The following post is the last in our blog mini-series titled: Without A Strong Brand, You Ain’t Got Jack So…cial! A Dozen Rules For Attracting & Keeping Your Social Consumer.

Rule #12 – Make An Editorial Calendar

Feeling daunted by the task of figuring out what to say?

Well one of the best tricks to discovering what to message out is to first look at when to message it.

I’m not talking about your weekly social media updating calendar. I’m talking big picture.

You’ll be surprised what you come up with when you scribble down thoughts about your brand and consumer from January through December.

While major holidays can be content catalysts, don’t forget to highlight and observe the small ones too (like April Fools or Earth Day) or better yet, create your own fan-motivating holiday or occasion (remember, signature move…).

Need more inspiration? 1) Consider content and campaigns around major events like the Oscars, Super Bowl, Breast Cancer Awareness Week, Movember, or even Bike To Work Day; 2) Craft messaging or promos around special events in your city or region; or 3) Use the four seasons to spark conversation.

Really, weather talk? Yes, but make it interesting and relevant – tie it in with your brand. Whenever it breaks the 100 degree mark, give away an ice cream cone or scoop of gelato. If it drops below freezing give away hot chocolate, a space heater, a branded snuggie or a trip to somewhere tropical.

Quit making excuses that you have no ideas or not enough budget to get something done.

Use these simple thought starters to start blanketing your whiteboard with ideas. If you get stuck, look outside of your industry’s walls for inspiration. Think a little beyond the expected and you’ll have smart daily status updates and “share-worthy” promotional concepts in no time.

Lastly, once you begin to activate some of these tactics, pay close attention to the data so you can tell which brand messages, content, and campaigns are ultimately connecting with your page visitors and which are duds.

Test > Measure > Modify (if necessary). Good luck!

That concludes this 18-part blog mini-series. Thanks for riding shotgun on this journey.

Hopefully you now feel more confident and equipped to jump into social media with both feet, bring your brand to life, push out a promotion, and grow your following by out-thinking your competition.

Be sure to visit North Social; you’ll find more smart ideas on how to get more out of Facebook by browsing 150+ usage examples across 20+ industry categories. You can also browse a ton of great Facebook page designs, read vertical case studies, and get inspired over at the Custom Facebook Page Gallery.