KEEPING YOUR CONTENT UPDATED: A TUTORIAL
It’s stressful to stay consistent in your content postings on social media. To combat the stress and provide some ease and comfort, we’ve put together a brief tutorial with some included resources and tips that can make this sometimes overwhelming task a bit easier.
Let’s talk about what you need before you get started.
If you want this start to be quick and painless, let’s make sure you have these basic pieces prepped and ready to go.
Social media channels
We can’t tell you which channels to create, as each one serves different purposes for different kinds of businesses. Make sure that whichever you choose, that it is ready to go with your business information, including contact information, branded material, and is publicly visible
A common email address (for logins and updates)
This common email address will be how you access your content scheduling programs, graphic editors, or even how your customers can reach out to you with a question about a product or service. Make sure this is an email address you are comfortable with more than one person sharing, in case your social media manager is sick and can’t take care of your posts.
A graphics editor
Speaking of graphics editor - you’ll want to invest in, or at least sign up for, a graphics editor program to generate your promotional material, unless there is an in-house person who takes care of these tasks. For our solopreneurs and local business owners, we know that probably means that’s you, the boss, and now the social media manager. If you’re looking for free and easy, we recommend programs like Canva. If you’ve got a budget and a knack for digital design, take your gaze to programs like Adobe Spark or their related applications within the Adobe Creative Suite.
A social media calendar
Having a plan in place will keep your posting on track and perhaps even the very flow of the business. Using spreadsheets, third-party calendars like Google Calendars or Trello to plan out your content prior to scheduling will move mountains when it comes to productivity in the long run.
Below are some practical tips and practices one should follow in order to effectively get your money’s worth from your investment.
Plan ahead
Build out your content using the calendar you built - this will help keep track of what is to come, especially if you have to move the responsibility to another individual.
Schedule ahead of time
Scheduling ahead of time will free up your schedule to focus on more important tasks. If you can keep content planned out up to three to four weeks in advance, you’re on the right track!
Now that you know how to be prepared to schedule out your content, let’s talk about what programs are out there that we recommend.
Buffer
Buffer, our current platform of choice operates on a freemium model, with up to 10 posts being allowed to be scheduled at a time for free. While the platform works great for seasoned schedulers, this platform is especially great for budding businesses looking to learn how and when it is best to post on social.
Accounts outside of their free use start at prices as little as $15 per month.
Scheduling ahead of time will free up your schedule to focus on more important tasks.
SproutSocial
One of our more robust schedulers, SproutSocial is a powerhouse of content scheduling, research for new topics, and an analytics generator capable of not only scheduling your content but publishing it across several platforms, including Instagram as well.
We recommend this platform for businesses with a bigger budget and perhaps a team dedicated to your marketing efforts, as the starting price for monthly subscriptions is $99, which is a pretty penny. However, if you’re looking for support in these ways, this would be at the top of our list.
Hootsuite
An original contender when it comes to content schedulers, Hootsuite was one of the first to the game of offering an extensive platform that allows for bulk scheduling, topic research, and even provides blog resources and recommendations to educate its users on current marketing topics and trends. Another great starting point for a novice content manager.
Conclusion
Having a content scheduler will save you and your business time, money, and labor once the practice is mastered and well-implemented. Knowing and planning ahead your discounts and promotions not only builds a reputation for reliability and validity, but it also builds a sense of security and credibility within your audience. The trust of the customer is one of our most valuable assets; nurture it and support it well.
If you’re looking for help on how to get started with boosting your brand, contact us today and we will point you in the right direction.
