The Ultimate 7-Step Guide to a Better Social Media Workflow

Looking to up your social media workflow game?

If you’re a social media manager, you know the drill: multiple accounts, ever-changing campaigns, and endless chats with your team. It’s a lot, right?

Feeling burntout doesn’t have to be the norm. The year 2023 is all about getting more done with less stress.

So, what’s the secret sauce? We’re diving into 7 easy-to-follow tips that will seriously level-up your social media workflow. Get ready to work smarter, not harder! 🤩

FYI: Easily create multi-user workflows for enhanced productivity with Vista Social’s management tools! Create a free account today.

What is a social media workflow?

A social media workflow is a structured plan that outlines the process of creating, publishing, and tracking social media posts.

It’s the blueprint that helps you manage tasks like drafting content, scheduling posts for optimal times, getting approvals, and analyzing performance metrics.

You might even have more than one workflow to handle different aspects of your social media game. This could range from:

• A basic workflow for general social media tasks
• A posting-specific workflow to nail your timing
• A content-centric workflow to focus on creating killer posts
• An approval workflow to make sure everything looks great before hitting ‘Publish’

Each of these workflows is designed to make your social media routine more seamless, ensuring each post gets the TLC it deserves, all while saving you time. 💙✨

Benefits of a social media workflow

By clearly laying out all required steps beforehand, a social media workflow eliminates the hassle from content creation.

It not only ensures that your posts are consistently in line with your brand’s voice but also makes sure you’re complying with any industry-specific regulations.

Other benefits of creating a social media workflow include:

• Boost team productivity and reduce errors: A well-structured workflow takes out the guesswork, saves time, and crucially, reduces errors. This leads to an increase in overall efficiency and productivity.
• Upgrade the quality of your content: A detailed workflow results in accurate, current, and high-quality content that best represents your brand.
• Enhance team coordination and accountability: By clearly designating tasks and setting deadlines, a social media workflow fosters better collaboration among team members, while minimizing any duplication of efforts.
• Optimize resource management: Having a clear workflow enables you to better allocate resources like time and budget.
• Expand content reach and visibility: An effective social media workflow ensures timely sharing across all platforms, which in turn helps broaden the reach and visibility of your content.
• Secure your brand reputation: A proper workflow means that every piece of content is vetted against brand and compliance guidelines, ensuring improved brand safety.
• Measure your campaigns effectively: With a robust workflow, it becomes easier to quantify your social media results, informing future content strategies.

By implementing an effective social media workflow, you set your team—and your brand—up for success.

Types of social media workflows

Social media workflows streamline your content creation process, enhance coordination between team members, and help maintain a consistent brand voice across all platforms.

#1: The standard social media workflow for everyday tasks 📋

A standard social media workflow outlines the essential daily tasks involved in content creation, ensuring that posts are timely, well-crafted, and in line with brand guidelines.

1. Idea Generation: Brainstorm to fill your content calendar with engaging and brand-consistent ideas.
2. Content Collection: Assemble or create the visuals and copy needed for each post.
3. Caption Crafting: Write compelling captions or slogans that align with your brand’s voice.
4. Editing: Review and revise your content based on team feedback.
5. Approval: Obtain green lights from internal and external stakeholders before publishing.
6. Scheduling: Choose optimal posting times to maximize engagement and reach.
7. Performance Tracking: Monitor analytics to gauge the success of your posts.
8. Community Engagement: Respond to comments and messages in a timely manner.
9. Optimization: Use analytics to make data-driven adjustments to your future posts.

#2: The specialized workflow for posting across platforms 📲

A social media posting workflow focuses on multi-platform content creation and scheduling, allowing you to maximize engagement and reach.

1. Idea Formation: Utilize tools like AI Assistant or Vista Social’s Ideas feature for fresh inspirtation.
2. Resource Gathering: Research and select the appropriate visual assets.
3. Drafting: Combine your copy and visuals in a cohesive layout.
4. Editing: Conduct a final spell check and visual review.
5. Approval: Ensure all stakeholders agree with the final version.
6. Scheduling: Time your posts to go live when your audience is most active.
7. Monitoring: Keep an eye on your post’s analytics to measure success.
8. Ad-Hoc Posting: Be prepared to quickly adapt to trends with timely content.

Don’t miss out: Ideas by Vista Social is here to simplify your content creation process. Get started today – it’s free!

#3: The critical approval workflow for compliance 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼

A social media approval workflow is crucial for ensuring all published content is both brand-consistent and compliant with industry regulations.

1. Idea Approval: Pre-approve campaign and post ideas before they reach the creative stage.
2. Creation: Develop and design your content based on the approved ideas.
3. Review: Have your content scrutinized by various stakeholders to ensure it meets brand and compliance standards.
4. Final Approval: Gain unanimous approval from all stakeholders before posting.

#4: The content batching workflow for long-term planning 🗓

Content batching workflows enable you to create and schedule multiple pieces of content at once, improving efficiency and brand consistency.

1. Idea Accumulation: Plan your content ahead of time, often for a week or a month.
2. Calendar Creation: Develop and get approval for a content calendar.
3. Asset Preparation: Collect all the necessary assets for your posts.
4. Batch Creation: Produce your posts in accordance with the approved content calendar.
5. Revision: Edit for accuracy and quality.
6. Approval: Get final approval for all scheduled content.
7. Scheduling: Set your posts to go live at predetermined times.
8. Analytics: Monitor the performance of each post to inform future content planning.

Each of these workflows is designed to make your social media management as seamless as possible. Choose the one that best fits your needs and get posting!

Tips for creating an efficient social media workflow

Effective social media workflows are the backbone of a successful social media strategy, streamlining tasks and improving team collaboration.

Here are some tips to help you create efficient and high-quality workflows.

1. Define roles and responsibilities clearly

Clearly defined roles in a social media workflow contribute to a more organized and efficient team.

Each role, from the social media manager to the legal advisor, should have specific tasks, deadlines, and accountability metrics.

This structure helps in avoiding confusion and ensures a smooth workflow.

Common roles and their responsibilities:

• Social Media Manager: Manages daily activities, crafts strategies, and oversees the workflow.
• Copywriter: Produces engaging copy for posts and captions.
• Designer: Creates visuals while adhering to brand guidelines.
• Editor: Reviews and refines content.
• Community Manager: Handles audience interactions and sentiment monitoring.
• Approver: Grants final content approvals, potentially involving multiple levels of scrutiny.
• Analyst: Monitors metrics and generates performance reports.
• Legal Team: Ensures compliance with company and legal standards.

2. Understand industry-specific rules

Compliance with industry regulations, such as HIPAA in healthcare, is essential when establishing a social media workflow.

Make sure to understand disclosure requirements, hashtag restrictions, and other relevant legal obligations to mitigate risks.

3. Plan with a social media calendar

Utilizing a social media calendar helps in organizing content, tracking deadlines, and maintaining brand consistency.

It also facilitates pre-scheduling posts, allowing your team to focus on content creation and audience engagement.

Get a sneak peek of your posts before they go live with Vista Social’s post previews, feed view, and calendar view. Elevate your social media game today!

4. Prioritize your security measures

Implement security protocols like two-step authentication and limited password access to keep your social media accounts secure.

Employ a chain of command for content approval to maintain brand consistency and prevent unauthorized postings.

PSA: Vista Social offers two-factor authentication on all plans prioritizing your account safety! 🔐

5. Use a unified social inbox

A centralized social media inbox can aid in efficient task assignments and status tracking, covering aspects like private messages, public posts, and emoji reactions.

This consolidation improves team collaboration and enhances customer service.

6. Keep it simple, keep it smart

A streamlined workflow minimizes errors and omits unnecessary complexities.

Identify core steps, get approvals where necessary, and remain focused on essential workflow components.

7. Adapt and evolve

Your social media workflow should be as dynamic as the platforms you are using. Keep evaluating and adjusting your workflow to keep pace with changing trends, platform updates, or internal shifts in responsibilities.

By adopting these strategies, you can establish a high-performing social media workflow that enhances efficiency, ensures compliance, and helps in achieving your social media goals.

The best social media workflow tools for streamlined marketing

Ready to streamline your social media marketing operations? Here’s why Vista Social tops the list of the best social media workflow tools you should be using.

• Multi-User Workflow: Add team members, assign tasks, and enjoy a truly collaborative experience.
• Auto-Publishing: Schedule content to publish automatically across 13 social network integrations.
• Intelligent Timing: Vista Social provides optimal time insights, so your content gains maximum exposure.
• AI-Powered Tools: Use ChatGPT for AI-generated content suggestions, auto-responses, and even editing.
• Comprehensive Analytics: Track performance across all platforms and compare against competitors. Plus, you can track team performance too!

But it’s not just about its comprehensive feature set; it’s also about the philosophy behind the product.

Vista Social aims to redefine industry standards with its commitment to innovation, customer service, and affordability! If you’re looking to elevate your social media game, Vista Social is the way to go.

Ready to redefine your social media strategy? Sign up for Vista Social today and join the innovation! 🤩