Information in this blog post was obtained from blog.hubspot.com, sproutsocial.com, and blog.hootsuite.com.

Whether you are trying to manage the social media accounts for your small business or you have been tasked with it in your position, it can be a lot to handle. Social media sites from a business perspective are totally different than personal use. There are many moving parts and the daunting algorithm that can make managing social media marketing difficult. Even once you’re more comfortable with social media marketing, you must worry about having an engaging audience. The number of followers you have no longer matters, if you have a high number of followers but a low number of engagements, you won’t be able to accomplish your goals. Here are 3 ways to set yourself up for success to maintain an engaging audience.

1. Plan Ahead

Before you start posting on social media all willy nilly, it’s important to have an established purpose and plan. Hootsuite explains the process of creating a social media plan. What is your purpose in creating these social media accounts? Are you wanting to sell products? Create a community with your existing customers? Attract new customers creating more brand awareness? Generate leads? Next, you will want to turn these into goals using the SMART framework which defines those goals as specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely.

The next best thing you will want to do is look at your competition or other high engagement accounts. What kind of content are they posting? What content does their audience engage with more? Not that you will want to copy their work, but you’ll get an idea of what’s working within your target audience.

2. Create a Calendar

Creating a calendar is crucial to your success. Consistent posting allows you to maintain an engaged audience. You don’t want them to lose focus, do you? Plan when you are going to post and create a schedule. Plan the types of content you want to post and when, making your content types consistent. Plan around dates and months like holidays, special days in your community, or special days within your industry. Hubspot offers a free calendar template but there are many other options available online or you can create your own. What’s important is finding what works best for you.

3. Use Creation Tools

While you may be able to visualize what your content will look like or you may hit a creator’s block, actually designing and creating your content is easier said than done. Canva is a good option to help you not only design and create your content, but it also allows you to store your branding. You can upload your logos and color schemes and easily access them while creating any kind of content. There are templates and ideas to give you inspiration and an extensive library of fonts, icons, photos, and graphics you can use as well. Sprout Social lists a few other tools that can really aid in Instagram creation, especially for Reels and Stories. At the end of the day, creating content your audience wants to see creates an engaging environment.

For more information regarding social media engagement, check out Morgan's post!

Resources

18 of the best Instagram tools to level up your presence. Sprout Social. (2022, January 5). Retrieved February 2022, from https://sproutsocial.com/insights/instagram-tools/

Cox, L. K. (2022, January 4). The social media content calendar template every marketer needs [free template]. HubSpot Blog. Retrieved February 2022, from https://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33415/the-social-media-publishing-schedule-every-marketer-needs-template.aspx

How to use social media for small business: 12 simple tips. Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard. (2021, December 4). Retrieved February 2022, from https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-tips-for-small-business-owners/