Analysing a new set of epiphanies

Whilst considering previous epiphanies and engaging in autoethnographic research on Social Media Management, I have developed a new set of epiphanies by being immersed in this media niche on Instagram.

“Field notes may record practical details, methodological issues, personal thoughts, preliminary analyses and working hypotheses” (Dawson, 2002, p. 108).

(video updated: 14th October 2021)

Epiphany 1: Graphic Design Services

The first epiphany is that since starting my business, I have been asked a number of times whether I do logo designs and graphic design services. This made me consider whether I should provide these services because the demand for it is obviously there but I don’t want to scope too far from my niche and risk confusion and less engagement from my audience.

When researching this further I found that especially because I’m in the very early stages of developing my online persona that I should “just go out and work with all types of people for a few months. Take notes on your experiences with them, and go from there… (because) going back-and-forth on a niche without testing it in the real world isn’t going to get you any clearer” (Brewer, 2020) which is what I have been doing by engaging in participant observation.

Epiphany 2: Cost & Charging

I have found some commentary from social media managers (SMM’s) explaining why they charge what they do for their services which is mostly based on the time it takes them to complete certain tasks. This has made me consider charging more for my services as I am charging more than half of what other SMM’s do but I also don’t want to lose clients because of this. After researching some pricing methods and how to price services, in particular, I found that “cost-based calculations and comparisons with competitor prices in deciding where to be positioned against alternatives” (Piercy, et al., 2010) was the most popular way to price. There is a compelling argument that the way prices are set not only influences demand, price also shapes how buyers use the product or service, and can have a lasting impact on customer relationships (Piercy, et al., 2010). Based on this, I will continue to charge my current prices until I gain more experience and expand my skillset as the relationships I have formed through my online persona with clients is still building.

Epiphany 3 – Personal Branding Shoots

Another epiphany I have experienced whilst being immersed in this media niche is that most SMM’s recently have been uploading photos of professional personal branding. I have seen SMM’s post photos of themselves before this however, these images are much more professional and shot at a location that seems to suit their branding styles. Imagery in branding serves to AMPLIFY your personal and brand values so that people can resonate with you immediately (Rossie, 2020). “Professional Branding Photography Gives Your Customer a First Impression” (Nesbitt, 2020) which directly relates to the concept of persona and forming relationships with clients.

This is where a personal branding shoot could help amplify this projection of persona within the niche. Although I don’t have the financial means to fund a personal branding shoot, I could come up with other ways to use quality images to project my persona.

Development of persona

A personal branding shoot will enable me to project my persona in the ‘professional/expert’ lens that I am hoping to achieve and will be a great tool to expand my content and make my brand more personable to the niche. By exploring other avenues of demand (graphic design) and pricing methods, I am able to project my persona as an expert by sticking to my pricing methods, as I know currently what my services are worth. By sticking to my niche but exploring other niches whilst I am still in the early stages of my business, I am able to work out where to spend my energy and thus, where to spend my time in terms of niches which will develop or change my persona accordingly.

References:

Brewer, A., (2020). ‘Niching Down as a Service-based Business Owner’. Available at: <https://bettermarketing.pub/niching-down-as-a-service-based-business-owner-97b6bb340a41>

Dawson, C., (2002). ‘Practical Research Methods: A user-friendly guide to mastering research’. Available at: <http://dlib.ptit.edu.vn/handle/HVCNBCVT/2369>

Nesbitt, M., (2020). ‘5 Reasons Why Personal Branding Photography is Important’. Available at: <https://medium.com/@morgannesbitt/5-reasons-why-personal-branding-photography-is-important-c3bb7d3a6d2>

Piercy, N.F., Cravens, D.W. and Lane, N. (2010), “Thinking strategically about pricing decisions”, Journal of Business Strategy, Vol. 31 No. 5, pp. 38-48. Available at: <https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/02756661011076309/full/html>

Rossie, B., (2020). ‘Personal Branding Photography and Why It’s Important’. Available at: <https://brittneyrossie.com/library/personal-branding-photography-and-why-its-important>

Epiphanies & Field Notes

Autoethnographic Investigation Process

My autoethnographic research into Social Media Management so far has included observing content creators and managers in the niche on Instagram. So far I have taken notes on the content they share which is mostly tips on how to use social media for business.

The method I took was setting a small amount of time aside each week and writing down some of the content I encountered. I didn’t set a goal to write heaps but by doing this process, I found I kept writing things down that I could use for my own content as ideas flooded my brain. When looking back at these notes, I realise that the content I encountered was mainly inspiration and educating people on how to utilise Instagram better and more professionally. Also, it makes me feel inspired to immerse myself back in the niche and find ideas for content.

There have been multiple moments where I have encountered some epiphanies whilst undergoing autoethnographic research – here are the 3 most relevant!

I have tried to plan some content in advance like pictures and text graphics however, it takes a lot of time designing, editing and writing captions. I’ve also found it difficult to film Instagram reels in advance as you can end up being too late to a ‘trend’ or audio that is trending. This then doesn’t make your content as well received than if you posted the reel in that peak time. With this, doing client work also takes a lot of time so I have prioritised them over my own content.

To help me with time management, I have taken feedback from a peer comment suggesting this questionnaire for onboarding new clients which has helped me saving time in the long run as I don’t have to constantly contact clients, I can just refer to their answers when it suits.

I asked on Twitter what platforms people had used and some people suggested asking the clients to pay for the monthly subscription if they choose my scheduling package but I feel that is too much as they are already paying me a monthly fee. The suggestions were Planoly and Facebook’s Business Manager which have helped.

I also found this google sheets document for client planning that has been successful when I’m collaborating with clients and their content.

The packages I offer are Instagram design (colour palette, fonts, layout plan), Social Media Management (monthly posts, scheduling & captions) and Product Photography. So far the design packages have been the most popular and management is close behind. The lack of interest in Product Photography inspired me to offer a choice in my design packages from 4 product photos or 6 social media graphics but graphics have been chosen every time.

Applying my observations & Online Persona

Moving forward with my investigation, I am going to set a time to interact with others in the niche, instead of just commenting here and there to make it more meaningful. I have seen other creators in the niche give advice to set 30 mins aside each day to do this. This will help establish my online persona better within the niche which will also inspire me to ‘show up’ on my professional Instagram account through stories, reels and posts to establish trust with others in the niche.

For my DA content, I want to put together a short-video of all of my client work and photos so these observations will help me be more efficient with planning, interacting and utilising my time better. With the third epiphany I encountered whilst existing in this niche, I am deciding whether to solely focus on social media management or to keep promoting my product photography. So far I have been enjoying product photography and believe it will be valuable to keep doing it for my own experience.

Stay tuned! 🙂