Getting more organized as a social marketer isn’t just about clearing screenshots off your desktop and putting your bookmarks in order. It’s about making space, thinking ahead, and prioritizing more effectively for your role and your business.
The 2018 Social Metrics Map
It’s about being intentional, rather than reactive—and taking the time to make your life a whole lot easier and your process a whole lot smoother in the long run.
Here are five ways you can become a more organized—and successful—social marketer.
1. What Went Right (and Wrong) Before?
Start with the data. Take a look at the activity, engagement, engagement rate, audience growth, and web traffic from your owned profiles for the past year. Which campaigns, themes, posts, and messages have resonated most with your audience?
#gallery-1 input[type=’radio’]:checked:nth-of-type(1) ~ .gallery-arrow:nth-of-type(2),#gallery-1 input[type=’radio’]:checked:nth-of-type(2) ~ .gallery-arrow:nth-of-type(3),#gallery-1 input[type=’radio’]:checked:nth-of-type(3) ~ .gallery-arrow:nth-of-type(4),#gallery-1 input[type=’radio’]:checked:nth-of-type(4) ~ .gallery-arrow:nth-of-type(1){display: block;}
#gallery-1 input[type=’radio’]:checked:nth-of-type(1) ~ .gallery-arrow:nth-of-type(4),#gallery-1 input[type=’radio’]:checked:nth-of-type(2) ~ .gallery-arrow:nth-of-type(1),#gallery-1 input[type=’radio’]:checked:nth-of-type(3) ~ .gallery-arrow:nth-of-type(2),#gallery-1 input[type=’radio’]:checked:nth-of-type(4) ~ .gallery-arrow:nth-of-type(3){display: block; -webkit-transform: scaleX(-1); transform: scaleX(-1);}
#gallery-1 input[type=’radio’]:checked:nth-of-type(1) ~ .gallery-pagination label:nth-of-type(1),#gallery-1 input[type=’radio’]:checked:nth-of-type(2) ~ .gallery-pagination label:nth-of-type(2),#gallery-1 input[type=’radio’]:checked:nth-of-type(3) ~ .gallery-pagination label:nth-of-type(3),#gallery-1 input[type=’radio’]:checked:nth-of-type(4) ~ .gallery-pagination label:nth-of-type(4){background-color: rgb(63, 93, 169); cursor: default; -webkit-animation: pulseBounce .3s; animation: pulseBounce .3s;}
Make a clear list of what’s worked, and how you will replicate this success in the coming year. Then make a list of what you experimented with and what didn’t work, so you have a solid list of Don’ts to guide your planning as well.
2. Plan *Way* Ahead
Start planning farther ahead than you typically do. Plan your content calendar a couple weeks in advance today!
Tack a few more weeks on to your plan-ahead schedule, and set placeholders for content you don’t have yet but know you’ll want to publish.
3. Know What You’re Looking For
Put together a clear measurement framework for your goals. Use the OKR method.
Reevaluate your OKRs every quarter to make sure they’re still relevant to your business’s goals and priorities.
4. Build a Report Template
Build a solid reporting template once, and you can rinse and repeat every quarter.
We suggest something like the template slide above, with extra slides as necessary to go deeper on data points, highlight your most successful campaigns, and explain your recommendations and learnings moving forward.
5. Schedule Check-Ins and Reporting Now
Goals, objectives, and KPIs don’t mean anything if you’re not checking in with them regularly. This enables you to make necessary optimizations along the way, so that you don’t reach the campaign assessment stage and realize you’ve gotten so distracted by external requests and day-to-day execution that you’ve forgotten what your priorities were in the first place.
First, set recurring events on your calendar for weekly and monthly check-ins with the data. Next, put meetings on key stakeholders’ calendars at least once a quarter to talk progress, revised priorities, and ROI. Our recent Index shows us these conversations aren’t happening enough in the social marketing industry.
Our recent Index shows us these conversations aren’t happening enough in the social marketing industry.
How do you stay organized as a social marketer? Let us know over on the @SproutSocial Twitter handle.
Achieve Goals You Never Thought Possible 4X Faster
