Managing a social media channel can be difficult when the creative juices aren’t flowing and it can be extremely time consuming. Managing more than one channel can be even more difficult especially when you are trying to balance all of the other tasks and responsibilities that come along with owning your own business. Great content isn’t formulated in a few minutes, it’s well thought out and delivered in a special way. Managing more than one channel can be even more difficult especially when you are trying to balance all of the other tasks and responsibilities that come along with owning your own business. I thought I would share some useful tips that I have learned along the way to help make your social media management more efficient and effective.
Planning Your Content Ahead of Time
Planning your content ahead of time can help you schedule your time better so that you are not scrambling on the day of to “just get something out there”. The best content takes thinking, time, and planning. If you don’t already have content planning software, I highly encourage you to purchase a subscription! Although some of the subscriptions can be costly, it will save you time, and we both know that TIME = MONEY. Saving yourself time will allow you to focus on the big picture of your business.
Not sure which content planner to use? Check out the list below (my favorite is Hootsuite), and subscribe to a free-trial so that you can try out a few schedulers before you pull the trigger:
Whether or not you choose to use a content planning software, it’s important to set aside a select amount of time each week to prepare for the upcoming week. Personally, I don’t like to plan my content more than one week in advance as I like to use news stories and relevant current events while I plan. Set aside a few hours on a Sunday afternoon (my favorite) and make yourself a cup of tea or coffee. Start brainstorming ideas and as you begin to plan out the following week’s posts think about the following questions:
Do you have any offers or news you want to share with your audience?
How can your social posts help you reach your goals?
Did you see another company or individual post something that intrigued you? Is it relatable to your business? Would your target audience want to know about it?
Which of my posts perform well?
Which of my posts don’t perform well?
Generating Content Ideas
I think the biggest struggle for most is coming up with exciting content ideas that will interest your target audience. It can be defeating when you are posting but aren’t getting the feedback that you anticipated. Don’t worry, we’ve all been there! Social media content is a game of trial and error. Each target audience is different and responds to different things. Don’t be scared to try out new ideas - this will help you understand what your audience responds to and what they don’t respond to. Looking to get a little inspiration? Use the following list to help you come up with some new ideas:
Create a Bank of Posts
Are you having a creative week and you see ideas flying out of every corner of the room? Start a bank of posts to use for those weeks that you aren’t feeling the creative buzz, plan on taking a vacation, or life is a bit too hectic to spend as much time on your social planning as you usually do. I like to create 3 separate folders. One folder I use for general ideas that I can dive deeper into, the next I use for images that I like or created, and the third I use for captions! Find a system that works best for you, and when you have some free time and you’re feeling creative, add some ideas into the folders! I love having a bank of posts as a contingency plan just in case! Emergencies and urgent tasks can come up sometimes and knowing I have a bank of ideas and posts puts me at ease knowing that I do not have to sacrifice my social media content to tend to whatever currently needs my attention.
Set attainable goals for your social media channels. If you commit the time into your content and use the trial-and-error process you will see progress! Still too much of a time commitment? Reach out to the a2z-Marketing team, we would love to see how we can help you reach your goals!
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