Reflective Journal

The following is my reflective journal, written over the course of this module. Here, I tracked my progress. I recorded my planning process, both my feelings and reactions to my role, the wider team and the module as a whole. It was a place to record my achievements and contributions to milk.

Journal Entry, 11th March 2019

I’m feeling overwhelmed with the workload. I feel like poor communication from the marketing team has left me unclear of a cohesive marketing strategy, and I’m unsure of what messages need priority in promoting. I’ve been checking Trello daily to monitor any article updates, but that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. It’s left me with little to promote other than older features. That's worrying as were are already a good month into the module.

I also wish that I had been given a brief on how to promote the upcoming event with the Society of Young Publishers. Is there particular media they want me to use? Are there certain details I can’t reveal yet? What language are we going for if it’s a networking event with the wider publishing community? So, yeah. I’m feeling a little lost and overwhelmed.

To cope, I’m going to set aside an hour and build some copy for upcoming social media posts, both to promote the event and to engage milk with students and the wider community. If I can write captions for five posts every week, that should cover the copy we need for regular content. Now, what to write?

I’m wondering if all messages need to be tailored to a specific feature of milk. Like, do I need to be posting about articles, events, the newsletter, submissions and the milk team, or can I also include more conversational copy that engages with our audience? I wish I knew, but I’ve heard nothing from the Marketing Manager. I feel as though I’ve gone rogue, which can’t be good for the magazine or the collaboration aspect of this module. It’s not that I enjoy group work, but still. It would be nice to at least try to improve on my dislike of collaboration.

One feature I’m struggling with is getting enough media to post regularly on Instagram Stories. I think this is down to the weather. I don’t want to be outside taking photos. I also worry about posting too much similar content. There’s only so much of Commons and East Wing that people can take, and I feel like I’m isolating Sion Hill. I definitely do not have the time to trek up there myself, but the team members who are there for their courses haven’t contributed any media either. No one has contributed media. I would find it so helpful if they did. That would count as collaboration, right?

Journal Entry, 17th March 2019

I’m having a better reaction to certain posts than others. Images with a tagged location and no feature of the magazine seem to be doing better. I need to focus on getting more promotion out about Making Magazines this week. Again, I’ll sit down and bash out a bunch of captions so we’re ready to go. I’ll get some more stories out too, perhaps with links to the event or a sneak peek of the venue so it’s fresh.

Journal Entry, 20th March 2019

I’ve spent an afternoon creating visual content for social. I’ve tried to theme it around what our younger audience is interested in – plants, coffee, a digital age, etc. The photos are in part to promote the latest article about cannabis oil, so I thought the incorporation of a trailing plant was fitting. I’ll make sure to use hashtags relating to botanical, perhaps I can take a trip to the Botanical Gardens in Royal Victoria Park to get some content for stories? The weather is certainly looking nicer to take photos outside.

I’ve also made a document with all my copy relating to Making Magazines. I think this will really be helpful to push publicity in the week running up to the event, and it means that I’ll be able to get good-quality and factually correct information out easily at peak times. I’ve noticed that my content is performing better as of late, at least according to Instagram Analytics. This could be as I’ve made pictures more focused on the city, geo-tagging locations and making use of location tags. I think this is something important to consider moving forward. We are, after all, a magazine based in Bath. I think we need to take advantage of our location more to gain publicity in the wider community.

I’m thinking about a potential photo series. As we are heading into spring, focusing more on local attractions and destinations as well as magazine related content. Perhaps one day a week, I can create the milk round where I highlight a specific location or organisation of the community? I’d certainly be interested in that, and I imagine our audience would be too. It links in with our theme of curiosity, at least. Especially for first-years who are still new to the area, it could be a great way to engage them with their location. I’ll have to get in contact with the Marketing Manager.

This week, I also need to create team bios to attach with their images. I’m going to showcase them on social media so our audience can get to know the team behind the scenes. So far, only the Editor and Commissioning Editor have got back to me with their bios so I’ll have to chase that up. I'm still need to get the majority of the team photos taken, as a lot of people weren't present for the shoot today. If not, their loss.

Journal Entry, 21st March

I’m currently feeling incredibly frustrated. So far, I have:

• Created visual content for social feeds

• Created visual content for social stories

• Created copy since October of 2018

• Interviewed Instagram influencers; Fab Giovanetti, Jade Rogers

• Interviewed Daniel McCabe of Magalleria

• Photographed milk team

• Edited photos of milk team

• Sourced team bios

• Edited team bios

• Created copy for events

• Updated milk calendar with upcoming events in Bath and the surrounding area

• Created story highlight covers

• Cleaned up followers and follow list

The workload is incredibly tough, especially when I’m one of two Social Media Managers. This is when collaboration would be useful, but I’ve still received no direction or assistance from the wider marketing team. Perhaps that’s my fault. I’m not the best at asking for help and I know it’s a skill I need to improve on. That being said, what is everyone else doing?

Journal Entry, 25th March

I’ve noticed that posts do better when they have been tagged to a location. Our audience is loving our meet the team series, and our Making Magazine event has sold out. I like to think that, in part, that's due to my constant promotion on social.

Journal Entry, 26th March

I took the last – or the last that I’m taking – of the team photos today. It was much easier to organise the team with the Art Director present. She knew the group, and what she wanted, which made the shoot much easier to direct this time. I’ve given plenty of notice so those who haven’t had a picture won’t be getting one now.

In terms of gaining confidence to interact with a team, I’m going to say I haven’t gained that skill. A lot of that is down to me. I don’t know this group at all and most of them aren’t very friendly. So communication is not great. I still haven’t had any direction from the Marketing Manager. I’m a little beyond caring. I think it’s gone beyond a point where she can step in and direct now.

In terms of my plans for this week, I’m going to focus on promoting Making Magazines. I’ve already written all the copy I need, but I need to create some more visual content as I’m running low. So, I’m going to search for some inspiration – maybe a coffee shop visit? Some attractions around Bath? Flat lays? I need props for the flat lays, so I’m thinking of making a Pinterest Board for inspiration.

I still have no idea what to include in my portfolio. I need to chase up my interviews and send out image use forms to tick off ethical considerations regarding my role.

Journal Entry, 1st April

The Making Magazines event has gone over capacity, and I’m claiming that victory for myself. As far as I’m aware, the Marketing Manager hasn’t created any press releases to be sent out to the local press, and so much of the promotion has been done through social. I’ve been getting great responses about the content related to the event. I’m really proud of the copy I produced for it as it’s clean, concise, engaging and professional.

I also took some time to create content that can be used to drive traffic towards the website. Feedback from the audience of the magazine suggested more copy that promoted articles would be nice to see on social.

Journal Entry, 2nd April

My role in Making Magazines included creating concise, clear and professional copy to promote the event on social media, creating visual content to support the promotion of the event in the weeks leading up to it, creating Instagram Stories during the evening, as well as helping to clear the dwell areas after the event.

After hearing Clare Jonik of Future Fusion speak at the event, I found her discussion of finding your passion point before settling on a career incredibly informative. Whilst I enjoy social media management, it’s not a career I’m completely sold on. I’d like to explore more aspects of the publishing industry, and Clare showed me that there are far more routes into publishing than I initially expected.

Journal Entry, 9th April

We finally had a marketing team meeting. Without the Marketing Manager present. We made an action plan of creating a promotional package for the release of the digital magazine. I made a to-do list, but the next session is designated to creating visual content for promotion on social. After class, I drafted copy to promote the release. Currently, I’m thinking of returning to the three posts per week schedule. One promoting the latest articles, one teasing or promoting the release of the digital magazine, and one dedicated to meeting the team. This will be supported by Instagram Stories, perhaps daily?

My plan is to share behind-the-scenes shots of the creative process, team members working on the digital edition and layout teasers. There was also talk of doing a cover release, something that I think would work well on both the story feature and on the feed.

In terms of the visuals I want to create in the next session, I like the idea of using the meeting table to create flat lays of the creative process on different laptops and spreads from the digital edition. I’ll get props like notebooks, calendars and coffee cups, and make sure an arm or hand is featured, too. I like the idea of taking images from above.

Journal Entry, 16th April

The Marketing Manager was finally present for a team meeting. She made suggestions for promoting the digital issue, though it mostly focused on Instagram rather than Twitter. I took a step back and allowed others control, which shows I have improved my collaboration skills. We decided that the Marketing Manager would draft promotional copy, and write questions and answer for a Q&A session planned for Instagram Stories. My to-do list included getting the cover of the digital issue, arrange a cover reveal over nine grids, draft cover reveal copy as well as promotional material about the content featured in the digital issue.

I found it hard to take direction from the Marketing Manager as only now has she attempted to manage the marketing team. We began the module in February. After months of managing my role autonomously, it was difficult to be directed about things I’ve already given thought to.

We decided that the cover reveal series would happen from the 22nd of April, giving two weeks until the proposed release date for the digital issue on the 7th of May. After the cover reveal, we will run a Q&A session on Instagram Stories to drive engagement with the digital issue. We decided the Marketing Manager would create questions and replies in case we don’t get a large enough response. At least then it will look like we have interest, hopefully encouraging engagement from a wider audience.

Journal Entry, 22nd April

I emailed both the Editor and Editor-in-Chief on Friday and, four days later, I still haven’t received a reply. I haven’t been given any information about the digital issue, so I don’t know how I’m supposed to promote its release in less than two weeks time. I also haven’t got a cover to start the cover reveal.

I need to re-evaluate my marketing strategy until someone gets back to me about something. However, I have heard nothing from the Marketing Manager about her marketing strategy. Do I communicate with her? Do I wait for her to come to me? Do I just carry on regardless?

Journal Entry, 30th April

There's been some miscommunication from the Art Director. I finally got a cover of the digital magazine to start promoting it on social media. It was approved by the Art Director, the Editor and a tutor. However, halfway through revealing it on social media, I was told I needed to take it down.

I felt I needed to stand my ground and not follow these orders due to the negative connotations of removing the image. It had already been seen by a large audience and had received positive feedback and engagement. I also believe that removing the image halfway through revealing it would have lessened the trust that our audience holds in us. I'd rather not risk this trust, particularly as it would directly impact my role as Social Media Manager. Going back on our word would make us look unprofessional, unorganised and unreliable.

I'm not sure if I should have followed these orders. It comes under the jurisdiction of the Art Director, after all. However, I had already received the green-light to begin revealing the cover on social media. As a result of the close timing of the reveal, less than a week until the digital issue is due to be released, I had to start immediately. I already had to alter my marketing strategy from posting one image per day to three per day in order to give myself enough time to promote content featured in the issue.

Perhaps this reflects badly on my ability to work with others in a creative team. However, I stuck with what I felt was right for social media, what I thought would be best for the credibility of the magazine. Should I have considered the opinions of others? Should the whole team have been more organised?

Evidence of my communication with the wider team throughout the module.