April Status
Well, here we are….a long journey….coming up to an end.
I have had a few setbacks during this project; yet, I was able to complete the final goal of creating a website presence to complement the dessert catering business. Two sites have been created based upon feedback that I have received:
These sites are up and running. However, these sites will continue to grow and change as more material is added to existing topics and as more topics are explored. I am trying to use Patrick Cash’s websites as model for my sites. This has really been a fun, trying at times, and a highly educational experience. I have learned so much, and these sites are a completion of a goal that I have had for quite some time.
Here is a link to my video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfSyTnYw9j8
Initial Deliverables for 2/12/2010 – Staff, Site, & Domain Decisions
I have decided to record the videos. I have a contact that will do all of the video editing and give any tips for recording during this project. I have video equipment now that I can use. I have also decided to develop a full website so that I can take advantage of some of the web marketing strategies that I wish to employ. (See marketing strategy) Since I do have some experience in web design, I will use my skills in developing the website. After reading the survey responses, I have decided to changed the domain name to simplemealrecipes.com because the name is easy to remember and this will be the initial focus of the site. ”Recipe” is also a high count google adword. The website will be hosted by Godaddy.com and domain name has been registered.
Initial Deliverables for 2/12/2010 – The Survey
| Deliverables | Start Date | End Date |
| Creation of surveys | 1/8/2010 | 1/15/2010 |
| Survey a sampling of people | 1/15/2010 | 1/22/2010 |
| Find videographer and web developer | 1/22/2010 | 1/29/2010 |
| Find domain name availability and search popularity | 1/29/2010 | 1/30/2010 |
| Research if blog site or full site is needed | 1/30/2010 | 2/1/2010 |
| Analysis of survey information | 2/1/2010 | 2/5/2010 |
| Development of site content and structure | 2/5/2010 | 2/23/2010 |
| Develop internet marketing strategy | 2/12/2010 | 2/19/2010 |
Survey creation (Completed)
A survey was created, and I received data from those surveys which gave me wonderful feedback and has helped me to continue to mold and create the cooking site. The surveys were sent out via email and paper. Here are questions from the survey:
1. How many times do you cook during the week?
2. When do you do most of your cooking?
3. What types of recipes are you most interested in
Crock pot meals ________ Simple meals (Meat and 2 Vegetables)________
Budget meals __________ Special Occasions __________
Meals in 15 – 30 minutes________ Gourmet meals _________
Other (please list)________________________________________________________
4. Do you use the internet for to find recipes? Yes No
5. If No, why?_________________________________________________
Answer the next two questions only if you answered “Yes” to question 4.
6. Which recipe site do you use most often?
7. What do you like most about internet recipe sites?
Analysis of Survey Data
The average number of times that people cook is three times.
Most people do their cooking during the weekday in the afternoons and early evenings.
Most people are interested in the following in order:
Meals in 15 – 30 minutes
Simple Meals (Meat and 2 vegetables)
Crock pot meals
Budget meals
Gourmet meals
Special occasions
Other meal interests were pastas, casseroles, and freezer friendly meals. (These could be other areas for exploration.)
Most people used the internet to find recipes.
Some of the recipe websites that people used are: Allrecipes.com, Publix Apron, Food network.com, Cooks.com, Southern Living.com, Pillsbury.com.
What people like most about internet recipe sites: Variety of recipes, easy and quick access to specific recipes, detailed steps, ability to see how people may vary a recipe.
What people like least about internet recipe sites: Recipes not organized by level of kitchen expertise, not easy to navigate the site, hard to remember the site name, too many ingredients to use for one time.
Marketing Strategy
o Determine
§ Key Clients needs and wants
o Internet Marketing Options
§ Social Media Sites (Facebook & Twitter)
§ You Tube
§ Viral
§ Google Adword
The Pitch
o For those that can’t cook or are inexperienced in cooking for one
o For those who are looking to develop and cultivate their culinary skills
o The simplemealrecipes.com is for the busy person responsible for cooking the meals for the household .
o Unlike other cooking websites that have lots of intricate gourmet recipes that take forever to prepare and require a grocery list of ingredients, this website emphasizes simple delicious meals (meals like mom use to make during the week) using few ingredients and minimal preparation time.
Developing a site for ordinary meals
Problem– In 2008, 68 million women were employed in the U.S.—75 percent of employed women worked on full-time jobs, while 25 percent worked on a part-time basis according to the United States Department of Labor. The National Center for Education Statistics states that college enrollment will grow by at least 10% by 2016, and an average of almost 70 percent of college students rely on on-campus housing. For those who are culinary arts deficient (people who can’t cook), creating tasty meals with limited time, resources, and knowledge is a challenge facing many working women and college students. Although there are many cooking sites that have recipes and even cook along videos, many folks don’t want to take a chance in preparing gourmet dishes that call for exotic and sometimes expensive ingredients and require a lot of time. For college students, many recipes are for more than just one person. Dorm space is limited; storing leftovers can be a challenge, and microwaves are often the only allowed appliance in a dorm room. From time to time, everyone just wants to make those simple, yet delicious meals that our parents would make at home.
· Solution- Two cooking websites will be developed. WorkingWomanChef.com will be geared towards working women with small families, and the other site, CollegeDormChef.com, will focus on college students living in dorms. Both sites will have simple recipes along with cook along videos. These websites are for new and inexperienced cooks. Both demographics need to be surveyed to ensure that their culinary needs are met by the websites. Recipes and videos will include items such as meatloaf, baked chicken breasts, vegetable beef stew, black-eyed peas, a good tea, and mashed potatoes. (This is what non-cooks that I have met ask me for…)
Project Schedule and Deliverables
| Deliverables | Start Date | End Date |
| Creation of surveys | 1/8 | 1/15 |
| Survey a sampling of people | 1/15 | 1/22 |
| Find videographer & web designer | 1/22 | 1/29 |
| Find domain name availability and search popularity | 1/29 | 1/30 |
| Research if blog site or full site is needed | 1/30 | 2/1 |
| Analysis of survey information | 2/1 | 2/5 |
| Development of site content and structure | 2/5 | 2/23 |
| Develop internet marketing strategy | 2/12 | 2/19 |
| Create actual sites adding content | 2/23 | 3/2 |
| Implement internet marketing strategy | 3/2 | 3/9 |
| Monitor sites’ traffic | 3/9 | 3/30 |
| Fine tune traffic performance | 3/9 | 3/30 |
| Produce final presentation & final results | 4/1 | 4/9 |
