What is a content plan and what is it for
A content plan is a monthly schedule of publications. It is convenient to keep it in the form of a table, where the place (Facebook post*, Instagram*), date, and time of posting will be prescribed.
Ideally, you should create an individual content plan with website content writing service for each channel, so that the posts are adapted to the specific social network.
For example, on Instagram*, beautiful images and videos are very important.
On Facebook*, according to research, users do best when watching an average video lasting 3-5 minutes. Such content is 59% more popular than others.
A content plan will help you remember which posts and on what social networks will be published shortly, and what you will have to do: prepare the text, video, and select photos.
I recommend making a content plan at least two weeks in advance.
How often should I post?
To keep your account looking active, publish at least one post a day on each social network so you’re not too intrusive, but you won’t get lost in the feed. But a content plan is not dogma. If you need to post something unplanned, you can publish two posts in one day or shift your posting schedule.
If you publish two posts in one day, it’s better to time them and posts them at least five hours apart, so that the post will be seen by both those who access the social network in the morning and those who browse the news in the evening.
What kind of posts should be in the content plan?
The posts in your account should match the interests of your target audience. That’s why it needs to be well-known and understood. For example, who do you have more: men or women, what age, where do they live, do you know what their education and interests are? Analyze your target audience to understand what your subscribers are interested in. How to do this – we wrote here.
Figure out what purpose you are pursuing with your posts: why you are posting and why the subscriber will read them. This will also help you find interesting topics.
Based on your analysis, create a content plan. Keep in mind: all posts should be at least indirectly related to the company. Suppose your company sells furniture. You have identified that the main audience – is women from 25 to 45 years. No need to talk in your account about Korean cosmetics or give advice on hair styling. Your subscribers came for something else! Tell them about interior design, show them examples of holiday table settings, or tell them how to make cushion covers simply and inexpensively.
Do you feel that you have exhausted all the topics for publication? Ask open-ended questions. You can ask directly in your posts (if your company has an Instagram profile*) what your followers are interested in. Follow the comments and discussions in posts – you can often find an interesting topic there. And keep a sneak peek at your competitors!
It’s common to divide all posts in a content plan by type of content. Each type is responsible for its purposes. Let’s break down the main ones. This division is arbitrary because one post can simultaneously refer to different types of content.
What kind of content is found on social media
Useful content.
The goal is to provide useful information and address relevant concerns of subscribers and potential customers. If you want your post to be bookmarked or reposted on your wall, publish useful content.
Useful includes:
- Educational content, such as: “Setting up Google Analytics step by step.”
- Answers to questions related to company topics, such as: “How to choose the right bank for a mortgage? Answers to your question.
- Lifehacks and tips, such as: “10 ways to remove a greasy stain on pants.
- Picks and lists, such as: “10 books on psychosomatics.”
- FAQ post – a list of questions and answers to the most frequently asked questions.
- Keep in mind: the post should be useful for most subscribers. For example, your company builds country houses. The account has about an equal ratio of men and women. In this case, the post “How to pour a foundation yourself” will probably be irrelevant to the female half of the community (feminists pardon me).
Selling (advertising) content
The goal is to increase the company’s sales.
Don’t post selling posts more often than every fifth post. This frequency probably won’t bore most subscribers. But you’ll also regularly remind them that you don’t just keep a company account here for nothing 🙂
Selling content includes:
- Messages about special offers that affect a small portion of the target audience (women, residents of certain cities, mothers of many children) – for example: “Residents of St. Petersburg 10% discount” – or limited in time: black Friday, before the new year, before the end of school vacations and so on.
- Messages about promotions, such as: “Buy two pairs of socks, and get the third as a gift.
- Information about discounts, such as: “Order by February 15 and get a 40% discount.”
- Don’t forget to write the offer, it will increase the chances of a sale.
Reputation content.
Objectives – to increase audience loyalty to the brand, to confirm the expertise of the company or its employees, and to explain the unique selling proposition of the company.
Reputational content includes:
- Information about your company’s advantages over your competitors. Tell them why you are better and convince them to buy from you. Remember not to use the names of competing companies – you may be accused of unfair competition.
- Work off objections – for example, explain why the price of your product is higher than the market average.
- Negativity workout. You put up a post – in the comments subscribers reacted negatively to it. Create a new post (no, no, don’t delete the previous one :)) and work off the negativity.
Reviews about the company or its products and services.
Company news and “behind the scenes” life. For example, your company is engaged in the production of handmade Christmas toys. You can make a video showing how they are made.
Stories and photos of the company’s employees. For example, you can talk about yourself and make it clear that you’re the one who writes the posts and responds to comments.
Photos of satisfied customers. Don’t forget to ask for their consent, at least verbally. For example, you can post pictures of event attendees. If you manage to collect feedback, post it under the participants’ photos.
Engaging content
The goal is to increase subscriber engagement and engagement. You should create content that you want to like, comment on, and subscribe to.
Engaging content includes:
- Contests and giveaways.
- Games. Participants in a game must complete a task. The winner gets a prize.
- Polls. On Instagram*, it’s more convenient to carry out polls in stories (there’s just no such possibility in the profile). On Facebook* – on the community wall.
- Discussions. For example, your company sews children’s clothes and produces a small batch. In the social network, you can create a post-discussion and ask your community subscribers what colors of jackets they want to see in the summer collection. Surveys like these help manufacturers make clothes that are more likely to be purchased. Keep in mind: if you create a frenzy, you’ll have to fulfill your subscribers’ wishes:)
- Collect feedback. Ask subscribers who have bought your company’s products to leave feedback. Post positive reviews on the company’s account or community, and work on the negative ones.
