During semester one, I undertook an internship at Salti People or Salti Australia, working on their social media. My main task over the internship was to develop content for social media - Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest - and the brand blog, to write captions, and to schedule everything through an online platform. Over the course of my internship, my work was supervised by Jo, one of the founders of the brand. This position was based online, allowing me to work remotely, and communication was done over ClickUp, an online platform, as well as Google Meets when required for additional support. Jo provided me with a sense of the brand's aesthetic and some ideas of what she would like, and what would go with the brand vibe, otherwise, I was given full creative freedom. I completed approximately one and a half days a week over my twelve/thirteen weeks to complete my internship.
Social Media Images
As an intern at Salti People, my main responsibility was to create social media content that would promote the Poolside Soirée collection. This involved photographing the collection on a model in an outdoor setting that aligned with the brand's retro aesthetic. To ensure the success of the project, I followed a process that included ideation, development, and editing.
To begin, I created a mood board and used Pinterest to gather inspiration on different poses and captioning that would fit the retro aesthetic of the brand. This was especially helpful since it was a new aesthetic for me to work with. Starting with a mood board helped to direct myself and my model in the content creation process. Together, we found a location that fit with the brand's retro aesthetic and proceeded to capture content that could be used to promote the Poolside Soirée collection.
Once I had captured all the necessary photos and videos, I needed to organize them and select the strongest ones that fit the brand's aesthetic. I went through each photo and video and edited them to adjust the lighting and remove any distracting marks or elements. It was important to me that each photo and video represented the brand and left a lasting impression on the target audience.
Overall, my goal was to create content that would effectively promote the Poolside Soirée collection on social media. By following a structured process that included ideation, development, and editing, I was able to deliver high-quality content that aligned with the brand's retro aesthetic.
Video Content
As an intern at Salti People, my main responsibility was to create captivating content for the brand's social media accounts, with a special focus on the Poolside Soirée collection. My task involved ideation, development, editing, and audio selection for videos that would be used across multiple social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest.
To begin, I followed the same process for creating content that I had used before. I started by creating a mood board and searching Pinterest for inspiration, as well as looking at other activewear brands to see what they were doing. Then, I planned out the video content that I wanted to capture, making a detailed shot list of everything I needed to create different videos and where they would be filmed. Some of the content could be captured without a model, whereas others required a model. I arranged a suitable location and, together with the model, started filming.
After I had filmed everything that was required, I organized all of the footage into separate video files before beginning the editing process. Using Adobe software, I edited each video clip to remove any unwanted elements, adjust the lighting, and add any necessary effects to make the footage pop. I then made audio selections to accompany the videos, but only for those that were to be used in the May schedule. This was because audio trends change quickly and selecting audio too far in advance might not be relevant or effective when the video was finally published.
After I had completed the editing process, I submitted the videos and audio to Jo for approval and feedback. Once approved, I went through each video to ensure that the audio was synced correctly and that there were no issues with audio lag.
My main objective was to create videos that showcased the brand's aesthetic and capture the target audience's attention, leaving a lasting impression that would hopefully encourage them to shop the Poolside Soirée collection.
Planning & Scheduling
As part of my role in the internship, I was responsible for scheduling social media content using PlannThat, an online platform for social media management. The content I created and scheduled was for May and was intended to be posted on various social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Pinterest. To begin this task, I first planned out the grid posts to ensure consistency across all platforms. I created a consistent look for the grid posts by choosing a specific focus or theme for each row. For instance, the first row was focused on the colour orange, and each post in that row had something orange as the main focus. The next row was dedicated to showcasing the different tights available from Salti People.
Once I had planned out the grid, I began creating captions that would accompany each post. Using the brand's template, I wrote captions that were informative and engaging. I also made sure to incorporate relevant hashtags to increase the reach of each post. I also planned to include reels in the grid and made sure to develop this content before its scheduled date.
After I had planned and developed all the content, I sent it over to Jo, my supervisor, for review. After receiving feedback, I made any necessary changes and proceeded to schedule the content on the respective platforms. Although I had no prior experience with scheduling platforms, I found PlannThat easy to use, and it allowed me to schedule Instagram and Facebook at the same time. TikTok and Pinterest needed to be scheduled separately.
The purpose of scheduling social content is to help maintain brand consistency and organization. This consistency ensures that Salti People's brand is always well-represented and leaves a positive impression on the target audience. By using PlannThat to schedule content, I was able to stay on top of deadlines and keep the brand's social media presence active and engaging.
Reflection
Having a background and degree in design (visual communication), I had already learned about style guides, and these have always been a visual tool used to create brand consistency. However, during this internship, I developed captions using a template, and the captions needed to fall under one of the three pillars used by the brand: grow, nurture, and promo. Over the course of the internship and through discussion points, I realized that this is another form of a style guide, as this template and pillars create cohesion and consistency throughout all their social media content. This was interesting to see because I have always seen style guides as a visual element for design, and getting to see how a written version can achieve that same consistency was a fantastic takeaway for me. This written version of a style guide could also be something that is predominantly used on the social media side of a business to create and maintain brand consistency over various platforms.
I was taken by surprise at the start of my internship to learn that the brand only takes outdoor shots to use on their social media platforms. This was something I didn't fully understand because as an activewear brand, wouldn't you want to show people working out indoors as well? During my mid-point check-in, we discussed this, and it was pointed out that there would be reasons to only use outdoor content that reflects the brand values and aesthetic. As a retro brand (70s-80s), there wouldn't have been many indoor workout spaces around, so it was more common to work out outside than it is now. The brand also has a focus on sustainable products being produced using recycled materials, and outdoor shots can reflect their value for sustainability. Only using outdoor shots can also set them apart from other brands' social media that are in the same business. I have learned that I need to ask more questions. When I don't fully understand something, I try to fill the gap with research and what I know, but that doesn't always work, and in this case, it didn't. It took an 'outside' perspective to help me realize why this was the case, and I should have just asked Jo for clarification on why they chose to do this. I need to always be curious and ask questions because then I will have a better understanding, and even if I feel like I'm asking too many questions, it's better than not asking at all and making mistakes or misjudgements.
I really enjoyed having creative control to ideate a photoshoot from mood boarding, shooting, and editing. I was able to incorporate some of my design learnings and processes into it, and this made me feel more confident in what I was doing. I'm also proud of the content that I created for this brand, and while at first, I was nervous about creating retro content, I think that after research, I was able to produce content with a retro feel.
I enjoyed writing captions to accompany the content for social media. One of the areas I wanted to learn and develop over my internship was my copywriting, and I believe I did this. At first, I had a hard time getting my head around the brand tone and the different pillars, but after having a virtual catch-up with Jo and talking through what the different pillars meant and their purpose, I felt more confident. We also talked over the brand tone and the type of voice that is used in their content, and after hearing the keywords and being given a voice persona, I was able to find clarity in this and could better articulate what their brand was. I used this information to guide me when writing captions and also looked back over all captions to help me when coming up with new ones.
I really enjoyed having creative control to ideate a photoshoot from mood boarding, shooting, and editing. I was able to incorporate some of my design learnings and processes into it, and this made me feel more confident in what I was doing. I'm also proud of the content that I created for this brand, and while at first, I was nervous about creating retro content, I think that after research, I was able to produce content with a retro feel.
I enjoyed writing captions to accompany the content for social media. One of the areas I wanted to learn and develop over my internship was my copywriting, and I believe I did this. At first, I had a hard time getting my head around the brand tone and the different pillars, but after having a virtual catch-up with Jo and talking through what the different pillars meant and their purpose, I felt more confident. We also talked over the brand tone and the type of voice that is used in their content, and after hearing the keywords and being given a voice persona, I was able to find clarity in this and could better articulate what their brand was. I used this information to guide me when writing captions and also looked back over all captions to help me when coming up with new ones.
One challenge I faced was choosing audio to go with the video content. I found it difficult to get into the headspace of 70s-80s music, and I didn't want to just choose classic songs from that era. However, when I suggested alternative audio that sounded like stock music with a retro vibe, it didn't enhance the brand the way it should. This is something I have identified through my internship as a point for improvement, and I want to learn more about choosing the right audio for the brand and the type of content.
I enjoyed my time during my internship and the learning experiences I was provided. At this point in time, I will not be seeking further employment at this workplace as my main focus is on completing my studies.
