Kimberly MCcurdy
mkt 3220
PERSONAL
Social Media Audit
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393
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8
Caption: I don’t understand how it happens like this everytime
Posted: Aug 29, 2023 @5:04 PM
top 3 liked
posts
Shown on the right, these are the top 3 liked posts on my TikTok this year.
Each of them varies in niche and has a different strategy, which will be discussed in the following slide.
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1
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Caption: Happy FDOC🤩 #collegegrwm #grwm #collegelife #senioryear #makeup
Posted: Aug 23, 2023 @9:44 PM
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83
5
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Caption: Ive always hated the empty side of birthday cards, but maybe this is a quick fix? Im sure im not the first person to do it, but figured I’d share!🥰
I used blue sticky tack to secure the pictures, and it shouldnt leave any residue. You can replace it with so many other things too!🥳 #birthdaycardideas #birthday #boyfriendideas
Posted: Nov 17, 2023 @12:04 AM
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#1
393
10
8
Caption: I don’t understand how it happens like this everytime
Posted: Aug 29, 2023 @5:04 PM
VIEWERS:
5% Male
95% Female
2% Other
I purposefully chose not to use hashtags in the caption because I wanted to see how well TikTok would categorize my video with just the words in the video. I did my own research around the time and heard that using too many hashtags can “clog” the algorithm and it wouldn’t be able to place your video in a category. This was a successful test to show that less is more and sometimes the video needs to speak for itself.
he
hought process...
The TikTok shows what my bedroom looked like before vs. after my boyfriend came to visit for the weekend. During this time, another micro trend called “the boyfriend effect” was going around. Micro trend essentially showed what someone looked like before getting into a relationship vs after.
I thought this video would be funny to post because boys are so messy and it was something relatable - for any of the girls out there who have their boyfriend come over and it instantaneously becomes a reck with them existing.
The sound was also trending at the time. It was of Kris Jenner saying “it makes me wanna cry.” It was applied appropriately without reaching.
#2
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1
1
Caption: Happy FDOC🤩 #collegegrwm #grwm #collegelife #senioryear #makeup
Posted: Aug 23, 2023 @9:44 PM
This was a Get Ready with Me video. At the time, my apartment complex had terrible construction and I so happened to get it on video that morning, and then I decided to use that as my hook for the video.
The rest of the video is a voiceover of me getting ready for FDOC. I was trying to be relatable, a little quirky, and I think I got my point across.
I had elevator background music to make the TikTok more dynamic. I liked it, I wish that the music was a little bit more subtle.
VIEWERS:
11% Male
87% Female
2% Other
I wasn’t happy with this TikTok’s performance for the amount of time I put into editing. Statistically, it did well against the rest but this was the point where I became discouraged from posting on TikTok. I really liked the video, but I was/ still am struggling with brand voice and consistency.
he
hought process...
#3
83
5
16
Caption: Ive always hated the empty side of birthday cards, but maybe this is a quick fix? Im sure im not the first person to do it, but figured I’d share!🥰
I used blue sticky tack to secure the pictures, and it shouldnt leave any residue. You can replace it with so many other things too!🥳 #birthdaycardideas #birthday #boyfriendideas
Posted: Nov 17, 2023 @12:04 AM
VIEWERS:
9% Male
89% Female
2% Other
he
hought process...
I was writing a birthday card for my boyfriend and I wanted to fill up the extra space on the right-hand side. When I came up with this concept, I thought that maybe it would be a good idea to share the idea.
I made sure that my foreground was lit, there was lighting in the back, and that the area was aesthetically appealing to the idea. The editing and the video recording are high quality, which is what I was going for.
At the time, the song Real Love Baby by Father John Misty was doing well and it popped up on my for you page a bit. I used that as the background music and it suited it perfectly.
I followed an “I have a problem, here is my solution” format, hoping that others also have the same problem and can relate.
Thankfully, my SEO skills had a chance to shine. The video was categorized under “Birthday Card Ideas” and was keyword searchable, which strengthened my reach.
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top 3 Least liked
posts
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2
0
Caption: Never too early to start the holiday spirit🥰 #christmas #christmasdecorating #college
Posted: Nov 15, 2023 @8:30 PM
Shown on the right, these are the top 3 least liked posts on my TikTok this year.
Two of them are the same niche, beauty and makeup, and the other is decor. Analysis discussed on the following slide.
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Caption: Skincare routine with @muradskincare🤩 #murad #muradskincare #skincare #skincareroutine
Posted: Apr 5, 2023 @10:28 AM
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Caption: My favorite makeup techniques, so you should try them too #makeup #makeuptutorial #makeuphacks #makeuptips
Posted: Aug 6, 2023 @11:43 PM
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#1
41
2
0
Caption: Never too early to start the holiday spirit🥰 #christmas #christmasdecorating #college
Posted: Nov 15, 2023 @8:30 PM
VIEWERS:
9% Male
90% Female
1% Other
he
hought process...
This was one of the TikToks that I posted for my personal post where I compared two filming concepts to one another to see which one would’ve done better.
Overall, I liked the concept idea but the video was too dark, couldn’t see any of our faces, and there wasn’t enough substance to make it relatable. I tried to make it cozy, fun, and nostalgic, and I can admit that this was not that. I recorded this on my regular phone camera, and I have heard that the quality of filming through the app is different/more cohesive. Keeping that in mind, I wish I ended up filming through the TikTok app and been more purposeful with my clips.
I really liked the transition in the beginning, but that was the only thing going for this video.
The hashtags are good, and the video was able to be categorized by TikTok’s algorithm, but the video wasn’t appealing to viewers.
#2
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0
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Caption: Skincare routine with @muradskincare🤩 #murad #muradskincare #skincare #skincareroutine
Posted: Apr 5, 2023 @10:28 AM
VIEWERS:
10% Male
90% Female
0% Other
he
hought process...
Murad Skincare sent me a PR package and I wanted to film a video of me using the products. I have used some of their products before and only a few of these were new to me.
There are a few different reasons why this didn’t perform well. The first was that my bathroom fan was connected to my light, so there was extra noise in the background. Secondly, the lighting is off in certain areas making my video a little extra grainy, another point off for the quality of the video. Thirdly, the video isn’t intriguing enough to fight the quality issues. Nothing about it screams relatable or funny, it’s just me talking about these products with low energy.
The tools are there for the video to be successful, it just requires a lot of finetuning. I also think that during this time too many people were doing “get ready with me” videos because Alix Earle and a few other influencers were coming to the spotlight - thus saturating this niche. I personally grew tired of seeing these videos around this time, and so I could imagine the same for many others as well.
#3
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6
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Caption: My favorite makeup techniques, so you should try them too #makeup #makeuptutorial #makeuphacks #makeuptips
Posted: Aug 6, 2023 @11:43 PM
VIEWERS:
10% Male
88% Female
2% Other
he
hought process...
My approach with this video was to add value to my viewers' lives to improve engagement. The video is a little over three minutes long with my favorite makeup techniques.
Overall the video is fast-paced, the voiceover is good, and I get my point across concisely. However, it was information overload. Too many techniques. I think this video would’ve done much better if it was a minute long and I made it into a series.
Since the video is so long, viewers don’t get the instant gratification of seeing how these techniques truly perform and how they impact a whole look on their own.
Long videos were being rewarded through the algorithm during this time, but I took it overboard. The 5 saves indicate to me that people did find these tips helpful and I did add value, but it took way too long to get there for many others.
Total play time also indicates to me that the content is good when you compare it to how many viewers there were, but again, way too long of a video.
TOP 3 LIKED PATTERNS
- 2/3 Top performing videos mention something about relationships.
- All of the top performing videos were posted at night.
- The top performing videos were well lit, visually appealing, and audio quality was there.
THESE PATTERNS TELL ME THAT
Aesthetics Matter
- Well lit videos
- Aesthetically pleasing backgrounds
- Good audio quality
CORRELATION OR DIRECT EFFECT?
Additionally, I found that in 2/3 least performing videos and the least performing top video I used basic background music that is used often. Still inconclusive if the basic background music makes for less engagement, but noted that there is a correlation.
Patterns and Themes
TOP 3 LEAST LIKED PATTERNS
- 2/3 least performing videos were over 2 minutes long.
- Video quality lacked in either aesthetics, audio quality, lighting, and or all three.
- 2/3 least performing videos were “get ready with me” type of videos.
retention
- Videos may need to be trimmed or split into parts to maintain engagement
- Longer videos can be information overload
TIKTOK HEAT MAP
On the right is the heat map that TikTok made based on my followers for my account. Posting anytime after 12pm is drastically better than posting in the morning. This indicates that my viewers don’t really invest their time in the mornings on TikTok.
target audience?
Considering that I am a college-aged female who is in Greek life and enjoys makeup and fashion, I would like that to be my target audience.
I want my audience to be able to relate to me, learn from me, and maybe even feel inspired by me. The content I produce is college-related, but soon enough I will have to pivot since I will be graduating in May.
If I were to continue posting on TikTok with the goal to gain a following, maybe pivoting to more young-adult, post-grad content will better suit me.
Looking at those who engage with my posts, they are college-aged females in highly populated cities.
*TikTok Generated Account Insights*
Stylish
Authentic
Relatable
Well-rounded
Creative
Empowering
PERSONAL BRAND
I would like my personal brand to be centered around being a college student. Someone that’s stylish, authentic, relatable, well-rounded, and creative.
I’ve always wanted to see what it’s like to be able to master the skill of social media, and clearly, within the past few years, we have seen a steady trend of authenticity being appreciated by audiences.
I also think that people love to be inspired by others which is why we continue to look for so many things on these different platforms.
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More consistent posting
consistent video quality
increase instant gratification value
utilize heat map
appropriate video length
IMPROVEMENTS FOR INCREASED ENGAGEMENT
Based off my posts that did well and comparing them to the posts that didn’t do well, I can conclude that more consistent video quality, appropriate length videos, and utilizing the heat map would boost my engagement.
To touch on #3 more, this goes hand in hand with #5. Some of my videos show that they added value to my viewers in some way, however, they were too long for many people to fully sit through. People on TikTok want quick tips or want to be able to see results much quicker. By understanding how long to make a video, you are able to give viewers gratification sooner. Audience members need ample time to digest information.
Additionally, this year I only posted 11 times on the platform. This is not enough to build a loyal following nor to build a reputation in a certain niche. With any platform, consistency is key.
Goal #1
Increase engagement of my followers by minimum of 5%.
Goals for next semester
Goal #3
Increase follower count by 5% every two months of the semester.
goal #2
Identify a niche that I am passionate about creating content for.
Although two of my goals are increasing my engagement and my follower count, I would be focusing my energy on goal #2. I believe that creating content should be something that you are passionate about. If you aren’t passionate about it, then the quantitative goals don’t matter as much. I want to be able to feel fulfilled by what I produce, not fulfilled by reaching a superficial goal that wouldn’t mean anything unless I am happy with what I am sharing.