SOCIAL MEDIA IS YOUR JOB, SO SET YOUR HOURS
Have a plan so it doesn't eat up your whole life
Social media can be a full-time job - if you let it become a full-time job.
Let me explain Parkinson's law; “work expands to fill the time allotted to it.”
So if your online marketing plan is just, “ehh, whenever I get to it,” great - you’re now a full time social media person.
After all, you’ve set no boundaries or limits. You get to always think about social media, and fret about if you’re doing enough, and if you should post something.
“Oh man, I haven’t posted on Facebook is weeks!”
Instead of that amateur-hour nonsense, set up a plan that fits your life, since you probably have better things to think about than social media.
I’m gonna talk about this stuff in our Social Media Escape Plan Planning Party, so sign up so I can tell you when it’s ready to launch (early October)
Open up Google Calendar, we’re going to create an “editorial calendar.”
If you’ve got a new song coming out, put that in there.
Now, plan a social media post two weeks before that date.
Then seven days. Then three.
Oh, the new song is out! That’s another post.
Now, plan a post for three days after it comes out.
And seven days.
And 14 days.
Your numbers may vary, but you get the point.
Go into Twitter, write out your posts, include an image, and schedule them.
Use Facebook’s Business Manger thing and do the same to schedule posts on Facebook and Instagram.
Congrats! That’s the bare fucking minimum to have a seemingly active social media presence, and 95% of bands in your scene can’t be bothered, so you’re a star.
But what about when you don’t have a new song coming out, or a new tour?
Figure out what major holidays are coming up, then plan a post around something that matches the vibe and feel of your creative endeavor.
57 days til Halloween! Spooky things! Horror movies!
79 days til Black Friday! Special deals!
112 days til Christmas!
You get the idea.
Or search “[genre] albums released in 2013” and find albums that are 10 years old (or 15, or 25).
Write about your favorite albums on your website, link to it from you social media platforms, and in your newsletter.
For example, ‘Surgical Steel’ from Carcass came out September 13, 2013.
Instead of just writing your homage to this epic album on Instagram, put it on your website instead.
Then, on September 13th, tell your followers on socials to read you post on your website (that’s what Loudwire will be doing).
Send the link to your email list, too.
You can do that with movies, books, shows you went to, albums you’ve released, and all sorts of various other milestones you’ve had in your career.
Now, when you sit down and write out these ideas, it makes your “content creation” a lot easier, and the job takes less time.
You’re not just throwing shit at the wall and hoping something sticks. Instead, you’re being deliberate.
You can take an hour a week, write some stuff, schedule it, and be done. DONE.
Then, since you’re putting out solid stuff, it just makes it easier for your audience to click, comment, react, and subscribe.
And it’s also how you keep from making social media your full time job.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Here’s some things I wrote in recent years about this subject:
First, with Substack you could be up and running this evening.
Second, your social media posts could easily be repurposed for your newsletter.
I know being an “email marketing expert” or “newsletter writer” wasn’t another job you wanted heading into a new year, but trust me, someday you’re going to want to move “social media expert” off your job description.
From ‘YOU DON'T NEED MORE JOBS’
Fuck Reels, start an email list.
From ‘REELS AIN'T REAL, APPARENTLY’
Go easy on yourself. You’re just one person, and your magic is probably mostly wrapped up in the main thing you do, like making art, playing bass, or releasing records.
From ‘PART TIME SOCIAL MEDIA EFFORT GETS YOU PART TIME RESULTS’
I’m Seth Werkheiser and I want to help creative people reach their fans.
All of the ideas and inspiration in this newsletter are free for everyone. If you can afford it, become a paid subscriber to support the Social Media Escape Plan mission.
Buy me a coffee via Ko-Fi, Venmo (@Seth-Werkheiser), Cash App ($ethwerkheiser), or PayPal - it’s Pumpkin Spice Latte season.
Support an artist and buy me an album from my Bandcamp Wishlist
Send questions and NFL predictions here: seth@closemondays.com