Content creation is time-consuming enough without adding all of the logistics of social media management into the mix.
Taking photos, shooting videos, posting, and planning can be an endless task. Then you have to figure out what to post and when. And then you still have to pay attention to how everything is working (or not working)!
The struggle is real.
Luckily, we’ve been doing this for a while and have some tips to make it all faster and easier. Organizing your content and automating whatever steps you can makes your social media management a breeze—leaving you free to create quality content.
Check out our social media management must-haves:
A Scheduling Platform
A scheduling platform makes it easy to set up content for weeks, even months, ahead of time. Creating and scheduling multiple posts at once lets you get ahead on your social media, giving you some breathing room if you fall behind on content creation.
Most platforms also use your posting and engagement information to determine the best times to post, letting you take advantage of your audience’s social media habits.
There are a lot of different platforms out there, with different features and price ranges. You can almost always sign up for a free trial, so shop around and find one that’s easy to use and within your budget.
Some options:
- Iconosquare
- Later
- Sprout Social
- Buffer
A Link Aggregator
That link in your Instagram bio is prime real estate. Don’t waste it!
Make the most of your link by directing it to a link aggregator. This makes sure your audience will have all of the most important information easily accessible to them. Your website, your blog, your sales page—all your links will be in one convenient place. Just remember to update it when you have a new link!
You can usually customize your page with your logo and color scheme to keep cohesive branding throughout your online presence as well.
Your scheduling platform may come with its own version of a link aggregator, but there are stand-alone versions as well.
Some options:
- Linktree
- Feedlink.io
- Campsite
- Link In Profile
A Content Calendar
Like your scheduling platform, a content calendar makes it easy to plan out content in advance. Why waste energy every day being stressed about what to post? With your content calendar, you can know exactly what’s on deck for your social media.
By planning out your content for the month or quarter, you can create a cohesive narrative with your social media. Planning out a series or highlighting a theme keeps your content relevant to what’s going on in your business. You can easily switch content around if more timely content comes up, and you can see where certain content might be better placed in your content strategy.
Content calendars also make it easy to keep track of ideas you might want to use later.
Your scheduling platform can be used as a content calendar, or you can make your own. You could use a spreadsheet system, a Google calendar, or a project management system like Trello or Notion to organize your content. Or go old-school and use a paper calendar!
Your content management system is totally customizable—use what you like and what works best for you
Image Design Tool or Image Bank
Eye-catching images are an important part of a social media post. For some platforms, like Instagram, the image is the most important element.
Finding relevant, exciting images is a really fun part of content creation, but it’s easy to fall down the rabbit hole looking at pictures! (Especially with memes and gifs) When looking for the right picture, make sure you’re using royalty-free or copyright-free images. Not everything you find on a Google search is freely usable.
Creating your own custom image or infographic with your brand colors and logo is a great way to bring a cohesive look to your social media feeds. With a graphic design tool, you don’t have to be an expert to create well-put-together images.
Stock Photo Options:
- Unsplash
- Pixabay
- Pexels
Memes and Gifs:
- Imgflip
- Giphy
- Kapwing
Image Creation:
- Canva
- Visme
- Design Wizard
Analytics Tool
Creating, planning, and scheduling all that amazing content is great, but how do you know if it’s working?
Analytics!
Analytics is probably the part of social media management that people are most unsure about. It seems really complicated with all the terms (reach, engagement, impressions), graphs, and trends—but if you have a good analytics tool it will lay all the information out for you in an easy-to-understand form that both you and your clients can easily read.
Tracking your analytics will tell you what’s working and what’s not so you can adjust your strategy accordingly.
Your scheduling platform will most likely run analytics for you, but if you’re not using a scheduler (why aren’t you using a scheduler?) you can use Google Analytics. Each social media platform also has analytics information available to you depending on the type of account you have.
Takeaways
Social media management has a lot of moving parts! Getting yourself set up and organized makes the job so much easier. Everyone works differently so use what works best for you. We’ve given you some ideas and suggestions to get you started, but if you need help we’re here for you!
Schedule a Social Media Strategy Session and get our personalized recommendations and a custom plan for your social media.
