- Has this happened to you?
You realize you haven't posted
on your social media in a week or even two,
so you whip up something and hit post,
and a week or two later, you do the same thing.
And a year later,
you wonder why social media isn't working for you.
If you wanna make social media work for you
instead of feeling like it's work for you,
then stick around.
This video is for you.
(upbeat music)
Hey there. I'm Julie the Book Broad.
I'm the founder of Book Launchers,
the self-publishing services team.
You need a plan for your social media.
It's not about posting content.
At least, it's not only about posting.
Starting to plan your email
and social media content starts
where everything branding starts, your audience.
What does your ideal reader need to hear today?
Do they need to be inspired?
Do they need motivation or something to give them a laugh,
or maybe some quick actionable tips to kick off their day?
Tapping into your audience
and their needs will not only help you figure
out what kinda content you need to create
but also what channels you're using to deliver it.
Now that you have your ideal reader in your head,
it's time to figure out a planning tool that works for you.
There are plenty of tools
and programs out there these days to help you plan content.
And honestly, there's no right or wrong choice.
It just depends what works best for your working style,
your content, and your overall strategy.
You don't have to get fancy here.
Even a simple pencil and paper
or Post-It notes can get the job done
when it comes to planning out your calendar.
If you'd rather stick to something digital,
an Excel spreadsheet works great,
or you can try an app that's tailored
specifically for content planning.
There are more basic programs
like Google Calendar or Evernote,
or if you're looking for something a little more jazzy,
Airtable, Hootsuite, or Trello could be the way to go.
No matter what you choose,
there are some elements you want to include
to keep everything for your strategy and content organized.
It's a good idea to note the topic of the day,
the content or copy itself,
the channels that it's gonna be posted on
and the date you plan to publish it,
as well as any attachments
like images or videos that go with it.
That way you could take a look at that day on your calendar
and know exactly what's getting posted where.
Like everything else in marketing,
finding your perfect fit
for planning content is trial and error.
Don't be afraid to test out different options
and programs for your calendar
to figure out what works best for you.
Now, let me give you full disclosure here.
If you want social media planning support,
you would not come to me.
(buzzer buzzes)
You'd come to someone wonderful
on my team like Sarah Bean, our book marketing manager
or Ashley Cantone, our copywriter,
or our Book Launch Coordinator, Nicole Larson.
These ladies have their stuff dialed in,
and it's why you're starting
to see some great material on our Book Launcher's social.
My personal social,
well, it's pretty much just that, personal.
If you're curious how my son is doing,
let's connect on Instagram.
But ultimately, successful social media content comes
from keeping your ideal audience in mind
and then figuring out what you're using for your calendar,
for planning and then executing on that plan.
The best approach is to look
at the entire year for your planning.
Now, don't worry.
My team assures me that this is not as scary as it sounds.
Let me show you what I mean.
Have you ever heard the story
about filling a jar with rocks,
then pebbles and then sand?
If you fill your jar with all your sand and pebbles,
you have to try to squeeze in your big rocks afterwards,
but they don't fit.
To get everything to fit in the jar
and work together successfully,
you wanna place your big rocks first, then the pebbles,
and then put the sand around those.
Everything will fit and work together.
So think of your year's content calendar as your jar.
You need to put your big rocks in place first
and then build out your content around it.
When you start big and then go smaller,
and smaller, and smaller,
you're gonna have a much better idea of the type
of content you need to create from a brand perspective.
And then that stops you from freaking out, rushing around
and trying to figure out what to post randomly
on a daily or weekly basis,
'cause you're gonna know exactly what to post
and what your bigger vision
and message is for that day or that week.
So start with your year.
Now, you wanna look at quarters first.
So place your big rocks.
What are big things on your brand or for you
or your book that are happening in each quarter?
I'll give you a hint, your book launch,
that's a big thing.
Your book launch anniversary is another big thing.
An ebook sale, that's another big thing.
If you have a business, consider new offerings,
changes in your service or other launches.
If you're offering a new coaching program
or you've turned your book into a course,
those are things that you'll want
to build into your overall content strategy
and put in the big quarters.
Then you wanna look
at major awareness themes like Beth Cavenaugh.
She's been planning around Nurse's Week.
After you plot out your quarters and your big rocks,
take it month by month.
What kind of content do you need to create
in that month to align with your big rocks?
Maybe there's a certain theme you wanna focus on,
a particular holiday.
Maybe there's an event that you're speaking at
or something else that's going on
that aligns to your message.
What type of content do you need
to post to support your launch
or to support whatever's going on that month?
From a monthly perspective,
you still stay broader and overarching rather than specific,
and then you'll get more granular
when you break each month into weeks and then days.
Remember, your entire strategy
and every piece of it should have a clear purpose.
If we're just throwing things out there
without a clear purpose, you're wasting your time,
resources and energy on content that isn't going
to provide value and benefit your brand.
Coming up with ideas for content on a daily basis
or somewhat daily probably sounds like the hardest part,
but when you have a blank calendar staring at you,
that will feel impossible.
So these rocks, these quarters,
these months, that will help you,
and then use your book.
Remember that thing you've written or your writing,
full of all your awesome expertise,
stories, tips and more?
Well, there's so much content in those pages,
and you should be recycling it
into your email and social media strategy.
For example, pick a chapter out of your book
that pairs well with your big rocks or that month's theme.
That chapter can become a blog post,
and from there, you can pull out certain tips
or quotes to make social media posts.
Take another piece of the chapter
for a LinkedIn post and then use that
for an Instagram Live or for this week's email newsletter.
You don't need brand new things to build out your content.
When you repurpose your content and cross promote it,
you're guaranteeing that your content aligns
with your overall brand, captures your message,
and chances are nobody's seeing you reposting it everywhere.
So you're reaching more people with the same content.
#calendars will also give you an idea
of what will be trending on social media,
such as National Donut Day,
Best Friend Day or Star Wars Day.
Sure, some of those might sound silly,
but if you find a day that works with your brand,
it can be an effective way
to boost the engagement and reach of your content.
Of course, don't forget your own milestones,
your media appearances, your book sales, your interviews.
If your reader follows you,
it's because they want to know what's going on
and where they can get that value
that you provide in all the places.
So keep them in the loop and make sure to plan
to boost these personal milestones when they happen.
It's also a good idea to keep an eye on your industry
so that when something significant happens
within your industry,
you can be a voice that people wanna hear from.
They will want your perspective.
So providing insight on relevant topics can be
a really great way to deepen
that connection with your followers,
highlight your authority, build trust and credibility,
all while trying to back it into your brand.
In general, your strategy should consist
of a combination of promotional material,
entertaining or informational content
that is really providing that value to your audience.
Keep it simple and shoot for that 80-20 rule.
Don't exceed more than 20% promotional content.
80% should be value adding content.
And when you're providing that value
and showcasing the benefits of your brand
through your overall strategy,
you don't have to constantly promote your book or services
because you're showing the value you offer already
and people will wanna check out what else you have.
Still struggling to build your brand to begin with?
Well, this video right here is a must see.
And if you're all set with the planning
but you need to make sure your author website is
up to speed, well, this gem is for you.
Take your pick, and I'll meet you there.