Last week we explored my process and decisions in creating content for the Aussie nostalgia niche. This week we'll look at my experiences sharing content from one platform to another.
Contextualising Content
Understanding the context in which my content circulates is crucial for tailoring it effectively to each specific platform (TikTok + Instagram). Through an analysis of elements like themes, messages, target demographics, and the unique value my content offers (Moore, 2023), I've become more adept at navigating each platform's distinct culture and leveraging its affordances. Secondary research further enriches my perspective, enabling me to view my content through various lenses, including academic ones. For example, psychology journals such as 'Nostalgia as a Resource for Psychological Health and Well‐Being' by (Routledge, et al., 2013) reveals that the cultural elements of nostalgia not only entertain but also offer psychological benefits. This academic insight illustrates how nostalgia is often associated with feelings of comfort, especially in uncertain times, thereby enhancing psychological health and well-being. Understanding this helps me identify my audience more clearly and informs the key themes that I should maintain in my content.
Mapping
Last week, I refined my map, delving into content themes, formats, target audiences, and platforms. This week, I went even further by zooming in on the distinct characteristics of each platform, user behaviour, and their algorithms. This understanding enables me to tailor my content to each platform's unique features (Moore, 2023). For example, this week I scheduled 3 clips on TikTok and have 1 post scheduled for Instagram regarding my 'Behind the Scenes' of researching and creating my content. It's important to note that while modern social media platforms are largely driven by algorithmic recommendations, these algorithms are all very unique, making it essential to adapt my content accordingly (Von der Weth, et al., 2020).
Narrowing My Approach
Over recent weeks, as detailed in my blogs, I've streamlined both my content creation and distribution strategies. I now post only three times a week—on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays—to avoid overwhelming my audience. This more focused approach allows me to invest greater effort into producing a few higher-quality clips each week, rather than diluting quality by posting daily. My previous experiments showed that daily posts didn't resonate well with my audience, as weekend posts garnered lower views and weekday posts received below-average engagement.
On the content side, I've narrowed my focus to posting promos and ads, which combines types of content my audience enjoys, such as TV shows, ads, and station idents. By honing in on this specific category of nostalgic ABC3 content, I can devote more time to enhancing its quality. #QualityOverQuantity
Exploring My Media Niche
As I refine my own approach, I'm also actively investigating the broader niche within which I operate. Keeping up-to-date with the latest trends, emerging best practices and meta communication within my niche not only informs my content, but also presents opportunities for increased engagement (Schellewald, 2021). To stay informed, I follow accounts that post similar content, allowing me to monitor their activities more closely. Moreover, I'm continually generate new content ideas, drawing inspiration from my research as well as feedback from my audience.
Exploring has also helped me to discover trending and popular hashtags which i have been implementing in my post captions.
Last Updated: 09/10/2023 @ 2:10pm
Reference List
AIContentfy, 2023. The Importance of Customizing Your Content for Specific Platforms. [Online]
Available at: https://aicontentfy.com/en/blog/importance-of-customizing-content-for-specific-platforms
[Accessed 13 09 2023].
Campoamor, D., 2020. Why We Reach for Nostalgia in Times of Crisis. [Online]
Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/28/smarter-living/coronavirus-nostalgia.html
[Accessed 13 09 2023].
Downer, A., n.d. 5 STRATEGIES TO STOP OVERWHELMING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA AUDIENCE. [Online]
Available at: https://www.pixelproductionsinc.com/5-strategies-stop-overwhelming-social-media-audience/
[Accessed 13 09 2023].
Hootsuite, 2023. How to Boost Social Media Engagement: 8 Top Tips. [Online]
Available at: https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-engagement/
[Accessed 13 09 2023].
Kelber, S., 2023. Content Quality vs. Quantity: The Content Marketing Question in 2023. [Online]
Available at: https://blog.aspiration.marketing/en/content-quality-vs-quantity
[Accessed 14 09 2023].
Moore, C., 2023. Lecture - Platform Proliferation (Part Two), Lecture YouTube Video, BCM241, University of Wollongong. Viewed 11/09/2023)
Routledge, C., Wildschut, T., Sedikid, C. & Juhl, J., 2013. Nostalgia as a Resource for Psychological Health and Well‐Being. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 7(11), pp. 808-818.
Schellewald, A., 2021. Communicative Forms on TikTok: Perspectives From Digital Ethnography. International Journal of Communication, Volume 25, p. 1437–1457.
Von der Weth, C., Abdul, A., Fan, S. & Kankanhalli, M., 2020. Helping Users Tackle Algorithmic Threats on Social Media: A Multimedia Research Agenda at: MM '20: Proceedings of the 28th ACM International Conference on Multimedia. Seattle, USA, Association for Computing Machinery.
