When we begin working with a client, they want to know when we will start publishing and engaging. The truth is usually “not yet.” For about the first month or so when we work with a client, there is planning and strategic work involved.
Once we build a strategy (a process that can take a few weeks of collaborative work with our client to truly understand their objectives, their voice, the inner-workings of their brand), then we need to take a look at content. There are two key things we must focus on:
- An editorial calendar and
- A content library.
Starting with an editorial calendar gives us a good layout of what will happen through the year for that client. Is their business seasonal? Do we need to leave room for events? Are new products or services planned for the year – and when? The key to a strong editorial calendar is flexibility. Know that you can have the best calendar planned out but life is going to get in the way, and it’s important to not be so stuck to the schedule that you can’t pivot quickly. Something could change in the business, there could be a crisis in the business or in the world – and this will surely affect any good plan.
The bigger challenge can be the content library. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve begun work for a client and they tell us they have “tons” of content. Well…. sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t. Great content needs to be unused, fresh, relevant to the brand and the day and be tied into business objectives. We can work with video that has been shot and not yet edited, but it doesn’t mean the content library is ready to roll. We always start with the content the client has and go from there. But many times we must start fresh with complete brand standards, new graphic templates and a complete new set of storytelling videos.
Social media marketing is like a garden. And you wouldn’t start making a salad with the weeds growing the first season before you’ve planned and cared for the garden, right? Get your plan and your library organized before you go, and enjoy the deliciousness that comes with a solid plan.
Sometimes we’ve gone through the exercise of sharing this top tip with a consulting client who swears they have what it takes to do this on their own. And you know what happens? They determine they are just too busy running their business to devote the proper time to a solid social media plan. If that’s how you’re feeling, give us a call. It might be worth outsourcing your voice to a specialist like us.
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