By Abby McCredie
Project summary
My digital artefact is a blog site called ‘The Loop’ featuring local Australian musicians, with interviews, bio’s, music reviews and gig guides, promoted by Instagram posts. The idea came from my interest in local Australian musical talent and how I use Instagram to follow musicians, as well as my experience in researching young indigenous musicians during my HSC research. These experiences showed me that emerging musicians are very approachable and willing to engage with fans, and establish a personal connection.
This sense of personal connection is what I wanted to capture through my digital artefact.
In researching the idea for my artefact I found there are a lot of music blogs out there, so while the number of potential users is large, I needed to identify a niche that I could focus on for my users. I decided to target the small gig and local musician fan base, where this sense of personal connection could be fostered.
Analysis of important learning moments
Thinking
My process began with brainstorming topics and formats. I considered topics such as social issues like misogyny in the media, climate change, or something to do with the Olympics. However, I chose a project about local Australian music because this was an area of interest for me, and something I'd enjoyed researching during my HSC.
I researched other Australian music blogs including Triple J Unearthed and Pile Rats, it is clear that there is a large audience but also lots of competition. This research identified the need to define a niche which was really useful in helping me define my project. I decided that my blog should connect with a smaller group of fans that also follow less well known local musicians.
Observing
My initial source for users was the instagram pages for the artists I was interested in. How many followers they had wasn’t important because I wanted to stick with my niche, which meant targeting new artists with several thousand followers (rather than hundreds of thousands).
Defining
A key idea for my project was to interview and write about young local Australian musicians focussing on the artists as individuals and their stories, but also their experience as young local creatives in the midst of a global pandemic.
I also really enjoyed going to see live music and I especially like small venues and less well known artists. I follow the artists on Instagram and usually I find out about their gigs in this way. This means that when I get to the gig I feel like I’m sharing the experience with a bunch of people just like me, like we’re all in on a little secret.
I want to connect with users that are also young Australians because I think, like me, they enjoy the idea of connecting with a local band or artist and the sense of intimacy and connection you receive when you listen to their music, go to their gigs and support them. That’s why direct interviews with the musicians is a key part of my blog. I really enjoy that I can connect with them on Instagram and talk to them over a phone interview, I think users will relate to that feeling.
Design (Prototyping)
Creating the design and layout for my blog site and instagram page was quick and easy. I didn’t have a particular look in mind, but created it as I went. I did have in mind a basic flow of how users would access the blog site (via Instagram posts) and how users stay connected to the site.
I landed on a fairly simple layout for the web page, as the site itself isn’t meant to be the main channel for users because they should mainly come through Instagram. This meant less time spent on the site, and more time on content and Instagram posts.
Once I started creating content, I found the initial connection with users was through existing Instagram networks, such as my existing followers (on my personal account), university classmates and other students. This is mainly because they are more likely to like or comment on a post. But I also tag the artist and other key words in the post.
However, I also discovered that by setting up my Instagram account as a business account I could access more insights on users visiting the page. What this showed is that I had more visits from non-followers as followers and a great insight into who was viewing the posts, even if they weren’t commenting or liking.
Posting and User Feedback (Making)
The latest COVID lockdown meant I needed to focus on doing interviews / bios as a way to meet the needs of my users. This was successful as the artists I approached were very happy to participate. Also, by keeping the interview questions done to a manageable number, meant a quick turnaround from the interview to posting on instagram.
Initial responses to my posts were great with plenty of comments and likes, and good activity on the blog site, but then when I had gaps in time between posts, I found the response rates were significantly lower on the next post. I decided the answer is to vary the posts and post more often.
With Covid lockdowns ending I can see opportunities to use the opening of live shows for different content. I also think more local content will appeal to my users. For example I could include blog posts such as reviews and information pieces on local venues in Illawarra and Sydney and how the coronavirus had affected their business.
Sources
Triple J Unearthed (https://www.abc.net.au/triplejunearthed/)
Pile Rats (http://pilerats.com/)
Marketing on Instagram (https://business.instagram.com/)
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