Taking social media seriously takes a lot of work, and you can find yourself lost if you don't have a plan.
This article will give you all the details you need to put a plan on paper, and show you some tools that can help you implement it, so let's get straight to the point!
The details you need to put a plan on paper
If you've already started working on social media, you've probably noticed how much effort it takes to perform well.
It's not easy to keep everything up-to-date, reply and interact with all your followers, or come up with unique, flowing ideas and fun things to post all the time on more than one network.
Is this complicated? But do not worry! The key is to make a systematic plan of what you want to publish, when you publish it, where you will publish it, and even who in your business should publish. What's the use of that?
Well, if you think you have enough free time to come up with creative and compelling posts at the very moment you need them, you are likely to be disappointed, life does not go smoothly, and other things take priority, therefore, without a plan your social pages may remain silent for a very long time or your posts may be of lower quality; Because you are under pressure.
It's understandable, it's not easy, and you have a lot to do, but a good social media strategy deserves just as much careful thought and planning as any other type of marketing.
What is the social media plan?
Think about the next 6 to 12 months, and start creating a calendar, detailing the points that are important to you, such as what topics should you post about? What matters to your audience? Next, take the next step. When is the best time to post about these topics?
If we come back to our classic clothing store, you should know when there might be major fashion shows, special shopping seasons like back to school or holidays, or other temporary events that you can take advantage of, whether you post daily, hourly, or weekly, they will help you.
The calendar ensures that you are consistent in your participation.
Sure, deciding what to post and when is a great start, but you also have to keep in mind where you should post what you want.
For example, if you're sharing some great photos of a new line of dresses that just came into the store, this might be great for sharing on social media sites like Instagram or Pinterest.
On the other hand, if you want to share a special offer to your fans who are most passionate about your products, you can share it with your Facebook or Twitter contacts.
Then don't forget to think about who will post and share, will you do it yourself, or will someone share with you? Because choosing who is responsible for each task in your plan will help you accomplish what you want.
Finally, don't forget why: Why are you posting all those updates? What goals for your business do these posts support?
Your plan for social media
If you want social media to increase awareness of your activity, make sure your posts are designed to do just that. On the other hand, if for you social media is a way to deepen your relationships with your existing fans and customers, your posts will be completely different.
In social media, there is no right or wrong way, but again: make sure you know why you share what you are sharing!
So here's your social media plan, once you put all of those tasks into your calendar for the coming months, it's easy to see how you're going to deal with the wonderful new world of social media.
You might be thinking "Oh, that's a lot of work! How am I going to do it?"
Well, wouldn't it be great to set aside one day in your calendar to jot down all the things you want to post over the next six months, and then schedule it to be shared automatically when you want to? How is that?
Some tools that can help you
There are tools that can help you do that, and even more. With social media management tools like Hootsuite, Buffer, and Everypost, you can pre-select what you want to post and share, choose which networks you want to share on, and collaborate with co-workers to help you on your path to social success.
Furthermore, you can use such tools to listen to people's responses to you on social media, and remember, social media is a two-way street, not just a loudspeaker you use to broadcast your message.
Summary
So, what did we learn? Social media takes some work and dedication if you want to succeed, and creating a detailed plan will help you optimize your efforts, and there are plenty of tools out there to help you.
Here you are well on your way to being able to social networking.
See: SEO for Local Businesses