5 Keys to a Successful Social Media Content Calendar in 2019
A Social Media Content Calendar is a detailed calendar that lays out your social media posts, marks important days to highlight and keeps a streamlined process for posting to your social media accounts. It is imperative that every post you make be relevant to your business and demonstrate the voice of your brand.
When you create a content calendar, you don’t want to follow what your competitors are doing, exactly. It is, however, okay to observe what is working for your competition and apply it in your own unique way that is specific to your business. For example, we’ve all seen the hashtag of the day, such as #thursdaythoughts or #nationalrunningday.
These are trends that businesses follow, but always be sure that it is applicable to your social media marketing strategy. Create a content calendar that is relevant to your business’s brand strategy and will also engage your audience. Use social media to create a call-to-action for your business while creating a genuine connection with your audience.
1. Consider the interests of your audience.
Your loyal followers are interested in your business for a reason. Listen to them. Posting pertinent content that is distinctive to your business and taking your audience in mind is what brings them back. More and more you will find that people are looking to have an honest and authentic connection with businesses on social media. Posting unrelated content just to fill your news feed won’t cut it anymore. It must have meaning and connect with your audience, so listen to what they are saying.
2. Look at what has worked in the past.
Going back through your posts and looking at the analytics can give you valuable insight into what your audience responds to best. For example, our posts that show our team in a meeting gathered around the conference table, creates a lot more buzz compared to a post showing the front of our new building. Yes, the new building is exciting, but there isn’t a story around it except that it’s just a new building. Look through your past posts and rethink what worked, what did not, and why. What could you do better or how can you revitalize content?
3. Explore your current content.
Similarly to looking at your past content, you will also have to look at your most recent posts and figure out what is working. What topic is reaching your audience the most? Make sure you are spreading out the type of content. Don’t post about the same thing back to back. You will want to give your audience some breathing room. Giving them time to take in your most recent post and then looking for the next one. Again, post what is relevant to your business and be sure to post content that keeps your audience engaged.
4. Include major events.
Celebrate your successes with your audience. Include them wherever you find the smallest achievement within your business. Share the celebration of local, state and national holidays, welcome new members of your local Chamber of Commerce, or show your employees personalities by showcasing their part in your business. Whenever you include your audience they feel that genuine connection that we mentioned earlier. People are only human and look for that sincerity and inclusiveness that your business can bring to social media.
5. Plan ahead and schedule content.
Start by marking important dates, holidays, employee birthdays, company milestones, and more on your calendar. After you have everything laid out, fill in the gaps with “hashtag” special days, showcase current projects, clients or employee milestones. Your content is only limited by your imagination. Just make sure that your content is relevant to your business and generates the ideal engagement with call-to-actions in place.
If you have any questions or need help with your Social Media Content Calendar, contact us today at 334-446-6149 to learn more.
Posted: Jan 02, 2019