Week 3 Documentation

This week for Toucan Cleaners, I created short bios for the company Founders, designed a way to track the efficacy of their physical marketing mediums, and built social media content. 

I interviewed the company Founders to gather background information, determine what roles they perform at Toucan Cleaners and learned a bit about their personal lives. Next, I utilized ChatGPT, an AI writing bot used in previous weeks, to make the first draft of bios.

When researching marketing strategies, I came across the idea to use Quick Response (QR) codes to conveniently provide access to content, in addition to tracking how well various marketing mediums are performing.

Finally, their Instagram account was bare, so I came up with a plan to bring it to life using ads, GIFs, and grids.

Now, for an in-depth look into this week:

What Went Well

I efficiently completed writing the bios with the help of ChatGPT. After the interview, it took less than ten minutes to finish. Their bios can be read on the company’s About page once the site launches.

After researching what Toucan Cleaners‘ competitors were doing in their marketing, I was able to determine a course of action for ours. I went with a few funny GIFs and a couple of Instagram ads.

Honoring the company’s preferences, I started the marketing campaign journey by making post grids. I made them in two sizes, 2×3 and 3×3. You’ll see this in my marketing blog post, and more about how I approached marketing a trash can cleaning service.

Additionally, I wanted to create ways to measure marketing efficacy on different mediums. It’s easy to use Google Analytics for the measurement of digital advertising. However, Dynamic QR codes take physical marketing mediums to another level.

What Didn’t Go Well

My time management faltered in the shadow of the holidays. I should have dedicated more specific increments of my days toward my work. I underestimated the time it would take to achieve this week’s goals.

That meant that this week’s project pieces were completed at the last minute. However, even though I cut it close to the deadline, I still achieved what I set out to do!

What’s one thing you would change?

I would learn how to make video clips in addition to stationary picture posts. With YouTube Shorts, Tik Tok, and Instagram Reels, short videos are all the rage right now and marketing needs to follow suit.

What’s one thing you didn’t expect to learn?

Dynamic QR codes had a lot of uses and I never understood the difference between the two types, static and dynamic. They add a new layer of options and fun to a marketing strategy.

In conclusion, learning social media marketing, using QR codes, and writing employee bios are all valuable skills to have in today’s business world.

Social media marketing can help businesses reach a wider audience and engage with customers in a more personal way. QR codes offer a convenient way for businesses to share information and drive traffic to their online presence, all while collecting valuable data. Writing employee bios can help businesses showcase the talents and accomplishments of their team, which can help to build credibility and trust with customers.

By learning and utilizing these skills, businesses can better connect with their audience and achieve their marketing and communication goals.

Next Week’s Goals

• Write “Behind the Scenes” blog post for Toucan Cleaners
• Polish all project pieces
• Publish project

See you on the flip side!

Week 2 Documentation: Embracing AI and Bringing Life to a Brand

I’m getting hands-on experience with the business needs of a new startup called Toucan Cleaners. After meeting with the company this week, my original goals have changed.

Initially, I planned to rewrite their Copy. I audited their website and found areas that could be improved. However, they brought more pressing matters to my attention.

They told me about how they’re using artificial intelligence (AI) to write all of their Copy. When asked if there was anything specific they wanted from me, they gave me some other paths to take. Therefore, to ensure I still provide the company with valuable work, I’ve pivoted my focus.

What they’re really needing right now is marketing. Although my previous plans were shot down, I’m still stepping up to the plate to provide value in other ways.

So let’s dive into it!

What Went Well

Communicating with the company has continued to go well.

The Co-Founders invited me to their collaborative ideas board on an app called Craft. I got to see everything they have so far, including an album of almost four hundred photos! This will be essential for laying the groundwork for the “Behind The Scenes” that I plan to build in the coming weeks.

It also helped me get an overall feel for the company and its goals. It made it easy to write the background story for their company mascot, Oscar the toucan.

When I met with the company this week, I asked them how they wanted Oscar to be portrayed.

The Founders described what they wanted Oscar to be:

• Different from the other birds
• Values cleanliness
• Is resourceful when it comes to scraping away grime

My next step was to research successful brand mascots like Tony the Tiger, the Pillsbury Doughboy, Energizer Bunny, Kool-Aid Man, and Mr. Clean. I learned about the intentions of the mascots, why they’re designed that way, and what personality traits make them effective.

Then I did a little research on toucans and found that they are messy birds that don’t fly or sing often.

I incorporated this information into my story creation. My goal was to market Oscar as lovable and to normalize cleaning trash cans. The Founders really liked what I wrote. Check it out for yourself here.

What Didn’t Go Well

Toucan Cleaners needs marketing for its social media. Specifically, they want to start with Instagram content first.

Developing a social media marketing campaign is a long process. I originally planned to finalize it this week, but I don’t have enough content yet.

Instead, I wrote the background story for Toucan Cleaners’ mascot, Oscar the Tidy Toucan.

I will continue my research and brainstorming until I get exactly what I need for the company’s social media.

What’s one thing you would change?

I would spend more time researching. In particular, I would research the marketing of Toucan Cleaners’ competitors. 

This is a difficult service to market. Since I spent this week researching to little avail, the next step is to see what is working for other similar services. That’s how I plan to approach it in the future.

What’s something you didn’t expect to learn?

I didn’t expect to learn so much about using AI for copywriting. I’ve been writing Copy by hand this whole time and didn’t realize how AI would help. It’s been so fun using ChatGPT and seeing what the AI comes up with.

While a human touch in copywriting is still valuable in some cases, AI is an ever-evolving tool. Just as robots have taken over many manufacturing processes, I learned about how AI is creeping up on copywriting. You can read more about what I learned here.

Next Week’s Goals

• Write bios for the Founders of Toucan Cleaners
• Create the social media marketing campaign
• Devise a plan to track marketing effectiveness

Onward and upward!

Week 1 Documentation

Toucan Cleaners is an up-and-coming Startup that will provide outdoor trashcan sanitizing services. Their website lacks significant Copy so far, and they don’t have any social media activity.

I decided I’m going to put some meat on their bones, so to speak. I will write Copy for their website and social media so their customers know who they are, what they do, and why to use their services.

To start, I’ve made preparations for the remainder of the project. Since it’s focused on copywriting, step one is determining what Copy already exists and what needs to change.

I scoured their current website content and took screenshots. These screenshots will serve as both a before and after, as well as keep the Copy creation prioritized. I’m not currently including these screenshots as the company hasn’t decided what I can publish yet.

When I audited the unpublished website for Toucan Cleaners, I found they had a good foundation. Many sections of the website were off to a good start but still needed work. Some sections contained Copy, but others were placeholders for future content.

Here’s what already has Copy:

• “About” Page
• A few “Frequently Asked Questions”
• “Pricing Options”
• “Trash can cleaning… why?”
• “Our Process”
• “Introduce your brand”

Based on this information, I formulated a plan to adjust the website’s Copy.

Next week, I will re-write all of those sections. Then I will pitch them to the company’s founders for their thoughts.

Now that I listed existing Copy, let’s dive into what they lack.

Here are my ideas for new Copy:

• Short professional bios for the founders
  • I’ll be taking the masterminds behind the company and giving them credit where its due. I’ll include their role, job title, professional background, and who they are outside of work.
• Mission Statement
  • Here I will summarize Toucan Cleaners‘ goals and where their heart is.
• Behind the Scenes
  • The company values transparency. I’m going to illustrate the engineering behind their trashcan sanitizing process.
• Creating a Brand Personality for the Toucan
  • The best brand mascots are memorable. The bird needs a story, and I plan to create one.

Arguably the most important part of this process is pleasing the founders of Toucan Cleaners. After all, my goal is to help them. With this in mind, I’ve made it a priority to frequently communicate with them. This first week, it’s been almost exclusively through text due to time constraints on both sides.

We have had one FaceTime call and several days of texting. I pitched my Copy ideas, and they were receptive. Since it’s all in brainstorming mode, it just gives me a foundation for what to focus on.

I will continue brainstorming as time goes on. I anticipate new ideas to flow as I research this coming week.

Toucan Cleaners is an up-and-coming trashcan cleaning service in Lubbock, Texas. The Founders of the company are in my LinkedIn network, and I’ve been following along with their progress. Since they’re just getting started, I wanted to help them out by creating marketing content for their social media.

Building a Foundation for Marketing

Trashcan cleaning is a specific niche. I needed to start by determining the company’s target audience to know how to market it effectively. I narrowed it down as follows:

• People with disposable income
• People who own or rent a house
• Age group: 30s and older

Next, I needed to figure out how in the world to market trashcan cleaning. It’s kind of a hard thing to market, so I started by looking at what similar companies were doing. Several common marketing tactics for this include:

• Lots of before and after pictures
• Featured clean cans of the week
• Behind the scenes photos
• Focusing on the scary bacteria and pests living in dirty trash cans

The first two are only possible to use in marketing once the service is up and running. Otherwise, I’d be using pictures from other companies, which goes against the company’s core value of transparency.

As for behind-the-scenes photos, you can view how I tackled that here.

Making the Media

At the time of writing this, the company has not yet launched. Per their request, I will not be including any of their official content. For this blog post, I will be using example stock photos to demonstrate what I’ve created.

The Founders of Toucan Cleaners told me they wanted to start with their Instagram account. They also preferred to use a grid of photos to kick off their Instagram content, as it provides more sustenance than a bare-bones single introductory post.

I always thought making a photo grid on Instagram would require a lot of work and precise cropping. Turns out, there’s an app for that!

On both Desktop and Mobile, here’s what the grids look like posted to Instagram:

How it looks on Desktop

How it looks on Mobile

The captions for these photos would all be different.

Here are some examples of what they will say:

“Toucan Cleaners is the only trash can cleaning service in Lubbock! We’re proud to serve the city and maintain the cleanest cans in Raider Land!”

“Did you know we offer power washing, too? There’s so much this bird can do!”

“A dirty trash can is a breeding ground for biohazardous bacteria and germs. Contact us today and we’ll keep the filth away!”

“Want to get the most bang for your buck? Subscribe and pay upfront for 15% off your total subscription!”

“Toucan Cleaners provides service you can count on! We offer monthly, bi-monthly, and quarterly subscriptions. If you’re not looking for commitment, we’ll do a one-time cleaning, too!”

“Do you find yourself taking a deep breath and holding it before opening your trash can lid? We’ve all been there. Toucan Cleaners is here to save to the day ✨”

Once Toucan Cleaners has launched, I will work with them on assigning the perfect captions to each post.

Using Humor for Memorable Marketing

Humor is an effective marketing tactic for any age group. I wanted to find funny trashcan videos to make into GIFs. The GIFs I made came from YouTube.

If you’ve never been to west Texas, believe me when I tell you to hold on to your hat! These specific GIFs illustrate something that is so relatable in windy Lubbock, Texas; these trashcans are clearly blowing open by strong winds.

Here are the GIFs I made:

Example caption:

Don’t let the stench hit you in the face 👊 Contact Toucan Cleaners today!

Example caption:

At Toucan Cleaners, we’ll fight the stench so you don’t have to 💪

Creating Instagram Ad Mockups

Next, I put together a couple of ads. I used Canva to create the graphics, then put them into a service called Mediamodifier to create mockup Instagram ads.

Pardon the watermark, here’s how they would look on Instagram:

These ads provide an eye-catching way to highlight a couple of key points. The second ad contains an example Toucan logo. I incorporated a tropical color scheme in both ads to align with the branding.

Conclusion

For this little Startup with big potential, I created targeted content for their Instagram account. The nine and six post grids display a larger picture that’s more aesthetically pleasing. In addition, I formatted a couple of memorable GIFs for the enjoyment of viewers. Finally, I generated mockups of what Instagram ads would look like. These are three tactics that are bound to attract new customers and help Toucan Cleaners hit the ground running!

To build the Toucan Cleaners trashcan sanitizing empire, we first needed the equipment to get down and dirty.

Most trashcan cleaning services purchase their equipment pre-installed on a trailer. This is great for convenience, but not for the bank.

Pre-built trailers can cost upwards of $60,000 but by building it ourselves, we did it for a fraction of that cost. Countless hours of teamwork and a lot of elbow grease later, and our trailer is ready to go!

Lee’s wife, Calley, is an engineer. She can build and fix nearly anything. Calley played a large part in the construction of our trailer. She blueprinted the plans, measured twice and cut once, welded everything, and saved the company thousands of dollars.

While Calley did a lot of hard work, Lee and Austin also played a part in the design and construction.

Swipe through the Behind the Scenes gallery to see how we worked together to build a trailer for the dirtiest of cans!

We’re so excited to put the finishing touches on the trailer and take to the streets!

We’ll see you soon!

-The team at Toucan Cleaners ✨

All brand mascots need compelling personalities. Take, for instance, Tony the Tiger, Energizer Bunny, and Mr. Clean. They are all immediately recognizable and personable.

Toucan Cleaners‘ had a mascot planned out, but aside from the graphic design, did not have anything more than an outline. I took this opportunity to work with the company and bring life to its toucan mascot.

Here’s the back story and personality I created for Oscar the Tidy Toucan!

His introduction:

Meet Oscar the Tidy Toucan, the unlikely hero of the cleaning world. Despite his small size, Oscar is a big believer in the power of a tidy home. With his trusty cleaning supplies in tow, Oscar tirelessly works to keep things in order, one trash can at a time. Though he may not be the flashiest cleaner on the block, Oscar’s dedication and attention to detail make him a valuable member of the Toucan Cleaners team. You might even say he was hatched for this! Follow his adventures and get some cleaning inspiration from the little toucan with a big heart for cleanliness. #TidyToucan #ToucanCleaners

Credit: Zdeněk Macháček – Unsplash

Note: At the request of Toucan Cleaners, their official designs are not currently available for release.

Back story:

Oscar the Tidy Toucan was known throughout the rainforest for his impeccable cleaning habits. He spent hours each day preening his feathers and making sure his tree-top nest was spotless. But even Oscar had his limits; one thing he could not stand was a dirty trash can.

Every week, Oscar made it a point to clean out the trash cans in his part of the forest. He carefully sorted the trash into recyclables and non-recyclables and gave the cans a thorough scrub down.

But one day, as Oscar was going about his usual trash can cleaning routine, he stumbled upon the nastiest trash can he had ever seen. It was overflowing with all sorts of garbage, and the stench emanating from it was almost unbearable.

The neighboring birds scoffed and hid their beaks from the stench.

Oscar was hesitant even to approach the trash can, but he knew that it was his duty to clean it. So, with a deep breath, he began to carefully sort through the trash, trying his best to keep his feathers clean.

It was a long and challenging process, but Oscar persevered. He used all of his cleaning supplies and even enlisted the help of some of the other animals in the forest. And finally, after hours of hard work, the trash can was clean and sparkling again.

The other animals were amazed by Oscar’s dedication and determination. “We never realized how much work went into cleaning a trash can,” they said. “Thank you, Oscar, for making our forest a cleaner and fresher place.”

Oscar, exhausted but satisfied, smiled and preened his feathers. “It’s all part of being a tidy toucan,” he said, before flying off to tackle the next dirty trash can.

Credit: Music Festival Wizard Hell’s Heroes V

If you’d like to see a video form of this write-up, click here.

Here’s the link to the landing page I created: https://veseslone.wixsite.com/vesslone

What is Hell’s Heroes?

Hell’s Heroes, going on its fifth year, is a music festival for the Metal genres. The upcoming festival will be held in March 2023 in Houston, Texas.

There are not many Metal festivals in the United States, and Hell’s Heroes is one of the few festivals taking place in the South. Hell’s Heroes is a staple for Metalheads, particularly those who can’t make it to the East Coast for other Metal festivals like the Maryland Deathfest.

Why Hell’s Heroes Festival?

I’m a Metalhead with high standards. I often see pages for Metal concerts that are difficult to read and navigate. When I saw Hell’s Heroes’ event page this year, I wanted to improve the look and functionality. My goal was to polish it and provide equal band advertisement.

As a person who listens to Metal, I have a unique perspective. I know that most Metal bands don’t have enough money and resources to have their own official websites. Some don’t even use social media. So it was important to me that the bands are all given equal representation.

Features of the Landing Page

There isn’t a lot of copy on the landing page because it isn’t necessary. I kept it simple because in this case, less is more. I wanted to stick to essential information in an organized and aesthetically pleasing way.

All the important information is included such as the time and dates, location, performing bands, and how to purchase tickets.

I used the Hell’s Heroes logo as the header of the page to make it look more appealing and to represent the legacy of the festival.

I used a black background and white text, as it’s an easy-to-read color combination and it gives Metal vibes.

I didn’t want to set up a payment page on Wix and accidentally sell fake tickets. So the “Tickets” button takes your directly to the real page to purchase tickets for the festival, and the name of the venue takes you to a Google Maps link.

I included the real festival poster design since it’s iconic and shows all the bands’ logos. I also linked the official Facebook event page by clicking on the festival’s poster.

I took the top five headlining bands and highlighted them on the page. People who are considering attending the festival are likely to immediately recognize the headliners’ logos. Each logo links to the band’s official page.

At the bottom of the page, I included the full setlist of bands. Similarly to the headliners’ logos, each band name on the list is hyperlinked. This is so people who have never heard of these bands can immediately reference them and hopefully become fans.

I understand that a lot of these bands are very underground. In other words, they aren’t famous, and finding their official information can be difficult.

If the band had an official website, I included it. If they didn’t, I included their Facebook page.

Resolving Conflicting Information

I noticed on the current festival landing page, there are bands mentioned that are not going to be performing. I cross-referenced the festival page with the Facebook event page and removed some conflicting information.

I also wanted to make sure that my website wasn’t confused with the official website. All included links take you directly to the official festival content.

At the bottom of the page, a disclaimer is displayed ensuring that potential festival goers understand that my landing page is not the official one.

Conclusion

Ultimately it was my goal to provide all essential information in an organized and concise way. The last thing I want is for potential festivalgoers to be left with questions.

I hope to see a great turnout at next year’s festival, and can’t wait to jam with some awesome Metal bands.

If you are interested in seeing a short video form of this write-up, click here.

What is Stealth Bros & Co.?

Stealth Bros & Co. is a transgender person of color owned startup founded in 2017.

Their main selling points are their Vegan-friendly Dopp Kits and portable sharps containers used to transport medical supplies. Their goal is to provide their clientele with a fashionable way to safely and discreetly store their prescription injection supplies.

Why Stealth Bros & Co.?

I’ve been following the company’s social media for a long time. I enjoy their content and seeing their growth. As a happy customer of the company, I want to see it blossom into bigger and better versions on itself. Since I’m a long-time fan, I’ve come up with some ideas to improve their website.

My main concern when starting this project was the lack of copy on the Stealth Bros & Co. website. Their existing copy was minimal, and parts of it lacked crucial information.

For instance, the CEO recently appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank. They mention the TV show appearance on their social media, but only reference it in a small homepage banner on their website.

Stealth Bros & Co’s only mention of the Shark Tank appearance on their website.

This is a significant accomplishment, and I feel it would be valuable to have its own section on the website. The goal is to ensure their online shoppers find the information without having to scour their social media for it.

How I Learned the Basics of SEO

Writing the blog posts was the easy part. The real work came from learning Search Engine Optimization (SEO.)

To begin, I used a tool by HubSpot to grade the company’s website. Here are the results:

Based on the website’s grade, their SEO was already well done. However, I noticed a couple of opportunities to improve it. To increase their SEO, I decided to add additional copy to the website.

I read many articles and went down a few rabbit holes. The first thing to do was determine their audience. That was a hole-in-one: 

• Transgender folks on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
• Diabetics on insulin
• Folks taking Fertility injections

After determining the audience, I had to nail down the SEO keywords that users would be searching for. Off the top of my head, here’s what I originally came up with:

• Portable sharps container
• Traveling with medical supplies
• Discreet medicine transport
• Syringe travel bag

I then used a SEO service called Ubersuggest to determine the best keywords to rank for. This is what I found:

• Traveling with medications
• Injection
• Revolutionized
• Luxury travel bags

Ubersuggest provides rankings for keywords. A ranking is how many times people search for a particular thing.

The ranking falls under the table header “Volume.” Here are the rankings for both the keywords I created and the ones Ubersuggest found:

As you can see from the first table above, the keywords with the lowest rankings were the ones I came up with. My keywords would only produce a total of 180 search appearances.

However, in the second table the keywords from Ubersuggest would produce a total of 698,700 search appearances!

Clearly, I needed to implement as many of those keywords into my copy as possible. With a little finesse, I was able to implement all of them into my writing.

After researching SEO keywords and seeing how Ubersuggest worded them, I got the hang of developing my own. When writing the Shark Tank announcement, I determined the relevant keywords as follows:

• Shark Tank on ABC
• ABC Shark Tank
• Entrepreneurs
• Barbara Corcoran
• Mark Cuban

Here’s how those keywords ranked on Ubersuggest:

As you can see, these keywords would bring in 2,067,200 search appearances! It’s safe to say I learned a lot about SEO keywords.

Tweaking the Website’s Copy

Stealth Bros & Co. already had a good foundation of copy on their website. I saw an opportunity to improve the grammar, punctuation, and implement more keywords to boost search engine ranking.

Their About page was off to a decent start. Here’s their original copy:

Credit: Stealth Bros & Co. 2022

I used the basis of their existing content to polished it. I researched the CEO, Braxton, and rewrote the company’s About page. I simplified it, separated the company from the CEO’s bio, and formatted it for SEO.

Here’s my version of their About page with the keywords emphasized:

Company Overview

Stealth Bros & Co., founded in 2017, has revolutionized traveling with medications. We offer luxury travel bags, called Dopp Kits, to discreetly carry medical supplies and other necessities. In addition, we make disposing of needles (sharps) easy and safe, both at home and on the go.

Stealth Bros & Co. is a proud Certified LGBT Business Enterprise of NGLCC.

Mission Statement

Here at Stealth Bros & Co., we want to transform the lives of individuals taking prescription injections, such as hormone replacement therapy. Our mission is to provide our clientele with a way to express themselves while being safe, neat, and discreet.

Braxton T. Fleming

CEO and Founder of Stealth Bros & Co.

Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)

Braxton (he/him) created Stealth Bros & Co. out of his bedroom in 2017. His goal was to become an integral part of the transgender community while raising money for his top surgery. To help the LGBT+ community in need, Braxton organized the Stealth Bros Support Fund. By sharing his experiences, Braxton hopes to inspire other trans people on their journeys and fill a gap in the representation of trans people of color.

I took great care in rewriting their Mission Statement. I wanted it to be the same message, just a little more concise. It’s very important to respect the CEO’s wishes regarding the goals of the company.

My version means the same thing as their original with a bit more punch.

While watching the episode of Shark Tank, I took note that the Sharks asked Braxton the meaning of the company name. He briefly explained it to them, and they asked if it was published on his website. He said it was not. Mark Cuban, one of the Sharks, said it should be.

Taking Mark Cuban’s advice, I added the name’s meaning to the About page:

What does our name mean?

Stealth

Keep your medicine discreet.

Bros

The female-to-male (FTM) transgender community is a brotherhood.

Co.

The communities we keep, as well as our allied communities.

Swords Logo

Iron sharpens iron. When multiple communities come together, they become better and stronger.

After making the adjustments to their existing copy, I got to work promoting their TV appearance! I created a short-and-sweet blog post about the company’s pitch on Shark Tank.

Here’s what I wrote with the keywords emphasized:

AS SEEN ON SHARK TANK

Recently, the CEO of Stealth Bros & Co. appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank. This was a significant opportunity that Braxton had worked and prayed for. During the second episode of season fourteen, Braxton pitched his products to the Sharks.

Demonstrating his passion and business success, Braxton made a deal with entrepreneurs Barbara Corcoran and Mark Cuban. With Braxton’s continued dedication, Barbara and Mark’s investment, and expertise, Stealth Bros & Co. will become bigger and better!

Watch Shark Tank on ABC

Fridays at 8 pm EST

Summary

I thoroughly enjoyed finding ways to help Stealth Bros & Co. during this project. Learning SEO was a challenge, and what I’ve done is just the tip of the iceberg.

I know that Stealth Bros & Co. is a Startup on the rise! It’s my hope that they continue improving so their products and message will reach more people.

High-quality marketing is the predecessor to profit.

That being said, product photography is a big part of my purchasing decision. After all, online shopping is done with the eyes.

I often resort to customer review photos to adequately depict the product I’m interested in. While it’s always important to read reviews when considering a purchase, they should not be the sole resource for decent product photos.

Product photography is a powerful tool. It can make or break a sale. When it comes to online shopping, if a company is not dedicated to getting that perfect product photo, then I immediately exclude them.

High-quality images provide several benefits:

• Your image is the customer’s first impression
• They instill confidence in your viewer
• Potential customers use them to imagine themselves with your product

It’s not difficult to get professional pictures of your products. For Amazon, there’s even specific rules to follow to ensure success.

Poor quality product photos used to frustrate me. When I’m shopping online, it still does. At times, I actively search for terrible product photos to humor myself. I’ve even compiled an entire album of product photography fails.

What Failure Looks Like

Directly from Amazon.com, here are some epic marketing fails in all of their comical glory:

Example No. 1: Face Mask

Example No. 2: Fake Tattoo

Example No. 2 Zoomed In

Example No. 3: Food Containers

These product photos scream poor quality. I wouldn’t throw my money at these if they were on fire and my money was the only extinguisher. Let them burn!

I’d expect to see this quality on Wish.com where they sell nothing but knockoffs. However, seeing these errors on Amazon is an immediate deal breaker.

I have a keen attention to detail, and I realize it sometimes leaves me disappointed. I wish I could overlook the flaws. But if my money is involved, I refuse to settle for anything less than impressive.

The Fatal Flaws

Let’s start with Example No. 1:

• Photoshop is obvious.
• The stock photo of the woman is of a different quality than the mask.
• Dissimilar lighting of the mask and her face.
• The mask doesn’t appear to be a real object; the mask looks digitally created—because it is.

On to Example No. 2:

• The stock photo is extremely grainy, but the product isn’t.
• The “tattoo” extends farther than the skin does.
• Photoshop is obvious.

Finally, Example No. 3:

• The containers have different lighting.
• They are not proportional.
• A digitally created blanket cuts off the feet of the woman on the far right.
• To the left, there is grass growing around the boy’s feet.
• The lady in the middle is staring daggers at the woman on the right side.
• Next to her, the man looks like he lost his job three months ago and hasn’t told his family yet.

What Will the Customer Think?

• The product is as cheap as the marketing.
• The designer threw it together in a few minutes and said “Good enough.”
• If they can’t be bothered perfecting the marketing quality, what else are they doing half-ass?

These errors are distracting. I’m thinking about all of this, instead of gaining any interest in the product.

Distraction is the antithesis of effective marketing.

This is not a situation where they spend so long making great quality products that there’s not enough time and resources for quality marketing! This is absolutely a result of laziness.

Here’s what real customers are saying about these products:

The customers said it all! Poor quality is what you see, and it’s what you get. Your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you.

Creating Successful Photos

If you want to create impressive images, I’d advise reading a few DIY product photography articles. You could get the necessary supplies at a craft store for a light room and backdrop.

You don’t have to have a human hold every one of your products, but you have to ensure it looks like it’s worth using.

Product photos are not difficult to create, and the benefits they provide are worth it. So if you ever plan to sell anything online, prioritize them. You’ll thank me later.

Millions of people from all walks of life require frequent prescription injections. Discreetly carrying medical supplies can be difficult. Prescribed injections are often life-saving, so Stealth Bros & Co has designed products to make doing it easier and more fashionable.

Stealth Bros & Co has a line of stylish carry bags for all of your medical supplies. They currently have two styles: Original Dopp and Jr Dopp. No need to throw your supplies in a purse, fanny pack, makeup bag, or pencil case. These Dopp kits and Stealth Sharp Shuttles revolutionize injections on the go.

Stealth Bros & Co is a transgender-owned and operated company. They are dedicated to providing folks on hormone replacement therapy a way to organize and accessorize the most important day of the week–shot day.

When it comes to taking your scheduled hormone dose, you should be organized, confident, and excited. The last thing you want is to sacrifice style and convenience. You can have the best of both worlds with the Original Dopp or Jr Dopp.

Although their products were originally created for the transgender community, Stealth Bros & Co is proudly helping people from all walks of life. From insulin and fertility to any other medical injections, their products do not discriminate.

The Dopp kits look more like toiletry bags than med kits. Carry everything you need in one handsome place. They’re water-resistant, and Vegan friendly.

Let’s break down the specifics of each Dopp kit:

Credit: Stealth Bros & Co 2022

Original Dopp

• Larger size. Dimensions: 24cm x 10cm x 14cm.
• Prominent zipper compartment large enough to hold syringes, needles, vials of medicine, makeup, gender prosthetics, and more. There’s even enough room to throw in a few Stealth Sharp Shuttles, too!
• A zipper pocket on the front of the Dopp is perfect for carrying bandaids, alcohol swabs, and a lollipop when you take your shot like a champ!
• Durable carry handle

Credit: Stealth Bros & Co 2022 (Dopp open for inside reference)

Jr Dopp

• Smaller size. Measures 20cm x 8.5cm x 7cm.
• The largest zipper compartment will fit several needles, syringes, vials, and a Stealth Sharp Shuttle.
• On the top, there are two small zipper pockets. One of them features a pocket that spans the length of the kit. It is the perfect size for your Stealth Sharp Shuttle.
• Durable clip-on wrist lanyard.

Both kits come in various colors to fit your style. Internal material displays the two iconic swords from the Stealth Bros & Co logo. The inside logo corresponds to the color of the kit.

A portion of product sales is dedicated to the Stealth Bros & Co Support Fund (SBSF.) Founded in 2018, SBSF is an opportunity to help LGBT+ folks in need. Funds can be used to pay for gender-affirming care, including hormone replacement therapy, surgery, and other medical needs.

If you know someone in need, or would like to apply for funds yourself, visit the SBSF page for more information.

Whether you’re a frequent traveler or using the product at home, you can’t go wrong with a Stealth Bros & Co Dopp. Taking your doses isn’t something most people want to publicly advertise. Thanks to these products, you’ll have peace of mind carrying your supplies undetected.