Thank you for trusting me with this work over the past seven weeks. Before closing the report, there are some things I would like to share honestly. I hope you will read them as coming from a wish for both of us to keep working together in a more efficient and positive way.
What the past seven weeks actually looked like
Social media agency work usually centres on initial direction-setting and Reel production. Captions, DM automation, free resources and internal academy materials are normally prepared by the academy. When I started with MFS, many of the things that need to exist before content can be made were not there yet. That is natural for an academy in its first year. But filling those gaps meant that more than half my work became groundwork rather than video production.
| Task | Typical social media agency | At MFS, past 7 weeks |
|---|
| Reel planning and production | Included (about 8 a month) | Done · 3 languages |
| Captions · DM automation | Academy | Done |
| Free resources | Academy | Done (2) |
| Internal materials (story, philosophy, cases) | Academy | Done |
| Interview arranging · filming · editing | Separate contract | Done (5) |
| Landing/detail pages, blog setup | Separate contract | Done (4) |
| Influencer and info session content | Separate contract | Done |
| Market and customer research | Once, at the start | Done (4) |
Three difficulties I faced
First, MFS's internal materials need to be ready before social media content. Social media is a tool for introducing MFS to more parents. Parents who become interested after watching a video look MFS up further before paying. At that point, internal materials such as the principal's teaching philosophy and story, grade-improvement cases, parent reviews, class information and camp detail pages are what build trust and lead to payment. Without them, social media content creates interest that stops short of payment. Because these materials barely existed, I spent a great deal of this period creating them myself.
Second, running three languages was far bigger than expected. Korean, English and Chinese are not just translations of each other. Each audience uses different expressions, different platforms and responds differently, so every piece of content was effectively made three times, well beyond the time I first expected. On top of that, all coordination happened in English, which is not my first language, so aligning even small details took much more time and energy than I anticipated.
Third, this is a stage for gathering material, not yet for harvesting results. Enquiries and enrolments rise noticeably only after assets such as interviews, case studies, and regular-class or camp detail pages are in place, and content has flowed on top of them for several months. MFS does not yet have enough internal material to showcase itself, so it is too early to expect results in numbers. I am concerned that judging this stage by monthly revenue would only create pressure for both me and MFS. For this period, I suggest measuring progress by assets built and leads gathered, and reviewing enquiries and enrolments together each quarter.
A proposal for going forward
I am a freelancer rather than an in-house employee, and I work on a time basis. The current arrangement, where actual hours keep exceeding the agreed scope, is hard to sustain. From the next contract period, I propose focusing on what I do best, Reel videos, and dividing roles as follows.
LYDIA8 Reels per monthDelivery of 8 Reels a month, each between 30 seconds and 4 minutes. I send the script and filming guide for each video first; MFS films and sends the footage; I edit and deliver the finished video. Video length may vary with the plan, and the quote will vary with length. I would like to discuss the fee separately.
MFS STAFF · ACCOUNT MANAGERPosting and account managementOne staff member takes on everything needed to publish and run the accounts: posting, captions, replying to comments and DMs, running automated DMs, stories, events, organising filming, and collecting photos and videos.
PER PROJECTInternal materials · online promotionWhen MFS needs a detail page, camp brochure, guide page such as the class guide, or other online promotional material, each request becomes a separate project with its own scope and fee.
| Monthly workflow | Owner |
|---|
| 1. Send scripts and filming guides for the month's 8 Reels | Lydia |
| 2. Film to the guide and upload footage to a shared folder | MFS staff |
| 3. Edit and deliver finished videos | Lydia |
| 4. Captions, posting, comment and DM replies, performance check | MFS staff |
At the handover, I will pass on the current account setup, automated DM settings, free resources and every link in this report to the staff member in charge, so the groundwork from these seven weeks carries on without a break.
MFS is also where both of my children study. As a parent, I have seen up close how sincerely the teachers care for the children, and I want more families to know about this academy as much as anyone. Whatever direction we take, I hope we can talk about it openly.
Warm regards,
Lydia