Being organized online means having the freedom to do things that really matter.
It means being more effective at work and having control over your daily time management. Mostly, it means not losing time on things that don’t matter. A dear friend told me years back – once you know how to organize 1 thing, you will know how to organize everything.
Now, you must wonder – how can you get organized in social media?
Simply, by finding a solution to the chaos. Our phones, nowadays, are amazing. You can take all the pictures you want, capture screenshots, save ideas, plan, and schedule. However, without a method in place, you will feel quickly overwhelmed. You may end up making lists of lists and having thousands of pictures on your phone. I believe that everyone has their own method that works for them. For those of you that don’t, here are a few tips to implement as soon as – today. What do you say?
Everything in social media marketing is about strategy, planning and consistency. The sooner you have a system in place, the sooner you will approach your social media strategy peacefully.
1. Strategize
Getting your social media organized should begin with defining your objectives and key content pillars. Once you have identified this, everything else will fall in line. Prepare an editorial content calendar that brings together all your ideas for content. Update it regularly. Decide in advance what you will post, on which day and how often. Check your competitors to see what they are doing, and find out what works for you.
Also, define your brand values. It is all about storytelling online and you don’t have to talk strictly about your product/services. You can check our list of content ideas for Instagram if you want to know where to start.
2. Organize your content
There are so many ways to gather your content in one place. Remember that the more frequently you repeat a process or use a platform, the faster you will get at it. Don’t get discouraged when you feel stuck. I have been on the same learning curve and it is only through perseverance that I have understood the
tricks and adopted best practices.
I have tried different file storage solutions in the past but Google Drive has stayed since. It has helped me compile and organize everything, for years, under one umbrella. You could create a folder per project, one for pictures and videos, one Excel doc for your calendar, ideas, articles, and everything you feel like sharing later online.
3. Ready your images
Pictures and visual graphics are key when it comes to your social media. It takes time to scroll through thousands of pictures to select the one you want to post that day. We don’t realize the time we lose in searching. Instead of this, every Friday or Saturday – or pick your day – set a reminder in your calendar and organize your pictures. Drag to your Google Drive the ones you know you will be posting. They will need to be resized, unless you favour the platform’s default size setting, like Instagram’s default square. Next, what about a filter? What about your logo – in case decide to add it to your pictures. Start thinking about all of this and slowly build your own stock of images. Then, when you look at your calendar, you will know which ones to post. Organizing your social media content happens with practice. Start now, and it will soon become routine. I promise that you will gain a lot of time when planning everything in advance.
4. Prepare articles
User-Generated Content could be part of your strategy. Take for instance, newsletters. There are always a few articles you could share that are directly in line with your company’s message. Add the articles that you like to Pocket or add yourself a private magazine on Flipboard. This way, at the end of the week, you can read them and if they bring value to your audience, you can add those topics to your editorial content calendar. The idea of the calendar is to always have everything in one place. Of course, things might change, but at least you can move posts around and not let anything important slip away.
5. Think app
Apps can go a long way in organizing your social media. If you favour Instagram for either personal branding or for your business, think like a magazine editor. There are various apps to help you with this. Planoly is my favorite app of all time. You can add your pictures, your captions and even your hashtags, days in advance. This is why using an editorial content calendar is so important. You can prepare everything ahead of time and then copy directly on the app. You can visualize how your page will look, one week or one month in advance. Start with the free trial to adopt the app and then move to the paid version to have a peace of mind.
Getting your social media organized involves making small changes every day. However, these small changes go a long way and you will be surprised how it can change your business life, and help you approach social media with much serenity. Creativity needs time so make sure that is where you spend it.
At Them You & Me, we guide entrepreneurs through their journey and help them overcome their digital marketing challenges. Contact Marie for a clarity session.
