Knowing what you want to get from social media will prevent you from staring at your computer screen feeling frustrated that you can’t come up with ideas. Here are 5 tried and tested timesaving ideas that will help you grow your audience without spending days on end working on it.
1. Decide what you want to get out of social media before you start
Be clear in your mind about what you want social media to do for you before you dive in. Is it to drive more sales? Is it to engage more people? Is it to build your brand awareness and reputation? Do you know which platform your target audience use the most? Once you figure out the answers to these questions then it will be easier for you to work out what you want.
Social media is a very powerful marketing tool. A majority of customers use social media for product research and to connect themselves to a brand therefore you need to be on point on how it can work effectively for you. You could always follow the S.M.A.R.T method to work out what you want:
Specific: Your aim should be specific and you should focus on a single goal at a time.
Measurable: Define goals you can measure
Attainable: Is it practically possible to achieve your goal? Think realistically about whether you can achieve your goals
Relevant: Your social media goals should be aligned with the objectives of your business
Time-based: Always set a deadline for meeting your social media goals. For example, double the number of your Instagram followers in two months
2. Plan your content themes ahead
Is your business based around the seasons and the holidays and traditions that come with it? For example, many big brands plan their campaigns for Christmas a whole year before. I.e., once Christmas 2021 is done then by January 2022 the next Christmas is being planned. Sounds crazy? It does, but planning your themes gets you ahead of the game. It pays to plan well ahead so that everything is in place and marketing campaigns are prepared and ready to go along with budgets. As a smaller business split your year into quarters and plan a quarter at a time. This will make it easier to create a good storyline and make your content feel more coherent.
3. Create content, images and videos in bulk
Using specific software to create your images and videos for social media is a good way of planning. For example, Canva can help you create all sorts of images and videos for pretty much all social media platforms and makes the whole process quick and simple. (Please note that Canva is not the only package on the market so do your research first and find what works best for you). Creating content in bulk allows you to concentrate on one task at a time and therefore saving you time in the long run. Your creative juices will being to flow once you have created one or two images and then before you know it you will have done all the graphics for the week or month ahead.
4.Schedule your content in advance
We have said this before and we will say it again ’it’s all in the planning!'
Scheduling your posts in advance will help you be consistent with your content and consistency is key to success. Your posts will be well thought out if scheduled in advance enabling you not to miss any key dates or events. If your business revolves around the seasons then this is vital.
Scheduling can save you heaps of time. Scheduling for the following week or even month will greatly reduce the time you spend posting each day. No more staring into space trying to think of a last-minute post (been there, done that, do not advise!)
5. Repurpose your content
Repurpose, recycle, reuse! Basically, you are going back over old posts and re-suing them but making small changes. Try picking some of the most popular posts of the past, as this already gives you an advantage then maybe just change the video or picture or change the font or add additional information. Make sure the information you are re-posting is still valid.
Repurposing is also a great time saver. If you’re pushed for time then this is going to save time in the contact creation process.
Repurposing is also helping you reach out to potential new clients. You could submit the post onto a different platform, therefore opening you up to a bigger audience. Also, you are reinforcing your message to current clients; giving them a gentle reminder of who you are and what you have to offer.
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