Still Here

I'm not really blogging very much at the moment. I've noticed other blogs I read are updated less frequently than they used to be as well. It's not just me! And it's not that I have no news. Just that other media have my focus. At the end of last year I added Instagram to the social media tools I use. I now post there regularly, and to twitter, Facebook, flickr and tumblr. I quite like the instantaneousness of a snap and couple of sentences. I don't really have much more to add and just blog when when I have something lengthy to say, or pin things to pinterest which I think might be interesting. I hope that's OK. So by way of an apology to anyone who checks in here regularly, here is what is going on on Instagram, you can find me there most days!

By the way this little summary updates every day, so whenever you look at this post you will see new news!

Happy New Year

Better late than never, I need to thank all our wonderful customers and superb producers for making 2015 our best year yet. We sold more than ever before (I know I say that every year!), took on some brilliant new products, and grew our online shop picking up new customers right across the UK. As always there is a little spring cleaning to do at the start of the year. With limited space here some slower sellers will be making room for some exciting new lines that I already have my eye on. I hope you like the choices I make, which you can hear all about on our many social media channels! Fully embracing "multi-channel marketing",  I have joined the instagram craze and post a snap from the shop most days. If you want to follow along look for @TastesDeli, just the same as on facebook and twitter. I'm also cross-posting to flickr as well, and tumblr (although I'll be the first to admit I don't really understand it!). Hope you all had a good 2015, and are looking forward to 2016 as much as I am.

Missing Our News?

I wrote a post on facebook today, which suggested some ways to make sure people who like Tastes Deli see my facebook posts in their news feed. The problem is the people who need the information are the very people who won't get to see the post in their news feed! So I have pasted it here as well. Just in case!

I've heard today from some customers who were disappointed to hear the Amex ‪#‎ShopSmall‬ offer was in July rather than November this year. They "Like" Tastes Delicatessen on facebook but didn't know about the offer. The problem is that facebook doesn't display all posts in all news feeds. So although I wrote four posts about the offer, some people didn't see any of them. Which is a shame.

You can increase the likelihood of seeing posts by asking facebook to "Show in News Feed" posts from pages you like*. It doesn't guarantee to show all posts though, even if you ask! If you interact with pages you like, by also "liking" posts, or commenting, then you also increase your likelihood of seeing similar posts in your news feed. Again it doesn't guarantee that you will see everything. But hopefully it might show a few more. Unfortunately, those who are missing my posts will probably miss this one as well!

If anyone has any more tips do let me know!

*To "Show in News Feed" go to the page you have liked and click on the "Liked" button just below the wide rectangular cover photograph, hopefully a list will appear. Make sure there is a tick next to "Show in News Feed" (as shown in the photograph).

I should probably also apologise for not posting much to the blog recently. I've been spending too long on facebook! Which may be a waste of time if no-one sees what I write!

Why Didn't The Chicken Cross the Road?

For the past few months, every time I have driven down the lanes behind Bloomfield Hatch Farm there have been Bloomfield Hatch chickens exhibiting their free-range status by meandering carelessly across the road. Apparently, this group of "ladies" are particularly adept at escapology. More so than any of their predecessors. They escaped from the fields so often that the farmers had given up on trying to keep them in. They seemed to be able to get home at night anyway.

So this week, I was telling a customer about the habits of the chickens which lay our eggs, and she said I should post a picture on facebook. Always keen to find something to post about that might actually be interesting, the very next day I set off to collect our eggs and armed myself with a camera. And what did I find? Not a single chicken on the road anywhere. None. And no obvious reason why not. So I can't even tell you why the chicken did, and then didn't, cross the road. Sorry.

I had to settle for snapping a picture of a chicken not crossing the road. Enjoy!

Moving Goalposts

Just when I thought I was getting on top of things, facebook has changed! Tastes now has a facebook timeline and cover photograph. I left it all to the very last minute (too busy selling cheese!). But the photograph I picked today (the day it all switched over) seems to work nicely. And seeing as facebook had my attention I also updated some of the photographs of the shop, chose a personal url (http://www.facebook.com/TastesDeli) and added a newer style of "find us on facebook" link to our web site. I'll pop the link here as well, just in case! You can never have too many fans (although they aren't called fans any more – what are they? Likes, likers?).

Getting Smarter!

I'm trying very hard to keep abreast of modern technology. We do have a facebook page, and an online shop. We don't twitter (yet) and haven't quite managed to get the GPS stamp part of facebook to work (apparently "they" need to do something).

Each time I think I'm getting there, something new comes along! Pleasingly the new google GPS type thing available on smartphones seems to work automatically without any effort from me. That is the sort of technological advance I like.

Thanks to Graham for showing me what Tastes looks like on a smartphone.

Getting Better All The Time

Sales from the online deli we launched last November have gone surprisingly well and have motivated me to try even harder. The past few weeks have seen a flurry of online activity. More products have been added to the online shop, more photographs added to the site, our google listing updated, a facebook page set up and everything generally fluffed up a little. If you haven't visited for a while, take a look now, and motivate me further by increasing my hit count!

Networked Deli!

Tastes Delicatessen is now on Facebook. Not quite sure how it all works, but am having a go!


The weekly tastings will be listed on facebook.