Summertime is the perfect time to relax and take a break from work, but that doesn’t mean your social media strategy should take a break too! In fact, there are a few things you can do to make sure your social media accounts are summer-ready. In this blog post, we will discuss ten best practices for social media in the summer. Follow these tips and you’ll be able to enjoy your vacation while keeping your business’s social media accounts running smoothly!
Social Media Best Practice #1 – Schedule Content Ahead of Time
Scheduling content ahead of time is always a good idea, but it becomes especially important in the summer when you might be taking a few days off. By scheduling your posts in advance, you can rest assured that your social media presence will remain active even when you’re away.
Social Media Best Practice #2 – Use Data to Inform Posting Time
In addition to scheduling your content in advance, you should also use data to determine the best time to post. If you’re not sure when your target audience is most active, take a look at your social media analytics. This will help you determine when people are most likely to see and engage with your content.
Pro Tip: Don’t be surprised if this data changes in the summer months. If you start to notice more of your followers drop off on the weekends, or are more active in the daytime, go with flow and adapt your scheduling time to what makes sense. There are different social media tools that can help make analyzing this data is easier.
Social Media Best Practice #3 – Highlight Seasonal Content
When it comes to choosing content for the summer months, think about what your audience might be interested in. For example, if you run a travel company, now is the perfect time to share video content and stories from your latest trips. Or if you own a restaurant, highlight some of your seasonal menu items. The key is to provide value and interest to your audience, even when they’re not actively thinking about your business.
Pro Tip: Take your content outside. With more people spending time at the beach, in their backyard, or at a picnic, find ways to incorporate the great outdoors into your feed.
Social Media Best Practice #4 – Keep Biz and Personal Separate
Of course, one of the best parts about summer is the opportunity to travel and explore new places. And while it’s tempting to share photos of your personal travels on your business account, it’s important to remember that not everyone wants to see vacation photos in their feed. Stick to sharing photos that are relevant to your business and leave the personal snaps for your personal social media channels.
Pro Tip: There is an exception to this best practice:
If YOU are your product or service, and you know your following closely, then go ahead and share some family pics from your holiday or that crazy beachside cocktail shot. Professionals such as financial advisors or individual health professionals like naturopaths would fall into this category. That being said, if you run a sushi restaurant or a landscaping company with dozens of team members, keep the personal shots to your personal account.
Social Media Best Practice #5 – Think About Your Tone
When crafting your social media content strategy, it’s important to think about the tone you want to convey. In general, summer is a time for relaxation and fun, so your social media posts should reflect that. Avoid being too sales-y or promotional, and instead focus on creating content that is entertaining or useful.
Social Media Best Practice #6 – Be Consistent with Your Posting Schedule
Even though summer is a slower time for many businesses, it’s important to maintain a consistent posting schedule. This will help you stay top of mind with your audience and keep them engaged with your content.
Pro Tip: If you’re struggling to come up with ideas for summer content, try repurposing some of your older blog posts. For example, you could create a social media post that highlights the key takeaways from a popular blog post. Or you could create a series of social media posts that each feature one tip from a longer article.
Social Media Best Practice #7 – Use Engaging Visuals
In addition to interesting and original content, your social media posts should also include engaging visuals. People are more likely to stop and read a post that includes a photo or video, so make sure to take advantage of this when you’re creating summer content.
Social Media Best Practice #8 – Take Advantage of Summer Events
Summer is full of holidays and events that you can use to promote your business. For example, if you sell swimsuits, you could create a social media post about Canada Day. Or if you run a restaurant, you could highlight menu items for Father’s Day. Research upcoming, relevant summer holidays for home-run content ideas.
Social Media Best Practice #9 – Use Relevant Hashtags
Hashtags are a great way to reach a wider audience and get your content seen by people who might not be following you. When using hashtags, try to be specific and relevant to your business. For example, if you sell ice cream, you could use hashtags like #NationalIceCreamDay or #SummerFun.
Social Media Best Practice #10 – Stay On Top of Trends
Summer is a great time to experiment with social media and try out new trends. For example, you could start using Instagram Stories or TikTok videos to share behind-the-scenes content with your followers. Or you could try live streaming an event or Q&A session on Facebook. By staying on top of social media trends, you’ll be able to leverage additional opportunities to connect with your followers.
When it comes to social media, summer doesn’t have to be a slow season
By following these social media best practices, you can make sure your social media accounts are summer-ready! So go ahead and enjoy your vacation – your social media strategy will be just fine.
