We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ania Barycka. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ania below.
Ania, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?
Social media and its landscape has really evolved over the last few years, especially during the pandemic. The biggest trends moving forward on most social media channels include the focus on video content, raw or imperfect content, meme marketing, and relatable influencer marketing, to name a few.
Video content is on the rise on almost all platforms, even platforms that have less customer interaction, like Pinterest is putting a heavy focus on video via Idea Pins. Video was already very popular on Tiktok, Instagram, but short-form videos is also becoming more prevalent on channels like LinkedIn and YouTube Shorts. We’re seeing a rise in not only just “video” content but more raw content, with the trends of GRWM (get ready with me) and sometimes filming the daily mundane and sharing it, with it growing in popularity. THis also works in combination with influencer marketing, and people are drawn more to relatable and micro or nano-influencers that have loyal followings but not huge followings. I think meme marketing is still in its infancy stages as there seems to be no peak for it yet – everywhere I’m using meme marketing for my clients, whether in static or video formats, they are performing very well.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’m a law school graduate turned Social Media Manager and Strategist. As a Social Media Manager and Strategist, I offer brands a bespoke multi-platform method to connect with new audiences meaningfully and collaboratively. I leverage social media to help brands attract leads, make sales and grow their businesses. Everything hinges on a sense of fun and relatability.
I worked in the social media space about a decade ago as an intern, but I only took this career seriously after I had my work contract end in March 2020 and found myself jobless in a very uncertain environment. The day I was told I no longer have a job with my current employer, I signed up to be a sole proprietor and started on this journey of creative content, something I’ve always loved but never was encouraged to devote time to. Three years since I started running my company full-time, we have long-term retainer clients who appear in Vogue and Forbes, employ team members, donate to our community, and generate over half a million dollars in yearly sales.
We provide three core services to our clients. The first is social media management, which is the management of all social media platforms for our clients, such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Twitter. We provide done-for-you services where clients come to us with a produce or service, and we create everything they need to help them gain organic traffic to their offers via social media channels. We create all content in-house, including video, graphics, copy, any research necessary, posting to channels, as well as analyzing performance and strategizing content. This is our core service at AskAniaMedia Inc., We are headquartered in Toronto, Canada but serve our clients worldwide, and 70% of our clients are U.S.-based.
The second core service is social media consulting. You can hire us to consult on your social media strategy and develop creative solutions to market your product or service. We also perform in fractional Director of Marketing roles for a variety of clients, consulting and providing feedback on an ongoing basis. The consulting aspect also extends to teaching others how to start, grow and expand a company like ours, for which we offer courses and coaching.
The newest service we are now offering as of March 2023, is a content creation space in Toronto, which allows our clients to film all types of content in a space dedicated and curated for that purpose. With 900 square feet of usable space and an upscale yet minimalist feel, our clients can now film their content in our new space called Leaside Studio in Toronto.
I’ve been featured in Disrupt Magazine, Yahoo Finance, Canada News, etc.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
As cliche as it sounds, I always wanted to help people, so I went to law school.
Years ago when my parents immigrated from Poland to Canada during martial law, Canada and Canadians really helped my parents get on their feet in a new country. I’ve always wanted to give back in a meaningful way, so that’s why I went to law school to become an immigration and asylum lawyer. After 4 years of law school and law clerking and running a social media account to showcase recipes I was making during law school… I realized I’d rather do something more creative with my life like create content over work as a lawyer.
I registered my business in March 2020, after my current employment had ended for me, and started to take content creation and social media marketing seriously. I onboarded my first clients and realized I’m really good at delivering results, despite having a Juris Doctor degree instead of any degree in marketing or business. Three years later, its the best decision I’ve made in my life, and I still get to help people. For example, last month I helped my social media management client open up a non-profit ice cream shop that hires people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. With some profits in this business, I sponsor and give back to community initiatives. It feels good to be able to help those around me and make a positive difference for my clients and my team members, even while running a business for profit.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
The main lesson I had to unlearn in life is that I need a typical 9-5 job and climb the corporate ladder.
The reality is I didn’t know there was anything different in life. I know you see people who own businesses everywhere, but owning a business is not something I ever considered, especially without knowing how to start or run one. I didn’t even know that there was another option besides the regular 9-5 for the rest of my life. Only because my contract ended abruptly in March 2020, was I forced to find something that would pay the bills while I found another 9-5 job. With being over 100k in debt from law school, I really had no choice but to find something to earn money from. I launched my social media management business in March 2020 and DIY’d my way through, with help with professional coaching, and here I am today 3 years later, where I’ve managed over 75 social media accounts, hired over 10 team members, donated to charitable causes, and wake up every day excited to “get to work”. Loving what you do on an every day basis really changes your life. Everything becomes more purposeful.
Who knew you could change your entire life at 30 and switch from law to social media manager? I didn’t, but here we are, and we’re here to make a long-term difference with curated & strategic content on social media.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.askaniamedia.com
- Instagram: askaniamedia
Image Credits
@CapturedYourMoments on IG