Managing Social Media well can make the difference between running a smooth and effective marketing campaign or struggling with a stressful one that is more work than it should be. Staying on top of the game with a clear plan for content and event promotion will surely pay off in many ways. Obviously, certain topics for blogs are better posted at different times of the year so you want to plan them accordingly first. With Blogging, you don’t want to say too much in one blog, so it is good to have an overview for dispensing content over the year, relating posts to other posts and other social media, announcing calendar events well in advance, and creating a somewhat regular flow of communications.
The first thing I do with any new client is to set up an Excel Spreadsheet with several ‘sheets’ or pages containing pertinent information to help market my client and help with managing Social Media. I add information such as logins, passwords, links to log in with, links to reference material such as quotes, other blogs, and websites, a list of Search Engine Optimization Words, along with several lines of descriptive copy for online posting.
If you are a person who creates a lot of online ads, etc., try copying the blurbs into a spreadsheet or Word document so you can easily access them, alter them quickly as needed, then copy and paste instead of wasting time to fuss with the new copy from scratch all the time. I find this is a great time saver and a wonderful way to fine-tune my copy, as I keep revisiting it with fresh eyes, and usually tweaking it before posting. I can keep the blurbs in order and run down the list, rotating the blurbs so the public doesn’t see the same copy repeatedly without breaks for online ads.
Since I keep making the file of pertinent information more valuable all the time, every once in a while I back it up somewhere off my computer for safekeeping. It is a pain when you can’t find a password to log in, so take care to set yourself up with a hard or soft copy list of pertinent details that are easily accessed. One of the things I like to do for my clients right away is make logging into their various social media a ‘favourite’ on the menu of their computer browser. Make it easier on yourself and just go to the drop-down menu and log in without even having to remember a password, if you have set up your ‘favourites’ properly.
I can’t say enough about identifying and building your list of key search words and good adjectives and phrases in a spreadsheet or Word doc., etc. This keeps them in one place so you can read them and or copy them into various meta descriptions, tags, copy, etc. Also, just seeing the list of words and other info written out in front of you tends to trigger other keywords or different ways to go forward in your marketing campaign. This, in fact, is the advantage of creating lists of your pertinent data in all areas of life. Not only is it at your fingertips, but just scanning the list of titles and contacts is invaluable if it is able to remind you of things to do. When looking for something to do, just look at your list and be inspired to create or update something, make contacts or follow up on something.
When I am surfing the net looking for one thing, I always have my radar up for other interesting facts, key search words, images, thoughts, etc. for clients. However, since I usually don’t have time to pursue everything I come across while looking for something specific, I keep titled ‘Sheets’ within in my main Excel Spreadsheet for various links that I can copy and place and pursue later as a resource, idea, etc. If the title is not self-evident from the link itself, I simply take the time to name the link and move on. This practice makes coming up with content so much easier later on, especially if you group the links and copy.
Years ago I would have advised those interested in marketing to have lots of Social Media buttons for users and potential and existing clients to click. Now, that my attitude has changed regarding social media and the sources that control it, I say it is totally your call, and think it through, whether it is on a website, blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, or any of the many social media platforms. Discernment is key.
I find keeping a number of blogs in progress at a time is a helpful way to save your thoughts, links, images, video, and other resources as they present themselves. I often just type out the name of a title, contact, phrase, or search word, for a related blog so I don’t lose thoughts. 
Try and always develop a square simple, easy-to-read version of your logo, no matter what the other format in which your logo appears. Facebook and other social media sites often require a square that may be cut down to a circle, so keep your critical design or type within the round shape. Much care should be taken with this image. You may also wish to have to design a Favicon that is recognized beside your website online, keeping in mind that it is too small for more than an emblem, initials, or simple image to be read properly.
In your day-to-day business activities, try to think like a marketer and grab pictures that you can use on your various social media. Start files with these pictures and rename them with well-chosen words to attract your audience through the search engines. Photos are gold when it comes to dressing up a blog so keep your resources built up with shots to describe the who, what, where, when, why, and how of your endeavours.
Also, don’t forget that managing Social Media is made so much easier by the fact that most sites allow you to schedule when posts go out to the public. This means you can create a month’s worth of posts prior to that month even beginning and time them for regular release. Posting in a well-paced and more regular manner makes you look more professional. Also, by preparing posts in advance, you allow time to mull them over and double-check them once more with fresh eyes before they are released.
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