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]]>The post Thinking Like a ‘Zee appeared first on See.Spark.Go.
]]>In order to speak to an audience who’s interested in expanding their portfolio to include franchise ownership, you must think like a franchisee.
They’ve got options.
Around 10% of U.S. businesses are franchises.* So it’s safe to assume your audience is already considering other options. That means they need to know a brand’s unique selling point. The sooner that differentiation can be highlighted, the sooner a brand sets itself apart from the sizable pack of competition.
It’s a long game.
Franchise owners are about to make a substantial investment of their money and time. They can’t be expected to make a six-figure investment right after learning about it. Our content team nurtures franchise prospects through social media, digital and email campaigns to establish trust, credibility and consistency. However a potential ‘zee does their research, they’ll find valuable content to help them fall in love with our clients’ brands.
Capital is a must.
Every ideal franchisee has one thing in common: they have cash to make a splash. This isn’t your coupon-clipping demographic. Franchising is a high-investment table. We focus our messaging on aspects like ROI, industry growth and how well each business sustains external challenges, like a recession. At the end of the day, potential franchisees seek confidence in the benefits and profitability of their investment.
So how do we find and attract zees?
More like, “What tools are we NOT using to find and attract them?” Our franchise marketing efforts run the gamut form press releases and print ads, to social media, email, trade shows, digital ads and text messages. The SSG digital team uses a well-crafted cocktail of digital ad types that start with the highest-impression, low-conversion ads, funneling down to highly-targeted, high-conversion ads that truly drive lead conversions. With all of our service areas combined, SSG drives franchise prospects into the funnel and converts them into proud franchise owners.
And that’s how we take leads from A to ‘zee.
*U.S. Census Bureau
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]]>The post Credibility through Connection appeared first on See.Spark.Go.
]]>But why is this so important? Building trust through personal relationships allows us to truly connect our work to the people we are seeking to influence. Whether it’s our clients, target audience(s) or coworkers, we must value their experiences, work styles and personality, learn more about them as individuals and adapt how we lead.
People will not follow you until they are emotionally bought into the vision you are casting. You develop credibility with people when you connect with them personally and show that you genuinely care and want to help them.
In the public relations industry and beyond, here are a few things you can do before people will follow you or buy into the vision of where you want to go:
How to gain credibility through connection
· Understand people’s self-identity
· Meet them where they are
· Listen to their opinions
· Value their beliefs
· Build a personal relationship with them
What are some ways that you intentionally build relationships and connect emotionally with the people you’re around? We’d love to hear from you!
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]]>Over-communicate, always. Working remotely increases the necessity for clear communication. We’re fortunate to have the ability to tell the greatest stories in the world from anywhere in the world; for years, the SSG family has been HQ’d across the U.S., putting long-distance collaboration at the forefront of our minds. The SSG secret to staying in the loop (and on the same page)? A bevy of our time-tested tools: Slack, Asana and Zoom are staples in our remote-work tool belt. However, don’t forget your everyday apps—Facetimes, calls and texts ensure that we stay connected and engaged no matter where we physically are.
Remain together, while apart. With clients and coworkers scattered across the world, our proclivity for building strong virtual communities has long been a point of pride. This year especially, we’ve sought out opportunities to reestablish what and where “the office” is for all of us: from moving holiday celebrations to take place via video chat to creating virtual intern- and mentorship programs, we’ve truly given new meaning to the phrase, “wherever you go, there you are.” There’s no doubt that we’re stronger together (no matter how far apart that “together” might be).
Fan the flames and stay Fired Up. In the age of working remotely, we’re reminded of the importance of our core value “enthusiasm wins.” So what does that look like in 2021? For starters, it’s not just bringing a good attitude to the day; it means maintaining enthusiasm for our clients, knowing their mission and supporting each other through it all. The SSG support system is an animated network, ready to reach out however possible with an encouraging note, praise or wisdom – whatever is needed to lift up our work and one another!
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]]>The post A Statement from our President appeared first on See.Spark.Go.
]]>Our Vice President of Digital Strategy, Josh Deyton, and his wife, Sarah, had a baby on February 8, 2020. Prior to that, to have experienced a health pandemic in America, an economic depression and a civil rights movement, you would have to be more than 100 years old. Baby Joanna Deyton has lived through all of that in only four short months.
As a nation, we are faced with navigating a new landscape—virtual work, health and safety, more active stances on diversity and inclusion—and we want to do all of those with tremendous care. Care builds trust, and trust is the currency on which we move beyond inequality and toward one another.
At See.Spark.Go, we rally behind our Black brothers and sisters whose voices matter in making our nation and communities better. We don’t want to make empty promises. We want to drive action and change in our industry as a whole. Racial injustice has no place in any industry, company or organization.
We believe that we will better serve our communities and clients by having a more diversely populated staff and serving Black-owned businesses and brands that are doing great work in the world. We say we tell the best stories in the world, and those stories are not limited to any one group of people.
You can now find our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy here. And, to further this conversation, we’ve created a DEI committee that is committed to training, recruiting and tracking our development as a company in this area so that we provide excellent results and create lasting relationships with everyone.
Listening & Growing,
Brittany Thoms, President
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]]>The post Media Monitoring: Thor Industries appeared first on See.Spark.Go.
]]>This is particularly true for our client THOR Industries, one of the largest RV manufacturers in the world and parent company to 17 subsidiary RV brands. Each day, our team combs through hundreds of print, online and broadcast news clips and social media posts that mention THOR Industries, any of its subsidiaries or any of the subsidiaries’ specific brands. We then compile a roundup of news and social media highlights and email it to the THOR Industries team.
This daily news and social media report (yes, the daily part is important) serves two critical purposes:
Did you know that by 2020, there will be 40 times more bytes of data than there are stars in the observable universe?! That’s a lot of data. In the age of information overload, how do we cut through the noise and find the media that matters most to our clients?
Luckily, there are several tools available to help. One of our favorites is your basic Google Alerts, which sends notifications via email whenever your preset keywords are mentioned online. For more robust news and social media monitoring and alerts, we use Meltwater and Cision. These platforms allow for more specific searches and insights on audience reach and other meaningful data points. We recommend using all three in tandem for news and social media monitoring so nothing slips through the cracks.
These platforms pull in an astonishing amount of search results, so we narrow down these results using several filters, including Boolean search terms. This type of search allows users to combine keyword searches with “operators” like AND, NOT and OR to generate more specific search results. We use Boolean search terms with all the tools listed above, and they’re a major timesaver and relatively easy to learn.
For example, in our searches for THOR Industries, we only want articles related to the RV industry and not the Marvel superhero. Our search using Boolean search terms might look like this: “THOR Industries” AND “RV” NOT (“Thor” AND (“Marvel” OR “Superhero”))
Make sense? If not, check out this Boolean beginners guide to get started.
Now that you have all your search results in one place, how do you determine what news and social media posts to call out to your client? In our monitoring, we’re always on the hunt for relevant articles and social media posts from credible sources and that have a significant reach and quality content.
You should also ask your client what types of articles they want to see! Do they care about investor news? Then keep an eye out for stock-related news about your client. What about community involvement? Look for news and social media posts about your client’s role in the community.
Learning what is most important to your client takes time, and the more you monitor, the more you’ll understand the search results that are most relevant.
Happy monitoring!
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]]>Whether these strange times end up lasting a season or become our long-term norm, businesses that adapt effectively and efficiently to the new digital landscape have the best chance for sustained success and longevity. If you’re slow to adjust, you risk becoming irrelevant and may have a hard time catching up altogether. No matter your product or service, there are a few key things to remember in order to stay relevant and viable.
Position yourself as the answer
Business and individuals alike are looking for solutions to everyday problems, new and old. If you are a business, you likely exist because you answer a specific need. Now ask yourself: is your solution still relevant and is the problem still a problem? Re-evaluate your offerings, and get creative about what you call them. Rename them based on what your customers are looking for right now. There is new vocabulary popping up everyday related to Coronavirus and its effects. Additionally, expand your solutions. Launch that new offering you have been wondering about. Review your team’s talents and strengths to see if there are any unique services you can add to your catalog. People are asking questions, and you need to continue to be the answer.
Meet people where they are
Even as restrictions lift in some parts of the country, many people aren’t out and about right now. That means they aren’t seeing your billboards, or even hearing word-of-mouth referrals as much as they were 10 weeks ago. The vast majority of folks are spending more time online, more time streaming entertainment and more time with their families. That’s where you should be, too. Spend time on message boards, join social media conversations, serve ads on streaming services, reach out to your personal network. Get creative and meet your potential customers where they—just don’t forget to strike the right tone.
Stay ahead of trends (and start them if you can)
The digital world has always changed at a rapid pace. Not only keeping up with trends, but staying ahead of them will position you as the expert and ensure you are always doing the best work and providing the best results for your company and your customers. The ultimate goal here is to start a trend. Try something you’ve never seen before. Use your diverse knowledge to merge your expertise with something creative to make something new. See what others are doing and take it to a never-before-seen level. Have some fun and set a standard.
Commit to quality and consistency
At the end of the day, people are looking for quality and consistency. Know who you are, stay true to yourself and your mission and do everything with that in mind. If you make sure to do things consistently with the highest quality, you will create value for someone, somewhere. This will always be the case—now, and on the other side of this pandemic.
Ready to take control of your marketing strategy?
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]]>At See.Spark.Go, we use a variety of platforms and processes to ensure we’re capturing every media mention for our clients, while also monitoring their competitors’ news and trends within their industries. We share media coverage updates in real-time, as well as in our weekly Media Feedback Reports, and we dive deeper into trends and analyses on a quarterly and annual basis. By keeping a pulse not just on our clients, but on the environments in which they exist, we’re able to create informed, yet agile strategies.
Here are just a few of the ways that ongoing, comprehensive media monitoring can take your PR strategy to the next level:
Relevant Pitches Get Read
Media monitoring allows PR pros to stay informed about their clients’ audiences, competitors and target media on an ongoing basis, making market research for a new product or campaign quick, easy and accurate. Identifying and understanding consumers’ general sentiment toward the industry, as well as similar products or services, is vital when considering how to best engage with journalists.
Journalists want to write about topics that interest them and that will create value for their readers, viewers or listeners. It takes more time, but if you can articulate your client’s differentiators and/or how they relate to a current trend within the context of what each specific journalist covers, you’re far more likely to receive an interview request than if you blanket pitch a list without doing your research. Sending relevant pitches is the best way to build a relationship with a journalist, and you can only do that by keeping up with the whole industry’s happenings—not just those of your client.
Robust Reports Create Informed Strategies
Beyond staying attuned to industry trends and media, ongoing media monitoring also allows you to communicate the value of earned media and use that information to inform future strategies. You can track certain “vanity metrics” like ad equivalency and impressions; but the true value of earned media comes from factors like tone, positioning, message pull-through and audience demographics. It’s not enough to ask, “How many people did we reach?” Instead, you have to ask, “Were they the right people? What did we say to them? How were we positioned?” By taking a closer look at your coverage, you can better understand what’s working and what has the best chance of “moving the needle.” With more data points available to measure success, you can more easily identify high-performing strategies and replicate them moving forward.
More Context Means Fewer Crises
Last but certainly not least, being aware of your brand’s surroundings in all relevant spheres allows for preparedness. No one enjoys navigating a crisis, but it is important to be prepared if ever that moment comes so that your brand can respond rather than react to the situation. If you’ve routinely monitored the media content in your sphere, you’ll be equipped to efficiently and effectively craft a crisis response strategy because you understand your audience sentiment, your competitors’ positions and the greater context surrounding the industry. Plus, those great media relationships you’ve built as a result of your relevant pitches might allow you to mitigate having your crisis amplified in the media. Never underestimate the power of having journalists on your side!
In today’s media landscape, there are more media channels to influence your brand’s image than ever before. Media monitoring lets you make the most of every opportunity by being proactive and prepared. The more touch points you have in place to track your media coverage, and the more data you have available to quantify it, the better your PR strategies will be. Knowing how your brand’s value proposition aligns with your media’s interests will allow you to conduct smart outreach and seed relatable messages, therefore elevating your brand as a whole.
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]]>The post Striking the Right Tone: How Marketers Should Communicate in the Age of Coronavirus appeared first on See.Spark.Go.
]]>We hope you will view this time as an opportunity to evaluate your brand through a new lens and lean into better understanding your audience. Approach them as if you were approaching yourself—as humans who are also navigating uncharted waters. They may not want to be “sold” to right now, and we have to respect that. Take this time instead to cultivate community and foster loyalty among your audience, and they’ll continue to support you in the long term.
Social media for brands requires a deep understanding of your target market, which is why See.Spark.Go invests heavily in time and resources to help brands listen and respond to the audiences they serve. For more on See.Spark.Go’s crisis management approach and how we can serve your brand with social media management and tone development, get in touch.
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]]>The post 10 Mistakes a Social Media Manager Made So You Don’t Have To appeared first on See.Spark.Go.
]]>1. Instagram doesn’t support GIFs.
Crazy, right? What are all those moving images I see? GIF files are not supported on Instagram. If you have created a motion graphic, make sure to convert it to an MP4. When posting as an in-feed post, Instagram will automatically replay your video, giving it the appearance of a GIF in your feed.
Facebook supports a variety of photo and video formats (find the full list here).
2. Make sure to save your IG Live to your camera roll… or else.
After your Live broadcast ends, tap Save in the upper right corner immediately. It might take a minute for a live video to save to your camera roll, especially for longer videos. Also, you’ll only be able to save video — not comments, likes or any interactions, and your Live video will no longer be available within the Instagram app. Even if you don’t have a use for it now, you might. Better SAVE, than sorry.
3. If your image resolution is less than 1080 x 1920, it might show up blurry on your Instagram feed.
To ensure that all of the beautiful content you’re posting is fully appreciated on social media, make sure that your image resolution and dimensions are correct per platform. We LOVE our friends at Sprout Social (s/o to Becca, the best customer support specialist around) and they have a great guide we use all.the.time to stay up-to-date in this ever-changing space. Avoid using screenshots; cropping and downsizing the original image to the preferred dimensions will always work better.
4. You can’t go Live on Facebook with a scheduled video from a mobile device.
Did you know that you can schedule a Facebook Live video ahead of time? Facebook’s Business Manager Publishing Tools allows you to set up your video, title and caption ahead of time and schedule it for the broadcast date and time of your choosing. So helpful, right? With this being said, whenever you do schedule a Facebook Live, remember that when the time comes, you can only go live and stream the video from desktop instead of a mobile device.
5. Cropping a video on IGTV isn’t the same as filming it vertically.
The official aspect ratio for IGTV, along with IG stories and the Facebook Feed is 9:16. This means your video should be a ratio of 1080 x 1920 pixels. To be extra safe when repurposing a horizontal video used on other platforms for IGTV, shoot wide in general to ensure you have room to crop down to the right size.
6. You can’t use YouTube end cards on “Made for Kids” videos.
YouTube recently made this change because of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. YouTube is trying to start limiting the data it collects on children viewers, which means that content creators using the platform to target a younger audience won’t be able to take advantage of end cards.
7. You can’t go Live on Facebook and Instagram at the same time from the same device.
Even though Instagram Live and Facebook Live are both owned by Facebook, they are two different live video streaming platforms with different features. While you’re planning innovative ways to connect during this season through live streams, prepare to go live on both platforms on different devices or at different times.
8. Sharing an Instagram Story to Facebook Stories doesn’t necessarily mean it will look the same on both platforms.
And while we’re at it, when you share an Instagram Story to Facebook Stories, it works — kind of, sometimes. Features such as quizzes, polls, countdowns and more don’t sync with the Facebook platform in the same way. We recommend posting stories natively within their respective applications for the best use of platform tools.
9. Don’t ignore the importance of optimal video orientation per platform.
If you’re filming content for social, know the channel or channels where you are going to want to leverage it and film accordingly! If you have the time and resources, it’s always best to create different versions of the videos for different channels post-filming but you can always choose the one that you think is the highest priority (i.e., if your highest views are on Stories, film vertically) and make it work for the others.
10. Your Facebook ad could be rejected if it uses keywords that relate to an issue of “national importance.”
Facebook ads that share information about public health, religion, sustainability or civic issues take longer to be approved because new Facebook restrictions can flag these for further review, delaying your ad launch. That means any of your ads or promoted posts featuring relevant COVID-19 content could take a bit longer, as well as all sorts of other keywords that you can learn about here.
We hope we’ve saved you a swing and a miss or helped you find a working solution to the social media barriers you’ve run into. In order to ease your social media management even more, our team has created 9 graphics and captions that you can download for FREE and use on your social media. They are written and designed to engage audiences working and staying at home in this COVID-19 season.
Download the free 9-grid of social media images and captions here and tell us how you like them on Instagram @SeeSparkGo.
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]]>The longer I live, the more we realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do…We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is attitude — I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.
Chuck SwindollWe are living in a world that looks drastically different than it did 30 days ago. Restaurants, gyms, bars and gathering places have closed their doors. Schools have gone virtual. Sporting and entertainment events have been cancelled. Parks, sidewalks, interstates and biking paths are vacant. Employees have been laid off. Families have filed for unemployment. Loved ones are suffering and healthcare workers are answering the call to serve in ways we’ve never seen before. We are staring into a long tunnel without an inkling of when we’ll see light at the end.
These are facts. This is what has happened to all of us.
How have you reacted? How has your family, your community, your company reacted? We all have the power to choose how we respond to this current circumstance.
At See.Spark.Go, we believe in the power of enthusiasm. Merriam-Webster defines enthusiasm as, “strong excitement of feeling; something inspiring zeal or fervor.” Not an idealistic, “Pollyanna” attitude, but seeing reality through a lens of grounded excitement for the day-to-day opportunity to do our work.
SSGers choose to be hopeful in the face of adversity, believing that we either win or we learn — there is no losing. Now more than ever, an enthusiastic approach to client service means we take positive, intentional steps to provide high support in the moment, while also looking strategically toward the future. It means we see this time as an opportunity to grow, think outside the box and stretch our understanding of communications to support our clients’ needs. What does that look like in action?
Enthusiasm means looking past the current reality and continuing to plan expectantly for a bright future.
What action have you taken to maintain an attitude of hope? Are you continuing to plan for the future? We know inertia can be hard to come by these days, so we’ve removed the guesswork for you. Let us help you navigate these uncertain times and maintain an attitude of enthusiasm in the months ahead.
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]]>Maintain communication with fans and customers
Let your loyal followers know you are still here. Through social media, email and other marketing channels, let them know what you are doing for them during this time and what you are doing for yourselves and your employees. This is a rare situation that is affecting everyone in some capacity, which also means that everybody has different levels of impact to their lives. So be authentic, sensitive and honest as you find a way to connect your brand to your customers and your customers to one another. Columbia Sportswear has done a great job of being open with their community and coming up with creative campaigns to maintain and connect their fans during this time.
Find new ways to do business
When your business loses its ability to serve people in person, an obvious solution is to send your customers what they want and need or to meet them where they are. For retail stores, this could mean increasing your e-commerce focus capabilities (or finally launching that e-commerce store that you have been meaning to set up). Many e-commerce platforms are offering special deals during the coronavirus pandemic—like Shopify, which is offering 90-day extended free trials—so make sure to take advantage of these deals. Additionally, restaurants are increasing their online functionality, expanding delivery options, highlighting pickup options and proactively sharing safety precautions being taken with their food. Local and nationwide delivery services are taking extra steps to support restaurants during this time as well, with reduced commission rates, increased marketing options and more.
Launch gift card campaigns
E-commerce and delivery options may not be as feasible for some as others, so another way to maintain cash flow right now is to offer gift cards (or bonds) to customers to be used at a later date. Loyal fans are looking for ways to support their favorite local businesses, and this is a great, mutually beneficial option. Companies across the country are promoting offers like “Buy a $100 gift card now and redeem for $120 when we open again!” From New York, to Atlanta, to Los Angeles, restaurants in particular are seeing success with this strategy, and you can too.
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]]>Though the world has seemingly hit pause, we believe now is the time to plan for opportunity and a new season just ahead.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve witnessed the resilience of fans and loyal customers, partners and creators who are eager to promote the brands they love, ingenuity and dedication of brands to SERVE their customers well during this time. As we press forward, here are a few things we want you to know about your team at SSG:
First, you have a highly creative and innovative roster of marketers in your corner. We’ve all reflected on the true value your brand provides its audience, and now more than ever, we’ve honed in on meaningful interactions that show empathy and care, thoughtfulness and sustainability. Book a time to speak with Jenn Garrett, our Vice President of Content, or Josh Deyton, our Vice President of Digital Strategy,today.
Our team is enthusiastic and positive. We certainly don’t take for granted our core value that “Enthusiasm Wins” in the marketplace. Our positive and energetic posture infuses your communications with the very essence of hope. That matters, to you and to us. Interested in hosting a 1-hour SPARK Session with our team? Call us. We’re offering that to current and potential clients right now at no cost.
You receive an incredible value. In this season, we’re committed to keeping our team in tact. We’re looking ahead and preparing for 6-months from now. That commitment means that even as hard times roll in economically, we have the time to invest in YOU. That’s more bang for your buck. We want to hear what questions you have during this season! Email us today.
Our goal has always been to be your trusted advisor. Even as we navigate the realities on a business front for See.Spark.Go, we stand on providing results and leaning into relationships. Because without relationships, our work is transactional. Without results, though? We’re just friends. And, we aim to do both well!
Here for the possibilities,
Brittany
P.S. Even our incredible accounting team is available to you as a resource during this season. Need some accounting advice? Drop us a line.
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]]>Creating the perfect social media mix — not to mention crafting the content to go to each channel — is overwhelming for the best of digital marketers. Working with dozens of brands of varying size, scope and type, we preach sustainability and consistency, but when establishing a brand, it’s also important to have multiple touch points to engage your audience. Many entrepreneurs think the easiest solution is to prioritize one social network where they know their audience is (can I hear an amen from our Instagram-only friends?). This approach can not only miss potential audiences but it can keep you from sharing your whole story and engaging with your audience in ways that best achieve your goals with little additional effort.
The perfect social media mix tells the right story to the right audience at the right time. Think of it like having that beer at the baseball game or the bottle of champagne on your anniversary! Timing and environment are everything.
Here’s how to create a holistic social media strategy in the most efficient and effective way possible.
What value do you add to people? Why do you exist? What do you want people to do? Often we think that engagement and awareness are all these bad boys of social media can do, but it is possible to use them to increase the number of products you sell by 50 percent, get 5,000 people to subscribe to your newsletter or have 500 people register for your workshop.
A social media strategy encompasses the channels you’re going to leverage your story through, how often and in what way. You can determine the best channels to use by discovering where your audience engages (not just has accounts), which channel’s format helps you achieve your goals, and where your content works best. The cadence question is best answered by testing, evaluating, and optimizing. We love tag reports in Sprout Social that allow you to compare and contrast posts by theme or timing. Other reports allow us to compare engagement per day to how many posts were sent. For both, it’s essential to be intentional with A/B testing that compares multiple weeks and not just a day here and there.
Once you determine where you’re going to post and how often, the secret sauce is what you post. We love the 80/20 rule (80 percent of engagement will come from 20 percent of your effort). In other words, do more with less. Creating a communications calendar will help you leverage that 20 percent of effort (quality content!) as far as it can go.
1. Identify your themes. Pick the TOP 3 core messages or big ideas and TOP 3 calls to action to expound on throughout the year. Align them across the year at the top of a spreadsheet.
2. Develop a content pyramid. Put all of your communication channels down the side, starting with foundational content pieces (i.e., blogs) down to the channel with the shortest content (i.e., social media).
3. Leverage foundational content. Themes help you plan blogs, which you can then trickle down to a blurb in an email, make the headline a tweet, an image with a caption on Instagram, and a quote and link on Facebook to drive people back to the full post.
4. Drill down deeper. A social media calendar will expand your row for social into a full, day-by-day content calendar. In the same way, one content piece can be leveraged across different channels, but more posts per day or week means more categories. Here’s an example of categories that create a balance of content across your channel:
Once you’ve defined your why, how, and what, you will be able to fill in the blanks with the right content to reach the right audience at the right time. Before you know it, that stressful social media cocktail will drive the results you need to be sipping a more delightful Mai Tai on Friday night.
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