“Through all the social media marketing changes, one thing remains constant:
the more you teach, the more you reach.”
Remember Facebook in the mid-2000s? Pokes to say ‘hi’, hundreds of quiz apps to tell us which character of our favourite shows we were... I recall standing in a bar with friends Friday after work, an actual drink in hand, having a conversation about the virtual drinks we’d been sending earlier that afternoon.
Social media has come a long way since then. As it evolved businesses quickly took to social media marketing, wittingly infiltrating our personal time and lounge rooms with their marketing messages, and social media as a marketing channel became the must-have business tool of the time.
Some platforms fought to keep up with the supply of this overwhelming amount of content, juggling with the need to keep their platform relevant to its users. They reviewed analytics and tweaked algorithms ad infinitum so that only the best content would be delivered to only the most appropriate audience.
But through all the algorithm changes, one thing remained constant: the more you teach, the more you reach.
Today that means consistently offering great conent that teaches, delights, and builds ongoing relationships with prospects and customers.
So how do you keep up? Another day, another set of social media posts. What to post this morning? What to post this afternoon? Repeat. Every. Single. Day.
What if I told you it doesn't have to be like that? What if you started with a social media strategy or content marketing strategy? A plan with a purpose? So that you'll never be stuck for what to post, when to post it, and - most importantly - why you're posting it! Here are some tips to get - and keep you - on top of it:
- Use time-relevant content. Review and diarise dates and events that are important to your business and brand. This instantly creates trending content topics throughout your content calendar.
- Use your offers to create a series of unique, relevant posts to market them. Use a variety of images and types of content to keep it fresh.
- Plan it! Plan out everything!
- Dates & Events Calendar - Start with an holistic view: add in important dates and events, schedule your content marketing offers and campaigns for the period.
- Content Calendar / Social Media Planner - Use your completed dates and events calendar to plan out your content. Content calendars and planners come in many forms; but there’s only one rule: use what works for you!
- Set time to schedule your content and social media posts for publsih. I mean actually block it out in your diary. Choose a day that works for you and a time when you’re feeling creative and aligned to your business’ values.
- Which means if you don’t have a tool to schedule your social media posts, it’s time to get one. There are many social media management tools to choose from; the right one for you will be based on your social platforms, needs, capabilities and budget. Or contact us if you need a hand choosing.
- Create a trusted content source list, or use social monitoring or social listening tools for content sharing.
- Don’t give up! Forgot to plan? Forgot to post? Don’t stress; just pick it up again!
- If all else fails, outsource it! If you’re struggling to deliver your content marketing strategy, find someone to do it for you. Hire someone in your business or outsource it. Think of the ROI: what is a customer worth to you?
Hint: If you do outsource it, remember to provide an outline of your strategy from foundations (mission, values, goals, audiences) to implementation! You don't want your brand to end up with a confused personality!
Do you want a cheeky little head start?
After I finished my 2016 Events Calendar template and populated it with common Australian events for the year, I thought I’d give it away!
Yep! It also contains links to websites so you can add other events and dates important to your business! Use it to help you develop your own holistic 2016 content marketing strategy. To get your 2016 Events Calendar template, click the link below and just follow the instructions. Happy Content Marketing 2016!
