Organic Social: The Strategic Content Calendar for High Growth with Susan Moeller, Tailwind (episode 174)
by April Buencamino-dySusan Moeller has been working in content marketing and organic social for nearly 20 years. And right now she’s the Director of Marketing at social media management tool Tailwind, which is trusted by over 1 million brands worldwide!
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Dive in:
[04:24] Importance of content calendar for organic social.
[07:03] Black Friday and Cyber Monday content calendar importance.
[14:41] Understanding social post goals, and brand experience is crucial.
[18:36] Cross-promote content on various social media platforms.
[21:36] Reusing content can be beneficial, but not always.
[25:56] Continuing creative growth on social networks is vital.
[29:24] Hybrid approach to marketing with AI for businesses.
[32:47] Content calendars essential for organic social media.
What is a content calendar?
Susan describes a content calendar as a plan for posting specific content on social networks, organizing it by days and times.
The calendar format may vary. You can use spreadsheets, tools like Asana, or physical methods like index cards. The key is to have a system that assigns dates, times, and platforms to content ideas, promoting consistency and effectiveness in organic social media marketing.
Importance of Content Calendars
Susan highlights several reasons why a content calendar is crucial for organic social media marketing:
- Organic social media is valuable for your business and should be integrated into your processes with a plan.
- To succeed in organic social, you need good content and regular posting. A content calendar helps with this.
- Content calendars help make sure important topics aren’t missed or forgotten.
- They address blind spots by allowing you to step away and revisit your plans.
- Content calendars help you stay consistent with your organic social efforts, without using paid promotions.
Overall, a content calendar helps you have a good and lasting presence on social media.
Tailoring Content for Different Platforms
It’s important to customize content for social networks. Each network has its own features and goals, and not all content works for every network. Brands should think about each network’s style and their goals on those platforms.
She recommends that businesses create detailed content calendars for each social platform they use. This approach considers the unique nature of each network and matches content with its goals.
Aligning Objectives
When making a content calendar, Susan stresses the need to know the purpose of each social post. The goal can range from shaping how people see a brand to guiding customers through the marketing funnel.
Additionally, aligning content with the marketing funnel is crucial. Make sure that organic social media guides people through the whole brand experience, from awareness to purchase. Objectives can vary from one platform to another, and brands should adapt their approach accordingly. Always keep in mind the specific goals you want to achieve on each network.
Repurposing Content
Susan says recycling content is a valid approach if it’s of high quality and after a reasonable period. Audiences need to see a brand many times to remember it, so repeating content is not a problem.
She advises that tweaking and learning from previous content can be even better than direct reuse. Posts can repeat because audiences change, but don’t rely on the same content too much. Instead, focus on refreshing top-of-funnel content to maintain engagement and interest.
Insider Tips
If we’ve inspired someone to take their first step with organic social media – what do they need to know to give themselves the best chance of success?
Take the first step and dive right in. Select a social network aligned with your interests or business and invest time in familiarizing yourself with it. You need to overcome the fear of making mistakes on a new social channel. Just start posting and gain hands-on experience in the world of social media.
Once you’ve started of course you’ve got to ‘keep optimising’! So what’s your favourite way to improve organic social media performance?
Susan Moeller offers two key strategies for optimizing:
- Continuously enhance your creative content. Explore and use tools that elevate your content quality.
- Consider the paid side of social media advertising sooner rather than later. Social networks are increasingly focused on monetizing their audiences, so a balanced approach combining organic and paid strategies is beneficial.
If someone listening wants to learn more about organic social media is there one cheap/free resource you’d recommend?
Susan suggests two resources:
- If you prefer to learn through listening and watching, explore TikTok and Pinterest for marketing tips and insights.
If you prefer hands-on learning, check out Tailwind Copilot, a tool integrated into the Tailwind platform. It offers a customized plan to teach marketing basics within the context of organic social media.
Crystal ball time – what’s coming up in the next 6-12 months that we should be getting ready for in organic social media?
Susan predicts a growing trend of smaller businesses adopting a hybrid model of organic and paid social media strategies, thanks to the increasing accessibility of AI tools.
She also anticipates the emergence of a new influential social network in the near future. Platforms like BeReal and Lemonade Social can capture the collective social imagination. Susan emphasizes that when a new social network gains rapid popularity, it’s an opportunity for marketers to make a significant impact on the organic social landscape.
Interview Links
- Check out Tailwind
- Listen to Susan on episode 065 and episode 451 of eCommerce MasterPlan
Susan on Social media:
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