Plan your social media content effectively

Since the advent of the pandemic, a growing number of companies across the globe have adopted a digital footprint to enhance their operational models. A large part of this digital footprint is social media and posting the right type of content on such platforms has the power to transform your business.

While many brands believe that using a scattergun approach by posting all types of content on every possible platform is the right course of action, this couldn’t be further from the truth. This approach holds no regard for the recipient of that content, how it impacts them, or how that impact reflects on their brand.

While it is easy to show up on various social media platforms and randomly post the same content across the board, a cookie-cutter strategy does not guarantee success. For your content to be effective, you must have a strong social media content strategy that is impactful and actionable.

In order to stand out from the social media pack, you must identify specific goals, create content that adds value to your recipients and aligns with your goals, and distribute that social media content on the right platforms to attract your ideal audience. A key element of an effective social media content strategy is measuring your results as this helps to fine-tune your strategy going forward.

Identify goals

The first element of a successful social media content strategy is to identify and set your goals. With specific goals at the forefront of your mind, you are able to plan and create precise content. During this process, you must explore your brand values and ideal audience as this will lead you in the right direction.

With this step, it is a great idea to analyse your overall marketing goals and how you want your social media content to address those goals. You will find that when your marketing goals are more specific, you will be able to create tailored social media content that effectively meets those goals.

Audit existing social content

Once you have a clear idea of what your goals are, you are ready to conduct an audit of your existing social media content. The purpose of this is to identify what content has worked well and which content hasn’t performed as expected.

It is also an opportunity to analyse the content that you have posted on various social media platforms. If you are using any social media management tools, you will have access to more analytical data that will certainly help in the auditing process.

What you look for in your audit should directly align with your social media content goals. You may discover a disconnect from content that you thought would do well when compared to social media posts that actually performed well. In such instances, look closely at the tone and language of those posts as you may have drifted from your core values and come across as being inauthentic.

Your social media content must reflect your brand’s values, and you should always stick to your unique style and voice so that your content is portrayed in the most authentic way possible. Having a consistent style will definitely help you to understand your audience better and contribute towards developing the target persona of your audience.

Create a social media content calendar

Once you have determined what your best-performing social media content is and you have identified your main goals, it is now time to create a social media calendar. Think of this as a compass that will direct your business to where you want it to be. Your social media content calendar will help you to visualise and organise your ideas methodically – making your strategy easier to execute.

This calendar will be your hub for all social media content and will provide a holistic view of your strategy. During the planning process, it is a great idea to repurpose content and use it across different platforms to maximise it. Always keep in mind previous content that has performed well when deciding the type of content you want to post.

It is vital that you maintain consistency with your social media content and stick to your core values as this will establish rapport with your target audience. Also, make sure to post your social media content at appropriate times to get the most out of each post. Social media content management tools usually offer suggestions on posting times that you could use as a guide.

Promote your content

Once your social media content calendar is created, you must consider the different ways that you plan to promote and distribute this content. An effective social media strategy will involve finding ways for your content to reach as much of your target audience as possible. As mentioned earlier, you could repurpose content to suit different social media platforms and set up your posts to reach a wider pool of people.

Your posts must encourage your audience to engage with your content, and these calls to action must be appropriate for the different social media platforms that you are using. You must recognise when your audience is most active and post content during those times in order to maximise your reach.

Creatively using hashtags on some social media platforms extends your reach beyond your following and finds its way to those who are interested in specific interests or trends. You could also consider networking with bloggers and content creators who might be inclined to share your content and improve your reach. Always keep in mind that your content must add value to your audience and relate to your brand.

Make sure to measure the results of your social media efforts through regular tracking and analysis of your content. Having detailed metrics of your social media content will help you to make changes where necessary and keep you on track for your marketing goals.

Final Thoughts

Effective planning of social media content must not be done in isolation but must be considered as a vital aspect of your overall marketing strategy. It is important to incorporate your core values in your content and ensure that you create content that appeals to your target persona.

hiring third-party social media services is an incredible way to maximise your brand exposure. While creating and posting social media content may appear relatively simple, there are a lot of dynamics that affect what you post and the impact of your content on your audience.

By outsourcing your social media services to specialists, they are able to provide in-depth analysis of your brand and tailor-make effective social media content strategies that strike the very heart of your target audience. When you consider the time and effort involved in the entire social media planning process, it’s no wonder that more businesses across the globe are choosing to outsource their social media services.

Whether you choose to plan your social media in-house or to outsource these services, always stay true to your core values and remain consistent to establish the trust of your audience. Good Luck!