#PlanYourBusiness – Building Your 2019 Content Calendar

As we say goodbye to one year and wave hello to a shiny, fresh new one, it’s a great time to set about taming our wild and wooly world of social media. The best way to do that is by spending some quality time putting together our content calendar. If you are dreading this task, don’t!

Spending time now to create a comprehensive editorial content calendar will save you hours throughout the year and help you avoid those awkward moments spent staring at a blank screen looking for inspiration.

To get started on creating a comprehensive content calendar, take a few minutes to map out your strategy (yes, you are creating a plan to create a plan). Here five essential elements you should consider:

Your Audience

As a social media marketer, you know that it is critical that your content be consistent and authentic. To ensure that, you need to know who you are writing for. If you don’t know your audience take the time to find out more about them right now.

Your Goals and Objectives

Here’s that word “consistent” again. Your social media content should carry the same message that the rest of your content does and be consistent with your overall goals and objectives.

Your Timing

Should you post on a daily, weekly, monthly basis? That depends on what you want to achieve and how much time you can afford to spend, but it is something you should determine with a strategy in mind. Otherwise, you risk ending up with a haphazard approach.

Your Resources

Most of us have limitations on money, staff, and time. Balance your social media needs with the rest of the needs of your business and determine what your priorities are.

Your Platforms

Whether you use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or other platforms is something you need to determine. Each platform has its strengths and weaknesses and is better suited to various populations and purposes. You may not need to be using all of these. Consider your audience and your resources and determine which is best for you.

Social media is a useful and powerful marketing tool but, left untamed, it presents an unpredictable set of challenges. You can (and should) control how you manage it. Dedicating a bit of time up front can save you a great deal of time down the road and ensure that you are not wasting your time.

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Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

#SociallyKind – Being Socially Kind to Your Clients & Customers

When you think about showing kindness to your clients what comes to mind? Do you think of how you interact with them in person or over the phone? Probably. But did it occur to you to consider how you communicate over social media?

There’s a good chance that most of the interactions you have with your clients and customers are now through platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you aren’t showing kindness through your social media, then you are losing a great opportunity to strengthen and build relationships while putting your best face forward.

As you develop and execute your social media strategy, keep these top 5 tips in mind for being socially kind to your clients.

5 Ways to be Socially Kind to your Clients:

Be Responsive – When your clients contact you over social media, they expect to get an answer promptly. If you don’t reply or you are slow to get back to them, they’ll stop checking in. From there it’s just a step away from losing their business.

Be Consistent – Your engagement with clients over social media should be in alignment with what you say on other channels. If, for example, you give an answer on your website or over the phone, it should be the same as what you offer on social media. Not only should your replies be consistent, but your branding and other messages should also be the same across platforms.

Be Grateful – Social media is the perfect place to let your clients know how much you appreciate what they do for you. A simple thank you will go a long way.

Be Generous – Help your clients expand their community by introducing them to your followers, sharing information about their products, and engaging with the content they publish on their social media. Where appropriate, send them referrals.

Be Positive – One of the kindest things you can do for anyone who engages with you is to be positive. Remember to take a moment before posting to determine if the content is true, if it is useful, if it sets a good example, and if it does no harm. Unless it passes all those criteria, don’t post it. 

Being kind to your clients on social media does not have to be difficult. It may take a few seconds to make sure that whatever you are posting passes the kindness test but it will be worth it in the long run. Not only will you feel good about your content, but your clients will feel good about it, too.

Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

#SociallyKind – Being Socially Kind to Your Power Partners

We often hear how it “takes a village” to properly raise a child. When it comes to running a successful business, this couldn’t be truer. We cannot do it alone. We need customers, of course, and suppliers and all the other people who make the work happen.

There’s also another group of people that you may not think about much — power partners. Power partners are people who are a lot like us. We don’t compete with them, but we work in in the same industry and may even have the same customers. These people are something else, too — underrated.

Power partners are a pretty important part of our network. They offer both moral and physical support, send business our way, and help us maintain a rock-solid reputation. So unless you are already showing this important group of people significant love, then you are taking them for granted.

You may not be sure how to best display your appreciation, but it’s actually very simple. The number one way to show your power partners how much they mean to you is to be socially kind to them.

Five Ways to be Socially Kind to Your Power Partners

  • Say thank you. You might not be surprised to hear that the top way to show kindness is by saying thank you. Yes, a simple shout out to express your appreciation can go a long way.
  • Make referrals. Let your community know what your partners have to offer. You never know, you may be solving the problem of two people.
  • Share their stuff. Keep an eye on your partners’ social media feeds and pass along the information you think might be valuable to your followers and subscribers.
  • Help people get to know each other. Offer profiles of both your customers and partners when it is appropriate. This can help them connect.
  • Be nice. No matter what you are doing keep in mind that how you use your social media is a reflection of both you and the people with whom you do business.

The main rule you should keep in mind when using social media is that you should always be considerate of the people who are affected by what you say and do. This is just as true for how you handle your power partners as it is for dealing with customers. Be authentic and kind, and you’ll help all the members of your network.

If you need help in order to make the most of social media, there’s no better place to go than the Social Power Program. This self-paced online program can help you and your team make the most of all your social media channels.

Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

#SociallyKind – Socially Kind in Your Social Media Content

We hear a lot about civility these days. While the term is most often used in connection with formal interaction, in reality, it all boils down to being polite and considerate. It’s pretty hard to argue with the fact that we could all use more of that — not just formally but in everything we do.

Of course, while we can’t control what others do, we can certainly make sure that we are polite and kind. This applies not just to our in-person interactions, but to our social media content as well. Has there ever been a better time to pledge that our content will be socially kind?

So how can you ensure that what you post is kind? Before you post, ask yourself these questions:

Is It True?

Before you hit the post button, make sure that what you are posting is true. This is especially the case if your content refers to a person. If you can’t verify it, don’t post it. This applies to both content you create and that you share.

Is It Positive? 

Perhaps something that is negative is still worth posting but is there another way to frame it? Socially kind content should be positive at best, neutral at worst. Negative content runs the risk of causing damage to the people who read it.

Is It Considerate?

Being considerate doesn’t necessarily refer to what you post. It can also refer to the frequency with which you are posting. Do you really need to post five times a day? Put yourself in your reader’s place and evaluate if you may be posting to the point of being annoying.

Would Someone Reading It Be Hurt? 

The last thing you want to do is be hurtful. Evaluate every post to make sure that you don’t unintentionally hurt someone. While it can be difficult to know how everyone in your community may feel, you can certainly make an effort.

Is It Helpful?

If what you are posting or forwarding isn’t helpful then what is the point of posting it? Do you really want your content to be perceived as noise? Your content and what you share should have a goal. Whether it is to make someone smile, make a task easier, or provide useful information, know why you are posting.

It isn’t difficult to be kind or considerate. Train yourself to get into the habit of testing every post to make sure that it follows the rules above. Before you know it, it’ll be second nature.

Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

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