Two of the most common questions that are asked when organizations decide that they need to have a presence on social media are:
- What do we post on Facebook or Twitter or YouTube?
- What frequency do we post on these platforms?
These two questions are elements that should prompt the need for a social media editorial calendar. The calendar should be a framework that is steered by planned and existing content however; there can be some other components that will play a role in what is placed in the document. Here are 5 key components to consider.
1. Human Resources
From creating to posting content, the personnel within the organization will dedicate the frequency when content will be on the selected platforms. Organizations that can execute a multiblogger approach can allocate a handful of days when content will be available during the month versus smaller organizations which may have one individual who can churn out one post per month for the calendar.
2. Existing Marketing Initiatives
Organizations that select to execute an integrated marketing campaign where the social media plan will have a key role should consider specific days in the editorial calendar. Marketers should make ensure that planned efforts that will be happening offline must be aligned on what is going on blogs, Twitter, Facebook and other social networks. Failure to have such a coordinated strategy will cause confusion amongst the audience members and more importantly put at risk the total efforts to reach objectives.
3. Level of Engagement
There will be periods in the social media strategy where organizations will be ramping up the level of engagement on selected platforms (i.e. executing contests). During these periods, dates should be booked for highly engaged content and efforts to drive traffic to the platforms and related websites. In addition, a few dates should be set aside to reply to any issues that may arise during the period of increased level of engagement with the target audience.
4. Search Engine Optimatization Tactics
Any search engine optimatization tactics that are planned based on content will influence a social media editorial calendar. Organizations that depend on their blogs as a tool for content marketing will strategically plan when and what to publish specific posts based on the right day (i.e. Tuesday vs Friday), right time (i.e., 7:00 am vs 10:00 pm) and the right keywords. These details should be listed in the calendar for individuals responsible for putting the plan into action.
5. Changing Objectives
Although marketing objectives are supposed to be set in stone, there are circumstances in which they can change. This is the case when budgets are modified and so are the objectives. As the changes take place in terms of executing the strategy (for better or for worse), the calendar must be flexible enough to reflect the new reality of attaining the redefined objectives.
Want To Know More?
Please read our past posts:
- Content Marketing Intelligence With Google Insights For Search
- 5 Opportunity Costs Of Not Having A Content Strategy
- Multiblogger Approach For Economic Development
About Intelegia
Intelegia is a boutique consulting firm in Montreal, Canada that understand the need to be innovative and strategic in a business landscape that's evolving at an incredible pace. The firm delivers social media strategies to efficiently engage with stakeholders in economic development, business to business and business to consumer segments. It assists clients by defining and executing sustainable social web strategies that will allow their brand message to stand out in a competitive environment where target audience engagement is a must.