How Radio is Relevant to Marketing and Advertising

Unlike popular belief—video did not kill the radio star. In fact, radio isn’t as outdated as the giant metal box with an antenna in your attic. It’s one of the oldest mediums that’s managed to survive technological revolutions throughout the decades. Radio is the highest-reaching platform with over 243 million American adults listening to the radio each month. This includes a diverse population of Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers that still consume radio regularly. The best part? It’s relatively cheap to advertise to local consumers.

It’s cross-generational.

Close out of Facebook and tune into this: radio is an active medium with an active society. The radio is always present when you’re running an errand, studying for an exam or trying to finish a deadline at the office. Consumers can open their smartphone, lab top, or tablet and can access their favorite local radio talk show at any time.

It’s geographically tailored.

Radio is as unique as the city it’s broadcasting in. Listeners from California could be tuned into the same station as those in New York and hear completely different stations tailored to completely different audiences. This local factor is the driving force that has kept radio alive for all these decades. No other medium can reach such a broad cross-section of customers as radio can. People trust local news over national because it comes from trusted sources in your community that convey relevant information pertaining to your town. Consumers enjoy shopping local for the benefit of keeping money circulated in the community, which makes local radio advertisements effective.

It’s powerful.

Promoting an advertisement does not always guarantee your audience will hear what you’re trying to sell. The radio allows your voice to be the front page of the paper. Radio stirs emotions and creates empathy, and ultimately drives consumers demand for a certain product or service. Besides, who doesn’t like a little mystery in their life? Radio lets you explore your imagination. Without a face to the voice, consumers paint their own desired picture.

Lastly, it’s a way to be creative.

Did I mention how much fun it can be to create an ad on the radio? Everyone can recall a catchy radio ad they hear often, which is what makes creating that tune so entertaining. Your message could be funny, touching, or romantic, but make sure its memorable. Consumers can scan over small details of an advertisement online or in print, but on the radio, they take in the entirety. Keeping radio advertisements memorable and consistent is an inexpensive way to market to your audience.

January 14, 2019

Utilizing Personas to Reach Your Target Audience

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if your company could target and attract everyone as a customer? Every single person? It’s not realistic. This is where target audiences come into play. Not every consumer is interested in every product. People have different needs, wants, goals, circumstances and limitations. Of course, businesses still need to make profits, which requires consumers. Identifying your target audiences will allow you to target the more profitable customers in a strategic way.

Target Audiences

Before you can create personas, you must understand what a target audience really is. A target audience is a group of people that will most likely be interested in the services or products that your business provides. Start with a series of questions. First, who would benefit the most from what you are selling? What problems do you solve for your consumers? How do you stand out in comparison to your competitors??

The process of answering these questions will help you identify your target audience. Depending on your product, you might not have to be specific. If you sell a common household item like toothpaste or soap, you may appeal to much of the population while providing very little education about your product. You will need to set yourself apart from competing brands. However, some target audiences are more specific. For example, if you sell women’s pantsuits, you’ll want to target 20 to 55-year-old women with professional careers or professional career goals. Depending on the price point of your products, you could also select your ideal customer by salary, location, etc.

Customer Personas

When creating a customer persona, it’s important to begin with data. Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, Twitter Analytics, or any website analytics can help with this. Other resources could include email lists, social media following or any lead data that your company has. From here you will identify common trends within the data. These consistencies will help you create your customer personas.

Creating the Persona

There are many different types of people that require many different types of products. It is commonly recommended to create 3-5 personas for your business. Once you have identified the trends within your data, you can lay out more specific details about your personas. This information will include age, gender, salary, location, education and job title or category of the persona. The category may include “moms,” “executive,” “student,” etc. Matching them with a stock photo will take this persona a step further. The photo is meant to keep you on track for who you are marketing for.

Next, you will infer their goals and circumstances. This includes personal or professional goals, challenges, values, fears, family life, company culture, hobbies and household income. Why does this step matter? Well, imagine you are selling stain-resistant furniture. Women are typically the decision maker when it comes to household furniture. Knowing if she has a pet or small child in her home would be important to know. She is likely a better customer than a senior couple purchasing furniture for a second home.

It’s okay if your data has gaps. Use educated guesses to fill them and complete the personas. Below is an example of a built-out persona, and you can find more visual examples here.

Using the Persona

Once you finish your 3-5 personas, you will want to utilize them as if they were a part of your marketing team. Where would they get information? What messages would appeal to them? What messages wouldn’t? As you build out your marketing strategy, you should keep these ideal personas in mind to ensure that you’re staying on track to target them.

This sounds like a lot of work, but it can be fun to create the ideal customer in this manner. You will be surprised how attached you become to them and how well you come to know them.

December 17, 2018

Pink Tax: The price of being a woman

Early in my college years, when I started making my own money and paying for my own necessities, I quickly learned that men’s disposable razors were cheaper than the pink ones designed for women. “What’s the difference?” I asked myself one day and grabbed a pack of blue razors. Guess what: THEY WORKED THE SAME.

via GIPHY

Women are annually paying about $1,351 more than men on products and services of similar value. If you don’t think you are part of the population falling prey to marketers’ attempts at making more money off you, purely because you’re a woman… think again. This ranges from the dreaded trip to the auto mechanic, to dry cleaning services, personal care items, and even TOYS. Why? Because they can, and because it is working.

Pink tax. Chick tax. Whatever you call it, it literally costs more to be a female consumer in today’s world, and when you think about how women make about 80.5 cents to every dollar men make (a 20 percent pay gap), it becomes an even worse phenomenon.

The website, Ax the Pink Tax, has a calculator where you can enter your date of birth and it will compute how much extra money you – and your parents in the case of toys and children’s clothing – have spent on this Pink Tax. I’m 26; here’s my estimate:

Just to hammer this point a little further, here are some things I could have done with $36,131:

A four-year degree at the University of Iowa for an in-state resident is about $37,968. A four-year degree for an in-state resident at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is $30,668.
A 2018 Lexus NX costs about $36, 735.
The average cost of a wedding in the U.S. is $33,391. You could even spring for the prettier venue or the more expensive photographer.
An employee making $16.82 per hour is making about $35,000 per year.
A 2-week trip to Europe – for two – can be taken eight times (according to this blogger’s budget).
228 pairs of the most expensive Lululemon Athletica workout leggings (another pricing fiasco for another blog).

There have been casual attempts by the government to fight unfair price discrimination, such as California’s threat of a minimum fine of $1,000 for businesses who charge women more. This was passed in 1996, and that amount of money is not the scary threat needed to make a change.

The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs did a study in 2015 entitled, “From Cradle to Cane: The Cost of Being a Female Consumer.” In this study, they compared nearly 800 products with a clear “boy” or “girl” version to see the disparities in pricing between the two.

The study found that pink products and services were, on average, 7% more expensive than blue. Additionally, “In all but five of the 35 product categories analyzed, products for female consumers were priced higher than those for male consumers. Across the sample, DCA found that women’s products cost more 42 percent of the time while men’s products cost more 18 percent of the time.”

via GIPHY

(For the sake of reporting truthful statistics, I decided to directly quote the previous statement so nobody thinks I made up such a ridiculous number.)

When broken down into categories, females are paying 7 percent more for toys and accessories, 4 percent more for children’s clothing, 8 percent more for adult clothing, 13 percent more for female care products and 8 percent more for senior/home health care products.

The study included a few of the compared items:

Now that your blood is significantly boiling, let’s talk about how we can avoid this blatant discrimination.

First of all, do your homework. I know you read 36 online reviews before buying a new Bluetooth speaker or set of kitchen utensils. Bring those sleuthing skills over to your everyday life. It might be a bit of work up front but imagine what you could do with that extra $1,351 each year. Look around for the best price for dry cleaning and talk to a car mechanic you trust.

Another tactic to sneak around this tax is to buy the “men’s” version. I’m telling you, a razor is a razor. The only real differentiator is the number of blades and boy, does a 5-blader give you smoother legs than two.

Finally, in some cases, there may be no way around buying the more expensive female-directed products. When this happens, many consumers have found luck airing their grievances on Twitter and bringing the problem to light. (Companies do not like being in the wrong light.) Keep sharing these injustices with friends and other networks, and maybe even start a website to share unfair price comparisons, like this French site.

Plaid Swan is a women-owned marketing communications firm operating out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The firm represents clients across the United States in public relations, media planning, social and digital media, graphic design and strategic planning. Visit us online at PlaidSwan.com or on our social media channels as @PlaidSwan. Lines are meant to be crossed.

Emily Bettridge

Content Strategist

emily@plaidswan.com

November 19, 2018

10 Marketing terms you need to know

The world of marketing can be a complex realm for many people. It’s easy to get confused, especially when seasoned marketers are throwing around terms that might be foreign to you. The following terms can be helpful for many professionals, whether you’re freshly into your marketing career or an experienced executive looking to expand your marketing efforts.

1. B2B

This stands for Business-to-Business and is an adjective used to describe companies that sell goods or services to other businesses. Plaid Swan is a B2B organization because we help other businesses reach their customers or clients through marketing communication services, such as advertising, public relations, social media, and more.

2. B2C

B2C stands for Business-to-Consumer and is an adjective used to describe companies that sell directly to consumers. Perhaps you’re reading this blog on an Apple iPhone or wearing some Nike tennis shoes. Both Apple and Nike are B2C companies. Consumers purchase products directly from them.

3. Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing refers to marketing activities that draw visitors in, rather than marketers having to go out to get the attention of potential consumers/clients. Inbound marketing is the practice of making your company easy to find online, as well as bringing your desired audience to your website to view your interesting and helpful content. By aligning your content with your customer’s interests, you will naturally attract inbound traffic.

4. Analytics

This is your company’s data. In the marketing universe, it’s important to look at the analytics of website traffic, social statistics, etc., and analyze the trends. From there, your company can develop actionable insights to make informed decisions. Analytics drive inbound marketing efforts.

5. Blogging

Blogging is a fairly popular term, and the term can refer to many different mediums today. However, it’s actually short for “web log.” Blogs can be personal platforms or used to represent a business, like this one. Blogs can contain basic information, photos, opinions, event summaries and more. Blogging is at the core of inbound marketing, as it can generate website traffic growth, thought leadership and leads.

Business blogging retains all the attributes of “regular” blogging and typically involves marketing strategy as well. One unique thing about business blogs is that it helps to position a company as an expert in their field, just like fashion blogs are reputable sources for the hottest trends and newest clothing choices. Business blogs are also typically actionable, leading readers to check out a video, leave a comment, or reach out for more information about the topic or the company’s services.

6. Editorial Calendar

An editorial calendar is essentially a set of directions for content creation. It includes information about which topics to cover, how often to publish, and exactly the day and time the content will be posted (especially in the case of social media). As with other calendars, they are designed to keep you organized and show any areas that may be lacking in your content library. It also keeps you on track with the topics you’re covering and helps avoid repetitive content.

7. Content and Context

These terms have been paired together because they go hand-in-hand. Content is a piece of information that exists for the purpose of being understood, engaged with, and ideally shared with others on social media platforms, blogs, articles, blogs, videos and more.

While posting valuable content is a necessity, ensuring that it’s customized for the right audience is equally important. For example, a social media post is going to reach a different audience than a column in a business newspaper, so using context appropriate for each different audience is important to make sure the correct message is received.

8. Landing Page

A landing page is a website page that contains forms or other data collecting strategies to be used for lead generation. Often times something is offered in exchange for lead information, such as a webinar or other resource.

9. Call-to-Action

Also referred to as CTA’s, these can be a text link, button, image, or some type of web link that encourages a website visitor to go to a landing page. Examples include: “Subscribe Now” or “Learn More.” CTA’s are beneficial for marketers because they entice a website visitor to go further, and ideally become a lead.

10. Rates

Clickthrough Rate

Also referred to as CTR, this is the percentage of your audience that clicks from one part of your website to the next. In terms of an equation:

Conversion Rate

The percentage of people who completed a desired action on a single web page, such as filling out a form or watching an entire video. Pages with high conversion rates are performing well, while pages with low conversion rates are performing poorly. In terms of an equation:

Bounce Rate

The percentage of people who land on a page on your website and then leave without clicking on anything else or navigating to any other pages on your site. A high bounce rate leads to poor conversion rates because no one is staying on your site long enough to read your content or convert elsewhere on your page. In terms of an equation:

Hopefully these 10 common terms are helpful to you in your marketing endeavors. However, this is not even the tip of the marketing term iceberg. For more great terminology like HTML, Key Performance Indicator, and Return on Investment, check out this awesome HubSpot page or reach out to our in-house experts to help you achieve your marketing goals.

September 10, 2018

Nike: Making waves since ‘88

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the “Just Do It” campaign, and from the very first ad, Nike has been addressing social issues. The first spot was a nod to ageism, with 80-year-old Walt Stack showing off his dedication to running, boasting his daily 17-mile run and the fact that he leaves his teeth in his locker during winter runs.

In 1993, Nike released a commercial with basketball player Charles Barkley. The focus was that just because he’s an athlete, it doesn’t mean he’s a role model for kids. This was released during a time when it was extremely popular for athletes to be kid-friendly and pose as role models.

In 2009, Nike featured Tiger Woods in a commercial featuring a voiceover of Woods’ deceased father asking him if he learned anything. This was right after his car accident and affair scandal, which was followed by his divorce after 7 years of marriage.

In 2010, Nike did a commercial with Lebron James, where he was asking “what should I do?” and saying “I’m not a robot,” in response to angry Cleveland fans who weren’t supportive of his decision to go to the Miami Heat.

And now, in 2018, it should be no surprise that they’ve featured Colin Kaepernick in their most recent advertisement, who has become widely known for protesting police brutality and racial inequality last year. When he began kneeling for the national anthem, he fueled a variety of reactions from the public.

Some were purely angry and questioned patriotism. President Trump called out the NFL, telling them to handle it. Others praised Kaepernick for using his platform as a professional athlete to bring awareness to things that matter. Many athletes joined him in his efforts, kneeling and speaking out about these social issues.

Today, Nike’s strategy is being questioned. President Trump even tweeted saying, “I wonder if they had any idea that it would be this way?” (In reference to Nike’s campaign decisions.) OF COURSE THEY DID, MR. PRESIDENT. In fact, the ad generated an estimated $43 million in buzz for Nike in a single day.

Nike has been doing this for YEARS. It’s brilliant. Not only are they trending, but they are doing what many of us are scared to do: publicly involving themselves in controversial social movements. But, whether you agree or disagree with what’s being said, if you’re talking about it, Nike is winning.

July 16, 2018

4 New LinkedIn Features to Bring You Up To Speed

When you log into LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional networking platform, it may not look like much has changed since last month. However, LinkedIn has added four new features within this short timeframe. With options such as page translations and carousel advertisements, taking advantage of these updates will help any user stay ahead on this platform.

Amidst these changes, their number of users has grown by more than 95 million members since the third quarter of 2016, bringing the number of users on LinkedIn worldwide to 562 million.

With the release of a multitude of new features, this past month alone has been a game of catchup for novice users and marketers alike. Let’s dive into the biggest changes to the site and how marketers and users should be taking advantage of them to use the site to its full potential.

Kudos

According to LinkedIn, seven out of 10 employees who receive appreciation for their work give better remarks about their jobs. LinkedIn Kudos creates a fun and easy way to show appreciation for others in the professional community.

This feature is appropriate for large corporations or local agencies. Use one of the 10 Kudos categories to give a shout out to someone who made your day brighter or made your workload lighter. Tag the co-worker you are recognizing so they receive a notification and see it in their feed.

Photo courtesy of LinkedIn.

Native QR Codes

Shortly after the Kudos feature, LinkedIn introduced a simple way to find the profile of someone you meet and connect on-the-spot. In your LinkedIn app, click the 4-grid icon on the right of the search bar to access your code and to scan other codes. Scan the photo below to test this feature.

With this addition of native QR codes, gone are the days of requesting business cards or asking how to spell others’ names. While attending conferences or networking events, open the LinkedIn app and scan their QR code to stay in touch. Now any user can connect and build their professional community in and out of the office. To continue your offline conversations online, consider putting your personal or your company’s LinkedIn QR code on brochures, event materials, on your website, on lanyards or in your email signature.

Post Translations

LinkedIn has also presented a way to connect with people from all corners of the globe. Keep in touch and understand all the conversations happening in your LinkedIn feed with the new “See Translation” feature.

If you and your colleagues make a connection with clients who live in another country or people you meet at global industry events, speaking different languages will no longer be a barrier when trying to maintain meaningful professional relationships. It is important to have conversations on the topics you care about, and it shouldn’t matter where you are in the world.

Photo courtesy of LinkedIn.

Carousel Advertisements

Finally, LinkedIn has continued the evolution of their Sponsored Content. Native carousel ads help humanize B2B marketing efforts and generate a deeper connection with your audience. Carousel ads are an advertising option that allows up to 10 images that can be scrolled through horizontally. They allow businesses to tell a more in-depth story, showcase multiple offerings at once or share industry insights.

Carousel ads can be used to make fun and informative campaigns for businesses to tell stories, give life to products and services, explain their industry and more. With the ability to feature multiple visuals at a time, brands can tell a deeper story about their product or service than a single image or post could convey.

What’s Next For LinkedIn?

As LinkedIn continues to add these forward-thinking features to their platform, marketers should keep an eye on where their audience is spending their time. As the number of active users increases in its next quarterly report, it may be worthwhile to invest more resources in running campaigns and creating more content for the site.

Until more features are released, click around the platform and experiment with these additions. Don’t forget to check your engagement to see if your audience has spent more time with you on LinkedIn.

Amanda Wymore is the Social Media Coordinator
at Plaid Swan, working out of the Cedar Rapids
office. For inquiries about our services, including
social media, contact us today!

June 4, 2018

Is your website keeping up with the ever-changing times?

Life moves fast, and so should your webpage. Keep up! I know, it’s definitely not as easy as it sounds with the internet constantly evolving and new trends constantly appearing on the horizon, but if you put your best mouse forward, you can stay ahead and keep up with the times. So, are you able to keep your web presence alive by providing an experience that is accessible for everyone?

Mobile-friendly

One very quick answer to this question is to visit your site through your smartphone browser. Can you navigate or even see your website? Do you know where to look for the menu or any of your important pages?

If the answer to any of these questions is “no,” then you’re in trouble! According to recent research, website traffic via mobile devices is steadily increasing from year to year, with 57% of web traffic coming from mobile in 2016, to 63% in 2017.

Since well over half of your web traffic is going to come from a mobile device, it is extremely important to make sure your website is designed with multiple devices in mind, from desktop to smartphone or tablet. This is called “responsive” design and means that your website will detect the type of device your audience is using, and adjust accordingly.

Content

Search engines like fresh content and customers like visually appealing content. These work hand in hand if you’re checking your website regularly! If you haven’t looked at your own website in over six months, chances are you’ll need a redesign.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is critical when it comes to where your website ranks in search engine results. It is important to regularly add fresh, keyword driven content to your website in order to continue to rank on the first page of a web search for those specific keywords. A great way to address this issue is to start a blog that is updated at least monthly. (Trust me, there’s always something to write about!)

In terms of visual appeal, it’s a digital world and website creation is at anyone’s fingertips. If you have the money to spare, work with someone who specializes in web design to ensure your website is modern and functional. If not, there are plenty of resources where you can quickly build simple websites for very little cost, such as Squarespace and Wix.

Why is having a web presence important?

Having some real estate online, even if it’s just an up-to-date Facebook page, is vital to any sized business in this day and age. People yearn for instant gratification, and the web is at everyone’s fingertips at any time thanks to smartphones and tablets. We live in an era dominated by online shopping and Yelp reviews, and if you aren’t a quick Google search away from a potential customer, you’re losing business to those who are.

Additionally, having a website gives your business credibility and allows customers around-the-clock access to your information. If a customer can’t find your business during an insomnia-induced internet binge at 1 a.m., chances are they will find a competitor that will have the information and services they need.

Aside from just having a web presence, it’s important to make sure your page loads quickly. In fact, according to research, just a one-second delay in page load time yields 11 percent fewer page views, a 16 percent decrease in customer satisfaction, and a seven percent loss in conversions.

Having an old webpage is so last year!

With a little effort, you can have a web page that accurately portrays your organization and attracts the right customers. By giving it a little attention on a regular basis, you can ensure your web rankings will stay high and customers will be coming through your virtual door.

If you need help bringing your website into the modern era, or just need some help with a few things, like blogging or maintenance, send us a message!

May 7, 2018

Six things you should know about Generation Z

Millennials have been a central focus of marketers for some time. It’s no surprise given the size of the generation and the fact that roughly $30 trillion in assets will be transferred to Millennials and Gen Xers from their Baby Boomer parents over the next few decades. That’s some serious spending power. But slowly creeping up behind Millennials is Generation Z, an even larger, more diverse group who bears some similarities to their predecessors but for the most part is quite different.

There is much debate (much like any generational group) about what years it starts and stops. Most people agree the generation starts somewhere around the 1995 timeframe. Here is a quick by-the-numbers snapshot:

With the oldest of this generation just starting to graduate college and enter the workforce, businesses are starting to turn their attention to this group in order to understand how to shift their leadership style, recruitment efforts, and marketing tactics to stay relevant.

After doing some research on this group, we’ve compiled six traits you should consider when you are working on your next campaign or preparing your office culture for the new generation.

Short attention span

This generation has grown up in a time when they have any piece of information you can imagine at their fingertips. They have never known a world without access to high-speed internet and social media, and with apps like Snapchat, they are accustomed to processing information faster. They tend to communicate with images, emojis and limited words.

Fiscally cautious

Members of Gen Z are more fiscally conscious than their Millennial counterparts. They have grown up during a time of global recession, war and terrorism, which makes them more cautious in their spending decisions. Things like dwindling social security have also made this generation more proactive in planning for their futures. One study by Lincoln Financial Group of a group of 15- to 19-year old people found that they are saving earlier than generations that came before: 60 percent already had a savings account and 71 percent stated they were focused on saving for the future.

Early career starters

Their fiscally cautious trait brings us to this next point. More Gen Z-ers are opting to go straight to the workforce out of high school and either pursue an education online or none at all. They have grown up in a time when they have seen their parents and their predecessor generation (Millennials) struggle to manage massive student loan debt while coming out of college in a post-recession era. They are more likely to be realistic and with so many affordable options available now, they are not taking traditional routes. For example, 64 percent of Gen Z-ers are considering advanced degrees, compared to 71 percent of Millennials.

Entrepreneurial

This generation is extremely entrepreneurial. Gen Z grew up in a highly connected world and watched people like Mark Zuckerberg made his first million dollars in his early twenties. They have access to the tools and resources they need to be able to create, fundraise and launch a business at their fingertips. They desire more independent work environments and according to one study, 72 percent of teens have a desire to start their own business.

Value authenticity and transparency

This is a generation who doesn’t take your word for it. They have seen big name companies succumb to scandals around privacy, lying and deceitful tactics. This generation will do their due diligence and research to make sure your actions match your message. They value a company who is authentic, transparent and unique. Brand loyalty comes second to a quality product, and this group is not afraid to switch brands if they find a higher-quality product somewhere else.

In addition, this brand places a high value on social impact. According to one survey, 60 percent want to have an impact on the world, and one our of four volunteer their time for a cause they are passionate about.

More global

This is a group that has never known an existence without social media and their ability to connect with people across the globe is limitless. It’s also one of the most diverse generations. Diversity is not seen as an important initiative, but rather as an expectation of this generation.

To wrap up…

This generation is going to be a force to be reckoned with. As they take their ideas and experiences into the workplace in the coming years, Gen Z is sure to make a difference in all aspects of business, from the way they market to the way they hire.

May 3, 2018

Phrases That Have Outlived Their Original Meanings – Reboot

Two weeks ago, Diane wrote an article on phrases that have outlived their original meaning, such as “carbon copy” and “Kodak moment.” We decided to test out exactly how outdated these terms are on a Gen Z teen – Vicki’s daughter, Ari! Check it out below, you won’t be disappointed.

April 23, 2018

Social Media: The Benefit of Utilizing Content Calendars

It’s 2018, so whether you are a local community bank, a retirement home, or a Fortune 500 company, your business should be creating and sharing content via social media platforms. I know, the thought of posting to Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Snapchat can be terrifying to someone who knows little about social media. Don’t worry! There are a few tips and tricks that can make posting social content just a tad bit easier for everyone. First things first, don’t just jump right in. Before you log into Facebook and stare at that blinking cursor, take a moment to sit down and put a strategy in place. No matter what type of business you own there is always something to post about, it just takes a little time to figure out what is best for your business.

Creating a content calendar should be your first step. A social media content calendar will help you plan and organize your content across all social media platforms. It can help you organize posts by date, time, and platform. Here are a few ways utilizing a detailed social content calendar can benefit your company:

Time– Trust me on this one. Social content calendars allow you to plan and schedule quality posts ahead of time. This way you are not scrambling last minute to find good content to share with your followers.
Consistency– Organizing your posts by platform and content help make your posts more consistent. You never want to overload one social site with content and forget about another.
Organization– Did something come up that you’d like to post last minute? With a content calendar, you can see everything that is scheduled to run, preventing you from posting two posts on the same platform at nearly the exact same time!
Visual Direction– Seeing everything laid out in front of you on a content calendar can help you see missing gaps in content. Looking at the big picture will help you to post better quality content.
Staying on Track– Getting off track or behind schedule can be easy in the world of social media. Having a content calendar that details what is being posted, when, and to what platforms can make a huge difference.
Connecting to your Audience– Planning out social content while thinking about your audience and the type of engagement you hope to receive from a post can help you to better connect with your followers.

There you have it! Take your time, put on your creative cap, and start planning. Next thing you know, you’ll have a detailed and organized social content calendar that will benefit your business long term!

-Shannon Moore, Marketing Intern

Plaid Swan is a full-service
marketing communications firm,
providing national media services to
many companies across the United States.

12 3 4 Next ›Last »