If you’re just getting started on social media or are in the thick of it and could use some help getting organized then keep on reading. There’s a saying, ‘Why reinvent the wheel when you can steal it?’ This is especially the case when you’re feeling inundated with projects or just need a good place to start or in some instances, the processes or templates you have just aren’t effective. I know sometimes I wish I could just push everything off my workspace clear, but it’s probably better that we save those moments for the movies.
It’s always good to have templates and basic guides in your social tool belt. Now keep in mind that having a template doesn’t mean it’s all going to be quick and easy. Depending on the task at hand you will need to put in some time and effort, which will pay off in the end. It may take a bit more of your time in the beginning but after a while, it will all become second nature.
That being said, I decided to focus on the following areas because they provide a solid foundation for getting started or aide in re-aligning your social program.
Social Media Audit
Whether you are new to the social media scene or have an established presence it is always good to conduct an audit of your business. After all, you need to protect your brand and part of that include its digital presence. Here are a couple of templates with guidelines on how to conduct an audit.
Editorial Calendar
At the risk of sounding a bit too cliche, ‘Content is King’, but hey it’s true. Majority of your success will rely heavily on tailoring your content to your audience and ensuring you are leveraging the appropriate channel. You should be leveraging everything you learned from your social media audit now and get your content organized. Here’s a list of a few helpful calendar templates.
As you can see, templates are not a one size fits all. It’s also good to keep in mind that it takes a few rounds of using templates to get used to them. Therefore, let’s set some reasonable expectations here. Consider these as cookie cutter templates but you hold the scalpel and have the ability to make it what you want. If you like a feature in one template that isn’t in the other one, then you combine them. Just remember our purpose is to increase effectiveness and efficiency in executing your social media program.
Now that we’ve covered a couple of useful templates let’s talk guides. Some of the templates above included use guides and link to the blogs, which I think are still great reads that help expand your way of thinking or approaching a situation. Below are a few more guides that I also find to be very useful.
Social Media Image Sizes
SproutSocial’s up to date guide on image sizing is a great resource to bookmark. What would make it more complete is if it included ad sizes versus keeping those on separate docs or blogs like the blog for Facebook ads. Either way, it is still worth sharing with other stakeholders like your designer or agency.
Then there are Shortstack’s pdf templates for LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter image sizes, which includes ad specs for each of the platforms and is quite handy. The only thing I’m not sure about is how often they update this pdf.
Social Media Style Guide
Didn’t even think about something like this until I came across Coschedule’s blog, This Is How To Write For Social Media To Create The Best Posts. I think the guide provides a good framework to get any business aligned with their content development for social.
Well, that’s all for now. If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the information (I know I was during my research) then I recommend prioritizing what your immediate need is and start there. Do not try to do everything all at once as you will just set yourself up for failure.
Want me to check out some other tools or guides? Then provide them in the comment section below and I’ll be sure to take a look. In the meantime, let me know if this blog was helpful by commenting below.