To sustain a strong social media presence, get organized, keep up a steady content flow of content drafts –
do in for a quarter and don’t release a thing.
Start with the end in mind
Whatever vehicles or channels you’re using to disseminate your material, a steady, balanced flow of information is the goal. For clients not already running a content marketing campaign, or struggling to perpetuate a campaign consistent content, we recommend the following: take a quarter, produce content, only don’t publish it. Bank it.
With the vision of what you want the audience to see, plan and execute a quarter’s worth of content. Using whatever organizational methods that work best for you, (we use One Note. You might use simple folders) create a hierarchy of areas that you feel will speak for your brand. What subject areas will communicate outwardly what your company means to the industry? Start to fill these areas with content (Written, photographic, image, creative) over the course of the next 3 months. Strategically flesh out these areas. Look for opportunities to highlight your capabilities and core values. Use your team to work independently towards draft deadlines rather than publishing deadlines and get some flow going. That’s the goal.
At quarter’s end, the objective is to have a pool of seasoned, ready to go content that you release with consistency, strategy and planning. Release the material as you develop more for the next quarter and stay website and social media ready with a healthy supply of drafts. Establishing and committing to a publishing schedule will distribute your subjects evenly, as well as reveal any gaps or weaknesses in the campaign over the course of the quarter.
The Live Quarter
Release your bank of content according to the publishing schedule. The benefit is presenting a strategic, scope of content that speaks to all areas of your capabilities and core values. When timely news comes up, by all means, publish it when it’s hot. Don’t sit on content that is better served when fresh and will have a greater impact.
A quarter of ‘gestation’ has an ancillary benefit. Everything’s better after a second look. So, review everything prior to release and make improvements. Drafts are meant to be improved upon. Ernest Hemingway said, “the first draft of anything is @#$%.”
Hemingway said, “the first draft of anything is @#$%.”
Stay Ahead
The point is to stay a quarter ahead and plan ahead. Some discipline is required to not widdle down the content bank but to continually feed it, and have a healthy buffer. Try to harvest ideas for new content from the reactions of the published content. Or expand on some detail that deserves it’s own treatment to create new drafts for publication next quarter. What projects are running? Now’s the time to tell the PM that in X weeks you’ll be looking for photos, 300 words, a quote from the client and a quote from your company president. So, put it on the radar now and follow-up, follow-up, follow-up.
(Use Construct Marketing’s Content Builder HERE to get the project story started.)
Download PDF: ConstructMarketingContentBuilder
Remember, good organization will show what you’re speaking to strongly, and what areas require more attention.
Draft accordingly. Publish strategically.
Read More on Content:
Content 101: The value of content & why you need a quarterback.