It’s so easy to forget about your social media marketing when you’re trying to run a business. Ad hoc posts are better than nothing but are unlikely to build your followers or engagement up to the desired levels.
That’s why it’s recommended to create monthly content in advance, which will go out across all of your social media feeds or finding a local Social Media Marketing Agency to do the work for you.
However, if you need help getting started let’s point you in the right direction.
Create A Template
You can create your content on any platform, but a collaborative tool such as Google Docs is helpful. Draw up a table that has columns for the day, message, image, whether the message has been scheduled or not, and a final column for notes.
As you fill in the days and write your messages, you can then tag the relevant person to create the images, take care of scheduling etc. If you outsource to a digital marketing agency, they would create this for you and allow you to approve the content before it went out.
Select Business Related Promotional Content
Assuming you create content for everyday, you should aim for at least 3-4 posts a week that are strictly business focused. Though this also depends on whether you are posting several times a day or even only a couple of times a week. Make sure the ‘straight talking’ posts appear towards the start of the week, so people are in the best frame of mind to digest them.
Add In Some Engagement Posts
Now for the fun part of social media! As well as promoting your business by posting links or images, you can also add posts that are designed to engage your audience. For example, polls, competitions, or anything that’s intended to generate a reaction in people.
Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be anything too dramatic. For example, a clothing company could display two different ways of styling an outfit and ask users to comment on which one they prefer. Or a dessert company could post an image of their cakes and ask users to tag a friend who would like it.
Factor In National Holidays
National holidays such as Christmas, Easter (and even national chocolate day!) are a great way to connect with your audience through your social media feeds. It’s also a great way to tap into trending hashtags especially on Twitter and Instagram.
Top tip: Research national holidays in advance that are directly related to your industry. Come up with creative ideas to celebrate them which will boost your reach and engagement.
Design Creation
Social media marketing usually requires image or video creation. While you can use stock images, you might want to consider having your visual content professionally designed by a graphic designer instead. This can help make sure your content is on point.
Copywriting
Writing content for social media is not as easy as it looks. Not only does the message need to be engaging but it also needs to work from a marketing perspective too. People are unlikely to read walls of text so you should avoid turning your posts into an essay. Instead make your text quick fired and SEO friendly. Remember to add in some emojis too!
Scheduling
Use your analytics to find when your followers are most active. Schedule content in advance that aligns with these times, and is also neatly spread out. Brands that post several times a day may post at 9am, 1pm, 3pm, 7pm and 9pm as an example. You can be a little more flexible with Tweets, but try to avoid spamming by posting too much content at once. Likewise, don’t leave it weeks in advance without posting anything either.
Feed Management
Even though feed management isn’t strictly part of your monthly plan, you’ll still need to factor it in. After all, if you aren’t responding to comments you get on your posts, or the leads you receive as a result of your marketing campaigns, it kind of defies the point.
You don’t have to be glued to your devices either, especially when you are simultaneously trying to run a business! But do give it a bit of attention periodically through the day, especially if posts are gaining traction.
To Sum Up
If you’re new to social media marketing, the above will stand you in good stead when figuring out your monthly content.
By creating your content in advance – or having a professional Social Media Marketing Agency do it for you – this will give time to prepare the best messaging and advertising campaigns.
As a result, you can sit back and relax, knowing your social media marketing is being taken care of to give your business the best chance of success.
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