Now is the time to start developing your social media plans for 2019.

In this first blog, we share how to post on social. The key things to remember are – start early, stay flexible and evaluate the results on a regular basis.

1. Review this year’s activity
Consider what worked and what didn’t, look at your metrics for success – followers, engagement, growth – and compare with your competitors.

2. Know your audience
Consider where your audience congregates and focus your attention there. Facebook targets consumers, as does Pinterest and Instagram. Twitter appeals to more of a business audience and LinkedIn is exclusively B2B.

Do one or two of these platforms well, rather than to try and do them all.

3. Know who your audiences are
Understand your current and target audience and what they want to see. Follow the right people – your customers and prospects, as well as suppliers, journalists, media, professional organisations, industry leaders and colleagues.

This enables you to tailor your posts to what you know they will want to see and engage with.

4. Have a plan
Planning means your activity will reflect your brand image as well as freeing up time. An editorial calendar will help you to see the benefits of this long-term strategy, keeping on top of your daily feed and the topics you want to post about. Add in upcoming company activities and anniversaries, as well as national events, holidays and relevant promotional days or weeks for your sector.

Make use of automated posting systems like Hootsuite and Tweetdeck to schedule activity without having to do it in real time.

5. Keep it short but stay flexible
It’s important to stay flexible and concise. Focus on one message and include a link to your website for a more detailed message. Content needs to look and feel professional (as well as relevant) but not automated. Concentrate on posting consistently and focus on content relevant to your audience and authentic to your business. If you find yourself struggling with this, consider investing some time in a content plan.

Use hashtags –
Hashtags are a powerful tool that allow you to expand your reach and tap into relevant conversations. Focus on keywords that are relevant to your business. Best practices recommend using no more than two hashtags per Tweet.

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