Feeling overwhelmed with keeping up with your social media planning? Let’s unpack that for a second. Firstly, I get it. Maintaining your presence in the ever-changing digital world is a weekly challenge. Coming up with new content ideas, staying current with trends, navigating complex algorithms… it’s a LOT.
So what do you do when you’re feeling overwhelmed? Pour yourself a big glass of sauvvy b, of course.
Right – you’re here for slightly more constructive advice. OK, how about this: I have a few timeless guidelines that will keep you calm and collected. Here is my top 7:
Post With Purpose
This one gets overlooked the most in favour of ‘getting something out there’, which I understand. But creating social media content that aligns with your business goals is crucial for success. Otherwise, ask yourself – is it a good use of your time? When crafting your content, remember that you’re guiding your audience through a customer journey. With that in mind, make sure you have a clear call to action. Each post should have a specific purpose, such as driving sales, boosting website traffic, or raising brand awareness. This call to action can be as simple as asking for their opinion or more complex as directing them to a free resource. By including a clear call to action, you make it easy for your audience to take the next step in their journey.
Top Tip: A customer journey is not always linear, so always have a mixture of calls to action to speak to your audience at every stage of the buying funnel.
Consistency Is Key
Have you heard people talking about your brand voice? It’s simply how you communicate with your audience. It’s one vital way of asserting the personality of your business. Brand consistency ensures that your business values and identity are consistently presented across all your social media channels. What do I mean by this? Essentially, it’s making sure that everything you put out across all platforms sounds and looks like you (or your business, I should say).
Frequency? That’s up to you. But it’s crucial to decide on a posting schedule and stick to it. Consistent posting will help increase your credibility and build trust in your brand. Whether posting content three times a week or daily, keeping a regular schedule is essential. This way, your audience will know when to expect new and valuable information from you. It’s also pretty handy for you when you’re planning out your week.
Don’t Post & Ghost
Oh no, you’re not ghosting, are you? Creating engaging content, scheduling and posting it is only the first step in successful social media marketing. One of the most common mistakes businesses make on social media is neglecting to interact with their followers after posting. It might sound obvious, but social media is meant to be – well – social! Make sure to e-n-g-a-g-e in conversations with your followers by responding to comments and messages on your platforms. Remember, social media’s actual value lies in your discussions and interactions with your audience.
Different Platforms, Different Content Requirements
Boy, oh boy, running your business is hectic, hey? When you’re time-poor, it’s natural to want to use the same content across all social media channels. However picky little things they are, each platform is looking for something slightly different. It’s essential to restructure, resize, and adjust it to fit each platform’s requirements. Keep in mind that different platforms have different audiences and preferences for content. For example, a behind-the-scenes video may perform well on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok but may not have the same impact on LinkedIn if the caption is not tailored to the platform’s audience and tone. Does it sound like a lot? I’ve got you. I can help.
Map It Out
Ever tried to get to a new place without directions? Navigating social without a roadmap can feel like you’re on an endless drive around Spaghetti Junction. A content roadmap will guide you from where you are to where you want to be. Simple, hey? To create an effective social media content roadmap, it’s essential to first understand a) your audience, b) analyse current content, and c) identify your business objectives.
A great place to start is by looking back at the route you’ve just taken. By assessing the performance of your recent content, you can use this information to build a weekly content plan. A monthly editorial calendar is crucial when managing multiple social media channels; it keeps you organised and on track with creating, planning, and posting content.
Top Tip: Look at ways to improve and enhance existing content; it’s not always about the new.
Plan, Batch, Schedule (repeat)
It’s one of Daft Punk’s lesser-known hits: Plan, Batch, Schedule (repeat). Social media batching is a time-saving strategy involving creating, planning and scheduling your social media content. Like meal prep for marketing. This could be for a month, two weeks or a week. It includes planning, writing captions, choosing/taking images, creating videos, and scheduling in one sitting. This technique ensures consistency in your brand voice, cohesive content and a continuous connection with your audience. Scheduling tools like Planoly, Later, Agorapulse, or even directly scheduling on some platforms like Instagram can help you automate the process and free up time for other essential business tasks.
Top Tip: After years of praying to the Social Media Gods, Instagram (finally) announced that users could schedule reels on the platform directly! Hall-e-lu-jah.
Balance It Out
The ancient Greek philosophers, and also De La Soul, believed that 3 was a magic number; a number of harmony. That’s certainly evident in the success of the golden rule of thirds in creating engaging content. This formula creates balance and harmony in your social media presence, especially for service-based businesses.
What is it? Well, the theory suggests dedicating one-third of your content to sharing expertise and adding value to your audience, one-third to giving an exclusive behind-the-scenes look into your work process and culture, and one-third to promoting your services or products. By offering a mixture of informative content, humanised behind-the-scenes content, and promoting your unique offerings, you can build connections and trust with your audience, ultimately leading to the growth of your business. And trust me, the ancient Greeks were so hot on Instagram.
Give me a shout if you need help with your social media planning. It’s what I’m here for!
