Social Media Content Calendar Creation for Authors

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 want to make social media work for you instead of feeling like it's work for you, then stick around. This video is for you. 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 to kick off their day? Tapping into your audience and their needs will not only help you figure out what kind of 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 to the channels that it's going to 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. 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. 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 so 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 and 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 want to 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 going to 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. Because you're going to 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 want to 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. And 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 want to look at major awareness themes like Beth Kavanaugh. She's been planning around Nurses 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 want to 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. And 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 you're 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 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 want to 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 8020 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 want to 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.