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You may have a social media strategy, a few posts planned out, and an idea of where you would like to take your plan in the future, but how well have you organized your strategy? Truth be told, it can be extremely difficult to manage which of your posts will go out on what date, and which content you’ll focus on throughout the year to maximize your results. With the help of a social media calendar, you’re able to neatly organize your posts for an entire month, or even an entire quarter, relieving much of the stress that comes with planning. In this blog, we’ll discuss some powerful tools that you can use to schedule posts, best practices when strategizing, and the benefits of having a social media calendar!
When it comes to posting on a variety of social media channels, you’re going to need to plan what to post and when to post it. If you use two or more social media platforms regularly, the possibility of being overwhelmed is very high without a plan. In our experience, creating a calendar for social media posts is an effective strategy when planning out the month. (Curious on what platforms to use? Read more on that here)
A social media calendar is almost identical to a regular calendar, but instead of appointments or birthdays listed, you’re going to list which social media posts will go out for that month. Using a digital calendar or a template can be helpful because it’s important to include the wording for the post, the photo that will go with the post, as well as any hashtags that may be applicable. On some days, you may have 3 or 4 posts going out that are similar, but feature different photos, increasing the need for organization through a social media calendar.
You can find a variety of calendars on the internet similar to HubSpot’s calendar or a platform like Buffer or Hootsuite, but our team recommends using a spreadsheet if you’re looking to be as organized as possible without allocating a huge budget towards premium scheduling platforms. Using a spreadsheet allows several members of a team to access the document simultaneously to create content. Spreadsheets also allow for easy manipulation of social postings and schedules for posts. Then once your calendar is approved to be posted you can use the power of high value scheduling platforms to lay out your future posts so that you don’t have to be on your phone posting every day!
Although social media posts are an excellent way to generate attention, you don’t want to generate the wrong kind of attention. The world of counseling and therapy is very private and clients often don’t want you sharing anything that identifies them as being a client, understandably.
So, how do you share content on social media without getting in trouble with the law? Well, you have to remain cautious before making a post and ask yourself a series of questions that qualifies content to go out for posting.
Does this post include a photo of one of my clients or someone who is receiving services from another practice? Am I remembering to not mention any names when referring to past clients? Have I made sure not to create any postings on social media that require users to RSVP with their profile publicly? These are just some of the questions that you’ll have to consider when sharing things on social media!
Even though there are many ways to get into trouble with posting, that doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t be active on these platforms. If you choose to avoid using them, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity for business! We recommend combing over resources from regulatory bodies and laws such as HIPAA Social Media Rules to obtain a better understanding of what's allowed and what isn’t.
Once you’ve created a calendar that you can utilize on a monthly basis to push out social media content, the process becomes much easier. Although a social media calendar is extremely useful, developing the calendar can be challenging. If you’re in need of professional advice or assistance with creating an effective strategy, you can contact Theory About That for help! Our team can provide the knowledge and experience your practice or center needs to develop a powerful social media marketing strategy.
