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Great content, good following, but can’t manage the schedule? It can be tough keeping up with updates and monitoring data. And who has the time to regularly post and tweet?
Here are some tips to save you time and help manage your social media efficiently and effectively.
Why post manually when you can get a tool to do it for you? Social media dashboards like Hootsuite and Buffer allow you to schedule your posts and post simultaneously to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and Instagram.
For many businesses, Sprout Social is the go-to tool for social media management. It can help businesses to monitor clients’ social media mentions, engage with brand advocates, schedule content in advance, and utilise reporting tools to inform future strategies. For businesses that are keen on Instagram, Schedugram is good. Other tools for Instagram scheduling include Later, Planoly and Iconosquare. If Twitter is driving your social media strategy, then TweetDeck is best. The multi-columned layout makes it easy to follow several conversations at once as well as schedule content. And the best bit is that it’s free for Twitter users.
Tools can not only save you time, but they can also help to pick the best times to post by auto-scheduling your posts when your account is most likely to see high engagement. Alternatively, if you want to find out the best times to tweet, use HubSpot’s TweetWhen, which will select your most retweetable time of day, and Tweriod will select the best times to tweet. Timing is everything, so bear in mind where your audience is based – if it’s abroad, adjust your schedule.
Each social media platform needs a different content strategy – what works on Facebook won’t necessarily work on Instagram. Similarly, what works on Twitter may be seen as unprofessional on LinkedIn or too abrupt on Facebook. So it’s important to schedule unique posts to each account. Automation apps, like Planoly or Hootsuite, allow you to do just that, helping you to keep your content interesting and encouraging followers to follow you on multiple platforms.
We all know great content is the key to success, but it doesn’t always need to be original. Try to create an archive of evergreen content that can be shared time and time again. Re-post at a different time or make it relevant to a current event or topic. Alternatively, recycle and repurpose it by re-creating it as an infographic, podcast, or video.
Along with your evergreen content, it’s important to deliver real-time posts – don’t just rely on your pre-planned, scheduled ones. Events, holidays and current news are all worth noting and commenting or posting on. As useful as automation is, engaging with your followers on current news is vital – your followers want to know you’re human, too.
Keep up with relevant blogs and posts. Feedly, an RSS feed website, can help you read your favourite blogs all in one place. The social listening tool is free to access, and users can search and receive data for just about anything. Buzzsumo can send you alerts when a keyword you select is posted online. Even more useful, BuzzSumo can help you get a fuller, bigger picture of your activity online, as well as compare you to other competitors and brands online.
This is a no-brainer. You need to know how many people are seeing your posts. You need to know what’s working and what’s not. Hootsuite’s analytics are clear and user-friendly, and Buffer tracks links so that you can see what content gets the most traction. With HubSpot, you can not only monitor and publish but also get closed-loop reporting data. That means you’re not just seeing what channels drive the most engagement, but you can track further down the funnel to see what posts and channels drive actual leads and sales. Google Analytics is also popular for gathering data.
Create an editorial calendar in a spreadsheet or use Google Docs or Microsoft Word. It doesn’t need to be complicated, but it will help you to see the bigger picture. Plan each month and take into account holidays, upcoming events, product releases or newsletters. Simple but effective.
Struggling to keep your social media strategy on track while juggling content creation, engagement, and performance tracking? Let Bombora lighten the load. From social media live streaming that boosts real-time engagement to promotional video content and branded graphics packages that stand out in busy feeds, we create high-performing assets designed for every platform. Whether you’re planning campaigns or need support with consistent content, let’s build your online presence together—efficiently and effectively. Get in touch today.