The other day in a one of my Facebook Groups a member posted a question about scheduling social media post or posting them live. I am a HUGE fan of automation. I have created a fun flexible life around being ‘on social media’ and being ‘in social media’. Content is Queen when it comes to having a marketing plan and scheduling things out. It also makes being in the moment with my kids so much more enjoyable.
Let’s not forget that at any given moment I also manage Social Media accounts for 2 other businesses along with my 2 businesses, so we are talking 4 Facebook, Instagram, and websites that I curate content for. So I am going to share with you some social media best practices for getting started on scheduling your social media and post, WHAT to schedule and how. Giving you more time to enjoy your life, drink wine and be with your kids. But not at the same time…
First, let me start with what is content curation and why you want to do it. Content Curation is the act of gathering and presenting digital content that surrounds specific subject matter. … . Unlike content marketing, content curation does not include generating content, but instead, amassing content from a variety of sources, and delivering it in an organized fashion. i.e Food bloggers gather lots of food images, video etc.
Start with the basic six types of updates we all post: Links, video, images, quotes, reshares, plain-text updates.
Select a “primary” update, a predominate type that will make up the majority of your shares. For example, since I am a photographer my primary type of post will be images and videos. But a Life Coach might use Quotes as their primary update type.
Consider creating a ratio of sharing: for every four “primary” updates, publish one different type for variety. This helps position you as an expert in your field and build that know like trust factor with your audience.’
Plan ahead for events and launches
So this next tip I learned this lesson from another blogger she told me that she sits down with her planner the last week of the year and writes in birthdays, anniversaries, vacations, first and last days of school and HER BIRTHDAY. As moms we always forget our birthdays, don’t we? Then she schedules in posts according to her marketing calendar. Again for me, I know that I want to schedule special mini photo sessions around Valentines Day, Mother’s Day etc and since I am an affiliate with other companies I know when I’ll have specials running along with my own sales. What events do you have planned for the coming year?
Which launches might you be aiming for? (You’re likely to add a few to this list, too, as the year goes on so keep everything written in pencil so you can move things on your calendar without it looking messy.)
What type of content did well for you last year that you might want to reproduce at a similar time this year? This is where Google Analytics helps…A LOT!
Anything that you think might be penciled in for a future date in the coming year, this info can go on your social media calendar. Doing so lets you develop the content and strategy for these big moments ahead of time and to get others involved in the process, too.
These are just a few calendar events to consider:
- New product releases
- Conferences
- Annual events & meetups
- Holidays
- Major cultural events – the Super Bowl, the Oscars, etc.
- Recurring content – end-of-year lists, mid-year lists, seasonal strategies, etc.
Decide how much you’ll curate
You want to be careful when you are sharing content. You don’t want to always come across as sales-y but you want to give potential clients a call to action. When you are curating content all you are doing is saving images, quotes, or texts for use at a later time. Every January I add a folder in Dropbox and within that folder, I make subfolders for each month. This system allows me to organize my content so when I sit down to schedule everything is in one place.
bonus round…
So want more tips, check out the download below its my gift to you.
