Planning for Social Media – Part 2

Hey Guys!
 
How have you been doing with planning since our last letter? Are any of you using our (or another) content calendar? Is it helping? And if the calendar is not your cup of tea… I’m curious, what other method do you use?
 
If you’re using a content calendar or a list of content you’d like to post for the week and still getting overwhelmed with trying to remember when and what to post everyday, well we have the best tool for you! But shhh! It’s a secret! ;)

Just kidding-- once you find out what it is, we encourage you to talk about it with peers, ask them if they use it or suggest that they do. They’ll thank you for it! Seriously, this app/tool is THE BEST one we’ve ever used. And it’s free! (If you use it for your own business anyways. More on this later in this letter).
 
This app is called Hootsuite. You can download it on your tablet or smart phone for planning on the go or use it on the web on your computer: hootsuite.com.

What is Hootsuite? It’s this awesome tool that lets you write and schedule posts. I personally like to plan my posts up to 2-3 weeks ahead. I may spend 4 hours writing posts {and yes sometimes even more - between, plugging them in my content calendar and then writing them in Hootsuite} but after that day, I’m free of social media posting for the next 2-3 weeks!!  

How it works: I won’t explain Hootsuite to you in great detail, but I will tell you how I use it, and that’s the super easy + helpful way for small business owners!

1. Create an account (with your email address and a password)

2. Set your Dashboard with the social media accounts you want to post to.

You could add LinkedIn, Google+ and WordPress, or like us just Facebook and Twitter.

1. Once the Dashboard is set up, type a post in the “Compose message” box, up top

2. Select the profile (or social media) you’ll be sending it to

3. Either hit “Send Now” or click the calendar icon to schedule it to the date + time of your choice. Or you can Auto-Schedule it and Hootsuite will make the best decision to publish your post!

 
Does that sound simple enough? If not, that may be because you're a visual learner like me, in which case, you need to see to learn - go on hootsuite.com and try it right away! If it’s complicated but you’re interested in using it, email me, I can help you set it up!

Hootsuite has different plans. The Free one is perfect for your own use! We started on that plan, and only recently upgraded to the Pro Plan ($9.99 per month) so that we could also plan for our client’s accounts.
 
That’s all for today! Just remember that Hootsuite helps you manage your social media posts by scheduling them in advance to make your life {well... "work"} easier!!

Happy planning and have a great weekend!
#growwithredroot,
Sandie

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Planning for Social Media – Part 1

Hi Friends,

As a marketing agency, posting on social media is part of our daily duty. We do it for ourselves and we also do it for our clients. Posting is something that we like to do in a logical manner, a way that makes sense for our business, and that is in parallel with our schedule. For instance, if we have an event in 3 weeks, we will announce it as soon as possible, and then, throughout the following weeks, we’ll remind our followers that it is coming up.

These posts need to be published in staggered way, through other types of announcements. And since we can have diverse cases to post to social media for at once, we like to plan ahead in order to post effectively.
 
If you have already attended one of our presentations on social media, you have received one of our Content Calendars. For those of you who haven’t (or if you wish to get a fresh copy) here is your free printable. 

This content calendar is what we use to plan out our whole week, sometimes even a month, of posts for Facebook and Twitter. It keeps us organized and helps us visualize what we need to share with our followers.

I personally like to post to Facebook at least once a day and have at least 2 per week that are original content. For Twitter, I like having 3-5 posts daily including at least two that are original content. {As a reminder, “original content” is something that you write in your own words, with your own information, whereas the rest may be reposts: other people’s Facebook posts and/or Tweets that you deem interesting and want to share with your followers.}

Here is an example of how we plan our posts for the week:

To see more examples of our Twitter posts, follow us here.
 
Feel free to use and re-use our Content Calendar, and snap pictures to share on your social media how you make use of it. Tag us with #growwithredroot so we can see your posts.
 
Have fun planning away and stay tuned for Planning for Social Media – Part 2.

We wish you a safe and fun Independence Day!

#growwithredroot,
Sandie

4 Concerns About Social Media And How To Remediate

Hi Friends,

In our last informative newsletter “4 Tips for Social Media”, we asked you to share your biggest concern about social media. Here are four questions that really stood out to me, and how I suggest you go about remediating them:
 
1.Are my posts being seen? 
You have to make sure to check back often on your social media posts and see what happens. Were your followers engaged (when you ask questions, do they answer)? How many likes and shares did each post receive? Facebook analytics let you know about the numbers right on your Facebook Page. As for Twitter and Instagram, you have to check that out yourself, but no worries, it’s super fast and easy.
If you feel like your posts are not engaging your audience enough, then you may have to change either the content (maybe your followers are only interested in a particular kind of posts) or try posting at another time of the day.
 
2.Is this social media really going to bring me more customers?
Ultimately, yes. Social media enables you to put yourself out there and help with your brand recognition, hence getting you new clients. But to do this successfully, you need to make sure that your posts are geared towards your ideal customer. If you sell a product, you should be posting about new upcoming products or showcase how they are made. If you sell a service, give a piece of advice, share something that will interest your customers and ask them to share what you posted with their friends.
 
3.I really don’t understand how [this social media (insert Facebook, Twitter or Instagram)] can work for me.
Ok, that’s fine! I can surely think of different ways that it could help your business, but remember; it has to feel natural to YOU. Don’t push nor pressure yourself into doing something you don’t feel excited about, because you won’t enjoy it and won’t do it on a consistent basis. Pick another platform, or stick to the one you already have. But I would recommend that you create an account for your business on each social media so people can find you, and state that you are “partying” on (insert the social media of your preference). ;)
 
4.My followers see and like my posts, but how can I engage them and have them share my posts?
This is one of the most important things to do on social media. Social media is there as a tool for you to market yourself for free, right? So, it means that you want as many people to know about you as possible so that you can get more customers. Your followers, need to engage in your posts, and they need to say “Wow, this is so cool, I want to share it with the world!” Think what that exceptional thing for your business can be. Don’t hesitate to get inspired by others, but make sure to have your original touch to it! 

Please feel free to send us your questions and concerns at redroot@maarek.com.

Best of Luck!!  
#growwithredroot
Sandie

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