How to Plan Social Media for Your Blog (Without Going Crazy)

Writing and planning social media is, actually, kind of what I do for a living, as a content marketing coordinator. Social media is something I love and am very passionate about. But when it comes to my actual social media channels, I feel a bit like a cat in a sack. I just struggle. Give me a brand or business and I can plan, write, create assets, and schedule like a beast. 

Ask me to schedule a few tweets for my own blog (brand? business? What is this thing I'm doing?) and it's like pulling teeth. 

For a few months, I was very intense about scheduling social media: I posted several scheduled tweets a day, made graphics, wrote posts for Facebook. I got burnt out very fast. I'm not willing to pay for a scheduling software and I hate Hootsuite. Buffer is my favorite social media scheduling site, but if you want to schedule over 10 posts, you need to upgrade to a paid account. 10 posts lasts about 2-3 days on Twitter; for Facebook, that covers an entire week. So for Twitter, I was having to write and schedule every 2 or 3 days. 

Let me just say it: ugh. 

It's a lot of work and I found myself going a bit crazy. Here's what I decided to do instead of drive myself insane. 

1. Focus on just a few social media networks. 

I think Twitter works best as a casual network for me. I get more traffic if I just act like myself, instead of posting scheduled tweets to posts. Also, it's just more fun. The social media networks I put the most energy and planning into are Pinterest and Instagram. That cuts out the stress of posting on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram everyday. I do try to post on Facebook once a week, but rarely do I meet that goal. I get almost no traffic there! 

2. Do what works for you. 

When it comes to Instagram, it can feel a bit like a game. However, I find that I get the best followers & engagement when I'm authentic. To me, that includes: 

• posting cute, candid stuff in my stories
• writing longer captions 
• creating graphics
• not sticking to any one theme 

I do not like themed Instagrams, as a rule, but I am experimenting with using stock photos recently. Mostly because by the time I remember to take photos, it's 8pm at night and there is no light. That's just what works for me; others don't love it! That's ok. 

3. Don't feel like you have to do what others do. 

This is important: you'll see some things that seem to be working for others, like scheduling the same tweet over... and over... and over day after day. 

That doesn't work for me. Because I get tired and bored and don't have that level of patience, I'll admit it. What works for me are the most passive forms of social media marketing: using images and graphics that are optimized for Pinterest, Instagram, and chatting on Twitter. That's what works for me. Minimal effort, maximum output! 

For Pinterest, I highly recommend group boards; I have three group boards that I pin 5 posts to every day. Alongside my usual daily Pinning, that's all I do. (Oh and make sure to pin your new posts to Pinterest! I always forget. Hashtag-expert, right?)

4. Keep a list of ideas. 

Throughout my day, I'll often have moments of, "this would be a great post!" Or I'll see something that I think would be a pretty photo. I keep a note on my phone where I write those ideas (it's very messy). Some of them I never actually go through with, but some I do. "Planning" for me is more about having a treasure trove of ideas that I can dip into when I know I need to post something of substance. 

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How to Write Better Instagram Captions

Instagram is a social media platform that I really struggle with. I don't like themes (expect a post on this soon) and I don't really get the need to make my house, or life, or child, or self, seem perfect. Sometimes, I feel really jealous over curated Instagram profiles because it just seems to take so much work. 

One of the most challenging parts of Instagram is writing captions. Seriously, captions. I can have a good photo and a good idea. But then I'm stuck, staring at that caption box. Like, what do I put here? What works? 

I gathered up a few resources to come up with a few ideas. Here they are. 

1. Write to engage. 

This is something I struggle with. When I post photos, I try to post something I think is funny or related to the photo. But on Instagram, when it comes to getting people's attention, there is a benefit to writing something that engages other people. This is a great post on doing just that. 

2. Be brief. 

Does this feel like it is at odds with that first point? A little bit. But here's the truth: it's possible to write engaging captions, without going on for sentences. I definitely try to keep my captions two sentences or less. Although I follow some great accounts (like my friend @poesyross) who use longer captions to great effect. For more about writing with brevity, click here. 

3. Make sure to edit. 

This goes without saying: before you hit post, make sure to proofread. I've definitely hit post before write as I notice a glaring, huge typo on my post. Oops. Not the most professional looking, for sure. For more on editing for length & more, click here. 

4. Use a quote. 

Here's the thing: sometimes, there just aren't words. You have a great photo. You know what time you need to post for maximum engagement. You have everything ready. Except words. Grab your favorite (related) quote, add a question, and post it with your favorite hashtags. Easy peasy. Pinterest is a great source for great quotes. Click here to view some! 

All About My New Blogging & Social Media Plan

You may have noticed how regularly I've been posting lately.

This isn't just out of boredom (although bed rest is certainly giving me a lot of time to plan and write). I recently decided to dedicate myself more fully to my blog, to writing, and to gaining freelance writing opportunities, as well as alternate forms of income. The main readers of my blog have, until this point, been my friends & family, as well as long-time blog friends and acquaintances.

Ultimately, I want to grow my readership... without jeopardizing the parts of my blog that I love (basically, being able to write about my life). I also want to start focusing on one of my little known passions: digital marketing strategy and planning, as well as content creation. You might have noticed a few posts of that variety recently. 

This is a somewhat sudden shift in content and it can be kind of jarring. I'm trying to bridge the gap between my two, often very different blog topics. Ultimately, I want my digital marketing content to relate to all people--small business owners, other bloggers, and my friends & family (to help them understand just what, exactly, it is that I do)--and I'm hoping I can accomplish that. 

Alongside these new style of posts, I'm trying to "clean up my act" on social media. For a long time, I've dithered on social media: sometimes I'm more serious, sometimes I'm a jokester, sometimes I forget Twitter even exists for a few days. The time has come for me to buckle down and be serious. You'll see noticeable changes in my Instagram and Twitter feed. (I was hoping to make changes to Instagram this week, but after being in the hospital, it felt strange to bounce right back to posting my pre-planned content!) 

This all goes hand-in-hand with taking blogging seriously again. For a long time, I couldn't take blogging seriously because I wasn't ready again. For a long time, my blog was my life and I received too much validation through it. This time, I want to use this blog to expand my career--which means I have to be just a little bit more serious. 

Just because the direction of my blog, and social media, is changing doesn't mean I'll cut out any of the things that make people like my blog to begin with. I still want to write about lifestyle, fashion, beauty, and blogging--but alongside those posts, I want to share my expertise when it comes to writing, content creation, staying creative, and building great strategy.