As a social media manager, you have a lot of responsibilities. Your to-do list (develop strategies, create content, analyze data, etc.) is about a million miles long.
So how can you get more out of your social media strategy without adding to your workload?
Let’s look at seven ways social media managers can publish smarter, from scheduling to social listening.
1. Identify the right platforms for your brand
Whether you’re managing social media for your company or you’re handling strategy for a handful of clients, you’ll want to be choosy about where you post. Sure, you might feel pressure to build a presence on every available social media site. But don’t let FOMO (fear of missing out) compromise your marketing strategy.
Rather than defaulting to publishing on the biggest platforms, find the right channels for your brand. Do market research to learn where your audience spends time, and find where you can forge the most meaningful connections. Consider your social media goals and how each platform can drive website traffic, generate sales, or help you meet other objectives.
2. Optimize your scheduling strategy
Being a successful social media manager doesn’t mean spending your workday posting content. If your strategy centers on publishing posts daily or when they come to mind, you might be wasting tons of time. A content calendar and a scheduling strategy can save you time and stress.
After creating a content calendar, aim to schedule posts at a rate that works for your company. Upload posts for a week at a time, or schedule a month in advance. Planning a big social campaign for next season? Try bulk publishing to schedule all your posts at once.
3. Rethink your content approach
Even if you have a team, creating content isn’t always easy. Repeating the same message constantly probably won’t push you closer to your goals. But rethinking how you use and find content can make your approach much smarter.
Why post an idea only once? Repurpose your content to get more mileage out of your posts. Publish different edits from a photoshoot to drive your message home. Share your top links regularly, using fresh copy each time. Or repost multiple times to maximize impressions.
Why create all your own content? With smarter sourcing strategies, you can save time and resources. Try curating posts from partners and thought leaders to start conversations. Or source user-generated content from your community to drive engagement.
4. Streamline your visual content
Publishing posts that your audience can’t consume is a recipe for poor engagement. Before sharing those photos or uploading that video, optimize them for your followers.
Planning to share the same image to Instagram and Twitter? Check that you’re using the right image size for each platform first—or your audience might miss the most important parts.
Publishing a video with a great script? Add captions first. As our Social Media Lab proved, adding subtitles on Facebook can boost video views in a big way.
5. Become a social listening master
As a social media manager, you don’t post content in a vacuum. Keeping track of industry events and brand conversations is an essential part of the job. Staying updated on current events is a breeze, thanks to 24-hour news cycles and trending hashtags. But to follow company mentions effectively, you need to become a master of social listening.
With Agorapulse’s social listening tool, your brand can easily monitor and join key conversations. Use the tool to track company mentions on Facebook, so you never miss a shout out. Create a list of brand or industry hashtags to follow on Instagram or Twitter. Then track and respond to all in one convenient spot.
6. Delegate like a social media manager
Working with a team means you can take your social media strategy further. Yet staying organized and on schedule isn’t always easy. As a social media manager, you have a zillion moving parts to oversee. You might be scheduling content, reaching out to influencers, and analyzing reports in a single day.
Rather than trying to manage everything, delegate tasks to team members. Need stakeholders to approve posts before they go live? Create your post in Agorapulse’s publisher, and assign it to the right team member for approval.
Receive dozens of tweets about product orders each day? Assign them to your customer service team for rapid resolutions. Field tons of rave reviews? Delegate them to your social team for quick responses. Streamline the process with Agorapulse’s Inbox Assistant. This handy tool lets you route action items to the right person automatically.
7. Monitor, adjust, repeat
No matter how strong you think your social media strategy is, you’ll need data to prove your case. Check social media reports regularly to monitor analytics. Go beyond vanity metrics, and monitor the KPIs that truly matter to your team.
Then use your analysis to adjust how, what, and when you publish. By monitoring and adjusting weekly, monthly, or quarterly, you can take a smarter approach to social media management. Whether you want to build brand awareness or driving sales, regular monitoring and reporting can help you continually improve your ROI.
For savvy social media managers, quality (not quantity) is always the goal—especially when publishing content. Incorporate these tips into your workflow to publish smarter and get more out of your social media strategy.
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