#AwesomeTools - Social Media Editorial Development Tools

One of the hardest parts of maintaining a social media presence is the feeling that you are constantly trying to generate ideas for new and unique material.  And if you don't have a system for your content generation, you will end up missing great opportunities to connect with your audience and sell your product/service. If you want to take advantage of every opportunity to get your message out there, you need to make use of some social media editorial development tools.

A great way to keep your posts and promotions organized is a content calendar. It's likely that you already have a personal planner or calendar that you track appointments and deadlines in. Think of a social media content calendar as an extension of this, with more bells and whistles.

This is the place to map out your content. You can plan your own content and deadlines (like blog post publish dates), and include things like major holidays, events, and other special dates.

Creating your content calendar doesn't have to be complicated. You can use good old-fashioned pen and paper, an electronic alternative like an Excel document or Evernote, or do it directly in a social media scheduling tool like Hootsuite or Buffer. I always recommend scheduling your posts to save you time, but if you like to map out content on paper first and then upload it to your online calendar, that's totally fine!

So how do you build a calendar?  First, you're going to want to look at your timeline and determine how often you should post, and the best times to post. You also want to take into consideration who your target audience is, so you can source and create content that appeals to them.

Next, include major holidays, some fun, quirky holidays, and other major events that you should be posting about. Let's say, for example, that your blog centers around women's health. It would make sense to produce content relating to Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is in October.

Once you have a list of holidays and special events, you can start scheduling out your blog posts and social media posts.

Once your content calendar is full ideas, you can use social media scheduling tools to schedule your posts. What's great about online schedulers is that they help you to collaborate with other members of your team. If you upload a post, everyone on the team can see it and offer feedback. This makes the content generation process even easier.

If you are into social media, and I know you are, then it's important for you to plan your editorial content. By planning in advance, you can make sure that your social media stays running and current, and that you don't miss any opportunities to cross-promote on holidays and special events.

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Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars

#AwesomeTools - Social Media Scheduling Tools

One of the best ways marketers have found to reach potential customers is with social media.  When social media first emerged, this was fairly easy because there was really only one platform—Facebook.  But now, there are dozens of different social media platforms including Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and even video formats such as YouTube. 

If you are working in marketing, it can be a nightmare trying to juggle all of these platforms and reach as many customers as possible.  But it doesn’t have to be this way.  There are now apps available that can help with social media scheduling.  Three of the hottest tools on the market are Buffer, Edgar, and Hootsuite. Let’s take a look and see what they have to offer.

Buffer

Buffer is a scheduling tool that allows you to upload your posts and set them to post at whatever time you need.  It also allows you to cross-post to multiple platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+ and Pinterest with just the click of a button.

Buffer offers multiple plans for different users including the option to have a single user platform. If you have a big team and need many people to have access, Buffer allows you up to 25 additional team members. You can connect up to 150 different social media accounts which makes managing multiple brands a breeze. Buffer has a free account option which is perfect for people who are managing  just one brand.

                                                                                           

Edgar

Edgar currently only works with Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, but it offers a range of flexibility.  What makes Edgar so special is the ease of recycling your content. You can set a schedule that makes sense for your platform and Edgar will automatically re-share your content in a loop, so you’re getting the most out of your posts. Edgar allows scheduling for one-off posts too, so you can fill your social media to suit your needs. They keep their pricing structure simple, too with just one pricing option available.

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is another option for scheduling your posts to automatically publish on your social media platforms. You can even bulk upload messages to save you a ton of time! Hootsuite supports Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and Wordpress. What I love most about Hootsuite is their extensive data and analytics. You can analyze your data in real-time so that you can make better decisions about what material to post to your various platforms. 

Hootsuite also offers a thirty-day trial that allows you to take it for a test run before you purchase one of their many plans.  Chances are, there will be a plan that fits your business’s needs.

Social media marketing doesn’t have to be stressful.  By using the apps and tools that are available to you, you can schedule your posts and save yourself some time and headache, allowing you to focus on other parts of your business.

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Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars

#AwesomeTools - Where to Share Your Blog

Blogging has come a long way in the world over the past ten years.  What started out as a “web log” was really just an online diary for people to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences with the outside world at large.  But then, something amazing happened. 

People realized that blogs could be used for serious topics, sharing inspirational messages and more - helping businesses spread topics that are related to their work while helping to establish their brand in their corner of the highly competitive business world.  But there is no real point in keeping a blog if no one reads it.  That’s why it is so important to learn how to share your blog properly so that it gets the optimum number of views and brings in your potential customers.

Many don’t realize that if you post the same blog word-for-word on multiple sites, then Google will flag you and your blog.  That means that if someone types your subject into a search engine, then you will be way down the list and probably not be found as a result.  So how do you bypass this? 

One easy way is to use social media accounts as a means of linking back to your original blog post.  A really great way to do this is with Pinterest and LinkedIn Pulse.  Most people think of Pinterest as just a means of sharing craft projects, but it also allows for a variety of different interests to be shared. 

LinkedIn is popular as a means of connecting with people in the business community, but LinkedIn Pulse is a publishing section that allows you to copy your blog in without being penalized by Google.  This is an invaluable tool to reach your desired audience with your blogs.  LinkedIn Groups and Facebook Groups are another way to share your blogs, but be careful that you follow their rules and regulations so you don’t get accused of spamming.

Another tool that really helps you with finding and sharing material is Triberr.  This tool allows you to set up your blog content so that you can find similar blog articles, share these with your followers, and also cross-post your own blogs with those that you find.  The concept behind the website is that you set up as part of a “tribe” so that you can network and expand your brand base.  

Have you heard of Quora?  This site allows people to ask questions and have experts in the field answer the question.  You can set yourself up as one of these experts and reference back to your blog as part of your response.

There are many ways to network your blog to others so that you can get around Google’s penalties for multiple posts.  All that it takes is some savvy planning on your part and you can use your blog to help expand your brand recognition.

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Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars

#KindnessIsAwesome - Provide Value in Your Content Using the T.H.I.N.K. Method

If you spend five minutes online reading news articles, you are going to probably feel like you need a good dose of anti-depressants and therapy. If the news has you feeling down, what’s even worse is the dreaded comment section of these stories! I always hear people saying “stay away from the comment section”, and for good reason--this seems to be a breeding ground for negativity.

What the world needs now, maybe more than ever before, is a serious dose of kindness.  That’s why I’m hoping to spread the message that #KindnessIsAwesome in life and work.  If you have a strong social media presence with your personal life or business, it is possible to spread a little kindness and hope to the world with the T.H.I.N.K. method.

Is it True? 

The first part of this method is to ask yourself if what you are posting is true.  Always consider this when you are posting something.  The Internet is a fertile ground for conspiracy theories and fake news stories.  If you spread one of these by posting it or linking to the original post, you are tying your good name to that story.

So, the bottom line is, make sure that the content you are posting is true and accurate.  How do you do this?  Only use reputable news sources.  Don’t post any content that begins “A friend of a friend of mine has an uncle whose neighbor told him.…”  Make sure that your content is accurate and something that can be verified.

Is it Helpful? 

Next, ask yourself if the content you are posting will be helpful to your audience.  One of the biggest enemies to kindness is idle gossip, which is spreading information that may or may not be true, but is spread simply to be malicious.  So before you hit that share button on a piece of content, ask yourself if that piece of information will be helpful to your audience.

Is it Inspiring? 

Going hand in hand with being helpful is being inspiring.  A content post may not have a helpful piece of information or statistics, but it may be inspiring to your audience.  These are the posts that lift up your readers and inspire them to follow their dreams to reach their goals.

Is it Necessary? 

The fourth part of this process is to ask yourself is it necessary.  Is this piece of information really something that is needed by your audience?  Does it provide something for them? Does it have value? Will it enrich their lives in some way?

Is It Kind? 

Finally, the easiest way to help spread kindness is to only post messages online that are kind.  Actively seek out content for your web presence that promotes kindness to humans, kindness to animals, and kindness to the world at large.  If you do this, you will draw more people to your brand and improve your web reputation in the long run.

Highly acclaimed teacher, Rafe Esquith, once said that the first rule of his classroom is to be kind and do good. Take a moment before you hit the send button on your emails or before you post on your websites. If you use that moment to T.H.I.N.K. then you will help spread kindness. That’s how we continue to be #SociallyKind and set a good example for how others can #BeAwesome as well!

Find out more about my #SociallyKind project on my website: http://www.thesocialmediaadvisor.com/-sociallykind-project.html

Be sure to Follow us and Let's Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars