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Efficiency is key when producing social content for your business. With 78% of U.S. Americans having a social media profile in 2016 (and this number growing), your brand identity is reliant on the platforms you post on. What you post on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc… is a representation of what your company is about.

Don’t you want to look good in the eyes of the public?

The best way to manage your efforts is to have an organized social content calendar. They are proven to not only be helpful in delivering content on time, but also in increasing your overall marketing productivity. Let’s look at 5 of the top industry tips any business can use to add to the development of their social content calendar.

1. BE CONSISTENT WITH HOW MUCH YOU POST

One of the biggest issues with organizing social media has to do with companies not knowing how much or even at what times to post. Posting too little or even too much can both have negative effects on the rate of engagement you receive. Finding that middle ground is key when trying to communicate with your users. A few guidelines to get you headed in the right direction:

• Know your industry and get an idea of how frequently other competitor companies post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc…
• Know the days on which you get the highest engagement from your target audience.

Posting at a steady pace throughout the week lets the audience see the structure within your company. Your social media platforms are a portrayal of your brand identity to your consumers. Consistency is crucial in establishing yourself as an industry leader with professional business standards.

2. WHICH CHANNELS WORK BEST?

With so many different social media outlets available on the internet, companies need to understand which ones get them the best consumer outreach. It’s different for each industry. Instagram might work really well if you’re a fashion brand selling design clothes, but may not work so well if you’re a law firm. Knowing your consumer, where they hang out, and associating them with a social channel is vital. Looking at the statistics or analytics of your different pages can provide information that’s necessary to help you prioritize channels and know where you should be for the highest return on your investment.

3. CONTENT WILL ALWAYS BE KING

Having engaging posts that keep users intrigued and entertained will make them stick around and absorb what your brand has to offer. Which types of posts perform the best? According to Sprout Social, figuring out the post types that perform well with your audience is essential to any campaign. Links, photos, videos, social statuses, hashtags, quotes, offers etc… could all be potentially beneficial for your brand. Try some A/B testing to see what your audience is interested in, and adjust your efforts accordingly based on what you learn & observe.

4. PLAN IT OUT!

The number one rule when making a calendar is to schedule your content in order to be sure you’re meeting your goals for each period. This relieves some of the day-to-day pressure when it comes to rolling actions out in a timely manner. This same notion can be applied to creating a social media calendar. Your team is already worrying about many other things. When it comes to social media, things can get hectic. You don’t want to be in a situation where you have an “Oh Shoot!” moment and forget to make a Facebook post before leaving the office. Having a monthly outline for your social output will allow you and your team to have a determined guide of tasks to complete on a day-to-day basis.

Providing your team with a simple daily routine to follow will allow your everyone to focus on other ways to create consumer retention. Instead of having to devote so much time and effort struggling for content to post across your various active social channels, having a plan in place will help keep people organized so they can focus on other ways to optimize your productivity.

Image Source: Pixabay.com

5. KEEP YOUR CALENDAR FULL

Running out of content is a common problem that businesses can face. Writing content is always great, but sharing posts from other reputable sources can be beneficial as well. What kind of work should you post?

• Content that is relevant to both your industry as well as what you know about your audience’s interests.
• Infographics relating to current business statistics.
• Make your content fun; incorporate national holidays, current trends, etc…

Productivity is defined by how efficient you can make your business processes flow. As Walt Disney said, “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing”. Don’t just say you’re going to post daily updates for your company’s social media platforms. Go out, make a calendar, and get it done.

This article was originally written by Kristina Aumcore for the Heyo blog.