By Judith Lee

It’s that most wonderful time of the year, when business owners and managers plan for 2016. An important segment is planning your social media for 2016.

“Plan social media?” you ask. “Social media is supposed to be spontaneous. Planning ahead for a whole year won’t do much to build engagement.”

The answer is that, for business use of social media, planning is key to consistent and thoughtful posting, and will lay a solid foundation for your social media program. With a good plan, your business will “get out there” with appropriate content no matter how busy and distracted you may become in any given season or time period.

This takes the pressure off the social media manager so that he/she can be spontaneous when there’s content at hand. Engagement is something you can foster in the planned and spontaneous social media.

Here’s a simple start to your social media planning:

1. Seasonal content. No matter what happens next year, we know one thing: the seasons will come and go. Begin by planning social media content for Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. Let’s say you are a home repair/maintenance business, or a real estate professional. You will plan seasonal home maintenance reminders such as:

Winter: Prevent pipes from freezing, Strategies to keep walks and driveways cleared of ice and snow, Great time for bargains on interior painting or wallpapering, Winter getaway checklist

Spring: Clear the gutters before the rain arrives, Clean carpets and refresh wood floors, Does your house have curb appeal?

Summer: What your home’s exterior says about you, Simple landscaping with big impact, Summer vacation checklist

Fall: Power tools to help tame the falling leaves, Last chance for makeover before the Holidays, Simple ways to make room for Holiday guests

2. Holidays. They come the same time each year. Plan greetings and appropriate content for:

• New Year
• Martin Luther King Day
• President’s Day
• Valentine’s Day
• St. Patrick’s Day
• Easter/Passover
• Mother’s Day
• Memorial Day
• Father’s Day
• Fourth of July
• Labor Day
• Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur
• Halloween
• Veteran’s Day
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas/Hanukah/Kwanzaa

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Judith Lee is a marketing and communications professional who focuses on social media and email marketing based in Atglen. She is a SCORE Volunteer and the Chair-Elect of the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce. She can be reached at 610-368-2058 or via email at judithlee@epix.net.