MIX AND MATCH FOR A MONTH’S WORTH OF POSTS & TWEETS

Your social media strategy can make or break your business!  Between maintaining your brand and engaging with customers, it can be hard to find the time to keep up with it all.  But if consistency is the key (and it is,) you can’t afford not to make your social media content calendar a priority.  A recent study shows that seventy percent of all Americans are active on social media, many engaging in several platforms multiple times per day proving that it pays to be seen!  Make sure your brand gets the attention it deserves and layout a content calendar using these ten ideas.  

1. Original Post  The queen bee of all social media posts!  The original post is most authentic to your brand.  Through graphics, video or photography, you can engage with your current and potential customers.  It’s helpful to have a series of professional photos of your product/service on hand to create this type of content.  
   

2. Blog  The blog is the heart of your narrative.  Here you can sing the praises of your product/service.  No one knows what you offer as well as you do, don’t be afraid to share.  Through conversational writing and bullet points, blogs make for great social media calendar content that can be used repeatedly on a number of platforms.   Plus, regularly updating your blog on your website increases your visibility on search engines.  Win, win.
   

3. Quotes  No need to recreate the wheel here.  Pull select quotes from your blog and link back to it.  Another option is to share quotes that directly relate to your product/service.  For example, make a list of five keywords that describe your business. Use these words as a starting point for finding quotes that speak to your brand.  
   

4. Links to Published Pieces  A personal favorite.  Smart business owners monitor leaders in the industry.  Share items that relate to your type of business. If you're a realtor, perhaps you share landscaping tips on Tuesdays from publications like Better Homes & Gardens or Garden Design magazine.  Similarly, a personal trainer might link to articles on healthy eating as part of their content calendar.
   

5. Website Share  Generate more clicks for your already existing website and create calendar content at the same time.  Most websites have several ready-made content items. Everything from your About page to your Events page can become a link.  Use photos from your website to create continuity in look and tone.
   

6. Testimonials  The bread and butter of a well-run company is positive feedback from customers.  Car dealerships provide a great example here. Often times, a car sale and a positive referral from a customer make up the bulk of the social media content on a dealership’s account.  Customers are excited and happy about their purchase and this is an easy photo op that becomes quick content.
   

7. Giveaways  Everyone loves a prize!  EVERYONE. Create a Call to Action asking for followers to like, share and tag a friend for an opportunity to win your product or service.  Stretch the promotion out for a few days and instant social media content. Plus, the word of mouth generated following the giveaway doesn’t hurt either!
   

8. Polls and Questions  Take the temperature of the room with polls and questions.  This is a very informal way of product testing to create content.  Polls can be as benign as color choice or you can offer a more in-depth questionnaire with a handful of selections.  Either way customers and even potential customers love to be a part of their favorite company’s decision-making process.
   

9. User-Generated Content  Your fans are your greatest asset!  Digital entrepreneur, Pat Flynn smartly identifies super fans as a company’s “free” marketing team. Search your mentions and hashtags for followers who give a shout out to your product/service and then share their praise (always ask permission.)  In today’s social media climate we all have the potential to influence our own followers. User-Generated Content is a fun and easy way to fill up your own content calendar.  
   

10. Newsletters  List your accomplishments and what’s next via a company newsletter.  Your newsletter is like a highlight reel, use it to share important news and product reveals.  With several free newsletter templates, creating a polished and professional newsletter is easy and can be shared more than once!

Creating a content calendar is vital to today’s business. Remember, you can repurpose the content throughout the month with new lead-ins, keeping in mind holidays and other important dates. Be sure to track engagement.  Analytics can help you determine which posts received the most attention and help you decide which days of the week (and even times of the day) your customers are most likely to engage. The scheduler feature on many social media platforms is also helpful or use a social media content calendar service (several are free) to help you manage your posts across platforms.  

Now, let’s get started!