Planning social media content for when you’re away

Managing social media accounts can be hard work, especially when you’re away on holiday. If you don’t keep posting, people will stop following you and go to your competitor.

Then there are the social networks, each with its rules for posting. And with new ones arising all the time, it can become a real headache trying to keep up. The pressure is always there, even with a dedicated team working on your accounts. You need to know when, what to post, or what posts will do the best and lose your followers.

You need to know how to manage your time and keep everything in proportion. Managing social media is like working relationships—if you don’t put enough time and effort into it, they fade away. So this article aims at helping you learn what’s key and what’s not to build a healthy connection with your audience and get that engagement rolling!

Set a time frame

If you’re going to be away from social media for any period, it can be hard to know how much of your audience you will lose. When planning your holiday schedule, you must include posts on all social media channels. Doing this will mean that if people are used to hearing from you every day and suddenly don’t hear anything for a few days, they’ll automatically think that you’ve gone quiet.

The key is to plan and ensure that when it comes to posting, there’s no excess effort needed on your part. Think about what type of posts each one will be and how many times a day each one needs to go out. You should dedicate time to ensuring that all the posts are ready before your holiday. Once you’re on holiday, scheduling them in a series is just a simple case.

Pre-write post ideas

When you’re the one running a social media account, it’s easy to think of ideas that turn into posts. But what about the ones that never get turned into posts? It’s essential to take note of those, too.

When you start keeping track of your ideas, you’ll learn a lot about how your blog’s content comes together and will better plan for future posts.

A spreadsheet is a great way to track your ideas. You can use it to record when you have them, where they came from, who they are related to, and anything else you can think of. When you want to use an idea for a post, jot down the date in the spreadsheet and make sure that you include a link to where it came from so that if someone else has the same idea, they can easily find yours.

You don’t have to keep all your ideas—if something sparks your interest but doesn’t go anywhere, that’s okay! Move it from the spreadsheet to your computer’s desktop or trash bin.

Use old blog posts

Repurposing your old content is a great way to fill your social media accounts with engaging, relevant posts. By using your published pieces in different forms, you can keep your audience engaged across multiple platforms. A great way to repurpose content is to turn it into a quote graphic. These graphics are easy to create and share across all social media platforms. If you want to know how to do that, check out this blog post on creating quote graphics. 

Another way you can repurpose blog content is by turning it into a listicle. Listicles are a great way to share information in bite-sized pieces that are easy for readers to digest. If you want help creating this type of content, check out this blog post about how to create listicles. Still another way you can repurpose blog content is by turning it into a video or slideshow. If you want help creating these types of content, check out these two blog posts about making videos and slideshows from blog posts.

Schedule a video post

Videos are great for engagement on social media. If you have any existing videos you can share, you can schedule them to post on a chosen day. Or, you can record a brand new video ahead of time and schedule it to post. If you have yet to record a video, there’s no better time to pick up your smartphone and hit record.

When creating a video, it’s essential to consider the size of your audience. Suppose your social media platform of choice is Facebook or Instagram. In that case, you know that most people will be watching on a mobile device. Most videos should be around 1 minute or less; anything longer than that will likely lose their attention quickly. But remember, only some have the luxury of watching the full video right away; they might be listening to it via their headphones while commuting or watching it later at night when they want something light to help them fall asleep. So if you want your video to be relevant for every viewer, ensure that every aspect of it is easily digestible and not too distracting from the main idea.

Use scheduling software

Social media scheduling tools are a great way for you to be seen as an active influencer in your respective field or industry. Scheduling social media posts is an easy way to ensure that you’re being seen and heard 24/7, but what happens when you’re away from your computer or need to take a break?

One good way to do this is by setting up scheduled tweets or Facebook posts with Buffer (or other social media scheduling tools) that say something along the lines of “Hey everyone, I’m at [insert event name] on [insert date]! I’d love to meet some new people! If you’re there too, please stop by and say hi!”

This gives the illusion of having someone behind the wheel, even if it isn’t true. Sure, having all your posts scheduled this way might be better, but it still helps you build a foundation that can grow and evolve. As your brand grows, so will your following. And as your following grows, so will the number of opportunities that come knocking at your door!

Stay on track

Maintaining an active social media presence is, of course, not a bad thing. What is terrible, however, are careless or poorly timed posts that can damage your company’s reputation. Before you take off on your business trip, plan what your team will be posting while you are away so that they can keep your social media content fresh and relevant while you focus on other things. To have more tips like this, connect with us!

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