Pens and Pixels (P&P) has been an active social media practitioner for business since 2007. As the industry has changed over the years and new tools have become available, we have embraced and then implemented them for our own marketing purposes, as well as those of our clients.
We recommend you focus on only a few social media outlets to be the most effective, otherwise, you may spread yourself too thin. The type of business you are in will determine the best outlets for you to use. Aside from your own website, the following outlets can be used for free, although most offer a paid advertising option to reach a larger audience. Our suggestions:
- Your website’s blog feature. You OWN your website, you should always try to drive your social media audience to your website to capture their opt-in, despite the ability to now sell directly from apps like Facebook and Instagram.
- A Facebook Business page
- A Twitter account as the business
- An Instagram account to reach your more visually-oriented audience
- YouTube, which is the second largest search engine after Google. YouTube processes more than 3 billion searches a month. 100 hours of video are uploaded every minute.
- LinkedIn – if your business appeals to certain other professionals.
Social media is a good tool to provide value to your audience without always selling something. People will continue to follow you to see what great nugget you will drop next, while also accepting that some of the time you are going to ask them to spend money with you or contribute financially in some way to your organization.
A Sample Social Media Calendar
Several studies have been done to determine the best days of the week and times of the day to share content.
We try to utilize this information and schedule posts accordingly.
| Month | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Weekend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Facebook X to Twitter | Blog Post X to FB/Twitter | Facebook X to Twitter | Instagram X to FB/Twitter | Facebook X to Twitter | Blog Post X to FB/Twitter |
| Week 2 | Blog Post X to FB/Twitter | Facebook X to Twitter | Instagram X to FB/Twitter | Facebook X to Twitter | Blog Post X to FB/Twitter | Instagram X to FB/Twitter |
| Week 3 | Facebook X to Twitter | Instagram X to FB/Twitter | Facebook X to Twitter | Blog Post X to FB/Twitter | Facebook X to Twitter | Instagram X to FB/Twitter |
| Week 4 | Instagram X to FB/Twitter | Facebook X to Twitter | Blog Post X to FB/Twitter | Facebook X to Twitter | Instagram X to FB/Twitter | Facebook X to Twitter |
Summary for an average month of social media activity:
- 6 blog posts (this content can also be used for email marketing)
- 11 Facebook posts then cross-posted to Twitter
- 7 Instagram posts then cross-posted to Facebook and Twitter. Instagram requires your BEST photos.
- Note – Short video is the hot topic for 2017. You might want to figure out how you can add this to the mix.
Social Media Virtual Assistant (SMVA) Service Packages by P&P
Please keep in mind a successful social media effort requires teamwork, planning, and your participation to be sure the content delivered is timely, cohesive, and aligns with your overall strategy/mission/vision. Price listed is based on a WordPress blog and up to three social media outlets from the list of recommendations above and may be adjusted based on your individual needs.
Content Delivery, $350 per month*
Your organization provides all content to be delivered to your audience on a weekly basis. The SMVA helps you stay on schedule, manages the content delivery, monitors audience interaction on your behalf, and lets you know when you need to engage and interact with an audience member.
Content Curation, $850 per month*
This requires P&P to become intimately familiar with your organization and staff, overall industry, and your business goals. Content curation is the act of sorting through large amounts of related and relevant content on the web and presenting the best posts in a meaningful and organized way. Content curation doesn’t include creating new content; it’s the act of discovering, compiling, and sharing existing content with your online followers.
- Weekly curated blog posts
- Weekly editorial email newsletters
- Share curated content on your social networks
Related Services by P&P
Channel Establishment
Facebook $250, others $150**
Setup of an all-new social media channel or tool with your branding, company information, linking to already established accounts, upload of imaging, an initial introductory post or announcement, and cross-posting of this to currently established accounts.
Coaching
We offer personalized COACHING services. We will teach you how to perform your own social media marketing as a more budget-friendly option. Please schedule a 30-minute initial consultation below, free of charge.
Content Creation
Original content can be created for business correspondence, personal branding/marketing, email marketing, newsletters, and blog posts. Please schedule a 30-minute initial consultation below, free of charge.
Coverage of a Special Event
For current Clients only
In-person coverage of a special event to manage mobile photography, live as-it-happens posts and tweets, and live streaming to Facebook or YouTube, can be arranged based on availability. Cost is $750 for up to a 3-hour event. Travel expenses additional.
* Partial months will be prorated and must be prepaid.
** All Services must be prepaid and will be carried out in accordance with your service contract. Please refer to your Welcome Packet, which includes a concise explanation of how our business works, a client questionnaire/intake form, and a service contract and non-disclosure agreement to protect both parties’ private and confidential information. This document must be on file prior to services being rendered.