Content Strategy for Blogs and Social

This is my question of late.  I’m in the midst of reviewing everything and upgrading everywhere. As I’ve been delving into everything in more detail, I’ve come up with some thoughts and plans in planning my editorial calendars. Here goes …

Known

Here are just a few items to consider.

– Video is great for SEO.
– Video and pictures can increase the number of shares and likes on a Facebook page, therefore possibly increasing EdgeRank.
– It’s becoming a more visually-oriented world, so it’s good to include pictures and video in blog posts from time to time.
– With Pinterest here now, and the fact that it’s been experiencing the largest growth of all the social platforms, pictures need to be included everywhere.
– “Pictures” can take various forms: actual photos for example, infographics, or other graphics.

Publishing

Again, just a few notes.

– Different platforms have different optimum times for posting.
– Requirements and etiquette differ for social platforms (for example, you really shouldn’t repost tweets).
– You have to be everywhere, so it can be tricky to manage your time and provide the presence needed.

So, how do you get the most content out in the most expeditious manner without requiring much time on your part?

Ha! The million-dollar question, right?

Not so fast. I’m coming up with a plan. I think it’s not only possible – it’s workable. Here goes …

Content Strategy

Here’s an example.

Let’s assume that you have the following:

– Blog
– Twitter account
– Facebook page
– Google+ page
– YouTube channel
– Pinterest account
– LinkedIn profile
– Email newsletter

That’s a lot of social to manage and fill with content, isn’t it?

 A Plan

– Make a short video of something
– Write a blog post related to that, and include the video in the post. Or, just make the video the post in its entirety.
– Add the video to your YouTube channel
– Add a status item to both your Facebook and Google+ pages that includes the video – or links to the blog post
– Tweet a link to the blog post or the video on your YouTube channel: whichever you’re trying to promote the most at that moment
– Add a link to the post or channel as a LinkedIn status

Most important: plan the content ahead of time. That’s what your editorial calendar is for. Don’t just think “hmmm. I think I’ll make a video about this” and then just upload that to your YouTube channel and do nothing else. You won’t get much mileage for all that work.

The Key: When to Post Where

Timing is everything. With all the requirements for each platform, this is what I would do with that one video and post. I used to think that you had to post everything everywhere on the same day. Now I’m thinking otherwise. Why not spread it out? Otherwise everyone will see the same content in all your platforms on that one day. Or, mix it up a bit. Post all on one day sometimes, and spread it out other times. See what works best.

– Publish the post on Friday (often a good day for posting) or on Monday morning (to start the week)
– Time the post publishing so it coincides with your email newsletter. If the newsletter is weekly and you send it out on Fridays, then post it on Thursday or Friday, for instance.
– If you have written a series of blog posts, time that such that they publish sooner. Don’t spread those out, as readers may lose interest. I’d publish a post in the series each day.
– Add the video to your YouTube channel at the same time you publish your post. Subscribers will get that in an email.
– Tweet a link on Monday morning (Mondays are always slower tweeting days than Tuesday. So get it in on Monday if possible.)
– Post to Facebook and Google+ on Tuesday evening. Or perhaps on Monday evening if you’re thinking of promoting the post.
– Add a link to the post as a status item in LinkedIn on Monday.

Added Bonus

– Make your series posts into ebooks or whitepapers (a tip I found in Three Key Steps to Take for Marketing Automation).
– Offer those for free to those who sign up for your email newsletter. Voila! A sales tool.

In Closing…

I definitely think that there are ways to streamline content production and get it out to as many social platforms as possible without much additional effort. Just plan the content ahead as well as posting times, and I think that everything will run more smoothly. That’s my plan! What about you?

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