How to Create an Effective Social Media Marketing Plan for 2022

Whenever a new year comes around we like to plan ahead for the next 12 months. If you’re a marketer, then having a social media plan is essential. You might ask,what should a social media plan include?” Well, we’ve got you covered. We’re going to dive into how to create a social media marketing plan that will set you up for success in 2022. 

Here are five steps on how to create an effective, time-saving social media marketing plan:

#1. Break it Down

To develop a strong content strategy, you have to start by breaking down important dates for your business. Things like product launches, sales, anniversaries, and promotions are a great place to start. Map these out first. Why? Because then you can plan the messaging around these important dates to build excitement. If you have a product announcement coming up, you’ll want to let your followers know and get them anticipating the launch. And, you’ll want to make sure you’re building excitement on the right social media marketing platforms.

#2. Fill in the Blanks

Once you have your significant dates mapped out, now it’s time to fill in the blanks. You can pull ideas from the National Holiday Calendar or events around the world or in your community. Make sure to include events and topics that make sense for your brand. You don’t want to use confusing messaging. Use things that are going to engage your followers and prompt conversations. 

#3. Leave Room for User-Generated Content

On your content calendar, leave dates open for user-generated content. Content your followers or other relevant accounts post that you can re-share to your own profile. Make sure you have permission before you post! If you’re a product-based company, this is a great way to show how your customers react to and use your product. If you’re a service-based company, you’ll want to post examples of your work or testimonials through your clients. If you have a brand-specific hashtag, make sure you monitor it for even more opportunities to re-share.

social media marketing plan. Develop an Audience.
An effective social media marketing plan involves developing an audience.

#4. Add Inspiration to Your Feed

A few times per month, it’s good to add some motivation and inspiration for your followers. This is an excellent opportunity to post quotes and bits of wisdom from your favourite leaders or poets or something that your team comes up with. Social media can be filled with depressing news and information, so aim to be a go-to account for a mix of education, inspiration, and business-driven content.

#5. Hop on the Trend Train

While you don’t want all of your content to be trend-focused, you want to stay relevant. Leaving room on your calendar to be in the moment and to hop on trends will keep your page fresh; you could even attract new followers. So long as what’s trending makes sense for the tone and style of your brand, this is a great strategy. You don’t want to come across as insincere or spammy, so find a good balance of staying on top of what makes sense.

Now that you have a solid plan to map out your content strategy for the year, the biggest, and most important step, is to plan it out in advance. Save yourself the stress of trying to get everything done the day before and use a scheduler to get ahead. Sure, there are some things you can’t plan for, so be prepared to change direction as needed. But, the more ahead you are, the more you can spend time on other essential business tasks. Creating content can be daunting and time-consuming. Having a plan in place will make you feel more in control of your online presence, and you’ll see great results by staying consistent.

Need help developing a social media marketing plan? Send us a message to see how we can take your content strategy to the next level.