If you’re in the midst of planning out your 2019 digital marketing strategy, there’s no avoiding social media any longer. It’s time to fully embrace it, and we mean all of it. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+—you name it, there’s a use for it.

The trouble with working with so many platforms, though, is balancing them all. We’ve found businesses who put social media marketing on the back burner do so because the content, posting, and engagement is all so overwhelming. It’s true—each platform does require individual attention because each has an optimal posting time and its own target audience; for instance, LinkedIn is great for B2B marketing.

So, what’s the best way to go about it efficiently, without wasting to much time and too many resources? Here are the best ways to implement an easy-to-follow social media marketing plan:

Use a Spreadsheet

The key to keeping up with all your social media accounts is to have a system. Spreadsheets are the best way to have your content, posting times, links, campaigns, and images all in once place. Our free social media content calendar helps you to organize your social updates on a daily basis, without missing a beat.

Create Your Posts in Advance

This is a game-changer. Imagine having to sit down every day and wrack your brain for something awesome to post in the next 10 minutes, and across five or six platforms to boot. Posting when it’s convenient for you isn’t the way to create effective, attention-grabbing content at opportune times. Research what time is best to post for each platform and schedule it. You’ll receive much more engagement this way.

Create Objectives

The last thing you want to do is write random posts. Each post requires research and reason; every post should serve a purpose, whether it’s to engage your audience, gain more likes, offer a service, advertise a promotion, or provide insight into a niche topic. Create well-defined objectives every week and write your posts with those in mind.

Create a Writing Schedule for Yourself (or Your Content Writer)

It’s not just about posting at the right times—it’s about writing at the right times. Squeezing in writing time in between all your other urgent tasks won’t do it. Your followers will see right through you. They recognize a quality post—great insight, a beautiful graphic, or a unique offer is always appreciated. Choose the least busy day of the week to devote to your social media and plan your posts for the week ahead.

Awkward Media is your one-stop-shop SEO company, helping small to medium-sized businesses thrive in this world dominated by Instagram and Twitter. Get in touch at 647-849-1082 to discover how we can help you achieve your 2019 digital marketing goals, or give us a shout!