social media theme content writing

Social Media Theme Schedule Download

A few years ago I created a tool for my own use that I’d like to share with you. I found that when I sat down to write content for my various social media channels that I’d forget to talk about certain topics. I gravitated towards the obvious, the easy, and rarely addressed some important issues that simply weren’t my favorite. I needed a way to make sure that I covered all of my content, but how? I created a Social Media Theme Schedule and it solved a lot of problems. (I’ve included a download at the end of the blog for your use.)

I love spreadsheets! They are an amazing way to track lots of information so I opened a blank sheet and asked myself the following questions:

  • What are the important subjects I need to cover?
  • What do my clients need (and want) to hear from me?
  • What are my profit centers (ways I make money)?

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balance

How to Have A Good Balance of Social Media Content

Many people that I talk to are worried about providing a good balance of social media content so as to not come across as “too sales-y”. Lots of channels only post pitches to buy stuff without any soul or entertainment value. The majority of social media users are there to talk to friends or family, find out information, or be entertained. Non-stop commercials are no fun for anyone and hurt a brand in the long run. The algorithms that determine what people see in their feeds has a lot to do with how interesting the content is and how many people are responding to it. Put out good stuff, the algorithms serve you more – you get more engagements then you get served more. It’s a circle.

balancing act, How to Have A Good Balance of Social Media Content

What is that balance?

I find that great social content follows the 70/20/10 rule – 70% value, 20% promotion, and 10% human. You can apply this to content you create on any platform or tool. 70% of what you’re posting should be of value to your audience. Not valuable to you or what you want to talk about, it should mean something to them. Now you’re racking your brain trying to think of what’s important to your audience.
Think about the last phone call, email, or conversation you had with a current or potential client or lead. What questions did they ask you? What were they concerned about? Frame your content around their needs and worries. Answer their questions so that when they search for information, your content may very well be served as the answer. Remember, everyone’s biggest concern is themselves and if you offer them solutions for their problems, they will view you as a vital resource. Continue reading →

Sample Editorial Calendar

editorial calendarIn order to deliver good content that communicates your brand’s message effectively, planning ahead is necessary. I provide my clients with an example editorial calendar (shown below). Sometimes I help them develop it and sometimes they take it back to home base and use it as a springboard. I wrote the blog 15 Easy Blog Topics which gives you a solid set of content ideas for blogs as well as use with other social media platforms. I used those ideas to build a sample editorial calendar to give to my clients.

The beauty of using a calendar is that you can plan a year ahead in a very short amount of time. It can be done within one meeting or brainstorming session. Once you plan a structure for the upcoming 12 months, it allows your marketing brain to relax a little because it knows you won’t be drawing a blank when it’s time to write. You can bank the content ahead of time by writing in batches. Batch writing is great for tackling a subject that is too large for just one post. You can write parts 1, 2, and 3 in a single sitting then schedule them to publish at preset times. Writing ahead of time will allow you to look for the topical items in the news that you should be addressing, the things you could never have anticipated but fit nicely with your message. Continue reading →

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