Hey everyone,
This week we learned about content planning and content calendars for social media. Brooke Inhat gave some valuable insight on this topic. Brooke highlighted how different social media platforms have distinct roles: Twitter for business updates, Instagram for lifestyle content, and Facebook for community-building. Brooke also emphasized how they try to avoid excessive repurposing of content and aim to create authentic, real-time content, aligning with the audience’s interests rather than overtly marketing. I find this useful to know because depending on what I’m posting, the target audience, and what company I am working for, I will cater my content for that platform. For example, if I were content planning for a fashion brand, I would create lifestyle content on daily comfortable outfits to wear or cute fall outfits to wear this season. And show some get ready with me videos wearing the outfits to show them off. This will make the audience feel like the content is relatable and relevant to them. Also, creating more authentic and fresh content is important to stay relevant to the trends and the audience’s attention as things on social media can become very dry, when they are constantly being repurposed. I think this could also mean not just always hopping on certain social media trends, but also being creative and unique with it in your way to spice things up and make it stand out to your audience. This will help to keep your audience more connected and resonate with your brand/content more.
Image Source: Alpha Academy
From Michelle Martin, I learned that content planning’s purpose is to help establish a successful social media strategy. She mentions the steps to creating an effective content plan, which are: 1) Plan themes for your content, 2) Brainstorm campaign and post ideas, 3) Decide when you will post, 4) Decide on your content mix, 5) Assign responsibilities, 6) Write post captions, 7) Create (or source) design assets, and 8) Schedule content in advance. This is useful for me to know because I can apply it to my sister’s small business (dipped treats) and content plan effectively for the goals of her business. I will briefly walk you through the content plan on how I would use these steps to help give you a visual picture.
Image Source: Adobe Stock
I would first define themes for the content like new flavours, DIY dipping tips, customer stories, and the process behind making the treats. Secondly, I would develop concepts for campaign ideas like a “Fruit of the Month” feature or a “DIY Dipping Challenge.” Thirdly, I would develop a posting schedule and share new flavours and special offers when our target audience is most active. Fourthly, I would establish a well-balanced content mix which would consist of behind-the-scenes videos (how the treats are made) with shared content like chocolate-related recipes or cultural facts about dipped treats. Fifthly, my sister and I would assign responsibilities amongst us or if anyone else joins the team (since it’s a small business). For example, photography, videography, designing, writing copy, scheduling, etc. Sixth, we would write engaging text/copy to describe the treats, the dipping process, or the joy of receiving them for the captions of the posts. Seventh, I would create visuals using Hootsuite’s planner and Canva, focusing on product images, videos, or attractive graphics. Eighth, we would use Hootsuite to schedule posts, especially for limited-edition treats, customer stories, and featured recipes. By utilizing these steps and tools, my sister’s dipped treat business can create a visually appealing, engaging social media strategy that showcases its delightful treats, attracts customers, and fosters a community around its brand.
Resources
Benefits of social media marketing. Alpha Academy. (2022, May 9). https://www.alphaacademy.org/important-benefits-of-social-media-marketing/
Chocolate+covered+Strawberry+vector images – browse 2,230 stock photos, vectors, and video. Adobe Stock. (n.d.). https://stock.adobe.com/ca/search?k=chocolate%2Bcovered%2Bstrawberry%2Bvector
Holliday, A. (2023, January 24). How to save time planning and creating social media content. Buffer Resources. https://buffer.com/resources/how-to-save-time-planning-social-media-content/
Martin, M. (2023, August 9). Content planning for social media: An 8-step guide for 2023. Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard. https://blog.hootsuite.com/content-planning/