Week2-Part B Business Research

 eBay Miniature Rescues

https://www.ebayminiaturerescues.com/

This is a tabletop miniature painting service. Some commission work with a majority of the business in “rescuing” damage, neglected, or poorly painted miniatures by fixing and repainting them to a table top or better standard. It is literally a one man show. Teaches tips and techniques anyone can use to save miniatures or models and save some money (expensive habit…I mean Hobby). Ships anywhere mail will go to really.

Social Media:

• YouTube -   uploads about every week.
•                     as of this writing last upload was 9-6-2020
•                     36,600 subscribers to this channel
• Instagram-  posts about every 4 to 6 weeks
•                    as of this writing last upload was 8-10-2020
•                    1,684 followers on this Instagram feed
• Facebook-  posts semi-monthly
•                    as of this writing last post was 8-27-2020
•                    641 followers on this Facebook page
• Twitter-      tweets semi-monthly
•                    as of this writing last tweeted on 7-29-2020
•                   111 people follow this Twitter feed
  

I think eBay Miniature Rescues uses YouTube incredibly well. He uploads regularly so his audience knows what and when to expect his content and interacts with his audience regularly. The rest of their Social Media I think is greatly underutilized. I understand the medium is very visual, but all the platforms now offer visual interactions.

Blue Table Painting

http://bluetablepainting.com/

Blue Table Painting is a dedicated painting service for table top miniatures. They started out of the owners home and grew from there. Offering both painting an converting services for their customers. They ship anywhere in the world.

Social Media:

• Flicker -     uploads as projects are completed
•                   as of this writing last upload was 9-7-2020
•                   351 followers on this feed
• YouTube-   uploads daily
•                   as of this writing last upload was 9-10-2020
•                   44,200 followers on this channel
• Twitter-     tweets daily
•                   as of this writing last tweet was  9-10-2020
•                   2,866 people follow this Twitter feed
  

I think Blue Table Painting utilize all of their Social Media platforms very well. They are constantly interacting with their followers on every platform and constantly updating their content.

Next Level Painting

http://nextlevelpainting.blogspot.com/

Kenny Boucher started out as a commission painter for table top miniatures. He has taken his love for the hobby and the community and turned it into a media type business. With an almost ’t.v. personality’ he streams live tutorial ‘shows’ on Twitch that are fun to watch and very informative.

Social Media:

• Twitch-          Streams twice a week
•                       as of this writing las stream was 9-8-2020
•                       14,300 people follow this stream
• YouTube-      uploads monthly
•                       as of this writing last upload was 9-10-2020
•                       62,200 people follow this channel
• Instagram-    posts at least twice a week
•                      as of this writing last post was 9-9-2020
•                      12,000 people follow this feed
  

Next Level Painting is another business that I think uses all of their Social Media platforms that they are on to the fullest. They are constantly creating content and interacting with their followers on an almost daily basis.

Doctor Faust’s Painting Clinic

https://www.brookhursthobbies.com/paintingclinic/

Doctor Faust’s Painting Clinic is a cat of a different stripe. He started out with his own website, but decided when YouTube started, it fit his style and transferred his website content to the subforum at the above address. Since then he has mostly used YouTube for his web presence.

Social Media:

• YouTube-        uploads every 2 to 3 days
•                         as of this writing last upload was 9-9-2020
•                         88,700 people follow this channel
• Facebook-       posts at least once a day
•                         as of this writing last post was 9-10-2020
•                        3,655 people follow this page
• Twitter-           tweets at least 2 to 3 times a week
•                         as of this writing the last tweet was on 9-8-2020
•                        292 people follow his tweets
  

Doctor Faust’s Painting Clinic’s main social media presence in on YouTube it’s self. He hasn’t had a main website for several years, so no central page to link all his social media. They can be found doing a Google search, but you would have to be looking for Doctor Faust’s Painting Clinic specifically. Maybe not the best use.

The Art of Wargaming

https://www.theartofwargamingminiatures.com/

The Art of Wargaming is a miniature painting service. They ship anywhere and their prices are pretty reasonable for the attention they lavish on their commissions. The only Social Media they seem to have is Facebook.

• Facebook-     posts to their page at least once a month
•                       as of this writing last post was on 9-5-2020
•                       1,798 people follow their page
  

The link from their website to the Facebook page doesn’t work. I’m not sure when the link was created. It may have broke and never been fixed, or may have never been linked. Not the best way for customers to connect with you I think.


Delving into a hobby that I love to analyze from a business viewpoint is quite eye opening. Just from the stark contrasts that I found in comparing and contrasting these few businesses, the niche market is a lot larger than I had first anticipated. From almost television ready personalities to almost no social media presence there is already a large spectrum to explore in relation to customer experience, interaction, and service.

The great differences in the services provided by all of these businesses, although still in the same niche, has also opened my thinking into what hasn’t been provided yet. Just in this end of the niche of painters there is so much variety available to explore. Painting services, teaching, showing techniques, exploring new techniques and products that seem to be produced almost daily.

I have also, I think discovered a one or two things that shouldn’t be done in relation to social media as an interactive medium for business. Don’t be so hard to find. Make it easy on your potential customers to interact with you. Some of these businesses do a stellar job at this. Links easy to follow, always interacting, always posting and maintaining a presence. A couple don’t do as well, especially in making their social media easy to find.