Jasmine's advice: Social networks
Jasmine Lafleur-Domon
Web Content Specialist
If managing your social platforms is an area you leave in our hands, you should know that every month I deploy a working method that transforms the social networking headache into a fluid and efficient process. From the genesis of ideas to the moment they come to life online, I rely on a suite of tools and tricks that I've refined over the years.
In this article, I reveal my ultimate toolbox. The one that holds the industry's best-kept secrets and sharpest tricks. 🤫 Yes, you'll finally know what goes on behind the screens of Media Planning! Let's take a behind-the-scenes look at the strategies that really work. Ready to boost your game on social networks? Follow my advice 😉
Find post ideas
This is the first step in planning your monthly strategy. It may seem the most obvious, but it's also the most demanding. It's a step that requires creativity and a lot of brainstorming. With experience, inspiration comes more naturally, but believe me, with practice and perseverance, you too can excel!
Watching the competition
I always start by analyzing the competition and drawing inspiration from their content. The aim is to draw inspiration from them to do better. But that's not all we can do. It's not our competitors who are going to give us a packed and effective post calendar. There's still work to be done. And above all, we want to avoid copying and pasting at all costs!
Drawing inspiration from SEO strategy
As I often work closely with our clients' SEO strategies, I take the opportunity to harmonize the two strategies. In other words, I take the keywords that are at the heart of the SEO strategy and translate them into social content.
👉 Did you know that social networks are increasingly used as search engines? Search engine optimization can be used for your social platforms! If you'd like to learn more about this topic, this article from Le Grenier is excellent.
By exploring the topics searched on Google, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest, related to your brand's keywords, you'll quickly find inspiration for content your audience is looking for.
💡 Keep in mind that people want useful, authentic content. Before thinking about sales, think about the value you bring to your audience. Social networks are your showcase for telling your brand's story and building a relationship of trust with your consumers.
@camille.moore_ Stop making this marketing mistake on social media 🛑 #marketingtips #adstyles #marketingstrategy ♬ original sound - Camille Moore
Important dates
Finally, an important element: World/international days/weeks/months. It's easy to forget, but it's of the utmost importance. The worst mistake would be to launch a campaign on the day of an important event. We don't want to lose our spotlight. By the same token, we don't want to miss an important day for our brand message.
👇 Here's the calendar I use to stay on top of important dates:
https://larouquine.ca/calendrier-dates-importantes-et-thematiques/
Organizing your content
Once the idea brainstorm is complete, it's time to organize the content. There are several ways of doing this, each in its own way. Here's the technique and tools I use. For me, this is the most effective formula I've applied to date.
Publication calendar
I like working with a publication calendar because I'm very visual. It gives me an overview. I work in a calendar template on Google Sheets that I reuse for all my client accounts. I use color coding to identify the different categories of posts (Facebook/Instagram, LinkedIn, video content, newsletters, blogs, etc.). You can really put in your overall content strategy to ensure harmony between each of these strategies.
I place all my content in the calendar. I use the space next to it to enter my color caption and additional details for each publication.
👇 Here's the template I use for the publication calendar
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MdiVCKQs2zWoxhsDJaxblSfMr-NhpN6OLBu_gFvSwQ8/edit?usp=sharing
Publication management tools
Publication management tools are useful, especially when you want to distribute a post on several different platforms. It's an essential tool for increasing efficiency. It's also very useful for scheduling publications in advance.
However, virtually all platforms (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc.) allow us to schedule a post in advance. The use of an external tool is not necessary. Even though sometimes, to access certain publication parameters (identifying pages, choosing a cover for a Reel, identifying products, etc.) it's essential to publish via the original platform, rather than in an external tool.
I am currently using Social Poster tool. We use SEMrush to centralize all our SEO activities. The platform includes a social network management tool which is, so far, the best tool I've used in an agency context.
👇 Here are the other tools I've used in the past that I liked:
Avoid human error
Another advantage of social network management tools is that they automate tasks. Rather than writing the same post manually on 4 different social platforms, you write it once, in one place. The risk of error is therefore much lower.
The approval process
The main reason I love these tools is the shareable preview link. Most tools provide a link where you can preview the publication, on your respective platforms. So it's a simple and effective way of getting my publications approved.
To err is human, but this approval link goes a long way to reducing the risk! The approval process is an important element in content creation.
At Planning Media, every piece of content sent to you for approval has gone through an internal approval process. That's one of the advantages of doing business with an agency 😉 Quality content, guaranteed!
