Use social media to engage users and increase sales: Creating a social media content calendar
929 W. Oak St Kissimmee, FL 34741 P. 407-847-5565 E. [email protected]
Lauren Holliday is the director of
marketing at PIP Printing and
Marketing in Kissimmee. Holliday
is a journalist with a marketing
mindset. Orlando Weekly
featured her latest article on its
Aug. 29-Sept 4, 2012 cover.
By Lauren Holliday Director of Marketing, PIP Printing & Marketing in Kissimmee
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Social media calendar defined………….….….1 Why create a social media calendar………….4 How to create a social media calendar……..……………….…....7 What to do now……………………………………..9
Chapter 1: Social media calendar defined
Social media has not changed everything. Content
still is and will always be king. You may implement
a presence on every social media platform out
there, but it will not bring any return on
investment if you utilize it the wrong way or fail to
utilize it at all.
Ingrain this in your brain:
"If I want to beat competitors and surpass goals
and expectations then I will create engaging
content.“
Like any strategic marketing plan, social
media marketing campaigns need to be
built on a solid foundation. If you fail to
plan then your campaign is doomed to
fail so let's tell you how to design a cost-
effective and time-efficient social media
strategy that will engage users; and in turn,
will increase revenue.
How do you beat your competitors?
You create engaging content.
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Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
1 2 3 4 5
8 9 10 11 12
15 16 17 18 19
22 23 24 25 26
29 30 31
Editorial Social media calendar: (noun) 1. A calendar used by companies to organize and control content across an array of media
outlets. 2. An organizational tool, in calendar form, that helps implement a consistent and informative message across the Internet.
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Witty Visuals Educational Resources Easy Repeat
Use social media to engage users and increase sales: Creating a social media content calendar
Five types of content
“I want to use Company XYZ. I don’t want to feel like the company is using me.” -Your client
Be Witty
Many companies forget that its clients
are real people by treating them
impersonally on social media. Your clients
want a break from the overtly repetitive
business stuff so treat them to a laugh
on your behalf. Posts, tweets and
Instagrams do not have to be serious or
educational 100 percent of the time.
Ensure you spice things up by adding a
personality to your social media.
Visual Communications
Stop paying for advertisements when
you can create a FREE visually
appealing social media ad via your
blog.
Educate clients
Yes, it is still important to
include educational content;
i.e. eBooks, how-to guides,
infographics,…
Utilize free resources
Gain new leads by utilizing free
resources and influencers.
Resources are anywhere you can
post quality content about your
company without asking permission
of someone else. This would be
your personal blog or a blog or
paper you contribute to.
IMPORTANT: Don't appear overtly
promotional. Influencers are people
who have a large social media
following; and therefore, can
influence a large group of people.
When creating your social media
calendar, make sure you include a
list of your influencers and
resources.
Make it easy
Some days you may not
want to write something
funny or educational so
create a bank of excess
content for those days you
are swamped, but still need
to post something worthy of
being posted.
When creating your social media calendar, make sure you include a list of your influencers and resources.
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Use social media to engage users and increase sales: Creating a social media content calendar
CHAPTER 2: Why you should create a social media calendar
Use social media to engage users and increase sales: Creating a social media content calendar
The F-Factor
Trendwatching.com created this
term in May 2011, and the “F”
stands for “friends, fans and
followers who influence a
consumer’s buying decision.”
The graph tells explains it the F-
factor.
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Why does the F-Factor matter?
According to KellerFay, a US word of mouth marketing
research consultancy, there are nearly one trillion conversations about brands every year in the US alone.
Fewer than one in three people trust marketing messages, according to Edelman Digital’s annual survey of trust.3 That’s a pretty dismal number.
If these two statistics aren’t reason enough to implement a content calendar then I don’t know what is.
Repeat after me: Content is king.
Google’s algorithm updates, Panda and Penguin, are making it harder to maintain or improve your search engine rankings without great content. If you are consistently creating quality content, this will also tell Google to view you as a valid publisher, which can help with your overall SEO efforts.” –Source: Why a content
calendar will be critical in 2013, Josh Bernstein
Use social media to engage users and increase sales: Creating a social media content calendar
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CHAPTER 3: How to create a social media calendar
Use social media to engage users and increase sales: Creating a social media content calendar
How to create a social media calendar:
What you’ll need: • Page 6 of this eBook • Whichever calendar you use incessantly For example, I chose to create my content calendar using Google Calendar because I use G-mail religiously.
Based on the types of content shown on page 6, create a content repository for Monday – Friday, or the entire week, but I recommend only Monday – Friday. Create a unique name for each day of the week, such as “Mentor Monday” so users know which type of content to expect every week. If it’s good content then they’ll look forward to it!
If you need extra help, check out Contently.com. It is a new website, still in Beta testing, that will take you through the process in short, easy steps. If you don’t need the extra help, but still need and/or want to share the calendar with others then utilize sharing tools within email programs such as Google Calendars and Microsoft Outlook.
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More than 75 percent of local consumers found local businesses through search engines in 2010. Ten years ago companies spent between $300 to $2,000 or more per month on yellow-page ads to drive customers to their businesses. Today, customers expect companies to interact with them on a multitude of social media platforms. For these reasons, PIP hired me. As a journalist with a marketing mindset, I will create quality content, which will deliver measurable results for our clients. Most importantly, PIP will focus on driving clients’ sales so they can focus on serving their customers. Learn more at http://www.pipmarketinggroup.com
PIP Printing & Marketing in Kissimmee announces its launch of its new service: social media management
9/9 929 W. Oak St Kissimmee, FL 34741
P. 407.847.5565 E. [email protected]