13 Sep Social Media Efficiencies
In our increasingly connected world, we know that having a social media presence for our businesses can’t be ignored. However, with only so many hours in the day and so many hands to do all the work, understanding and utilizing social media efficiencies is key. This means maximizing results (whether that be engagement, reach, or conversions) on social media platforms while minimizing effort and time. For craft businesses in particular, achieving this can mean the difference between flourishing online or fading into the crowd.
Content Planning and Strategy
A content calendar is more than just an organizational tool; it’s a roadmap for consistent and meaningful engagement. Start by planning a monthly strategy session to map out your messaging. During this session, outline the key focus areas for the upcoming month, such as events, promotions for classes, new products, and sales. By setting these priorities in advance, you’ll have a clear blueprint for your social media content.
Incorporating overarching themes or content pillars into your strategy can enhance engagement and cohesion across your social media platforms. These themes could revolve around the interests, needs, or pain points of your target audience. By identifying 2-5 pillars that resonate with your customer avatar, you can be sure that you’re never scrambling to come up with a topic. Remember that while your content pillars provide structure, they’re not set in stone. If a certain subject or content type isn’t performing as expected, be open to testing new subjects to see if they resonate better with your audience.
Batching and Reusing Content
Are you familiar with batching content? Take photography for example; instead of taking photos piecemeal as you think of them, try to do all your photography for the week at one time. Create a permanent photo setup to save time week to week, so you don’t have to reset your scene. Make a list of shots that you can check off, like an overall shot, detail, flat shot, draped quilt, behind the scenes, and anything else that arises during your brainstorming session. Once photography is done, edit your photos in a big batch at the same time. Now you have plenty of pictures ready to use for all sorts of campaigns.
If you have a product or a campaign that is going well on one platform, try to reuse it by posting the same picture and similar information on another platform. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time. However, it is important to note that you should optimize your images and media and format them correctly with the proper aspect ratios. Your engagement may suffer if your photos aren’t sized properly. For example, while Pinterest prefers photos with a 2:3 aspect ratio, Instagram prefers photos with a 1:1 aspect ratio. Remember to properly size photos so they don’t get cut off and tile nicely on their respective platforms.
Organization and Schedulers
There are a lot of platforms and you have a lot of ideas that need to be communicated across all of them. It’s vital to have a systematic approach to managing your assets. This not only saves time, but also ensures that the right content is accessible when needed. Using a website like Trello takes the assets off of your device and helps with overall organization. Traditionally used for project management, it’s an excellent platform for organizing social media assets. With features like timelines for mapping out project flows, cards that can hold checklists, discussions, and attachments, and the ability to set deadlines and reminders, it’s a comprehensive tool that can streamline the workflow for you or anyone with whom you collaborate.
When it comes to publishing all your great content, scheduling apps give you a break from babysitting your mobile device. A scheduler helps you use your time more efficiently and is a quick way to repurpose content across platforms. These platforms not only allow for scheduling content across multiple channels simultaneously, but often come integrated with analytics, allowing you to gauge the performance of your posts and refine your strategy. Take a look at services like Hootsuite, Later, Loomly, and Sendible if you want to give them a try. For those who prefer a more hands-on approach or are working on a tighter budget, going back to basics with a simple Excel spreadsheet to chart out your content calendar is a simple yet effective method.
Is your business mostly on Facebook and Instagram? Connect your accounts via Meta Business Suite, Facebook’s Business Page management system, and use the platform to schedule and manage your posts.
Branding and Templates
The ultimate objective of any social media post is to “stop the scroll” – we want to capture your audience’s attention as they sail through the sea of content. Consistent content styling with templates and clear brand standards will accomplish that. Before the viewer even starts reading, the familiar styling signals to their brain that the content is linked to a specific business they know, trust, and like.
Brand standards and templates aren’t only for consistency and brand recognition, they have an overlooked benefit: they alleviate decision fatigue. As a craft business owner, each decision, no matter how minor, consumes cognitive energy. Utilize templates and clear-cut brand standards to significantly reduce the number of decisions involved in the creative process. Rather than debating on font choices or color schemes, you can spend your energy on creating valuable content and storytelling.
Efficiency in social media doesn’t mean cutting corners; it means being smarter about your approach. This isn’t just about posting content, but curating an experience tailored to your audience’s desires and expectations. By combining your knowledge of your audience with the strategic use of tools, content, and branding, your craft business can get the most of every dollar and hour you spend on social media. Stitchcraft Marketing is a marketing agency of crafting experts. We customize every program to showcase your brand, engage your customer base, and generate sales in a way that is nothing less than magical. If you’d like to work with us, contact us today to get started!
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