We’ve covered a lot here in 2022, on the blog and socials, and we’re already looking forward to 2023. So this one is the big how-to for your social media in 2023, drawing in a lot of what we have already learnt.
A campaign per quarter
Unlock the key to social media success in 2023 by starting with an audit of your success in 2022. First, remind yourself what worked for your business and what needs tweaking for the year ahead. Then, think about your campaigns. We recommend four full campaigns a year, that is, a campaign per quarter. What have you got planned that might make a good campaign? For example, are you launching an online course, running a full-day workshop, having a seasonal sale, or adding a new product? These four campaigns will form the basis of your social media planning for the year.
Example:
Rose is a hairdresser. Her campaigns include:
- Spring: Promotional offer to prepare your hair for summer – free protective treatment.
- Summer: Back-to-school braiding workshop for Dads and Daughters.
- Autumn: Promotion for new salon – she’s moving into new premises on the 1st of June.
- Winter: Awareness campaign for new premises.
Plan the content of your social media in 2023
Planning your content for an entire year combines campaigns, key dates, and the four pillars of social media marketing – education, inspiration, entertainment, and sales. Your overall calendar might look something like this example:
You’ll see that it includes school holidays for posts to remind parents to book a few weeks in advance and prominent days like International Women‘s Day (a personal favourite of mine) because it resonates with their brand and is a great motivational day for them. And, of course, the Opalex Hairdresser Appreciation Day – what better way for our hairdresser hypothetical to get in front of a broader audience than remembering to tag @opalex that day with a #hairdresserappreciation picture showcasing how they use the opalex products in the salon!
There are some great websites available, wherever you are, that collate key dates like this that can be of assistance. I find https://www.ourcommunity.com.au/calendar/#01Jan2023 is really helpful for more obscure options – including ‘Kiss a Ginger Day’ if that’s your thing!
Tags and hashtags should be a key part of your social media strategy to introduce yourself to new businesses and get in front of new audiences. These are part of your brand awareness building and relevant to almost everything you share.
Content ideas
Now that you know what your year will look like, you can start creating. Do this as often as it feels right to you. I like to plan a month in advance because it’s an effective use of time blocking while remaining flexible enough to adjust to new trends or events that arise without losing planned content.
Just as you balance out your content pillars, consider your sales funnel too. With every post, ask yourself which part of your audience you are targeting and what action you would like them to take. Every post has a purpose – including staying present in the minds of your audience.
As to ideas for actual content, the powers at Instagram keep favouring reels, so don’t forget to use them. Think behind-the-scenes shares, true/false industry polls, reframing customer pain points to close the deal, or a simple pre-recorded video sharing your newest offers. Trending audio and content styles can help keep you ranking high among the competition too.
NOTE ON CTAs
Every post should encourage some form of action that draws your reader further into your sales funnel. Consider when posting which part of the sales funnel you are targeting – awareness (likes and comments), interest (shares – maybe to enter a competition), decision (DM me with questions/click here for my best offer), action (buy here).
Planning should save you time and stress, but I know it’s not for everyone, and that’s ok. If you don’t have time or inclination to plan your social media for a year, at least plan your four campaigns so you have a focus each season, rather than just jumping in when you have the urge! Or hire me, and I can do that for you 😉
