Smith is a social media strategis for IMG LIVE, LLC and a former NCAA web communications team staffer. Love talking social and digital? Be sure to connect with Smith on Twitter: @WarJessEagle and via her blog Social 'N Sport.
The post below by Smith apeared on LinkedIn.
Creating a social media editorial calendar makes the life of a social media / community manager so much easier. Yes, it takes a little grunt work in the beginning, but if you can grin and bear it you’ll find your workload to be much more manageable.
Social media calendars are often undervalued. If we start them, we need to finish them. If we build them, we need to use them. If we use them, we need to evaluate them. It’s work that’s worth it.
If you’re going to take the time to create a social media calendar, maximize its value. Don’t create one simply for the sake of doing so. Create one that you can use. But, how do you that? Below are my tips for creating a rocking social media editorial calendar:
1. Have your social foundation in place before you start.
Before you begin working on your social media editorial calendar, there are a couple essential pieces you need to have completed:
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Your overall social strategy (that maps back to organizational goals, of course). Remember, a social media content calendar isn’t your social media strategy. It just helps you execute it.
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A content strategy AND an understanding of your content resources.
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A developed brand voice.
Have all of those down? Then you’re ready to begin!
2. Don't work in a silo.
A robust social media strategy often involves involvement from departments across a company, whether it’s customer service to PR to product. Make sure you work with every department to help tell a more cohesive brand story. Once you have the communication / department priorities, it’s up to you to mold it to your audience and the platforms.
In addition, if you have content creators (aside from yourself) who will be producing content for your platforms, then you need to plan ahead with them. In order to have a solid social media calendar, it’s essential that you don’t work in a silo.
If you have a lot of people who will be working on your social media calendar, then consider setting it up in Google Docs—that way people can access and update it at any time.
3. Leave blanks.
A great social media calendar doesn’t have to include content for every day of the year. A great social media calendar leaves blanks for real-time content. After all, social media is all about the now. If you neglect the real-time value of it, then your brand will seem out of touch and insincere.
4. Be flexible and nimble.
Since social media is about the now, you need to allow for flexibility. Have a great post planned for the day, but something newsworthy breaks that's relevant to your brand? Give autonomy to you and your team to make changes to the calendar as things unfold.
5. Create keywords, themes and features.
Creating keywords, themes and features will help you maintain a steady flow of content throughout the year. Additionally, they will help you brainstorm good content ideas on the days you have blanks and no real-time value to add.
6. Mix it up.
A successful social media calendar mixes things up. Make sure that your calendar reflects the perfect mix—from what times to post to the type of content you share (copy, photos, videos, etc.).
7. Check your ratios.
Take the time to ensure you are not just talking about yourself all the time. For every hard-hitting brand message, you should have 10 posts that really try to hit home with the consumer (or whatever you think the perfect ratio is). Remember, social media is not about you. Make sure your content is reflective of that.
If you are looking for a platform that will help you manage your content, then check out this great list here as a place to start. Also, what tips do you have for creating a great social media editorial calendar? Be sure to share them below!