The recipe to successful social media content

Managing social media (SM) can be daunting and time-consuming, especially if you’re a small company. Too many companies are quick to brush social media marketing off as a chore, but it doesn’t have to always be that way. With the right planning, organisation and content, your SM activity can be not only successful, but enjoyable too. With an active presence, you can become closer to your clients, increase engagement and hopefully get a few giggles from your audience in the meantime. 

Step 1) Plan, plan, plan!

When crafting your posts, always plan from a 2-4-week perspective. Doing this helps you organise who, what, where, why and how your messages will be delivered. With all your previous and future content in front of your eyes, you’ll be able to clearly identify if you have a well-balanced approach, or if you’re being a little too pushy with daily updates on your new kitten (not that we don’t love to see it). Organising your content on a calendar can help you plan effectively and can be as easy as setting up a simple Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. 

Struggling to find a balance of what to post? Colour coding content categories (that’s a mouthful but stick with me) can help you visualise and ensure a variety. Think of your content like a stir-fry: keep mixing it up.

If you’re a content-creating newbie or want to add a little jazz to your social media without learning tricky software, I suggest using Canva.

Step 2) Find a schedule that suits your audience

Everybody knows that posting at 4am isn’t the cleverest idea if your focus is on engagement and interaction. Most social media platforms allow you to get a clear picture of the times your viewers have engaged the most with your posts. Not sure how? This article goes into detail. 

When you find the ideal schedule, stick to it. Maintaining a consistent posting pattern across your channels can make your life 10x easier.

Remember: not everything can be planned perfectly in advance. You’re always going to have a few spontaneous posts here and there, maybe you’ve suddenly thought of a funny pun or your co-worker bought a new planner he’s dying to show off. And so, he should! Sometimes these can even end up being the most engaging. One of the secrets to successful social media for business is making sure you enjoy what you post so that your viewers do too. 

Step 3) Get your team involved in creating content

Anyone spending hours every day coming up with SM content is bound to hit a brick wall from time to time. Don’t wait until you’re struggling, get a team member to give you a fresh pair of eyes and a helping hand. This can be a fun way of collaborating with your colleagues to develop some exciting new content that you can all be proud of. Or, even better, ask your audience what kind of posts they’d like to see using a Twitter Poll. Maybe they’d find a how-to guide handy on using a particular product or service that you offer. 

If you’re a small business owner and need help or advice managing your social media content, feel free to contact me to discuss how my services could benefit you.

Happy posting everybody!