![\"snoopy-social-media\"](\"http:\/\/tomhumbarger.files.wordpress.com\/2008\/10\/snoopy-social-media.jpg\")
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nIf you want to make strides in social media, you have to make time for social media. And that\u2019s what we\u2019re talking about today \u2013 taking control of your schedule in a way that makes social media work for your success, not against it.<\/p>\n
Organize Your Social Media Channels and Opportunities<\/h2>\n
Creating a social media calendar is a lot like creating an editorial calendar. Identify opportunities to engage and create content ahead of time, and fill in the blanks where needed.<\/p>\n
Start by listing out all the social networks you\u2019re committed to, and within each one, list opportunities for engagement. For example, one social network\u2019s planning could look something like this:<\/p>\n
Facebook opportunities:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Photos<\/li>\n
- Contests<\/li>\n
- Events<\/li>\n
- Community engagement<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Then, in each one of those categories, further define what will comprise them. For example:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Photos: Staff photos out and about; staff photos in house; event photos for industry get-togethers; event photos for industry conferences.<\/li>\n
- Contests: Community-driven photo contest promoting upcoming launch of service.<\/li>\n
- Events: Industry events, training courses, executive travel calendar.<\/li>\n
- Community engagement: Thought-provoking questions, news items, polls and surveys, commenting on other Fan pages and profiles.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Do this for every social network you engage in. And now you\u2019re well on your way to creating a calendar. Next up is:<\/p>\n
Schedule Social Media Communications by Priority and Task<\/h2>\n
Of your social media opportunities for each channel, identify what items are more recurring and what items have a ‘laxed timeline. Pulling from the example above, you may find that a contest runs only quarterly or every six months; updating events is once per month; opportunities for uploading photos are bi-monthly and community engagement is daily.<\/p>\n
Once you have that down, you can begin to think about breaking things into digestible chunks that are part of your work tasks. To build on that idea, remember that social media isn\u2019t just about pushing communications outward, but also about planning for engagement.<\/p>\n
Your calendar should also include a schedule of how quickly you respond to your community\u2019s inquiries and conversations by medium. Some mediums require a faster response than others, for example a blog versus Facebook versus Twitter.<\/p>\n
You might have a schedule that says something like:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Facebook responses: By end of business day, respond to community members.<\/li>\n
- Twitter responses: Use email alerts to respond quickly during standard hours.<\/li>\n
- Blog response: Once or twice daily, respond to comments.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
And while we\u2019re on the topic of timing, each type of social network can require a different approach in the delivery time and method of communications. Dan Zarella has done some interesting research on the science of social media<\/a>, including how timing comes into play.<\/p>\n
With some experimentation, you may find that you want to increase or decrease your communications for any given social network, or change the time of day you send Twitter or Facebook updates and so on.<\/p>\n
And how you\u2019ll track the success of these adjustments relies on how you monitor your social media efforts, which also requires scheduling. Some questions to ponder are:<\/p>\n
- \n
- How often will you check in on tracking your metrics so that you can tweak the strategy?<\/li>\n
- Do some campaigns and channels require a faster response to the data discovered in tracking?<\/li>\n
- How will the data and your decisions affect the social media calendar?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Plan Out Your Social Media Calendar<\/h2>\n
Now that you know which platforms you\u2019re focusing on and the tasks they require, lay out your daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly objectives for each of your social media channels.<\/p>\n
To put it into perspective, organizing your social media schedule may look something like this:<\/p>\n
Social Media Channels<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- Twitter<\/li>\n
- Facebook<\/li>\n
- Blog<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Social Media Elements<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- Tasks<\/li>\n
- Timing<\/li>\n
- Tracking<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Daily Tasks<\/strong><\/p>\n
Decide what part of the day is best for you to focus on the daily requirements of social media. If you don\u2019t commit to a timeline, chances are social media will feel overwhelming and induce serious ADD. If your early mornings and late afternoons are the quietest, try working your social media in then.<\/p>\n
Weekly Tasks<\/strong><\/p>\n
What part of the work week makes most sense for you to complete the weekly tasks in your social media plan? Is it Monday? Maybe Friday? Set yourself up for success here. You want prioritize social media like you do all your \u201cto dos\u201d for the week.<\/p>\n
Monthly Tasks<\/strong><\/p>\n
Here, you\u2019ll decide at what point in the month is the best time to do monthly updates. I happen to like the first of the month, unless a certain industry event warrants an \u201coff\u201d date. If you have a blog calendar, this is also a good time to do that in conjunction. (Side note: for more information on how to keep fully engaged with your blog community weekly, read my post on managing blog relationships and time<\/a>.)<\/p>\n
Once you\u2019ve got it all planned out, it\u2019s time to add it to the calendar that\u2019s in your line of vision every day, so it doesn\u2019t slip. \u00a0Here’s a sample of what a social media schedule might look like:<\/p>\n