Digital and Social Media Communication-Final Compilation
Digital and Social Media Communication
22.9.2025 - 19.12.2025 (Week 1 - Week 13)
Qian Guoyi | 0369462
Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media
Final Compilation
INSTRUCTIONS
LECTURES
This course was a group-based, practice-oriented module. Throughout the semester, we worked with Pin Ying Dessert as our chosen brand and developed a six-week social media campaign plan. For Task 1 (Week 1–Week 4), our main objective was to create a clear and practical social media content strategy, which was finally presented in the form of a PPT.
Week 1: Understanding Social Media Structure and Regional Differences
In the first week, I learned that social media strategies cannot be universally applied across all regions. Trends, user behaviors, and interaction styles vary significantly depending on geographical and cultural contexts. Therefore, regional differences must be considered when analyzing social media performance.
We were introduced to the three-stage marketing funnel used in social media content strategy:
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TOFU (Top of the Funnel)
The goal at this stage is to increase brand exposure and visibility by attracting a wide audience. -
MOFU (Middle of the Funnel)
This stage focuses on building relationships with users. Content should encourage engagement such as comments, sharing, and participation. -
BOFU (Bottom of the Funnel)
The main purpose here is conversion, turning interest into actual purchases or registrations through clear calls to action (CTA), while also considering customer acquisition cost (CAC).
We also learned about different platform types, including social-based platforms (Facebook, Instagram) and interest-based platforms (Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok).
Week 2: Building an Effective Social Media Strategy
In Week 2, the focus shifted to strategy development. I realized that successful social media management is not just about posting content, but about creating genuine connections with audiences and increasing long-term engagement.
We learned how to analyze target audiences through:
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Demographic factors (age, gender, location, education)
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Psychographic factors (interests, values, lifestyle)
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Behavioral factors (how users interact with content and what they prefer)
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Pain points, and how brands can offer solutions
We also practiced designing personas. Although personas can be fictional, they must be based on real data to accurately represent target users.
The course introduced Hootsuite’s predictions for social media trends in 2025, highlighting the growing importance of authenticity. Users increasingly prefer real and relatable content, leading to the rise of UGC (user-generated content) and the growing credibility of EGC (employee-generated content). Social listening was also emphasized as a key tool for understanding trends and responding quickly.
Regarding AI-generated content, I learned that the quality of AI output depends largely on well-structured and specific prompts, including clear background, context, and objectives.
Week 3: Reviewing Existing Content
In Week 3, we analyzed the brand’s existing social media content. I learned to evaluate an account’s performance from multiple perspectives, such as:
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Posting frequency
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Content responsibility
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Alignment between target audience and actual audience
We also reviewed different content formats, including images, short videos (Reels), and Stories, to assess whether the content was diverse while maintaining a consistent visual style.
Finally, we examined the effectiveness of CTAs, such as whether posts clearly guided users to “Buy Now” or “Learn More,” and whether the message was direct and engaging.
Through this process, I realized that effective content strategy is not based on intuition alone, but on structured analysis, audience understanding, and clear objectives.
During the course, our group was required to work with a real brand and develop a complete social media marketing campaign. At the beginning of the project, we chose Instagram as our main communication platform and contacted several nearby brands that matched our project goals.
We reached out through direct messages, briefly introducing our course background, group identity, and collaboration purpose. This experience helped me understand that clear, sincere, and professional communication is essential when building connections with brands.
This is the content of the private message we sent:
Hi, we are a group of Creative Media (Graphic Design) students at Taylor. We'd love to help you boost your brand's social media presence, which aligns perfectly with one of our courses. We hope you can give us a chance!
I've eaten at Pin Ying Dessert Shop in SS15 many times, and it's always been delicious. My friends also love your desserts. We'd like to help with social media promotion and marketing, including shooting ads, creating posters, and promoting on various platforms.
We won't interfere with your shop's regular marketing. We'll open a separate social media account, and if you think our account or content is good, you're welcome to use it. It's a win-win collaboration. We need to plan your events effectively, shoot promotional videos, design posters, etc., to achieve good results for this course and also provide better promotion for you. So, we hope you can give us a chance!
👏👏The project progressed smoothly, and we received positive responses from Pin Ying Desserts and Tang Gui Fei Tanghulu · SS15, both expressing their willingness to collaborate with us for promotional purposes. After group discussion, we decided to work with Pin Ying Desserts as our final partner for this course project.
For this project, we developed a six-week social media content promotion plan for the brand, consisting of 18 pieces of social media content. Our strategy focused on brand storytelling, audience positioning, market challenges, and visual content creation.
As part of the planning process, we conducted a structured analysis that included:
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Brand story: outlining the brand’s background, core values, and unique identity;
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Products and services: identifying the brand’s key offerings and main selling points;
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Target market: defining the audience through demographic and psychographic characteristics;
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SWOT analysis: evaluating the brand’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats;
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Vision and mission: summarizing the brand’s guiding principles and long-term goals.
This research allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of the brand’s market position, competitive advantages, and areas for improvement. It provided valuable insights that supported more effective content creation, stronger audience engagement, and opportunities to refine the brand’s overall marketing strategy.
Phase One: Brand Research and Interview
At the beginning of the collaboration, we conducted an on-site visit to Pin Ying Desserts and interviewed the store representative to collect first-hand brand information. This research phase laid the foundation for our overall strategy development. The information gathered included:
Brand origin and development
Core values and business philosophy (emphasizing warmth, comfort, and traditional desserts)
Best-selling and underperforming products
Main customer segments (primarily students and nearby residents)
Current promotion methods (mostly relying on walk-in traffic with limited online presence)
Operational challenges (limited manpower and insufficient online exposure)
We also observed customer flow during different time periods, analyzed the store layout, and studied customer behavior. In addition, we captured a large amount of photos and video materials for later visual content production.
To ensure an efficient interview process, we prepared a set of refined interview questions and shared them with the store owner in advance. These questions included:
Could you briefly introduce the founding of Pin Ying Desserts?
What makes your dessert shop different from others?
What values or principles are most important to your business?
Do you have any long-term goals for the brand?
Who do you consider your main target customers?
What do you see as the brand’s strengths and weaknesses?
Are there any challenges you are currently facing (e.g. competition or rising costs)?
How do you currently promote your brand?
Phase Two: Strategic Planning and Content Development
Based on our research findings, we moved into the strategic planning and content development phase. During this stage, we completed the following:
Brand SWOT analysis
Brand mission and vision statements
Identification of low online visibility and weak visual consistency
We then defined clear content directions for the brand, focusing on three main themes:
“Quick and satisfying dessert options”
“Desserts that comfort everyday life”
“Shareable and visually appealing sweets”
We also proposed several practical promotional ideas, such as:
“Exam Week Dessert Specials”
“Weekend Comfort Combos”
Referral or sharing discounts
Product bundling strategies (popular items paired with less popular ones)
SWOT Summary
Strengths
Convenient location, popular dessert flavors, and a stable customer base
Weaknesses
Limited social media influence, few promotional activities, inconsistent visual identity
Opportunities
Attracting more young customers, expanding the menu, and building long-term brand loyalty
Threats
High competition from similar dessert shops and reliance on a few best-selling products
Phase Three: Content Creation and Filming
Phase Four: User Portraits and Empathy Maps (Persona & Empathy Map)
Task 2: Content Ideation
Social Media Analysis
During the content ideation stage, we first conducted an overall review of Pin Ying Desserts’ Instagram account (@py.desserts). From the profile page, it is clear that the brand has established a basic online presence, including a clear brand name, bilingual identification, opening hours, store location, and an ordering link. These elements allow users to quickly access essential information about the shop.
However, in terms of content, the account is still at an early stage of development. The number of posts is relatively limited, and most of the content focuses on product displays and menu information. The posts appear more record-based rather than strategically planned. In addition, the visual style lacks consistency, as differences in color tones, composition, and presentation can be seen across posts, resulting in a fragmented brand image.
Engagement on the account is also relatively low. Most content is delivered in a one-way manner, with limited encouragement for audience interaction such as comments, sharing, or participation. As a result, the emotional connection between the brand and its audience has not yet been fully established.
Key Issues and Content Opportunities
Through this analysis, we realized that although Pin Ying Desserts has a stable offline customer base, its online presence does not fully reflect the warmth and story behind the brand. The current content focuses more on “what is being sold” rather than “why the brand is meaningful or memorable”.
This observation helped us clarify the core direction of our content strategy. Rather than simply increasing posting frequency, our goal was to rebuild a more “alive” and engaging social media presence, transforming the account from a basic menu display into a platform that communicates brand values, encourages interaction, and builds emotional connection with audiences.
Content Direction
Based on these findings, we decided to strengthen the following aspects in our subsequent content planning:
Present desserts as a form of comfort and emotional support in everyday life
Improve overall visual consistency to create a clear and recognizable brand identity
Increase audience interaction by encouraging comments, sharing, and participation
Shift the account from static content to a platform that continuously tells the brand’s story
Through this content ideation process, we aimed to help Pin Ying Desserts build a warmer and more engaging brand image on social media, ultimately attracting more potential customers to visit this local dessert shop.
REFLECTION
Through this course, my understanding of social media marketing shifted from simply creating content to developing strategic thinking. Unlike previous courses that focused mainly on theory or simulated case studies, this module required us to collaborate with a real brand and design a complete social media marketing campaign. This experience helped me understand how theoretical knowledge is applied in real business contexts.
At the beginning of the project, we were required to contact brands directly. This was a new challenge for me. Writing the first Instagram direct message made me realize that brand communication is not just about stating requests, but about clearly presenting value and respecting the brand’s time and perspective. Receiving a positive response from Pin Ying Desserts and successfully establishing collaboration gave me a strong sense of achievement and increased my confidence in my professional abilities.
During the brand research stage, on-site visits and interviews helped me understand the brand from multiple perspectives, including its story, target audience, and operational challenges. I realized that even a small local business operates with clear values and real constraints, and effective social media strategies must be built upon an understanding of these realities.
In the content planning phase, I developed a deeper understanding that content should not be created randomly. Through account analysis, SWOT analysis, and content theme development, I learned the importance of strategic planning, visual consistency, and audience engagement. I also began to think beyond short-term exposure and focus more on long-term brand development.
Group collaboration was another important aspect of this course. Working with different perspectives required continuous communication and coordination, which strengthened my ability to express ideas clearly and listen to others. It also highlighted the importance of teamwork in creative projects.
Overall, this course not only enhanced my professional understanding of social media marketing but also helped me learn how to translate theory into actionable strategies. More importantly, it taught me that effective marketing is not about creating noise, but about building meaningful connections with real people through thoughtful and authentic content.
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