Brand Design
Social Media
Overview
Heat Island Rescue was a six-week social media campaign aimed at raising awareness about the Urban Heat Island Effect in Australia. It focused on educating youth while engaging older audiences through visually compelling and strategically designed content. This project emphasised user engagement and interaction, highlighting my ability to apply UX principles to social media strategy.
Audience
Before launching the campaign, I conducted extensive research to understand the Urban Heat Island Effect and its implications. The findings highlighted a lack of awareness among younger Australians, reinforcing the importance of educating this demographic. Social media listening revealed that Instagram, with its visual and interactive features, was the most promising platform to engage a Gen Z audience successfully.
Strategy & Planning
Content Focus:
Weekly themes addressing specific aspects like negative statistics, future impacts, health issues, and solutions.
Mixed media strategy: static posts, carousels, reels, and stories.
Posting Schedule:
Instagram: 5–6 posts per week, with reels and stories daily.
Facebook and X: 9–10 posts weekly but with limited reach.
Content Creation
Style:
Minimal and bold designs using large text overlays on impactful visuals.
Templates:
Rotated between 5–6 templates to maintain consistency while ensuring variety.
Experimentation:
Tested scare tactics and emotional appeals (e.g., impact on pets).
Reposted best-performing content in the final week to boost engagement.
Key Experiments
Influencer Collaboration:
Partnered with @WonderWomanofAus (Melbourne-based cosplayer).
Resulted in the campaign’s highest-performing post (20 likes).
Highlighted the need for more issue-relevant influencers in the future.
Content Testing:
Scare tactics and emotionally driven content showed higher engagement.
Weekly themes ensured variety and narrative flow.
Content Testing
To refine the campaign, I employed testing methods like experimenting with scare tactics and emotional appeals. For example, posts addressing the impacts on pets and community health increased engagement by appealing to users’ emotions. Reposting successful content in the final week validated the importance of iterative design in social media, a principle directly aligned with UX workflows.
Social Listening
Social listening was integral to the campaign, fostering credibility through interactions with organisations like the Climate Council and City of Melbourne. Commenting on their posts resulted in replies and likes, increasing visibility and opening opportunities for collaboration. These engagements enhanced the campaign’s reach and positioned it within sustainability-focused conversations.
Statistics
Instagram:
Total Posts: 163 posts, including stories and reels.
Key Metrics:
49 total followers.
1,263 profiles reached.
Engagement rate: 34.76%.
Best-performing post: 20 likes via influencer collaboration.
Facebook:
Reach: 320 users with 82 total engagements.
Challenges: Audience mismatch led to low growth.
X:
Impressions: 1,554.
Engagement rate: 2.8%.
LinkedIn:
Least successful with 138 impressions and no significant engagement.
Website (WordPress + Elementor):
Traffic:
112 unique users with an average engagement time of 15 seconds.
Blogs:
Posted twice weekly; underperformed with 1-second average engagement time (adjustments planned for future campaigns).
Outcome
Instagram emerged as the most effective platform, achieving 2,477 impressions, a 34.76% engagement rate, and 522 story taps. These metrics demonstrated the campaign’s ability to capture attention and encourage interaction. However, other platforms, such as Facebook and X, underperformed, highlighting the need for tailored approaches for different user groups.
Reflection
This campaign reinforced my understanding of the power of clear, accessible, and visually engaging design to present complex topics effectively. I’m proud of the style I developed, which balanced consistency with variety to create digestible content. It highlighted the value of research, iteration, and user engagement in crafting meaningful digital experiences.
Takeaways
Designing content for accessibility increases engagement with complex topics.
Iterative testing reveals user preferences and helps refine effective communication strategies.
Social listening builds credibility and opens opportunities for collaboration with relevant audiences.
Platform-specific strategies are crucial for tailoring user experiences and maximising reach.