partners, Richmondmom. com should have constant communication with the businesses participating in the program. It must be ensured that each business has a way of informing the public of the Savvy Saver program. This could be in the form of a visible sign, poster, or sticker at the entrance or desk, where it is easily accessible and viewable by the general public. This will not only let those who are a part of the program know that the business is a partner, but it can also serve as an advertisement to those who are unfamiliar with the Savvy Saver program. Richmondmom.com needs to regularly advertise the Savvy Saver program in its newsletters, and ensure that each of the partners of the program does the same. Radio advertisements for any businesses that are in the program could also mention Savvy Saver to gain awareness about it. The current layout of the Savvy Saver program needs to be greatly improved. Savvy Saver should 24
categorize and organize the businesses in a clear and easy-to-follow manner. Instead of having a clustered assortment of businesses on the printable PDF or a folded card, Savvy Saver should have an organized, grid-style breakdown of participants in the form of a mobile application. For example, Savvy Saver should have categories for dining, entertainment, shopping, children stores, etc. Trying to read and determine the participants of the program is a hassle, and this makes the program less likely to succeed. Current Communications Practices Richmondmom.com’s current communications practices are the website, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and various blogs. Directly above the advertising sidebar on the main homepage, there is a small pink box that has a “Sign Up” call to action button. There are links to the Savvy Saver Program on the menu bar, as well as in multiple places on the website. Many links lead
to a blog post made on January 2, 2013 advertising the New Year’s program. A printable PDF version of Richmondmom.com’s Savvy Shopper Card is also available for parents to use or parents can opt to have the card mailed to them. The Savvy Saver program should be more up-to-date and cater to mothers on the go. Richmondmom. com needs to make a mobile app that will facilitate the use of the program instead of having a printable PDF that is unappealing and a folded card that is inconvenient. Having a mobile application will make people more likely to use the program, and it will also be easier to have the list of businesses involved more organized. The current participants in the Savvy Saver program are “listed” in a cluttered manner. Having the different businesses categorized will benefit all parties. The current layout is not only visually unappealing, but is also difficult to follow.
Develop Effective Materials In terms of developing effective materials, Richmondmom.com seems to be lacking in that area. Currently, the Savvy Saver program is very disorganized and not very user friendly. There are a very small number of participants in the program, which seems odd since it has so many companies that advertise with them. Richmondmom.com does have material, which could be very useful to parents, however it is very difficult to access. In terms of developing effective materials, Richmondmom.com received a score of 2. Building Valuable Partnerships As for building valuable partnerships, Richmondmom.com needs to communicate more with current and potential sponsors for the program. Participation from current partners also needs to be encouraged in order to increase advertising. This section received a score of 2.
25
Training Messages As far as training messages, it does not seem as though there is any type of communication for those who would want their business to be a part of the program. Also, there seems to be little to no communication internally as well when referring to the Savvy Saver program. This received a score of 1. Steady Outreach There seems to be no steady outreach being conducted and therefore many mothers are not aware of it. Clearly, because the program is not effective, it is not reaching out to their audience. With the current state of the outreach, this earned a score of 1.5. Monitor and Evaluate Monitor and Evaluate seemed to be the lowest scoring section simply because it seems that no one has been monitoring and evaluating the program at all with many of the deals being outdated and people
not using the program. Once a regular monitoring system is implemented, the program would begin to improve. More families will be involved and it is an overall win for companies as well as the consumers saving money. This received a score of 1. S.W.O.T. Analysis In order to thoroughly evaluate Richmondmom.com’s Savvy Saver program, a S.W.O.T. analysis was conducted on the program. This was an in-depth look at the program’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The research question being analyzed was: “How should Richmondmom. com approach expanding the Savvy Saver Program to make it more useful?” Strengths The Savvy Saver Program has been in use for several years, so it has dedicated users that will continue to have their free membership to the program to benefit from the
deals offered. NBC12 news recently showcased the program and Richmondmom.com in a story which brought attention to the website as well as the Savvy Saver Card. Publicity on local television networks will surely boost morale for the program. Richmondmom. com’s mission is to be the number one online resource for Richmond families, having a discount program is a beneficial platform for the organization to reach its target market. Weaknesses The format of the Savvy Saver Shopper Program is extremely outdated; the accordion-styled pamphlet of deals folds to be the size of a business card but could be easily destroyed after one day in the purse of any mother on the go. On Richmondmom.com, there is a tag for “Savvy Saver” where one can choose the topic and see all posts relating to it, and there are very few tagged. One blog post made on January 2, 2013 is the main page for information on the program 26
and it is constructed poorly in an unorganized list of partner logos and associated deals. This could be constructed better to make a concise, grid-like navigation of deals. Another major weakness of the program is there simply are not enough deals and the businesses that do participate do not advertise it. Opportunities As 2014 approaches, changes can be made in the program to keep it modern and accessible. A mobile application for the Savvy Saver Program would make a paperless approach that would be easy for any parent to use. It would be a more organized format, would use less paper, and could open up the Savvy Saver program to more branding and marketing opportunities. Due to the untimely halt to the website’s dining deals, food and restaurant deals should be combined with Savvy Saver to gain content. Overall, more partners and deals would be ideal to really utilize the platform, as well as
printing “Savvy Saver Business” window stickers or hangers for the front windows of participating businesses. Threats Modern day discount programs like Groupon and LivingSocial are competition to the Savvy Saver Program because they are popular resources for family deals and discounts in Richmond. Savvy Saver’s usage of the outdated paper accordion layout has been drastically declining, but by reviving it with a mobile application, usage is expected to increase. Developing the program for healthy growth will need to involve more partners, an application designer as well as a more organized layout and program mission. Areas for Improvement Checking the details and information on how the program is running from a different perspective provides areas of improvement. The core of Richmondmom.com is very
beneficial and contains important information and guidance. The Savvy Saver program has so much potential and can eventually evolve into something massive. Using the categories to better organize, advertise in the local businesses involved, and adding in restaurants will have all of Richmond knowing about the Savvy Saver program. Research Question 3 How can Richmondmom.com enhance its social media presence? Mission / Vision Statement Richmondmom.com’s mission statement is to become the numberone parenting site in Richmond. Because of this, its research question “how to enhance its social media presence?” is essential to understand in order to reach the maximum amount of parents in the area. Connecting with as many people as possible through social media will help Richmondmom. com in achieving its vision for the 27
company. However without social media, its mission statement will be much harder to obtain. Social media has become a vital part of people’s lives and is a major tool in conveying information. Therefore, effective communication to its target publics is what Richmondmom.com must strive towards. Current Communications Practices Facebook Richmondmom.com utilizes Facebook on a regular basis. Unfortunately, it only utilizes a Facebook group, which is titled “Richmondmom.com Junkies.” This is not appropriate for mothers of any age and sends the wrong message. Despite this, Richmondmom.com’s Facebook group has a substantial number of members, at 1,622. If a page with a branded name was created, versus a group, Richmondmom.com could increase its following on Facebook because it would be well on its way to creat-
ing a more reputable brand. At the present time the group is designed like an open forum and there are no posts from staff writers under the title of Richmondmom.com. Twitter Richmondmom.com’s Twitter bio needs to be improved to ensure that visitors of the site understand the company’s vision and mission. Richmondmom.com. has a following of 6,737 parents, not specifically mothers, on Twitter and it is growing each day. Since Richmondmom.com has joined Twitter, there have been 20,315 tweets. The information presented on Twitter seems to coincide with articles on the website. Richmondmom. com interacts with their followers regularly through retweeting and replying. On average. the site posts two to three times per day. RSS Feed Richmondmom.com’s RSS feed is directly related to the content that is posted on the website. As long as the site continues to post on a regular basis, its RSS feed should
remain up-to-date. Pinterest Richmondmom.com maintains a Pinterest account. However, there is not a link to this platform from its website. Its Pinterest bio states that the page is “Richmondmom. com’s Most Excellent Pinterest Board,” which makes it seem that there are others boards available for Richmondmom.com. The account has 128 followers, 46 boards, and 1,569 pins. Develop Effective Materials Measures materials developed in attractive, accessible and varied formats for maximum exposure and visibility. On a scale of 1 through 5, the score received was a 2. Unlike Facebook and Twitter, Pinterest is not accessible from Richmondmom.com’s website. Without properly guiding visitors to the company’s Pinterest platform, the social media outlet becomes highly ineffective. To move up to level 4, the suggestion would be to include Pinterest on the website and pro28
duce a facebook page instead of a group. This would help to further evaluate each social media platform. Score: 2 Build Valuable Partnerships Measures the link between internal and external stakeholders who help carry the vision, Richmondmom. com received a three. Because it has built relationships with organizations that support it in helping non-profits, Richmondmom.com recieved a 3. To move up a level, Richmondmom.com would need to track and measure how its relationships affect the company’s overall progress. Score: 3 Train Messages Measures the external and internal messengers trained in being consistent in their delivery. Richmondmom.com received a 2 because each social media outlet does not deliver messages on a regular basis. The Facebook group is updated somewhat regularly, and while there is someone constantly
updating it, this is done from their personal account. The content management of the Twitter page is working well because there are frequent posts and follower engagement. Its Pinterest account is very unorganized and has not been updated in three weeks. To move up to level 3, there needs to be a constant utilization of Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. The updates need to become a routine part of the organization’s “fabric.” Content management is key. After that Richmondmom.com can begin tracking the progress of its messages. Score: 2 Conduct Steady Outreach Measures the sustainment of multiple outlets. The company received a 2 in this area because although there are numerous outlets, i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, none are being utilized to their fullest potential. Since Facebook functions as a group and not a page it does not perform as well as it should. The Twitter accounts content manager does not always respond
when viewers tweet at the company. Also, a bio needs to be written to ensure that those who visit the site’s Twitter page understand what is to be expected of the content presented on the page. Score: 2 Monitor and Evaluate Measures to the outcomes and regular monitoring and evaluations of activities, received a 1. A pattern has occurred, because there is not a steady outreach. This shows us that the social networking websites are not constantly monitored. Also, the Facebook group page is not being monitored properly. The suggestion would be for there to be constant monitoring of what people are saying about the site on all social media outlets. Score: 1 Overall Score The overall score Richmondmom. com received was 2. This score was relatively low, but was well deserved. There are many aspects of the company’s social media campaign in which the company can 29
improve. Overall Score: 2 SWOT Analysis Strengths Richmondmom.com maintains a Facebook group, Twitter account, and Pinterest account as well as a RSS feed. It is beneficial for the organization to have more than one social media platform because it will allow for a better reach to its target publics and help to obtain a larger following. The Facebook group operates as a forum, allowing parents to engage in conversation with one another. The Twitter account is especially well-maintained in that it actively retweets and replies to its followers. The account has multiple daily posts which is beneficial in keeping its followers interested.The Pinterest account has an updated 2013 Summer Camps board. This has an advantage over the website because the website does not have current and up-to-date information for 2013.
Weaknesses A weakness of Richmondmom. com’s social media is that the Facebook account operates as a group rather than a page. The Facebook group does not have the following that the Twitter account does. Not having a Facebook page hinders the companies ability to use Facebook to its fullest potential. The group allows for members to make posts on anything that they find relevant therefore, a content manager needs to monitor the site and ensure that only relevant content stays posted. The weakness arises from Richmondmom.com not having a page that allows for social media platforms to integrate and use tools to monitor its reach on Facebook. Having a page would enable Richmondmom.com.com to make its own posts rather than from staff writers’ personal accounts. Opportunities An opportunity for improving the social media is to obtain feedback from the current followers and potential viewers. This could be achieved through surveying and
focus groups. After obtaining feedback, new ideas and better ways to project content could be implemented. Threats The change in voice and perspective from the new owners that will soon be present in the various social media platforms might cause issues in maintaining its current following. Richmondmom.com had a specific view and voice and a change in this could lose viewers that do not like the new manner in which it is receiving information. Social Media Improvements Becoming active is important in this case. Richmondmom.com needs to tweet consistently during the day. Creating a Facebook page versus a group will help Richmondmom.com become branded as a reputable organization versus an organization that calls its fans “junkies”. It will also allow the company to utilize tools that Facebook offers, such as running contests and analytics.
30
Richmondmom.com and has proven to be effective is its past communication efforts. However, there is room to improve and, if Richmondmom.com makes the suggested improvements, it can continue to thrive in its communication efforts. Research Question 4 How can Richmondmom.com increase awareness of the site among women in the Richmond metro area? Current Communications Practices Richmondmom.com’s Current Communication Practices are listed below: - Email Newsletter - Facebook Group - Facebook Page - Partnerships - Twitter - Pinterest - LinkedIn Developing Materials
Richmondmom.com is strategizing to reach out to the community through social media outlets, such as Twitter and Facebook mainly. Visibly their Pinterest, LinkedIn, and YouTube links are missing from the homepage. Responsibilities are assigned to the writers on the website. The Facebook is not updated regularly and the Facebook fan page only has two likes. Because the Richmondmom.com ownership has just changed it is in the process of updating the layout, the logo, and social media to reach out to mothers and parents in the community and reach its goal of being the number one online resource for parents in the area. Richmondmom.com’s utilization of social media rates at a stage 2, also known as the planned stage on the practice maturity scale. Building Partnerships Around the Community Linkages exist with internal and external stakeholders through the ads on the sides on the website. Richmondmom.com partners
with Massage Envy Spa. Richmondmom.com has supported the Massey Cancer Center, Autism Speaks, Special Olympics of Virginia, Walk, March of Dimes, and Virginia Eye Institute since 2009. Richmondmom.com is currently at a level 3 on the practice maturity scale, which is known as the institutionalized level on the practice maturity scale because it has built up strong external relationships with their partners, Message Envy, and the Wine Loft, but it could choose to partner with more organizations and place them all along the sides of the website for easy access. Train Messages Since Richmondmom.com is in a transition between owners, their new message could gain even more advertisers and visitors. The internal and external stakeholders know the goal of Richmondmom.com to be the number one resource for mothers and parents in the Richmond area, with Richmondmom. com’s goal of focusing on Rich31
mond Children’s charities. The external messenges include the partnerships with charities, advertising and donations the Richmondmom. com team has built around the Richmond area and the more Richmondmom.com gets their name out in the community the stronger the external messengers. Some of the communication problems are internal and deal with the websites layout itself. Although it may take time for Richmondmom.com to integrate and utilize their social media presence in Richmond. Therefore, Richmondmom.com rates as a level 4 on the evaluated practice maturity scale because it gives a concise mission statement for what the team of writers and the website hopes to provide to the public. Conduct Steady Outreach Out of the six platforms Richmondmom.com uses to communicate with its publics, only the Twitter account is maintained on a daily basis. The other five platforms are not regularly used Richmondmom. com would receive a score of 1 for
conducting steady outreach and dissemination through multiple outlets to its publics. Monitor and Evaluate From the client visit, it was learned that Richmondmom.com is not using any means of social media measurement or measuring readership through programs such as Hootsuite or Vocus. Richmondmom.com is currently not monitoring and evaluating its activities and outcomes, which results in a score of 0. SWOT Analysis Using a SWOT analysis, a proposal of the following ideas to improve Richmondmom.com has been made. A SWOT analysis is the evaluation of an organization for a specific objective. The external and internal factors are evaluated to determine which factors will contribute to accomplishing this objective. This analysis was conducted for RQ4 to determine, how Richmondmom.com increase awareness of
the site among women in the Richmond metro area. Strengths Richmondmom.com strengths are many different local, well-known partnerships with businesses that mothers trust, or are already familiar with and utilize. Associating themselves with trusted businesses makes it more likely that mothers will visit the site. Weaknesses Richmondmom.com could do more within the Richmond community to promote itself to its publics. Although it has strong affiliates, stronger moves need to be made in order to increase site awareness across the Richmond area. Opportunities It would be helpful to both Richmondmom.com and its partnerships if it used cross promotion. More collaborative efforts will increase
32
awareness for both organizations, creating a mutually beneficial partnership. Threats There are a few sites that already cater to Richmond mothers such as Richmondmommies.com and Completelykidsrichmond.com. Richmondmom.com needs original information, if it hopes to compete with similar sites catering to the same publics.
33
Focus Groups
Research Question 1 Research Question 1
A focus group is a form of qualitative (finding the why and how) research in which a group of people is asked about their perceptions, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes towards a product, service, concept, advertisement, idea, or packaging. Questions are asked in an interactive group setting where participants are free to talk with other group members.
A focus group was conducted to answer the research question, “How should Richmondmom.com approach expanding partnership prospects with area nonprofits?� for the online parenting resource, Richmondmom.com. Information gathered from this focus group can be used by the group to give ideas or methods for change to Richmondmom.com.
chosen for our focus is Richmond parents. Conclusions were made that mixing parents and non-profit leaders in one group would not lead to a successful open conversation because they have different relationships with the website. Another focus group with just non-profits could also help answer research question 1: How should Richmondmom.com approach expanding partnership prospects with area nonprofits?
Research Group 1 conducted a focus group on June 4, 2013 at the Chick-fil-A restaurant on Pump Road. The main focus group that took place consisted of 5 participants and we additionally interviewed 3 other participants. A series of questions were presented to the group about couponing, nonprofits and parenting in Richmond specifically. The groups Richmondmom.com should be targeting are Richmond parents (moms, dads and caretakers), leaders in nonprofits, volunteers, and child care providers. The public that was
The focus group consisted of 6 current moms with school age children, 1 expectant mother, and 1 father of a newborn. Each of the participants brought a different perspective even when they had children of the same age. The participants chosen for the focus group were picked for a few different reasons. Each participant was a parent or expectant parent that lived in Richmond. The group of participants was ethnically diverse, and both men and women participated. Some of the participants were reached through per35
sonal contact. Members of Group 1 either knew the participants that were reached personally or had worked with them previously. The participants that were reached at the location were approached and asked whether or not they would be willing to participate in the focus group. After an explanation about our purpose and how their privacy would be protected the focus group began. Focus Group Questions The following outlines the questions and the rationale behind the questions that were asked of focus group members.
The focus group members liked that there was information about childcare on the website. The following questions were asked as follow up questions. The goals of the following questions were to find out how Richmondmom.com could improve its section about childcare in Richmond. -Would you say that it is a struggle to find child care in Richmond, specifically? -Having feedback about childcare is important?
To expand the usage of the Savvy Saver card, focus group members were asked questions about their To find ways to improve Richmond- coupon usage. The goal was to mom.com website, the following see how convenient using coupons questions were asked: were for the focus group members and to understand if there is an -What parts of the website do you easier way to distribute coupons. see as essential and would not want The questions were also geared to them to be eliminated? find out where members of the focus group like to take their children -Do you think the website is like a for fun activities. blog?
-How would you describe your coupon usage? -You think you are more likely to use your phone for coupons? -Do you look for deals for activities or restaurants? -Where do you take your kids for fun activities? Social media has become a part of our everyday lives, therefore, focus group members were asked about their habits with using social media. The goal was to ascertain better ways Richmondmom.com could use social media. The following questions were asked: -How does social media fit into your lifestyle? (Facebook & Twitter for examples) -Would you be more inclined to follow a social media site that promotes nonprofits? Due to Richmondmom.com look36
ing to expand its partnerships with nonprofits in the Richmond area, focus group members were asked questions about nonprofits. The goal was to receive general feedback about how parents feel about partnerships with nonprofits and to gauge their knowledge about Richmond nonprofits. The following questions were asked:
to find out if Richmondmom.com had a mobile app, would focus group members use it. The following questions were asked:
-Would you be interested in participating with a company such as Build-A-Bear if they partnered with a nonprofit?
The following questions were general questions about parenting. The goals of these questions were to find ways to add more variety in the topics that are featured in articles.
-What local nonprofits would you expect to partner with a site like Richmondmom?
-Does your smartphone make you a better parent? Why or why not? -If Richmondmom put out an app for kids, would you want to use it?
-What are the challenges of being a parent?
-Or are you aware of any nonprofits that could partner with this type of -What should children be taught site? about being active in their communities? -Are local nonprofits well known? General Interpretation of the The usage of Smartphones has data become popular, focus group members were asked about their Out of the eight Richmond mothSmartphone usage. The goal was ers that were selected to participate
in our focus group, seven of the mothers had heard of Richmondmom.com, and follow the blog from time to time. One of the main concentrations of our focus group was coupon use. All of the mothers agreed that they use coupons, frequently. Although, one mother preferred to cut coupons out and shop sporadically, the other participants agreed that they would use more coupons if they were in a digital format. The parents also like the idea of having an app for couponing and savings. One mother said that whenever she receives emails with coupon offers, she usually deletes them. She also said, “with an app on my phone, I know exactly where to find my coupons.” All participants said they’d be more likely to check their phone if there was an app for couponing. Also, one of our Richmond dads said that it would be helpful to have contests with extreme couponing. He commented by saying “couponing can teach our kids honor, value, and that finance is 37
important, we need to learn how to manage our money.” We also asked our participants how Richmond mothers teach their kids to be more active in their community. Most mothers said when they go out to Deep Run Park, or the Children’s museum, they teach their kids how to clean up after themselves and recycle. One of the mothers in our focus group volunteers for the food bank and said that in the future she hopes her child will also volunteer. Every participant agreed that if Richmondmom.com had an app for couponing they would be more inclined to use it. The couponing also helps bring the families together and allows them to participate in more activities. The Saavy Saver card has tons of deals when it comes to family fun, but when our participants were asked about the card it seemed like they only really knew about the Great Wolf Lodge because it offered discounts on a regular basis. Another mother had never head about the Wine Loft before saying “I have to figure out
how to get the wine loft and back home.” The focus group was shown the Richmondmom.com website throughout the interview. The participants were then asked, what parts of the website they see as essential for Richmond mothers. The general consensus was that they all really liked the Childcare section. One Richmond mother commented that “it is nice to get referral from people you trust because it’s hard to find a good place where you can find the proper Childcare.” Another mother really liked the Deals and Specials section, she commented saying, “everyone goes to a lot of websites to find special deals and when you’re able to find one, it’s really exciting.” Our focus group members seemed to agree on most of the topics discussed in our interview. They all thought the website homepage was too cluttered, but did have some interesting articles and resources. We also showed our participants
the Dream Baby Shower log and they all agreed that it could be a little more creative, and it “needed more pop.” Suggestions for how the results can be used Although, our focus group liked the Childcare section they also stated their concern that day care was impossible to get. Participants stated that it there’s no where in the area where they can find day care, especially on the weekends. Mothers expressed that they thought about paying full time for Day Care, while they were at work, but then realized it they wouldn’t be making any money. By providing a Childcare review section that runs all week would be really helpful for Richmond mothers, especially those who are single parents and work full time. Our focus group was asked about how social media fit into their lifestyle and most of them weren’t that big on social media, but did admit to having a Facebook and Instagram. One of our members said, “I actually fol38
low Richmond mom the group on Facebook.” The group agreed that if Richmondmom.com could reach out to more moms through social media, they would be inclined to follow the blog. Our focus group seemed to be particularly interested in having coupons digitally. If Richmondmom. com provided an app for couponing and special deals, that could really help promote things like the Savvy Saver card. Our focus group Mothers admitted to having their Smart Phones with them at all times and it’d be easier just to have all the information in what place that way it is easily accessible and helps mothers stay more organized. Overall, the mothers of our focus group agree that non profits are a great resource for helping kids and families in general and that the website has room for growth. Most of the members in our focus group came from different parts of the country and then, moved to Richmond. One of our Richmond moms commented by saying “we
moved down here from New York and the reason is Richmond is such a friendly family place, there’s a lot of stuff to do outside for free and it’s warmer. I love Richmond, for raising a family I think it’s great.”
food places or stores so; it would be helpful if Richmondmom.com gave them the easiest way possible to access their coupons.
App for Coupons- another thing that the parents seemed to be big on was Richmondmom.com having an app for their phones. As parents Suggestions for Richmondmom. they feel like they are always on com the go so having time to pull up the Digital Coupons - Richmondmom. website, print out coupons, or even com should really look into getting remembering to pull out coupons from their savvy saver card is digital coupons versus using the savvy saver program. With technol- inconvenient. If they were able ogy being such an essential part of to just pull up a Richmondmom. com app, and scroll through their people’s everyday lives, when the phones to find the coupon it would mom’s reach for their iPhone and save so much time and be less of a look for an app or pull up the inhassle. “My kids play pony games ternet, they want to be able to pull on my phone all the time, so maybe up the coupons as well. One mom said, “Most of the time I’m always if Richmondmom.com had an app with some games we’ll look at the on the go, so I need my coupons site more,” said one of the moms. A to easy and accessible. By going lot of them even expressed how if to a sponsored location and being they are on the go, that rememberable to pull up the coupons with a ing their savvy saver card is the last few swipes on the iPhone, will be thing on their mind. So to help the way more convenient for a mom who takes her kids out. We always businesses Richmondmom.com is partnered with, as well as the site see mom’s chasing kids around in 39
itself, they should use the most tion that runs all week would be convenient resources for accessing really helpful for Richmond moththeir information. ers, especially those who are single parents and work full time. Extreme Couponing Contest- A few of the parents felt strongly about Facebook and Instagram- Our teaching their kids how to coupon. focus group was asked about how So instead of just having coupons social media fit into their lifestyle for the parents to use, they agreed and most of them weren’t that big that having coupons for the kids to on social media, but did admit to access would be a good financial having a Facebook and Instagram learning tool. In school, it’s rare and if Richmondmom.com could that teachers show students how fi- reach out to more moms through nances work. So if Richmondmom. social media, most mothers said com could assist in teaching kids they would be inclined to follow the value of saving or the value of the blog more. It may seem like the a dollar would be a great learning Twitter was what the moms’ were tool for the kids. really into, but in actuality they weren’t big fans of using Twitter Childcare section- The one thing because they don’t know how to. “I that the mom’s really were a big honestly just get on Facebook befan of was the childcare section. cause I don’t understand how TwitHowever, some parents work at ter works,” said one mom. So since night so it’s hard for them to find they expressed that Facebook and someone who will watch their kids Instagram were the two social meso late. A dad expressed told us “I dia outlets that they used the most, work late at night so it would be it’ll be better if the site reaches out nice to be aware of some childcare to moms in that way. services that operate at night.” By providing a Childcare review sec- Dream Baby Shower- visually they
disapproved of the Dream Baby Shower page layout. Instead of thinking outside the box and making the contest look dreamier with things such as clouds, baby toys, or sleeping symbols, they just boxed the title and called “it a day.” A few moms looked at the box and said, “I don’t see how this box would make me think of a dream.” If Richmondmom.com would like to appeal to other businesses or organizations for partnerships, they should make their projects more visually engaging. It not only stresses the significance in the nonprofit project but also how shows how fun it would be to take part in one.
40
Research Question 3 Research Question 3
dren are the most active in seeking information about parenting. A focus group was conducted at the And despite the company’s name, Children’s Museum of Richmond Richmondmom.com, it wants to to help Richmondmom.com quali- connect with all parents. Theretatively measure the opinions of fore, it is important to have input Richmond parents. Focus groups from fathers in the Richmond area. allow participants to interact with Their participation in the focus one another in a relaxed setting. group will demonstrate how fathers This allows discussions to bring utilize social media platforms. The out in-depth responses to questions. perspective these two groups can Three separate groups were held, provide will give insight into what consisting of two to three parents is working well for Richmondeach. mom.com’s social media campaign and what can be improved. Selected Publics How The Parents Were Reached The two publics selected for this focus group were mothers of young Small focus groups were formed at children and fathers of young chil- the Children’s Museum of Richdren, all from the Richmond area. mond, consisting of a diverse group These are the main groups that of parents. These groups included Richmomdmom.com aims to reach stay-at-home dads and single through its social media campaign. moms. Since parents were spread The mission statement for Richout throughout the museum there mondmom.com is to become the were three separate focus groups number one resource for parents conducted, where parents were in Richmond. However, while the asked selected questions and their company wants to provide informa- responses initiated conversation tion for parents of all age groups, it between those involved. feels that parents with young chil-
Focus Group In the focus group, parents were asked about various social media platforms and how the pertained to their everyday life. The questions were chosen based on the viability for the purpose of the discussion. The moderator insured that all individuals in the focus group participated and that a discussion was brought about. Below are the questions asked and the rationale behind why the questions were chosen. Focus Group Prompts How important is social media in your life? Rationale: To see if social media was relevant in the daily lives of Richmond parents. Therefore to understand how to better reach them on those types of outlets. Do you use Facebook or Twitter? Rationale: To understand the social networking platforms participants used the most to gather information pertaining to parenting.
41
When you need parenting advice, where do you look online? Rationale: To see what other places Richmond parents are looking for information when it comes to parenting (are they looking at parenting sites or just running general searches on the internet.) If the target public is simply “googling” information rather than focusing on SEO may be a great option to generate visitors to Richmondmom. com. What online articles do you find interesting about parenting? Rationale: To see what interests parents in the Richmond region and to see if Richmondmom.com offers what parents are looking for. This is also gives Richmondmom. com better insight into what type of articles generate the most interest. Knowing this will allow them to better target the publics the hope to reach. Do you participate in online forums? Rationale: To see how involved participants were when it came to
participating in internet forums (do parents register and participate in forums or are they “turned off” by the registration process.) This information will also be important to see how important a sense of community is among Richmond parents and if this is an area Richmondmom.com should focus on expanding. What information would you want to see on a parenting site? Rationale: To help Richmondmom. com include information that parents want to read on its site and to understand the needs of parents in the Richmond area. Have you ever heard of Richmondmom.com? Rationale: To know how broad Richmondmom.com’s horizons are and how it can expand its target market. Do you think most parenting sites are geared more towards moms? Rationale: To discover if visitors to various sites feel that parenting sites are more geared towards
moms versus parents because it seems that most sites are just for moms, leaving out dads completely. If this is the case, it will be beneficial to hear how dads feel and how they want to be included. What do you think of the Richmondmom.com catch phrase? Rationale: To see if this is an area that might need some work and how it makes dads feel when they hear the phrase. When you first found out you were going to be a parent did it make you nervous? Why? Rationale: To help Richmondmom. com know what worries Richmond parents, so it can be better prepared to ease that worry through links from its social media sites. Where did you turn to for information when you first found out you were going to be a parent? Rationale: To know where parents go for information, so Richmondmom.com can adapt to serve more parents. What is your number one source
42
for information about parenting? Rationale: To discover what competition exists for Richmondmom. com when it comes to searches conducted by parents in the Richmond area.
of 25 to 35 stated, “Why would I ever go on that site!” Furthermore, parents felt that a well-organized calendar of local events would be very useful and was something they could not currently find.
General Interpretations
The focus group also revealed that most of the participants were unaware of Richmondmom.com’s existence. However, of the participants in the focus group, one Richmond mother between the ages of 32 and 42, had used Richmondmom.com and followed the site’s Twitter account. This participant stated that the site had replied to one of her tweets. Since she was familiar with Richmondmom.com’s website layout, she explained that it needed to be integrated better and make things easier to find. The same mother also thought “It would be great if it was easier to find the events; sometimes it’s hard to find what I am looking for.” She suggested having a calendar that compiled all of the events and activities within the Richmond area so that she would not have to go between different sites to find everything
The focus group revealed that most parents use Google searches rather than a specific site for information. Besides Google searches, Facebook was the most common social media platform implemented in finding information. Common searches on both sites included finding activities and events for their children (both in Richmond and in areas outside of Richmond), childhood changes and development, chronic illnesses, crafts, and cooking. Another general consensus from the participants was that most information they found in the Richmond area was geared towards mothers and nuclear families, making fathers and non-nuclear families feel excluded by the sites and activities labeled specifically for moms. A Richmond dad between the ages
that would be happening. Another Richmond mother between the ages of 21 and 26 wanted easy-to-find advice, she said “I would like to see something that was divided by children’s ages so I can click on the age that is perfect for my child.” The majority of participants expressed that there was a strong need for a father’s outlet concerning parenting. One participant stated, “There is a definite need for the dads to feel included.” Participants also said that there was much information centered around mothers but little to no information focused on fathers. Besides having an outlet for fathers, another aspect that one participant suggested was the need to have information for single-parents. She recommended having real-life accounts from other single-parents with what helped them best and what did not work well. Suggestions for what the focus group participants would like to see on a parenting site included having educational information,
43
parenting information categorized by age, and information concerning changes with one’s child. A single parent in the Richmond area stated, “I would like to see things divided by age so they are easier to find.” There was also a need for having information from the perspective of other parents that would give the reader something with which to relate. Suggestions for Improvement Facebook The responses from the focus group provide suggestions for significant changes that can be made by Richmondmom.com. When it came to social media, Facebook was the number one platform that was most accessed. When asked what social media sites they use the most, one Richmond mother between the ages of 25 to 35 said, “Facebook mostly, because I don’t really have any friends or family down here” and that goes to show that Facebook can connect Richmond parents together. Richmondmom.com can use this information to build up its
Richmondmom.com Site The content on the Richmondmom. com website could also use some improvement. Parents, not just moms but dads as well, want to see information relating to what is happening around town (essentially activities that are appropriate for children) as well as a dedicated page (calendar page) with details of upcoming events. The need for Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest information that pertains to health Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest are issues is also an important aspect that needs to be on the site. Two social media platforms that were also utilized, although they weren’t Richmond moms have children utilized as much as Facebook. One with health issues. One Richmond Richmond mother between the ages mom between the ages of 30 and 40 states that she wants to see of 32 and 42 uses Twitter and en“interesting articles pertaining to courages the Richmondmom.com changes when becoming a parfounder to “tweet me back.” Interent” as well as “things relating to action is both vital and important chronic illnesses.” to parents. Richmondmom.com needs a dedicated content manager At this time, the information on the to interact with its followers on site is all over the place and with Twitter or any other social media more organization (pages dedicated platform. Instagram and Pinterest to a calendar, health information, can be beneficial platforms to parents in Richmond because it allows etc.) Richmondmom.com can continue to grow and reach more them to post pictures of what they are doing with their children about parents in the Richmond area. town. Facebook presence. It has already established a Facebook group but could take it to the next level with a page that contained content related to what Richmondmom.com stands for. The benefits of a Facebook page would be the ability to have parents like the page, hold contests and conduct surveys amongst other aspects.
44
Non-nuclear Families Just as in many localities, there are single parents in Richmond and those parents want to see information on Richmondmom.com that gives them tips, presents them with information for their kids (based on age) and features a place where single parents can connect (a support system). Parents, not just single parents, also want to see information that helps parents as their children grow.
Fathers and Stay at Home Dads Dads want more information targeted towards them specifically. Richmondmom.com wants to become the number one parenting site and right now dads feel excluded because everything is mom oriented. One Richmond dad between the ages of 35 and 45 noted that when “everything has the mom moniker with it, it’s a little bit different, the impressions you get.” He even carries around a club mom membership card so that he and his son can enjoy various activities.
One Richmond mom between the ages of 21 to 26 said “I would want to see something saying, advice for If Richmondmom.com includes a single parents (since I am a single “Dads Corner” on the site, it gives parent).” stay-at-home dads or single dads a chance to connect and an outlet to Information relating to school express their concerns or ask quesregistration, tutoring and childcare tions. are all beneficial resources that are critical to parents because that is Ratings System something that they are having to A rating system is also something look on the internet for since Rich- that Richmondmom.com could mondmom.com does not feature add to its site. Reviewing summer that on its site. activities would be a great tool for parents (and grandparents) to use in order determine which local activities seem to best fit their needs.
One Richmond grandmother between the ages of 55 to 65 said that when it comes to finding activities for her grandchildren she “reads what kind of stars people give certain locations or certain activities and if it seems like it is rated highly by a number of people, and the people sound somewhat reliable and informed, I will pay attention to it.” Richmondmom.com can incorporate a rating system to its site to help parents and grandparents find activities for their children and grandchildren. The site can incorporate the rating system with a dedicated calendar page so all of the information is presented in one central location. Conclusion Participants in the focus group were adamant that Richmondmom.com needs to focus more on parents and not just moms. Small changes here and there that incorporate non-nuclear families, single parent families, etc., can help Rich-
45
mondmom.com continue to grow as the number one parenting site in Richmond.
46
Surveys
Research Questions 1 and 2 In order to gain insight as to how the general public feels about discount programs, donating to non-profits, and family activities, a survey of 109 individuals was conducted in order to find out how many people would possibly utilize Richmondmom.com’s Savvy Saver program. RQ1: How should Richmondmom. com approach expanding partnership prospects with area nonprofits? RQ2: How should Richmondmom. com approach expanding the savvy saver program to make it more useful? Audience The survey audience targeted were: Parents, nannies, teachers and caretakers. These groups were selected because the survey caters to those who care for children and/ or have families. The target audience was reached by two different methods: intercept surveys and sharing survey links through social
media. High-traffic shopping centers were chosen as locations to conduct the survey, and ipads were used to collect data. Social media also played a large part in gaining survey participants. Links to the survey were posted on Twitter and Facebook to gain participants. The Facebook page of almost every partner on Richmondmom.com’s main webpage was targeted with a survey link (about 20 Facebook pages total), and four students in the class used their personal Facebook and Twitter accounts.
1. I am currently a parent or caretaker of one or more children. This question was used first to weed out people who took the survey that were not parents or caretakers. A point was made to explain that teachers or nannies qualified as “caretakers” as well. If the participator answered “No” to this question they were taken to a “Thank You” screen and sent on their way.
2. How did you learn about Richmondmom.com? This question was selected to offer insight as to which avenues RichQuestions & Rationale mondmom.com are using well to promote themselves. Knowing how Nine survey questions were selected to include in the survey. The they are maintaining usership is important in marketing their relafirst question was used to weed out people who the survey did not tionships with non-profits as well apply to. If a participant answered as the Savvy Saver Program. that they were not a parent or caretaker of one or more children, 3. I have donated money to a non-profit in the last 12 months. the survey ended and would not let them continue. The rest of the This question helps to weigh how questions were about family activi- important affiliations with nonties, savings programs, donating to profits are to Richmond parents or caretakers. non-profits, and demographics.
48
4. I frequently use coupons when dining out with my family. Due to the lack of dining deals featured on Richmondmom.com recently, it was necessary to gauge just how important discounts and eating out are to Richmond families. This will be crucial to the remarketing and redesign of the Savvy Saver Program. 5. How many times do you pay for family activities per month? This question was used to correlate the percentages of families who were willing to donate to nonprofits as well as spend money on family outings. Many events that benefit non-profits that are run by Richmondmom.com involve leaving your homes with or without your children, and it is important to cross-reference the willingness of parents or caretakers to do both things. 6. I am more likely to spend money on events where the proceeds benefit non-profits. Again, this is a question that we used to cross-reference to gauge
willingness to participate in Richmondmom.com’s non-profit opportunities. They are focusing more on partnering with non-profits, so we focused on the events aspect of benefiting those non-profit organizations.
9. What is the highest level of education you have completed? This is valuable information to have for remarketing and redesigning the website, and it also gives a bit of insight into who Richmondmom.com will be advertising to.
7. What is your age group? To gain some demographics from our survey we asked people their age ranges and gave them several options. Our market demographic is young families, so while doing our intercept surveys we targeted people with young children, or those that seemed to fit the description of who we wanted to gain information from. We did gain information from people of all stages of parenting and all kinds of families.
General Interpretations and correlations Question: I am currently a parent or caretaker of one or more children. Over 80 percent of those who participated in the survey were either a parent or caretaker of one or more children, which makes for an excellent research group. This was chosen as the first survey question to weed out those who the survey did not apply to. Question: How did you learn about Richmondmom.com? Approximately 31 percent had heard about Richmondmom.com through a friend and about 14 percent had heard about the site through blogs. However, around 37 percent of participants had never heard of Richmondmom.com. This question gave a general idea of
8. What is your gender? We not only asked women, but sought insight and opinions from males as well. This was simply demographic information, but it was very interesting to hear what the men had to say.
49
how well-known Richmondmom. com is in the area, and how the word is being spread about Richmondmom.com. Knowing that so many people are unfamiliar with Richmondmom.com shows that advertising a bit more in newspapers and on television could possibly benefit the company, being as those two avenues had some of the lowest percentages. Question: I have donated money to a non-profit in the last 12 months. A very large percentage had donated money to non-profits within the last 12 months. This question was used to determine how much of the general public helps out nonprofits, because Richmondmom. com focuses on non-profits within the Richmond area. The people that donate to non-profits could possibly be more supportive of Richmondmom.com. Question: I am more likely to spend money on events where the proceeds benefit non-profits. About 41 percent agreed that they would spend money on events if
they knew the proceeds were to benefit non-profits. Again, this is great since almost all of Richmondmom.com events are centered around non-profits in the area. People will continue to attend these events and if advertised more often, more people would attend Richmondmom.com events. Questions: How many times do you pay for family activities per month? I frequently use coupons when dining out with my family. These questions were used to get an idea of how often families go out and do activities that involve spending money and if they use coupons to save money while doing so. A n interesting correlation found in this survey was that, on average, parents spend money on family activities about 3-5 times per month, however only 38 percent frequently use coupons when dining out with their families. This is possibly due to the inconvenient nature of coupons. This number seems surprisingly low among parents. Richmondmom.com could
look at this as a great statistic for improving the Savvy Saver Program. Somehow, Richmondmom. com needs to increase the number of those using coupons, which turns into increasing the number of people using the Savvy Saver Program. Making it easier to use the Savvy Saver Program by getting rid of the large paper folded up into a card would be beneficial also. Another interesting finding is that those who use coupons are less likely to donate to non-profits. This is interesting, because it shows a correlation between using discount programs or coupons, and not giving money away to charitable causes. Statistics and Findings Below are statistics of what participants placed as their answer after taking the Richmondmom.com survey. These responses provide information to compare and analyze the people in and around Richmond. Along with statistics are suggestions of how Richmondmom.com could better its strategies to reach
50
its target audience.
strong point.
Benefit Non-profits
Suggestions
Donations and coupons
From the results, it shows that almost 30 participants have heard of Richmondmom.com through a friend and 12 participants heard about the organization through a blog. But of these total participants, 32 have never heard of Richmondmom.com. A suggestion based from this information would be that Richmondmom.com could be advertising a bit more through other avenues such as newspapers and media coverage. Richmondmom. com should continue to use the outlets, which seems to be working already as well to continue to reach the audience in the Richmond area. The same applies when referring to the Savvy Saver Program. The best way to spread the word about the program would be of course to continue using blogs, but also advertising through other avenues. Once the program is improved, people will automatically spread the word by word of mouth which already seems to be Richmondmom.com’s
When it comes to donating money to a non-profit within the last twelve months, 59 participants said “yes” and 25 said “no”. Everyone likes coupons when it is convenient for them. When narrowed down to just dining coupons, the results show that 61.90% (84 participants) do not use coupons when dining out with family. Only 32 participants said “yes”. A lot of this has to do with how the coupons are available. Ways of receiving coupons can be simply given in the mail or the person searches for the deals online. The survey suggests that once people are aware of Richmondmom.com and what it has to provide for families in Richmond, there can be a simple organized way to show which dining deals can be given to them when they sign up for the Savvy Savor program.
Out of 85 people answering the question if they are more likely to spend money where the proceeds benefit non-profits, 35 participants agree they would be inclined to. 30 Participants were neutral about it whereas 17 strongly agree to. This result shows that more people are very supportive of non-profits. Having all of these local nonprofits around Richmond is only beneficial for Richmondmom.com to come and make an event but it also benefits the Richmond area in all aspects.
51
Research Questions 3 and 4 Social Media Survey of Richmond Parents Survey Target Audience: Selection, Reach, and Reason In order for Richmondmom.com to reach more people in the Richmond area, a survey was posted online to evaluate the social media usage of parents in Richmond. The feedback obtained will be used to benefit Richmondmom.com during it’s transition of new ownership. When brainstorming ways to obtain individuals that could participate in a survey, it was only logical to focus on local Richmond businesses that supported Richmond parents and children. Pink Palm, Curve Richmond, Crave and Sweetfrog are all local businesses that attract the types of people needed to conduct this research for the client (Richmond parents between ages 18 and 45). The researchers posted links to the survey through social media. An introductory paragraph was constructed and attached with the link to the survey.
Christa Donohue, Richmondmom. com owner, was contacted directly through email to reach the target audience of Richmond parents ranging in ages from 18 to 45. Christa responded that she would distribute the survey. After some researchers joined the Richmondmom Junkies Facebook group, the survey was posted directly on its wall. Maymont was contacted through a Facebook message because of its large following on Facebook and the amount of Richmond families that visit the park. After no response, a link to the survey was posted directly on its Facebook page. The survey link was also posted directly on VCU’s Fall 2011 Transfer Student Facebook Group in which members of the group are a part after previously hearing transfer students share stories about being parents with one another on the Facebook page.
The Children’s Science Museum was also contacted because of its outreach to parents in the Richmond area. This was done so by posting our survey link directly to its Facebook page. Ms. Sandra’s Daycare was also contacted, in hopes that its direct connection with Richmond parents would lend the class a few survey responses. The link to the survey was given directly to participants. Romp n’ Roll was contacted through a Facebook message and asked if it would post the survey to its wall. It was chosen because it caters to parents in the Richmond area. However, it never responded to the message, and did not post the link on its social media sites. A similar situation happened with Maymont, in that it was approached but never responded to the messages sent. Joe’s Inn restaurant in Bon Air was contacted through Facebook 52
because throughout the week it has children’s meal specials for dinner and it was presumed that it would be a good way to target moms in the Chesterfield County area. Franklin Goose in Carytown was also contacted via Facebook message because the shop is targeted towards pregnant women and women who have young children. However, it did not respond when contacted. Four members of the class posted the link to the survey on their personal Facebook pages, hoping to reach Richmond moms between the ages of 18 and 45 that were known personally.
viewed parenting information differently or the same. 2. I am: 18-24, 25-30, 31-34, 3540, 40-45, and Above 45 years old. Rationale: The research team wanted to see which age range our participants were a part of so that Richmondmom.com could receive an accurate view of who their target audience would be, according to the survey. The class wanted to learn if perceptions were different among age groupings regarding parenting.
3. My education level is: some high school, high school degree, some college, college degree, and master’s degree. Questions used in the survey and Rationale: Knowing the education the rationale for each item level of those who participate in the survey can directly correlate to the 1. I am a: Male/Female. salaries of the participants, giving Rationale: This seemed an apan idea of the socio-economic scale propriate question, as the research Richmondmom.com is working group wanted to see in our results with. The class wanted to learn if the sex of those surveyed. The class perceptions were different educawanted to learn if men and women tion groupings regarding parenting.
4. It’s easy for me to find information online about parenting. Rationale: The research team thought that it would be important to understand the viewpoints of online parenting sites already. How accessible the public thought that gaining information about parenting online was in intriguing aspect that the research team wanted to uncover. 5. The quality of information online about parenting is very high. Rationale: It is important for Richmondmom.com to understand its target audience’s perception of information about parenting online. Whether the survey taker is a Richmondmom.com follower or not, it is important to know if the information being presented on other sites has any quality, or if Richmondmom.com is providing and contributing to that information available online. 6. I get confused by the amount of conflicting opinions online about parenting. 53
Rationale: Understanding how Richmondmom.com’s target audience feels about the conflicting opinions of parenting online is important to know. This will help Richmondmom.com better present ideas and topics on their site.
stories in online magazines. Rationale: It is important for Richmondmom.com to see where moms are already getting information for their families. If online magazine readership is high, it would be useful to reach out to those readers.
7. I subscribe to at least one online magazine. Rationale: Richmondmom.com needs to know if their target audience is subscribing to online magazines because that indicates how much online reading their target audience is doing.
10. I subscribe to RSS feeds. Rationale: Depending on the percentage of people who do subscribe, Richmondmom.com can gain insight on where to gather information for the site or to place ads.
8. It’s common for me to read blog posts online. Rationale: It is important to know how much of Richmondmom. com’s target audience reads online blog posts because online blog posts are Richmondmom.com’s livelihood. Understanding their target audience’s patterns of online blog readership directly impacts the success of their blog. 9. It’s common for me to read
11. I want to connect with other parents in my area. Rationale: Knowing the need for community connection is very important when trying to expand a website like Richmondmom.com. If the target audience (Richmond parents between 18 and 45) is interested in connecting with one another, there are many developments Richmondmom.com could make to cater to this need for connection. It is important to understand the extent to which readers are open
to gaining relationships from the site and to understand if readers are looking for something to connect them with one another. 12. I am interested in learning how to be a better parent. Rationale: If more parents were interested than not, information pertaining directly to parenting skills would be a great outlet for Richmondmom.com to add (perhaps in the form of a live online question and answer forum.) 13. I think it’s valuable to have a local online source for parenting information. Rationale: It is always important to see if the target audience has high or low interest in what is trying to be accomplished. If the group of surveyed readers believes that having a local online source for parenting information is irrelevant, Richmondmom.com needs to know so that they can either change their strategy or show the public why it is so important. 14. How often do you use these 54
services on average? Rationale: Facebook Since Richmondmom.com has only established a Facebook group and are in the works of promoting their Facebook page, it is helpful to know if there is a need to put time and resources into maintaining a Facebook page. Rationale: Twitter Since Richmondmom.com has strong following and consistent posting patterns on Twitter it is important to see how often their target audience is on Twitter. If their target audience is not using Twitter each week Richmondmom. com may not be optimizing their social media use. Rationale: Instagram Instagram seemed to be an avenue that the owners of Richmondmom. com want to explore, so the research team was curious to see how many Richmond moms actually use the social media platform regularly. Rationale: LinkedIn Determining if Richmondmom.
com’s target audience is using LinkedIn is important for the establishment of new professional partnerships. LinkedIn highlights career paths and accomplishments, which could help Richmondmom. com get involved in new business endeavors.
Asking what social media the public uses most often is beneficial to helping Richmondmom. com in deciding where their work and management teams will focus their time and effort. Currently, Richmondmom.com only has direct links on their homepage for their Facebook group and Twitter page. Adding Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn buttons on their homepage will bring more traffic and expand their social media presence in the Richmond area. After looking at the results gathered from this survey, they will also be able to see where most of their time and online activity should be given.
Rationale: Pinterest Since Richmondmom.com is doing a fairly good job of maintaining a Pinterest account, it is good to know if their target audience is interested in using Pinterest. If their audience is not using Pinterest regularly, Richmondmom.com may be able to promote the social media site on their blog by posting fun and fast meal ideas, crafts and 15. I share content through social media every week. more. Rationale: It is important for Richmondmom.com to understand the Rationale: Tumblr frequency of their audience’s active When the use of Tumblr was social media usage. Active social discussed in class, it seemed to media usage involves commenting be a grey area of unknowns. The research team wanted to make sure on things and sharing links, arthe confusion on the usage of Tum- ticles, and posts online. Richmondmom.com should understand the blr was cleared up. Social Media Importance Overview level of involvement their audience
55
invests when visiting social media sites every week. 16. I use online coupons. Rationale: Asking this question allows us to provide feedback to the Richmondmom.com team so they can strategize ways to enhance their Savvy Savers Program and expand to a mobile device if they see it would be beneficial. Interpreting the Results Once the survey had been taken, it was found that 95.71 percent of those who answered the survey answered they were female, 4.29 percent answering that they were male. It is important that the client knows who their main audience is, in terms of gender. Although the research team assumed that most of its participants would be women, it was interesting to find that only 4.29 percent of those who took it were male. 41.79 percent of those who answered the survey responded that
they were between 35 and 40 years old. 20.90 percent were ages 25-30, 11.94 percent were between 40-45 and above 45 years old, 8.96 percent were between 18 and 24 years old and 5.97 percent were between 31 and 34 years old.
ed some college, 2.9 percent had only completed high school, and 1.45 percent had only completed some high school.
The research team found these results to be interesting, as it was assumed that the age bracket of those who responded might be younger. Although there is a lot of hype surrounding Richmondmom. com being for “young, hip moms,� the target age should be more defined. Moms who are between 35-40 years old may not want to be categorized in that way, so Richmondmom.com may need to start catering to a more mature audience. The research team deemed it important to know the education level of its respondents, so that it could make basic judgments of socioeconomic standing. 47.83 percent of respondents had a college degree, 31.88 percent had a master’s degree, 18.84 percent had complet56
percent of people strongly agreed that it was easy to find information about parenting online already. 30 percent agreed, 0.03 percent were neutral, 0.01 percent disagreed and 0 percent strongly disagreed. 11 people skipped this question.
It is very apparent that the majority of those surveyed completed college, almost 32 percent going on to earn a master’s degree. This shows that the group of women Richmondmom.com is targeting are smart, educated women, who have many options when it comes to obtaining information. If Richmondmom.com wants to be the number one parenting site for Richmond parents, it should
consider enhancing its parenting information. Educated women will choose the source that they feel is most credible when looking for parenting information online, and Richmondmom.com needs to become that reliable source.
It was also found that the amount of survey takers feeling neutral and strongly agreeing to the idea of the quality of parenting information online being very high was almost equal. All of these results point to the fact that parents already find information easily online. Again, this makes the field for competition extremely high. Richmondmom. com is competing with search engines like Google, Ask.com, Bing, etc. The advantage that Richmondmom.com has over popular search engines, however, is that they are local.
Being the number one source in terms of credibility and reliability is crucial for Richmondmom.com, as the research team found that 50
The amount of survey takers that were confused by the conflicting opinions online about parenting was equal among the group of 57
participants that agreed and disagreed. Â The amount of participants that felt neutral on this subject were only slightly higher than those groups that agree and those that disagree. After looking at audience traits and trends of obtaining parenting information online, the research team decided to look at audience activity and readership trends online. The research team found that almost 70 percent of survey takers do not subscribe to an online magazine. This shows that an online magazine is definitely not where Richmondmom.com needs to be focusing its time and resources and frankly, may be a little too outdated in an era of smartphones and Facebook.
However, almost 75 percent of survey takers agreed or strongly agreed that it is being common for them to read blog posts online. This is great news for Richmondmom. com as they work to stay relevant in an online environment that is ever-changing. Although 70 percent of survey takers do not subscribe to an online magazine, 50 percent of participants answered they agree and strongly agree that they do read
stories in online magazines. This shows that although readers are not looking to subscribe to magazines online, they are still more prone to look at online versions of magazines. 20 percent of participants answered “no�, they do not read stories in online magazines. The other 20 percent remained neutral for this question. Eighty-two percent of people who filled out this survey answered no, they do not use RSS feeds. This 58
shows that having an RSS feed is most likely impractical and confusing for readers. When it came to community involvement, the results of the survey showed that 58 percent of participants answered yes that they would like to connect with parents in their local area. Only 10 percent of participants answered that they would not like to connect with other parents in their area. 15 percent of people remained neutral on the subject. This is great news for Richmondmom.com, as they can open up entirely new avenues online based on this feedback. Parents are often looking for a sense of community, not only for them, but for their children as well. Being able to facilitate events for Richmond parents that want to connect could possibly bring in a large audience of local parents and children. When participants were asked if they were interested in becoming a better parent, 72 percent said yes, they would like to learn. The re-
sults show that 10 percent remained neutral on the topic, while only 2 percent said no; they are not interested in becoming a better parent. This shows that parents are actively engaged in the quest to become the best parent possible. This also shows potential as Richmondmom. com looks to expand it’s website. Perhaps having some type of live online forum for parents to answer each other’s more personal parenting questions is a good idea.
it’s questions on social media usage among Richmond parents. The research team’s objective in this was to weed out social media sites that were irrelevant and not commonly used, so that Richmondmom.com could focus their energy on the most effective social media platforms. The research team also wanted to measure how active Richmond parents were online, by looking at their sharing trends as well as their online couponing.
Of the parents who took the survey, 40 percent of parents agree that an online source for local parenting information is valuable and another 40 percent strongly agree that a local online presence is valuable. This means that 80 percent of those who answered this question answered in a “positive” way. The audience is already in gear with Richmondmom.com’s mission statement, and is most likely waiting for an accessible, credible and local site to provide that information for them. Next, the research team focused 59
number, with most people using Facebook at least once a day. It is obvious that this is where Richmondmom.com should spend it’s time and resources. Responses for other social media sites were rather low. Surprisingly, the responses show that only 31 percent of people who took our survey use twitter, and 40 percent of them don’t use twitter at all. It seems that Richmondmom.com’s Twitter is better maintained than Facebook, effort that may need to go into fixing the current issues Richmondmom.com has with it’s Facebook group. Additionally, 67 percent of people who took our survey use LinkedIn, but only 5.7 percent of people use it on a daily basis. Researchers assume therefore, that LinkedIn is used more as a professional tool, instead of social outlet. Pinterest was used by 78.5 of the survey participants, while only 21.4 percent of those people use Pinterest on a daily basis. These
results show numbers that are rather high, seeing as how Pinterest has not been pushed very hard by Richmondmom.com. This is a new avenue that would be great to explore, since Pinterest allows you to pin things relating to crafts, activities, food recipes and more. Also noteworthy was that 82.9 percent of people use Facebook regularly. This is an extremely high
Instagram is only used by 41.4 percent and 42.9 percent don’t use Instagram at all. This means that about half of those surveyed do use Instagram, which makes it an avenue worth exploring for Richmondmom.com. The survey shows 18.6 percent of people use Tumblr regularly while 65.7 percent of respondents don’t 60
use Tumblr at all, making it rather irrelevant for the target audience. A strong 70 percent of people either agreed or strongly agreed with sharing content through social media every week. This shows that overall, Richmond parents are active on social media sites throughout the week, making it an obvious channel of communication between Richmondmom.com and it’s audience.
Post Survey: Research Team Suggestions on Using the Results
The research team was interested in seeing how many of those surveyed used online coupons, as Richmondmom.com has a savvy savers program they would like to enhance. Research found that 65.7 percent of users use online coupons, while 18.6 percent of people don’t use online coupons at all. These results show that it is definitely important that Richmondmom.com continues to enhance their coupon program. Overall, people (especially parents) love to save money where they can. If the savvy savers program is welldeveloped and advertised, readership could quite possibly grow.
Although the researchers assumed that it would be mostly women taking the survey, it is interesting that only 4.29 percent of those who took it were male. This may set a new goal for Richmondmom. com, to incorporate more “male friendly” aspects of the website to enhance it’s Richmond-based parent audience. Although it is rare for men to take surveys, it is still important to include them when conceptualizing the new blog layout and content.
Results conclude that Richmondmom.com are looking at a female audience aged 35-40 years old with strong backgrounds in education. It is important that the client knows who their main audience is, in terms of gender, age and education (which serves in this case as a salary indicator).
61
It shocked the research team that 41.79 percent of those who took the survey were between the ages of 35 and 40. Originally, the team had a misconception that the target audience for Richmondmom.com was younger. However, it will be helpful for Richmondmom.com to know the exact age range that they are working with so that they can cater to the online needs of those individuals. However, it also gives Richmond-
mom.com new goals. If they really are looking for a younger, more hip crowd, they need to reflect that in their posted content and social media presence. If they want to be a website for parenting information (regardless of gender) then they need to update their content featuring articles that relate to more than just women. Because the percentages of those who had a college degree and a master’s degree were quite high,
Richmondmom.com should focus more on the activities and whereabouts of women who quite possibly are working mothers that are upper-middle class. Although it is important that Richmondmom. com remains outwardly “impartial” to the economic scale of it’s users, having an idea of how much money it’s users make is extremely important when planning events, campaigning on certain issues, and creating things such as coupon books. It is also important that Richmondmom.com appeals to all types of mothers, whether they work full time or are stay at home mothers. Including an entire section of the blog entirely dedicated to working moms (and stay at home mothers as well) may help increase readership activity. An overwhelming 80 percent of respondents either strongly agreed or agreed that finding parenting information online about parenting is easy. This means that Richmondmom.com has an even greater hurdle to overcome. Richmondmom. 62
com must beat out every other source of online parenting information in order to reach their goal of being Richmond’s number one go-to site for information regarding parenting. This means that they have a long way to go in making their site user friendly. However, since 80 percent of people find that having a local site regarding parenting information is important, the need for Richmondmom.com has already been established by it’s audience. When catering to an audience of well-educated and experienced women, it will be hard for Richmondmom.com to outshine search engines such as Google and Bing. However, there are ways to overcome this. Richmondmom.com should be sure to provide easily accessible information on all things local. They could incorporate a Bing or Google search bar at the top of their site, so that parents could easily transfer from reading posts to searching for answers. This way, Richmondom.com would
still be the main source that they go to, while using Google for example as a secondary form of research.
use this platform at all. This is an example of what is outdated and needs to be discarded.
Although those surveyed read articles in online magazines, the overwhelming majority does not subscribe to them. Nearly half of the participants who took the survey answered yes they use online magazines for information. This is a potential platform for Richmondmom.com, either to advertise on, or to form a partnership with. If half of their target audiences use online magazines, it could prove useful to utilize this platform as a means for publicity and expansion. However, it is not worth Richmondmom.com building their own subscription, since subscribing to online magazines is not very popular with those surveyed.
Richmondmom.com should take its time and resources and invest them in other areas (such as social media expansion) before they look at getting users to subscribe. With 75 percent of those surveyed frequenting blogs, it is extremely important for Richmondmom.com to fix the problems on their blog as soon as possible. It is possible that current users of Richmondmom.com do not share links on their personal Facebook pages regarding Richmondmom.com because the blog is much too confusing for others to read. Re-branding and organizing the blog might increase the amount of people who link posts on the blog to their personal Facebook pages.
It is important that Richmondmom. com discards irrelevant platforms. Just as a subscription to an online magazine is unpopular, so is using an RSS feed. 82 percent of participants recorded that they do not
With over 50 percent of participants showing interest in connecting with other parents, it is vital that the client creates a space through social media for local 63
parents to interact. An online forum that is searchable and curated may be the key to interaction. It is important that Richmondmom. com uses its demographic results to narrow down where interaction can be offered. Perhaps creating a playgroup with alternate hosts to take pressure off of working moms would be helpful in connecting women aged 35-40. Many women that age have children in school, so creating carpools would be another idea. Ideally, Richmondmom.com needs to evaluate what activities Richmond moms aged 35-40 most frequently, and incorporate community interaction into pre-established routines. For example, moms must get their kids to school. Why not carpool with other families you connect with over Richmondmom. com to get the task done while making community connections.
tion and answer based page to their website, where real Richmond parents asked for and received advice on parenting topics. This would make the site more personalized. The identity of those asking or answering the questions could be kept confidential through an online username created by readers.
Interestingly, 72 percent of those surveyed responded that they are strongly interested in becoming a better parent. Richmondmom.com could create a more personal ques-
Richmondmom.com should invest in emerging social media platforms as well, such as Instagram and Pinterest. Over 70 percent of users already are Pinterest users, which
Regarding social media, it is obvious that Facebook is the most used social media platform. Almost all participants use Facebook, and use it quite regularly. The importance of Richmondmom.com enhancing it’s Facebook page cannot be stressed enough. For higher readership, Richmondmom.com should start posting links to new articles directly to their Facebook page, constantly publicizing their blog and attracting readers to it’s content.
makes reaching out via Pinterest very important. Pinning recipes, how to guides, activities and “do it yourself” tutorials will engage readers. Pinterest users often are active and enjoy saving activities or crafts to their boards. It would be great if Richmondmom.com became active on Pinterest, giving readers a place to go and get fun activities for the family. This should be relatively easy to do since 70 percent of people who took the survey share content through social media weekly. This is helpful to the Richmondmom.com team because they can focus their time on responding to visitors that tweet them on twitter, improving their Facebook fan page, adding links on their homepage for Pinterest and LinkedIn, now that they know their is such a high usage of women on social media outlets in the Richmond area. Finally, it is extremely apparent that Richmondmom.com should enhance their savvy savers program since 65.7 percent of women that64
took the survey use online coupons. As mentioned previously, parents are always looking for a way to save money. If Richmondmom.com offers this and promotes it correctly on their webpage, there could be a strong influx of readers who simply are looking for money saving tips and online deals. The full survey and results are available in the appendix.
65
Content Analysis
research question 1 Richmondmom.com Content Analysis
A Content analysis is an informal research methodology that is used to compress large amounts of data into easily understandable categories and percentages
A content analysis is an informal research methodology that is used to compress large amounts of data into easily understandable categories and percentages. Examining trends and patterns within different kinds of data will allow Richmondmom.com to determine whether or not its communications are having the intended effects. Richmondmom.com has a highly active twitter feed with 6,767 followers. The twitter feed may be the most effective way Richmondmom.com communicates with its readers. In this content analysis, Richmondmom.com’s tweets with be evaluated based on two different categories, tweet focus and tweet outreach. Within these two categories, checklists will allow for the separation of tweets into actual data that can be used. For the tweet focus category, four checklist items were created: does the tweet mention a non-profit, does the tweet mention a partner-
ship between Richmondmom. com and a business, does the tweet offer a coupon, and does the tweet advertise a specific event held by Richmondmom.com? These are important questions to answer because the first research question relies heavily on reaching out to non-profit organizations and partnerships with other organizations. For the tweet outreach section the chosen checklist items were: Does the tweet include one or more hashtags, does the tweet include a link to a partner’s site, does the tweet include a link to Richmondmom.com, and does the tweet tag another user? These questions are important because they deal with how many people each tweet might be reaching or could reach. Category 1: Tweet Focus – 20 tweets were randomly selected and analyzed for how closely they related to research question 1, “How should Richmondmom.com approach expanding partnership prospects with area nonprofits?” 67
Tweet Focus Checklist: Does the tweet mention a nonprofit yes/no Does the tweet mention a partnership between Richmondmom.com and a business yes/no Does the tweet offer a coupon yes/ no Does the tweet advertise a specific event held by Richmond.com yes/ no 15% of tweets from July 2012 to June12, 2013 mention a non-profit 35% of tweets from July 2012 to June12, 2013 mention a partnership between Richmondmom.com and a business 25% of tweets from July 2012 to June12, 2013 offer a coupon or savings 25% of tweets from July 2012 to June12, 2013 advertise a specific event held by Richmondmom.com Usually when Richmondmom.com mentions another business it is also including coupons or specials for readers. Category 2: Tweet outreach – 20 tweets were randomly selected
and analyzed for how closely they related to research question 1, “How should Richmondmom.com approach expanding partnership prospects with area nonprofits?” Tweet Outreach Checklist Does the tweet include 1 or more hashtags yes/no Does the tweet include a link to a partner’s site yes/no Does the tweet include a link to Richmondmom.com yes/ no Does the tweet tag other users yes/ no 25% of tweets from July 2012 to June12, 2013 include 1 or more hashtags 25% of tweets from July 2012 to June12, 2013 include a link to a partner’s site 20% of tweets from July 2012 to June12, 2013 include a link to Richmondmom.com 25% of tweets from July 2012 to June12, 2013 tag other users While Richmondmom.com did not
always use appropriate hashtags or tagging of users, when one was used the other was typically included. Methodology of Twitter Content Analysis Richmondmom.com is hoping to expand its partnerships with non-profits in the Richmond area. Richmondmom.com extensively uses the social media outlet Twitter as a means of communicating with its customers. In order to better communication its ambitions with local non-profits, Richmondmom.com could continue to use Twitter to make better connections with the non-profits in Richmond. A content analysis of Richmondmom.com’s Tweets was conducted. The content analysis was accomplished by a random selection of 20 Tweets during the timeframe of July 2012 to June 2013. The Tweets were then placed in two different categories, Tweet Focus and Tweet Outreach. From these two 68
categories, a check list was created for each category. The checklist for each category has four closed ended questions. These questions were different for each category. After reading the Tweets, the questions were then answered based on the context of the Tweet. From the answers, a percentage was created based on “yes” and “no” answers. For each checklist item, all “yes” responses were then divided by 20 and multiplied by 100. The same formula was applied to all responses with “no” as well. This formula was used for both categories to calculate percentages. From the percentages that were calculated, the following conclusions were formulated for each category: Tweet Focus: 15% of tweets from July 2012 to June12, 2013 mention a non-profit 35% of tweets from July 2012 to June12, 2013 mention a partnership between Richmondmom.com and a business 25% of tweets from July 2012 to June12, 2013 offer a coupon or savings
25% of tweets from July 2012 to June12, 2013 advertise a specific event held by Richmondmom.com Tweet Outreach: 25% of tweets from July 2012 to June12, 2013 include 1 or more hashtags 25% of tweets from July 2012 to June12, 2013 include a link to a partner’s site 20% of tweets from July 2012 to June12, 2013 include a link to Richmondmom.com 25% of tweets from July 2012 to June12, 2013 tag other users Interpretation content analysis From our Research question regarding how Richmondmom.com can expand partnership prospects with area non-profits, there were only 15 percent of tweets that mentioned non profits out of the 20 tweets that were randomly selected. One way Richmondmom. com can gain more outreach towards non-profits is by mentioning specific non-profits they’d like
to partner with. The percentage of tweets mentioning non-profits should be increased. However, 35 percent of the tweets mention a partnership between Richmondmom.com and a business. These results show that Richmondmom. com is making an effort to display that they are working with different types of businesses. Richmondmom.com will need to continue to increase tweeting about fundraising events or conferences that the organization is hosting. Based on these results, Richmondmom.com should run more contests in relation to their organizations that offer more coupons and prizes. This would be great way to attract new followers. Offering a good prize and making sure that community is informed of upcoming events by tweeting more will help the organization find targeted followers and also keep current followers interested. The story focus of the client should include more topics and events held by the organization. 69
For Tweet Outreach, to reach more followers on Twitter, studies have shown that publishing images and photos as part of your business is a strategic marketing tactic to gain more followers. In our randomly selected sample of 20 tweets only 25 percent of tweets include a link to a partner’s site and 20 percent include a link to Richmondmom. com. In order to reach more non profits in the area Richmondmom. com should always include a link to their website. Promoting your profile by having your organizations direct link in each tweet will help you grow your following directly. Also, Richmondmom. com should increase their usage of Hashtags. By creating a unique hashtag specific to Richmondmom. com and its organization it will encourage followers to use it in order to promote the business. Hashtags are also an excellent way for Richmondmom.com to categorize events and help with brand imagining.
Richmondmom.com should always tag other users to give them credit and to create a conversation and gain feedback. It’s important for Richmondmom.com to continue to use social media in order create conversations with its publics. Also, social media will help Richmondmom.com remain relevant and enable this organization to connect with other non-profits. Based on these results, everything needs to be increased so that this organization can expand and become the #1 online source for Richmond families. Suggestions for the Client Partnership Recognition From the research, it looks like Richmondmom.com would benefit from mentioning or recognizing certain non-profits that it would like to partner with. When trying to appeal to a certain public, it’s vital that the site mentions the businesses that it aspires to work with in order to get its attention. Organizations may already come across
the site because of common goals and interests they share with Richmondmom.com. However, in order for them to want further affiliation or business with the site, they need to feel like partnering with them is necessary as well as, beneficial for them too. Better Display of Current Partnerships Richmondmom.com already has a few non-profit projects going on, but they need to visually display their partnerships more. From the Dream Baby Shower to the Wine Loft Wednesdays, Richmondmom. com visually downplays the events that it already has. The Moms felt that if the display of the events were more visually engaging, then it would probably more inviting for other businesses. Contests, Prizes, and Coupons Everyone loves free prizes and coupons, so Richmondmom.com should have more contests to increase its followers. People will eventually join and help out with the site when it comes to support-
70
ing a cause. However, Richmondmom.com must grab their attention first and give them a reason to come want to become involved. Though the goal may be to find partners that just genuinely want to help a non-profit organization, you need to show that a lot of people want to be involved with your organization to attract partners. Twitter Following/ Outreach By publishing images, videos, or event information under the Richmondmom.com twitter pics, it can increase its following by a lot. A lot of people today prefer visuals versus textual displays because they can show people exactly what’s going on. The more that social media updates itself so should Richmondmom.com. They even have video clip messages called “Vine” that can show people that not only is Richmondmom.com up to date, but that they have a lot in common with their followers. The more relatable a business or organization is to another, the better the relationship will be in a partnership.
Hashtags Richmondmom.com should engage in using hashtags in order to promote and further business. The more the hashtag appears, the more the site will be able to get the name across to other organizations. In any business, it’s vital to get your name seen as much as possible. So the more hashtags people see about Richmondmom.com, the more people will want to see what all the buzz is about.
scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours.” The best way to expand an organization to create more partnerships is by doing things for others that you would want them to do for you.
Links The best way for Richmondmom. com to build partnerships while promoting its own site, is to always include links. By linking the site from one business partner to Richmondmom.com, it not only shows the business that Richmondmom. com is promoting the, but it also exposes more people to Richmondmom.com. Networking plays a big role in businesses today, because it’s always helpful to have people willing to support you while you promote them and vice versa. Links are a great way of saying “You 71
research question 2 Research Question #2:  How should Richmondmom.com approach expanding the savvy saver program to make it more useful? Content Analysis The key to a content analysis is researching the communication outlets for an organization. Evaluating and understanding how communications work through all media outlets is important. Content analysis determines the meaning of the communication in a quantifiable way. Methodology A content analysis was done for Richmondmom.com based on the Twitter posts from external audience members. There are Facebook responses and articles written about the program. The focus was on what others, and possibly consumers, were saying about Richmondmom.com’ Savvy Saver program. All media was then placed into categories and analyzed.
For content analyses, all of the media that could be found which referenced or discussed the savvy saver program was divided into two categories. The two categories were story slant and feedback. Ten articles and twitter posts (1-10) were used for the story slant category. Once put into those categories all twitter posts and articles were examined and graded based upon the sub-questions in the story slant category. The story slant sub-questions consisted of tone, exaggeration, and accuracy. Tone could be seen as positive, neutral, or negative. Exaggeration and accurate were simple yes or no questions. For the feedback category, ten Facebook posts and another ten twitter posts (11-20) were the media used and all of those posts were also graded by using subquestions as well. These questions consisted of the following: were the posts positive, were the posts informative, and were the posts an actual complaint about the savvy
saver program. Positive could be answered yes, no, or neutral, while informative and complaint were yes or no only. Category 1: Tweet & Article Focus- 10 tweets and 10 articles about Richmondmom.com have been randomly selected for the content analysis. The checklist for this category is story slant, explaining if the tone of the article is positive or negative. Category 2: Tweet & Facebook Focus- 10 tweets and 10 Facebook comments about Richmondmom. com have been randomly selected for the content analysis. The checklist for this category is feedback from stories and posts showing what others are saying about the organization. Interpretations After analyzing the research, a majority of the stories and feedback were neutral. Taking ten articles, ten Facebook comments, and 20 tweets, it seemed as though the in72
formation just touched the surface of the Savvy Saver program. For the amount of years the program has been in effect, there is not a steady or consistent flow of information about the program aside from what is posted to the Richmondmom.com website. There are wide spans of gaps between publications or information given out to advertise about the program. Having various media outlets publicize information about Richmondmom.com’s Savvy Saver program would be beneficial for all parties. If there is more information placed through different media outlets, the stronger the customer base will be. With that, more local businesses will participate which will bring more companies on board. Altogether, the Savvy Saver can become a stronger Program in the upcoming years. Suggestions Richmondmom.com could use the research statistics taken from the
analysis of external media sources (News Articles, Facebook Posts & Twitter Posts) to its benefit by enhancing its strategic communications efforts. A large factor in the Story Slant research was that most reliable news sources doing stories on the Savvy Saver Program simply did not have enough information about the program to have a positive tone. Though any coverage on the program is beneficial, 80% of news articles on the program had a neutral tone. Richmondmom.com could fill this void with a mission statement or home page that provides a more thorough description of the Savvy Saver program and what Richmondmom.com is and strives to be. Feedback is important to the growth of the company at this integral time of change in ownership. The visitors of Richmondmom.com have been very vocal about what they want to see as they have been given the opportunity. A comments and suggestions call to action button would be a great way for these
eager readers and young moms to be heard, using this forum as an on-going dialogue would greatly enhance external relationships with their target markets. Research Statistics Statistics from 40 external media sources were taken, based upon content and category of the media source they were classified as either Story Slant or Feedback. Averages were taken after all of the media sources were rated on the criteria for their specific categories. These averages show how Richmondmom.com presents itself to external consumers. Story Slant: Articles (Story Slant) Twitter Posts 1-10 (Story Slant) Tone: 40% Positive, 60% Neutral Exaggeration: 35% exaggerated, 65% not exaggerated Accuracy: 100% accuracy
73
Feedback: Facebook Posts (Feedback) Twitter Posts 11-20 (Feedback) Positive: 45% Positive, 5% Negative, 50% Neutral Informative: 70% Informative, 30% Not Informative Complaints: 15% Complaints, 85% Non-Complaints Checklist Story Slant (10 Articles & 10 Twitter (1-10) Tone positive | negative | neutral Exaggeration yes | no Accurate yes | no Feedback (10 Facebook & 10 Twitter (11-20) Positive yes | no | neutral Informative yes | no Complaint yes | no The following is a list of people who gave feedback to Christa Donohue, owner of Richmondmom.com, about the Savvy Saver
Program on Facebook. The comments from each person were analyzed based on whether they were positive feedback, informative feedback, or a complaint.
Complaint yes | no
Facebook: This is a list of people who commented about Richmondmom.com within Facebook:
Complaint yes | no
1. Kimberley Thurston 2. Rebecca Suder 3. Christi Colavita Williams 4. Peggy Frye Hughes 5. Amy Richardson Hicks 6.Michelle Colo Burdiss 7. Cheryl Heino Modesto 8. Dorinda Veraar Bredbenner 9. Margo Catalano 10. Sandy Eisentrout
Informative yes | no
1. Positive yes | no| neutral Informative yes | no
3. Positive yes | no | neutral Informative yes | no
4. Positive yes | no | neutral
Complaint yes | no 5. Positive yes | no | neutral Informative yes | no Complaint yes | no 6. Positive yes | no | neutral Informative yes | no
Complaint yes | no
Complaint yes | no
2. Positive yes | no | neutral
7. Positive yes | no | neutral
Informative yes | no
Informative yes | no
74
Complaint yes | no 8. Positive yes | no | neutral Informative yes | no Complaint yes | no 9. Positive yes | no | neutral Informative yes | no Complaint yes | no
savvy-saver-card-saves-you-dollars-on-entertainment-and-more 4. January 20, 2012 http://www.rvaonthecheap. com/2012/01/free-savvy-savercard-on-richmondmom-com/
Complaint yes | no
5. January 19, 2013 http://www.examiner.com/article/ savvy-saver-card-from-richmondmom-com-offers-great-deals-onrichmond-attractions
Articles: The following ten articles were included in the content analysis:
6. May 16, 2013 http://www.richmondbargains.com/ category/kid-stuff/
1. February 25, 2011 http://www.richmondbargains. com/2011/02/richmond-mom2011-savvy-saver-card/
7. May 23, 2013 http://www.nbc12.com/story/22410638/more-bang-for-yourbuck-save-money-at-richmondmomcom
10. Positive yes | no | neutral Informative yes | no
2. April 13, 2011 http://www.examiner.com/article/ save-hundreds-of-dollars-with-richmondmom-savvy-saver-card 3. August 9, 2011 http://www.examiner.com/article/a-
8. 2013 http://ramsteinunderground.com/ topic.jsp?topicId=11752600 9. 2013 http://pinterest.com/richmondmom-
blog/savvy-saver-discounts/ 10. 2013 http://www.samom.com/areadiscounts.htm 1. Tone positive | negative | neutral Exaggeration yes | no Accurate yes | no 2. Tone positive | negative | neutral Exaggeration yes | no Accurate yes | no 3. Tone positive | negative | neutral Exaggeration yes | no Accurate yes | no 4. Tone positive | negative | neutral Exaggeration yes | no Accurate yes | no 5. Tone positive | negative | neutral Exaggeration yes | no Accurate yes | no 6. Tone positive | negative | neutral Exaggeration yes | no Accurate yes | no 7. Tone positive | negative | neutral Exaggeration yes | no 75
Accurate yes | no 8. Tone positive | negative | neutral Exaggeration yes | no Accurate yes | no 9. Tone positive | negative | neutral Exaggeration yes | no Accurate yes | no 10. Tone positive | negative | neutral Exaggeration yes | no Accurate yes | no Twitter: These are real tweets from a random selection. These are the tweets and how they were analyzed using the checklists for the two categories in the content analysis: 1. Jason Moreau @jmoreau 27 Jul 09 @Valster50 You might want to check out the RichmondMom.com Savvy Saver Card if you’re looking for deals - http://tr.im/ugHi #RVA Tone Positive | Neutral | Negative Exaggeration yes | no
Accurate yes | no 2. Rainbow Station @rainbowstation 26 Oct 09 RT @Richmondmom Request free Savvy Saver Card &you’ll be saving in #rva all week: http://bit.ly/ MJxWd ask @byinviteonly, it’s a good discount Tone Positive | Neutral | Negative Exaggeration yes | no Accurate yes | no 3. Monica Horsley @monicahorsley 11 Nov 09 RT @Richmondmom: Request a free Savvy Saver today here bet Buy1Get1 @ScienceMusofVA Friday! (and more): http://bit.ly/ MJxWd Tone Positive | Neutral | Negative Exaggeration yes | no Accurate yes | no 4. Beth @GreenInRichmond 1 Dec 09 Savvy Saver cards at RichmondMom.com -- Save money and support local businesses.
Tone Positive | Neutral | Negative Exaggeration yes | no Accurate yes | no 5.Maggi Tinsley @maggistitches 26 Jan 10 RT @Richmondmom: been working hard on this: 2010 Savvy Saver card-#rva families need them! They’re free, order here: http://tiny.cc/OIROn Tone Positive | Neutral | Negative Exaggeration yes | no Accurate yes | no 6. Pink Tie Gala /Susan @PinkTieGala 21 Jan 10 @ketilave RT @ketilave You’ll look silly without it!! 2010 Savvy Saver Card from @richmondmom http://tiny.cc/OLLgJ Tone Positive | Neutral | Negative Exaggeration yes | no Accurate yes | no 7. Debbie Craft @deborahcraft 20 Feb 10 @richmondmom My new #RVA 76
2010 Savvy Saver Card arrived in the mail today - thank you! www. richmondmom.com Tone Positive | Neutral | Negative Exaggeration yes | no Accurate yes | no 8. RichTechnologyGroup @RichTechGroup 17 Feb 10 @Richmondmom I was just poking around the office and accidentally dug up a Richmondmom.com 2010 Savvy Saver Card. :D Tone Positive | Neutral | Negative Exaggeration yes | no Accurate yes | no 9. Hip to be Round @itshiptoberound 23 Feb 10 Did you know ... You can get a Richmondmom.com Savvy Saver Card at both it’s hip to be round locations and online... http://bit.ly/aQeo6K Tone Positive | Neutral | Negative Exaggeration yes | no Accurate yes | no
10. Hip to be Round @itshiptoberound 30 Mar 10 Did you know ... You can get a Richmondmom.com Savvy Saver Card at both It’s Hip to be Round locations and online... http://bit.ly/ dkA5iD Tone Positive | Neutral | Negative Exaggeration yes | no Accurate yes | no 11. Theresa Light @theresamike 17 Jan 11 2011 Savvy Saver Card: Get yours here, free | RichmondMom.com http://richmondmom. com/2011/01/04/2011-savvy-savercard-get-yours-here-free/ … via @ richmondmom Positive yes | no | neutral Informative yes | no Complaint yes | no 12. Alison Brown @rvabargains 14 Feb 11 Received my @Richmondmom 2011 Savvy Saver card today Lots of great local offers! http://bit.
ly/hgMzXs Positive yes | no | neutral Informative yes | no Complaint yes | no 13. Jason Lipscomb D.D.S @ RichmondDentist 9 Jan 12 RT @Richmondmom http://richmondmom.com/2012/01/06/2012savvy-saver/ … << #rva families will love these ‘12 discounts Positive yes | no | neutral Informative yes | no Complaint yes | no 14. Barksdale Theatre @BarksdaleVa 18 Jan 12 MT @Richmondmom “@rhondaday: 2012 Savvy Saver Card: yours free http://richmondmom. com/2012/01/06/2012-savvy-saver/ …” #rva >> $5 off #GodofCarnage & 1/2 off kids @TheatreIV Positive yes | no | neutral Informative yes | no Complaint yes | no
77
15. Sandy Allen @SandyEisenAllen 19 Jan 12 Savvy Saver Card from http:// Richmondmom.com offers great deals on Richmond attractions http://shar.es/WVVAi Positive yes | no | neutral Informative yes | no Complaint yes | no 16. RVA on the Cheap @RVACheap 20 Jan 12 #Free Savvy Saver card @ Richmondmom http://j.mp/ zG7G08 #rva #rvacheap Positive yes | no | neutral Informative yes | no Complaint yes | no 17. VPFW @vpfw 3 Feb 12 Have you signed up for Richmond Mom’s Savvy Saver Card? You should! It’s free! http:// fb.me/1EipDtiqT http://lnkd.in/ Q52pgD Positive yes | no | neutral Informative yes | no
Complaint yes | no 18. Marie Aquino @california_ mom 22 Feb 12 Save lots of money with a http:// Richmondmom.com Savvy Saver card http://exm.nr/An93C0
Positive yes | no | neutral Informative yes | no Complaint yes | no
Positive yes | no | neutral Informative yes | no Complaint yes | no 19. Alison Brown @rvabargains 8 Jan New @Richmondmom Savvy Saver cards available - http:// www.richmondbargains. com/2013/01/2013-richmondmom-savvy-saver-cards … #rva Positive yes | no | neutral Informative yes | no Complaint yes | no 20. Suzanne Sherif @SuzanneSherif 14 Jun Have you heard about the Richmondmom Savvy Saver Card? Great deals! http://lnkd.in/Q52pgD
78
research question 4 Content Analysis: The Process A content analysis is used to study the content of communication. A sample of data is taken to understand a larger pool of communication, and statistics are used to explain patterns observed in the communication. For the content analysis, 20 random articles about Richmondmom.com were evaluated that were selected from a Google search. The class used two criteria: story popularity/ reach and story focus. To understand the story popularity and reach, the class created three categories: (1) Whether or not the story is shared on social media, (2) if the story has many comments and (3) whether or not the comments are positive. To understand the story focus, four categories were offered: owner, blog, parenting topics, and nonprofit related. These categories are important to determine what kind
of media coverage Richmondmom. com is receiving. Determining if articles were written about the previous or current owners, the blog itself, parenting topics with a reference to Richmondmom. com, or non-profit related partnerships with Richmondmom.com is essential to understand what type of information a reader is exposed to from the article. Story popularity and reach were selected as research categories because the class wanted to discover how large the readership of online articles about Richmondmom.com truly was. The class found that asking things related to a readerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s behavior after viewing a story demonstrated how popular the story really was. If people are willing to share a story or provide feedback on a post, it is a good sign that they are engaged and active consumers of your service or product. The class also wanted to understand the main story focus of the
articles, so that it could provide Richmondmom.com feedback as to which avenues it may explore further, when it comes to being featured in online news. Content Analysis Categories: Story Popularity/Reach Shared on social media: yes/no Many Comments: yes/no Positive Comments: yes/no Story Focus Owner: yes/no Blog: yes/no Parenting Topics: yes/no Non-Profit Related: yes/no General Interpretations of the Research Data After using the two criteria to evaluate the convenience sample of 20 stories about Richmondmom. com, some interesting results were discovered. The first set of results on story popularity and reach lent some interesting feedback on the popular79
ity of Richmondmom.com’s readership in community news. Readers shared only 30 percent of the stories that were evaluated on their personal social media sites when looking at the social media shares for 3 out of 10 online articles. 100 percent of the stories had low feedback through comments, if any feedback was given at all, and only 20 percent of the comments were positive. When no comments were left, they were deemed “not positive.” The research team used “positive” and “not positive” in the checklist to determine if readers are reacting positively or negatively to the articles. When no comments were left the researchers deemed that as “not positive” because there was no feedback taking place. It is important for readers to give feedback on articles they read. When looking at the story focuses of the randomly selected articles, the team allowed for multiple
selections if the team felt the article fell in more than one category. The class found that 30 percent of the articles had a story focus related to the owner(s), 50 percent related directly to the blog, 45 percent related to parenting topics and 45 percent related back to Richmondmom.com’s involvement with nonprofits. Overall, it seemed that the news circulating about Richmondmom. com is not being viewed or is not being engaged with the targeted publics. For blogs, it is important that the readers are sharing or becoming actively involved in your online media. The fact that people are not “sharing” stories on the internet or leaving many comments shows somewhat of a disconnect between Richmondmom.com and its audience. Not only are there not many shared articles, but there are even less comments about the articles. On the bright side, there were no negative comments about the website.
Putting Results in Motion: Suggestions Since most of the stories focus on the blog itself and partnerships with organizations in the community, it is important for Richmondmom.com to publicize itself more within the online news circuit. It was a struggle to find news articles at all, showing that Richmondmom. com should consider having a PR professional reach out to the media on its behalf, possibly by featuring Richmondmom.com when the site hosts or partners with a nonprofit for an event. Increasing the amount of “shares” on social media is imperative for Richmondmom.com’s success. Engaging the audience in commenting on stories is just as important. If Richmondmom.com did more to reach out and publicize when they do make the news, there would be more feedback and commenting on the stories that are published. 45 percent of the stories surveyed 80
for the story focus category pertained to parenting topics, while 55 percent pertained to non-profit involvement. Both positive numbers, as parenting topics and nonprofit involvement are two of the most important aspects of Richmondmom.com. However, there is minimal media coverage on Richmondmom.com. The organization may want to look at topic choices when creating blog posts that will make their posts more newsworthy. Data Collection The following items were analyzed in a convenience sample of 20 stories about Richmondmom.com that were obtained from the Internet. Each link connects to a story, and the information display beneath the links are the two categories used in the content analysis: story popularity/reach and story focus. 1. http://katewhall.com/tag/richmondmom-com/ (Excitement)
A. Story Popularity/Reach Shared on social media: no Many Comments: no Positive Comments: no
A. Story Popularity/Reach Shared on Social Media: yes Many Comments: no Positive Comments: no Â
B. Story Focus Owner: no Blog: yes Parenting Topics: no Non-Profit Related: no
B. Story Focus Owner: no Blog:yes Parenting Topics: yes Non-Profit Related: no
2.http://www.timesdispatch.com/ business/article_b91bca04-2f065869-88a9-b16769f8664e.html
4. http://wotbn.net/hip-to-be-roundbuys-richmondmom-com/
A. Story Popularity/Reach Shared on social media: no Many Comments: no Positive Comments: yes B. Story Focus Owner: yes Blog: yes Parenting Topics: no Non-Profit Related: no 3.http://www.nbc12.com/story/22410638/more-bang-for-yourbuck-save-money-at-richmondmomcom
A. Story Popularity/Reach Shared on Social Media: yes Many Comments: no Positive Comments: no B. Story Focus Owner: yes Blog: no Parenting Topics: no Non-Profit Related: no 5. http://fullcirclegc. org/2013/01/1272/ A. Story Popularity/Reach Shared on Social Media: yes 81
Many Comments: no Positive Comments: no B. Story Focus Owner: no Blog: no Parenting Topics: no Non-Profit Related: yes 6. http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=AtgXRmBxt2g A. Story Popularity/Reach Shared on Social Media: no Many Comments: no Positive Comments: no B. Story Focus Owner: no Blog: no Parenting Topics: no Non-Profit Related: yes 7. http://ukropshomemades.com/ tag/richmondmom-com/ A. Story Popularity/Reach Shared on Social Media: no Many Comments: no Positive Comments: no
B. Story Focus Owner: no Blog: yes Parenting Topics: yes Non-Profit Related: no 8.http://www.examiner.com/article/ richmondmom-com-is-a-greatsource-of-information-for-areamoms-and-dads A. Story Popularity/Reach Shared on Social Media: no Many Comments: no Positive Comments: yes B. Story Focus Owner: yes Blog: yes Parenting Topics: yes Non-Profit Related: no 9.http://www.southsiderva. com/2009/05/richmondmomcomseeks-to-reward-richmond-teachers/ A. Story Popularity/Reach Shared on Social Media: no Many Comments: no
Positive Comments: no B. Story Focus Owner: no Blog: no Parenting Topics: no Non-Profit Related: yes 10.http://article.wn.com/ view/2013/05/20/Hip_to_Be_ Round_buys_Richmondmomcom/#/video A. Story Popularity/Reach Shared on Social Media: no Many Comments: no Positive Comments: no B. Story Focus Owner: no Blog: no Parenting Topics: no Non-Profit Related: yes 11. http://www.care2.com/news/ member/186911329/3396117 A. Story Popularity/Reach Shared on Social Media: no Many Comments: no 82
Positive Comments: no B. Story Focus Owner: yes Blog: no Parenting Topics: yes Non-Profit Related: no 12. http://safeharborshelter. com/2013/05/safe-harbor-on-richmondmom-com/ A. Story Popularity/Reach Shared on Social Media: no Many Comments: no Positive Comments: no B. Story Focus Owner: no Blog: no Parenting Topics: no Non-Profit Related: yes 13. http://maureenegan.wordpress. com/tag/richmondmom-com/ A. Story Popularity/Reach Shared on Social Media: no Many Comments: no Positive Comments: yes
B. Story Focus Owner: yes Blog: yes Parenting Topics: no Non-Profit Related: no
Blog: no Parenting Topics: yes Non-Profit Related: yes
14. http://www.biznet-va.com/ firms/1369984/
16. http://www.downtownshortpump.com/join-us-for-wine-downwednesday-june-6th-to-benefit-thechildrens-heart-foundation/
A. Story Popularity/Reach Shared on Social Media: no Many Comments: no Positive Comments: no
A. Story Popularity/Reach Shared on social media: no Many Comments: no Positive Comments: no
B. Story Focus Owner: no Blog: no Parenting Topics: yes Non-Profit Related: no
B. Story Focus Owner: no Blog: no Parenting Topics: no Non-Profit Related: no
15. http://www.nrccafe.org/donateschool-supplies-at-puritan-cleaners
17. http://www.examiner.com/ article/richmondmom-com-is-agreat-source-of-information-forarea-moms-and-dads
A. Story Popularity/Reach Shared on Social Media: no Many Comments: no Positive Comments: no B. Story Focus Owner: no
A. Story Popularity/Reach Shared on social media: no Many Comments: no Positive Comments: no
83
B. Story Focus Owner: yes Blog: yes Parenting Topics: no Non-Profit Related: no
B. Story Focus Owner: no Blog: yes Parenting Topics: no Non-Profit Related: yes
18. http://richmondmom. com/2012/10/08/dr-couser-onwheels-free-vision-and-hearingscreening-for-kids/
20. https://www.rainraps.com/ richmondmom-com/
A. Story Popularity/Reach Shared on social media: yes Many Comments: no Positive Comments: no B. Story Focus Owner: no Blog: no Parenting Topics: yes Non-Profit Related: yes
A. Story Popularity/Reach Shared on social media: yes Many Comments: no Positive Comments: yes B. Story Focus Owner: no Blog: yes Parenting Topics: no Non-Profit Related: no
19. http://rvahometeam.com/ richmond-va-mothers-day-contestnominate-a-supermom-today/ A. Story Popularity/Reach Shared on social media: yes Many Comments: no Positive Comments: no 84
Message Tests
Research Question 3 Introduction
Message tests can be used by any organization to test the strategies that it is currently employing and to uncover new messages that reach its target publics most effectivly.
The messages tested for Richmondmom.com were in the form of a survey and pertained to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, specifically safety, love and belonging and esteem. All of these aspects have the ability to provide useful information to Richmondmom.com in determining what type of information its target publics find more beneficial. Information that was collected from the survey participants, included whether or not they were a parent/grandparent and also the ages of their children. Specific demographics and pre-screening questions were not collected / administered. Additional information tested included whether or not the messages were believable, if they would pass the information on to a friend, etc. Methodology Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a theory in psychology developed
by Abraham Maslow. His theories focused on describing the stages of growth that motivates humans as they move through life. Maslow used the terms physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization to describe the pattern of needs in which people go through. The most fundamental needs are; physiological, safety, love/belonging, and esteem. If these are not met, Maslow claims that an individual’s life will be filled with anxiety and stress, never reaching the top tier of self-actualization. Maslow describes self-actualization as the desire and drive to accomplish the most that one can, and to actually accomplish it. However to get to the top of the pyramid, all other tiers of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs must be met. The survey focused on the middle three tiers, because until a person is selfactualized they will be focusing on fulfilling the lower needs. Analysis of Maslow’s Needs86
Maslow’s Safety Category Test Message: Richmond families stay healthy with tips from Richmondmom.com. This message focused on the second tier of the pyramid, safety. Safety refers to the need for security which includes the body, employment, resources, morality, family, health, and property. This message was chosen to see if families use Richmondmom.com for healthy tips. If health was a concept that Richmondmom.com had not yet fulfilled, then it would know the work needed to be completed to ensure they were fulfilling the needs of its target market. This is important to understand because content and messages must match the level of need for which the target publics are represented. Maslow’s Love and Belonging Category Test Message: Richmondmom. com’s social media outlets are where Richmond parents get social.
After safety is accomplished, Maslow stated that people strived to obtain love and belonging. This message tests this area of human needs because close friendships and relationships are important for the development into a self-actualized person. If Richmond parents find this important, then it will be clear where Richmondmom.com’s focus should be; to have an outlet where parents can connect with one another and develop friendships. Maslow’s Esteem Category Test Message: Confident parents use Richmondmom.com to develop great parenting skills. Esteem is the last level in Maslow’s pyramid of needs before selfactualization. Esteem is described as confidence, achievement, and respect for and by others. If Richmond parents are most interested in fulfilling this need, or consider themself at this level, then Richmondmom.com can focus on the top two tiers of the pyramid. The message that was tested gaged the level of self-esteem parents had
in their own parenting skills and if Richmondmom.com could have been a direct factor in that. Survey Results The results collected from survey participants can be used to help Richmondmom.com enhance its social media presence. The responses give a general area of messages that are working well and messages that need to be worked on. Richmondmom.com needs to work on developing a better presence overall while enhancing its social media presence because a high percentage of participants had never even heard of the site. Since they had never heard of the site, they were also not familiar with its social media outlets. The results from the survey indicated that 59% were parents, 6% were grandparents and 32% were not parents. Having non-parent participants makes some of the results more difficult to analyze. However, 87
if Richmondmom.com wants to become the number one parenting site, then even people who are not parents should be aware of its presence, and with 52% having not heard of the site, it is not succeeding. Based on the results, most of the parents have a child or children between the ages of 0 and 3, which is a viable market for Richmondmom.com.
88
Survey Demographics
89
Maslows Safety When it relates to healthy tips, 42% of survey participants who had heard of Richmondmom.com stated that they do not use Richmondmom.com for healthy tips, while only 21% of participants believe that Richmond families stay healthy with tips from Richmondmom.com. Despite this, the majority of survey participants stated that they would share that information with a friend and they also found the message believable.
90
Maslowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Safety (continued)
91
Maslows Love and Belonging The message used for love and belonging was â&#x20AC;&#x153;Richmondmom. comâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s social media outlets are where Richmond parents get social.â&#x20AC;? Although 44% claimed that this information was not important to them, it is important to keep in mind that 52% of all participants had not heard of Richmondmom. com. With that in mind, this message got the best results from participants with 70% between somewhat and very likely to share the message with a friend. The two other questions asked regarding this message also displayed similar results.
92
Maslowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Love and Belonging (continued)
93
Maslowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Esteem Parents turn to various outlets to find information when it comes to developing effective parenting skills. Participants of this survey were divided when it came to using Richmondmom.comâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s social media sites to develop great parenting skills.
94
Maslowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Esteem (continued)
95
Applying Results The results from the survey can be used by Richmondmom.com to enhance its current social media strategies and tactics based on how successful or unsuccessful each of the three statements were. The organization needs to use messages that resonate with its audiences. Richmondmom.com can look to the survey results as suggestions for areas of improvement. Based on the results, it can recognize which needs of Maslow’s hierarchy can be ignored. Through the survey it was apparent that there are a large percentage of participants, at 52%, who have never heard of Richmondmom.com, which makes increasing awareness and drawing attention to the site a number one priority. Even though many participants were not parents, to become the number one parenting site, Richmondmom.com should be a recognized name, even with non-parents. Likewise, most of the answers seemed very split in matters of importance and this could be
due to the fact that about the same percentage had never heard of the site. Social media sites are a convenient way for parents to get information. Based on the results, half of the participants were not interested in Richmondmom.com’s social media ventures and the other half showed a slight interest. Richmondmom. com can capitalize on the target market that values social media by posting on subjects that ranked the highest in the survey. The results of successful statements can be used to build upon any messages that relate to the same methodology which Richmondmom.com is currently using. Based off the results of the survey, the message related to Maslow’s love and belonging tier was received most positively by the participants. This is very crucial to consider when coordinating future social media posts. Richmond participants seem to respond best to the need of belonging and finding a community is important to them. Therefore,
focusing on social media posts that encourage socialization will attract a high percentage of the target market. Esteem ranked second and this could be attributed to the fact that half of the participants had not been to the site and the test message did not affect them. Safety strongly showed the least interest of the three messages. It would seem that Richmond parents have moved past the first two levels of Maslow’s pyramid of needs and care more about the top three. With that in mind, Richmondmom. com should focus its social media posts around the ideas of love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization because these are the areas in which Richmond residents are trying to fulfill. Survey Bias A link to the survey was distributed on various social media sites and targeted towards anyone taking care of a child (parents, grandparents, etc.). After the survey was distributed and closed, it was noted that the information on the
96
survey could be confusing to participants because they were not screened nor were they given specific instructions on how to answer the questions. The results of the message test were slightly skewed due to the fact that a little over 30% of participants were neither parents nor grandparents.
97
Appendix
Communication Audit A.)
C.)
B.)
99
D.)
E.)
100
F.)
G.)
101
H.)
I.)
102
J.)
103
Focus Group Media Research Question 1 link https://www.dropbox.com/sh/m2kfijvuh17sepx/VOGEiH1Bki
Research Question 3 link http://vimeo.com/67747750
104
Online Survey
105
Richmond Parenting Survey
Q1 I am a Answered: 70 Skipped: 0
Male
Female
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Answer Choices
Responses
M ale
4.29%
3
Female
95.71%
67
Total
70
1 / 16
Richmond Parenting Survey
Q2 I am Answered: 67 Skipped: 3
18-24 Years old 25-30 Years old 31-34 Years Old 34 35-40 Years old 40-45 Years old Above 45 Years old
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Answer Choices
Responses
18-24 Years old
8.96%
6
25-30 Years old
20.90%
14
31-34 Years Old
5.97%
4
34
0%
0
35-40 Years old
41.79%
28
40-45 Years old
11.94%
8
Above 45 Years old
11.94%
8
Total Respondents: 67
2 / 16
Richmond Parenting Survey
Q3 My education level is Answered: 69 Skipped: 1
Some high school High school degree Some college College degree Masters degree
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Answer Choices
Responses
Some high school
1.45%
1
High school degree
2.90%
2
Some college
18.84%
13
College degree
47.83%
33
M asters degree
31.88%
22
Total Respondents: 69
3 / 16
Richmond Parenting Survey
Q4 Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy for me to find information online about parenting. Answered: 59 Skipped: 11
Strongly Disagree Disagree
Neutral
Agree Strongly Agree
0
(no label)
1
2
(no label)
3
(no label)
4
(no label)
5
Total
Average Rating
Strongly Disagree
0% 0
0% 0
0% 0
0% 0
0
0.00
Disagree
100% 1
0% 0
0% 0
0% 0
1
1.00
50% 1
0% 0
50% 1
0% 0
2
2.00
Agree
85.71% 18
4.76% 1
4.76% 1
4.76% 1
21
1.29
Strongly Agree
94.29% 33
0% 0
0% 0
5.71% 2
35
1.17
Neutral
4 / 16
Richmond Parenting Survey
Q5 The quality of information online about parenting is very high. Answered: 59 Skipped: 11
Strongly Disagree Disagree
1
Neutral
1.31
Agree
1.19
Strongly Agree
1
0
(no label)
1
2
(no label)
3
(no label)
4
(no label)
5
Total
Average Rating
Strongly Disagree
0% 0
0% 0
0% 0
0% 0
0
0.00
Disagree
100% 3
0% 0
0% 0
0% 0
3
1.00
Neutral
88.46% 23
0% 0
3.85% 1
7.69% 2
26
1.31
Agree
88.89% 24
3.70% 1
7.41% 2
0% 0
27
1.19
100% 4
0% 0
0% 0
0% 0
4
1.00
Strongly Agree
5 / 16
Richmond Parenting Survey
Q6 I get confused by the amount of conflicting opinions online about parenting. Answered: 59 Skipped: 11
Strongly Disagree Disagree
Neutral
Agree Strongly Agree
0
(no label)
1
2
(no label)
3
(no label)
4
(no label)
5
Total
Average Rating
Strongly Disagree
100% 3
0% 0
0% 0
0% 0
3
1.00
Disagree
75% 12
12.50% 2
6.25% 1
6.25% 1
16
1.44
Neutral
95% 19
0% 0
0% 0
5% 1
20
1.15
87.50% 14
12.50% 2
0% 0
0% 0
16
1.13
100% 5
0% 0
0% 0
0% 0
5
1.00
Agree Strongly Agree
6 / 16
Richmond Parenting Survey
Q7 I subscribe to at least one online magazine. Answered: 59 Skipped: 11
Yes
No
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Answer Choices
Responses
Yes
32.20%
19
No
69.49%
41
Total Respondents: 59
7 / 16
Richmond Parenting Survey
Q8 Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s common for me to read blog posts online. Answered: 59 Skipped: 11
Strongly Disagree
2
Disagree
1
Neutral
1
Agree
1.37
Strongly Agree
1.12
0
(no label)
1
2
(no label)
3
(no label)
4
(no label)
5
Total
Average Rating
Strongly Disagree
33.33% 1
33.33% 1
33.33% 1
0% 0
3
2.00
Disagree
100% 6
0% 0
0% 0
0% 0
6
1.00
Neutral
100% 6
0% 0
0% 0
0% 0
6
1.00
84.21% 16
0% 0
10.53% 2
5.26% 1
19
1.37
96% 24
0% 0
0% 0
4% 1
25
1.12
Agree Strongly Agree
8 / 16
Richmond Parenting Survey
Q9 Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s common for me to read stories in online magazines. Answered: 57 Skipped: 13
Strongly Disagree Disagree
Neutral
Agree Strongly Agree
0
(no label)
1
2
(no label)
3
(no label)
4
(no label)
5
Total
Average Rating
Strongly Disagree
66.67% 2
33.33% 1
0% 0
0% 0
3
1.33
Disagree
90.91% 10
9.09% 1
0% 0
0% 0
11
1.09
100% 9
0% 0
0% 0
0% 0
9
1.00
90% 18
0% 0
5% 1
5% 1
20
1.25
86.67% 13
0% 0
0% 0
13.33% 2
15
1.40
Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
9 / 16
Richmond Parenting Survey
Q10 I subscribe to RSS feeds. Answered: 58 Skipped: 12
Yes
No
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Answer Choices
Responses
Yes
17.24%
10
No
82.76%
48
Total Respondents: 58
10 / 16
Richmond Parenting Survey
Q11 I want to connect with other parents in my area. Answered: 59 Skipped: 11
Strongly Disagree Disagree
Neutral
Agree Strongly Agree
0
(no label)
1
2
(no label)
3
(no label)
4
(no label)
5
Total
Average Rating
Strongly Disagree
0% 0
0% 0
0% 0
0% 0
0
0.00
Disagree
85.71% 6
0% 0
14.29% 1
0% 0
7
1.29
Neutral
90.91% 10
0% 0
0% 0
9.09% 1
11
1.27
Agree
91.67% 22
0% 0
4.17% 1
4.17% 1
24
1.21
Strongly Agree
88.24% 15
5.88% 1
0% 0
5.88% 1
17
1.24
11 / 16
Richmond Parenting Survey
Q12 Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m interested in learning about being a better parent. Answered: 59 Skipped: 11
Strongly Disagree Disagree
Neutral
Agree Strongly Agree
0
(no label)
1
2
(no label)
3
(no label)
4
(no label)
5
Total
Average Rating
Strongly Disagree
0% 0
0% 0
0% 0
0% 0
0
0.00
Disagree
50% 1
50% 1
0% 0
0% 0
2
1.50
Neutral
85.71% 6
0% 0
0% 0
14.29% 1
7
1.43
Agree
88.89% 24
0% 0
3.70% 1
7.41% 2
27
1.30
Strongly Agree
95.83% 23
4.17% 1
0% 0
0% 0
24
1.04
12 / 16
Richmond Parenting Survey
Q13 I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s valuable to have a local online source for parenting information Answered: 59 Skipped: 11
Strongly Disagree Disagree
Neutral
Agree Strongly Agree
0
(no label)
1
2
(no label)
3
(no label)
4
(no label)
5
Total
Average Rating
Strongly Disagree
0% 0
0% 0
0% 0
0% 0
0
0.00
Disagree
0% 0
0% 0
0% 0
0% 0
0
0.00
100% 4
0% 0
0% 0
0% 0
4
1.00
Agree
85.71% 24
3.57% 1
3.57% 1
7.14% 2
28
1.32
Strongly Agree
92.86% 26
3.57% 1
0% 0
3.57% 1
28
1.14
Neutral
13 / 16
Richmond Parenting Survey
Q14 How often do you use these services on average: Answered: 59 Skipped: 11
Tumblr
0%
Never
Never
20%
40%
Once a Year Once a Month
Once a Year
60%
80%
100%
Once a Week Once a Day
Once a M onth
Once a Week
Once a Day
Total Respondents
38.98% 23
8.47% 5
25.42% 15
20.34% 12
6.78% 4
59
8.47% 5
6.78% 4
28.81% 17
32.20% 19
25.42% 15
59
0% 0
0% 0
1.72% 1
1.72% 1
96.55% 56
58
47.46% 28
3.39% 2
13.56% 8
13.56% 8
22.03% 13
59
50.85% 30
3.39% 2
3.39% 2
11.86% 7
30.51% 18
59
Tumblr
77.97% 46
1.69% 1
11.86% 7
8.47% 5
0% 0
59
14 / 16
Richmond Parenting Survey
Q15 I share content through social media every week. Answered: 59 Skipped: 11
Strongly Disagree Disagree
Neutral
Agree Strongly Agree
0
(no label)
1
2
(no label)
3
(no label)
4
(no label)
5
Total
Average Rating
Strongly Disagree
0% 0
100% 1
0% 0
0% 0
1
2.00
Disagree
100% 4
0% 0
0% 0
0% 0
4
1.00
80% 4
0% 0
20% 1
0% 0
5
1.40
Agree
81.82% 18
4.55% 1
4.55% 1
9.09% 2
22
1.41
Strongly Agree
96.30% 26
0% 0
0% 0
3.70% 1
27
1.11
Neutral
15 / 16
Richmond Parenting Survey
Q16 I use online coupons. Answered: 59 Skipped: 11
Yes
No
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Answer Choices
Responses
Yes
77.97%
46
No
22.03%
13
Total
59
16 / 16
Intercept Survey
106
Richmondmom.com Group 2
Q1 I am currently a parent or caretaker of one or more children. Answered: 109 Skipped: 0
Yes
No
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Answer Choices
Responses
Yes
83.49%
91
No
16.51%
18
Total Respondents: 109
1 / 9
Richmondmom.com Group 2
Q2 How did you learn about Richmondmom.com? Answered: 86 Skipped: 23
A. Newspaper
B. Blog
C. Television
D. Radio
E. Friend
F. Other G. I have never heard of... 0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Answer Choices
Responses
A. Newspaper
2.33%
2
B. Blog
13.95%
12
C. Television
4.65%
4
D. Radio
2.33%
2
E. Friend
31.40%
27
F. Other
11.63%
10
G. I have never heard of Richmondmom.com
37.21%
32
Total Respondents: 86
2 / 9
Richmondmom.com Group 2
Q3 I have donated money to a non-profit in the last 12 months. Answered: 86 Skipped: 23
Yes
No
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Answer Choices
Responses
Yes
69.77%
60
No
30.23%
26
Total Respondents: 86
3 / 9
Richmondmom.com Group 2
Q4 I frequently use coupons when dining out with my family. Answered: 86 Skipped: 23
Yes
No
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Answer Choices
Responses
Yes
38.37%
33
No
61.63%
53
Total
86
4 / 9
Richmondmom.com Group 2
Q5 How many times do you pay for family activities per month? Answered: 86 Skipped: 23
0-2
3-5
6-8
8-10
11+
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Answer Choices
Responses
0-2
27.91%
24
3-5
37.21%
32
6-8
19.77%
17
8-10
11.63%
10
11+
4.65%
4
Total Respondents: 86
5 / 9
Richmondmom.com Group 2
Q6 I am more likely to spend money on events where the proceeds benefit nonprofits. Answered: 86 Skipped: 23
(no label)
0
(no label)
Strongly Disagree
1
Disagree 0% 0
3.49% 3
2
Neutral
3
Agree
36.05% 31
Strongly Agree 40.70% 35
6 / 9
4
19.77% 17
5
Total
Average Rating 86
3.77
Richmondmom.com Group 2
Q7 What is your age group? Answered: 86 Skipped: 23
18-24
25-35
36-45
46+
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Answer Choices
Responses
18-24
19.77%
17
25-35
38.37%
33
36-45
23.26%
20
46+
18.60%
16
Total Respondents: 86
7 / 9
Richmondmom.com Group 2
Q8 What is your gender? Answered: 86 Skipped: 23
Male
Female
N/A
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Answer Choices
Responses
M ale
18.60%
16
Female
80.23%
69
N/A
1.16%
1
Total Respondents: 86
8 / 9
Richmondmom.com Group 2
Q9 What is the highest level of education you have completed? Answered: 86 Skipped: 23
Did not graduate high school Graduated from high school 1 year of college 2 years of college 3 years of college Graduated from college Some graduate school Completed graduate school 0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Answer Choices
Responses
Did not graduate high school
1.16%
1
Graduated from high school
8.14%
7
1 year of college
8.14%
7
2 years of college
19.77%
17
3 years of college
11.63%
10
Graduated from college
34.88%
30
Some graduate school
11.63%
10
Completed graduate school
4.65%
4
Total Respondents: 86
9 / 9
Message Test
107
Richmondmom Social Media
Q1 Richmondmom.com's social media outlets are where Richmond parents get social. How likely are you to share this information with a friend? Answered: 50 Skipped: 0
Very likely
Not at all
Not likely Likely
Maybe
Answer Choices
Responses
Very likely
12%
6
Likely
30%
15
M aybe
28.00%
14
Not likely
14.00%
7
Not at all
16%
8
Total
50
1 / 10
Richmondmom Social Media
Q2 Richmondmom.com's social media outlets are where Richmond parents get social. How important is this to you? Answered: 50 Skipped: 0
Very important
Not important
Somewhat important
Answer Choices
Responses
Very important
22%
11
Somewhat important
34%
17
Not important
44%
22
Total
50
2 / 10
Richmondmom Social Media
Q3 Richmondmom.com's social media outlets are where Richmond parents get social. Is this memorable? Answered: 50 Skipped: 0
Yes No
Answer Choices
Responses
Yes
48%
24
No
52%
26
Total
50
3 / 10
Richmondmom Social Media
Q4 Confident parents use Richmondmom.com to develop great parenting skills. Do you use Richmondmom.com on a regular basis? Answered: 50 Skipped: 0
Yes
I've never heard of Richmondmom.com No
Answer Choices
Responses
Yes
16%
8
No
32%
16
I've never heard of Richmondmom.com
52%
26
Total
50
4 / 10
Richmondmom Social Media
Q5 Confident parents use Richmondmom.com to develop great parenting skills. How likely are you to recommend this site to a friend? Answered: 50 Skipped: 0
Not very likely / not interested
Very likely
Not likely
Somewhat likely
Maybe
Answer Choices
Responses
Very likely
16%
8
Somewhat likely
26%
13
M aybe
26%
13
Not likely
16%
8
Not very likely / not interested
16%
8
Total
50
5 / 10
Richmondmom Social Media
Q6 Confident parents use Richmondmom.com to develop great parenting skills. How likely are you to use Richmondmom.com's convenient social media sites for this purpose? Answered: 50 Skipped: 0
Very likely Not very likely / not interested Somewhat likely
Not likely
Maybe
Answer Choices
Responses
Very likely
8%
4
Somewhat likely
14.00%
7
M aybe
28.00%
14
Not likely
28.00%
14
Not very likely / not interested
22%
11
Total
50
6 / 10
Richmondmom Social Media
Q7 Richmond families stay healthy with tips from Richmondmom.com. How likely are you to share this information with a friend? Answered: 49 Skipped: 1
Very likely
Not very likely / not interested
Somewhat likely Not likely
Maybe
Answer Choices
Responses
Very likely
8.16%
4
Somewhat likely
28.57%
14
M aybe
30.61%
15
Not likely
14.29%
7
Not very likely / not interested
18.37%
9
Total
49
7 / 10
Richmondmom Social Media
Q8 Richmond families stay healthy with tips from Richmondmom.com. How believable is this information? Answered: 50 Skipped: 0
Not believable Very believable
Somewhat believable
Answer Choices
Responses
Very believable
26%
13
Somewhat believable
54%
27
Not believable
20%
10
Total
50
8 / 10
Richmondmom Social Media
Q9 Richmond families stay healthy with tips from Richmondmom.com. Do you use Richmondmom.com for healthy tips for your family? Answered: 47 Skipped: 3
Yes
Sometimes I've never heard of Richmondmom.com
No
Answer Choices
Responses
Yes
4.26%
2
Sometimes
17.02%
8
No
42.55%
20
I've never heard of Richmondmom.com
36.17%
17
Total
47
9 / 10
Richmondmom Social Media
Q10 Check all the apply Answered: 50 Skipped: 0
I'm a grandparent
I'm a parent
I am expecting a child /... I have a child / children /... I have a child / children /... I have a child / children /... I have a child / children /...
0
Yes
I'm a parent
10
No
Yes
20
30
40
50
Does not apply
No
Does not apply
Total Respondents
59.18% 29
32.65% 16
10.20% 5
49
6.52% 3
76.09% 35
21.74% 10
46
I have a child / children / grandchildren older than 10
10.87% 5
78.26% 36
13.04% 6
46
I have a child / children / grandchildren between the ages of 7 and 9
11.11% 5
77.78% 35
13.33% 6
45
I have a child / children / grandchildren between the ages of 4 and 6
20.83% 10
70.83% 34
10.42% 5
48
I have a child / children / grandchildren between the ages of 0 and 3
38.78% 19
53.06% 26
10.20% 5
49
8.89% 4
82.22% 37
11.11% 5
45
I'm a grandparent
I am expecting a child / children
10 / 10