The Problem with Scheduled Posts:
Each and every post (1.7 TRILLION POSTS as of December 2018) has a SCORE. Why schedule low-grade posts? It’s as though you are taking a semester of literature and you write all of your poems and prose on the first day and schedule them to post on the exam/due dates BEFORE you have learned anything from the teacher. What’s worse is you already know the teacher is going to grade all of your work as FAILING. What’s even worse is many of you spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars each and every month on scheduling posts that will never reach more than 100 people.
Student: “Yes Dr. Jones I realize that I’m submitting all of my semester’s work on the first day of class before I have learned anything. I’m not here to learn anything. I just want to submit my works NOW so I can do other things without missing your deadlines for the entire semester.”
Dr. Jones: “Do you know that your posts will be graded?”
Student: “Yes, It’s OK if you score each of my posts as FAILING. I just want my social media posts to reach my followers. “
Dr. Jones: “Do you know all posts under a certain grade never see the light of day? Not even to your followers? Only you see them?”
Student: “That doesn’t make sense. How can my followers not see my posts?”
Dr. Jones: Sit down! Take notes. Learn something! And for God’s sake, STOP SCHEDULING POSTS!!!
Overheard conversation in Dr. Jones office with a student
There is a better way!! SCRIPTING YOUR POSTS versus scheduling your posts.
Prerequisite to SCRIPTING Posts:
- Before you can switch from scheduling to scripting you and your social media extended family must VISUALIZE THEIR social media experience through their eyes. This is a critical step. Do not go any further until EVERYONE involved can see a social media experience through the EYES OF THE INTENDED AUDIENCE on THEIR DEVICE (not yours!). Do NOT pass over this prerequisite step! If you need help with this I can facilitate this transformative workshop at a venue of your choosing anywhere in the world. The shortest workshop I’ve done was 1.5 hours. The longest one was 4 days (embedded in a business conference).
- Make sure you personally know each and every social media manager BEHIND THE SCENES (the people that actually push the buttons in your script). If you @MENTION a brand in your script – make sure you know the social media manager for that @MENTION PRIOR to writing your script! This may feel like you’re putting the cart before the horse but history has proven that all successful scripts were co-authored by a team of individuals rather than a single author.
Write Your Dialogue:
Now that you can visualize their social media experience, it is important that you keep their entire movie in your mind’s eye as you write your first dialogue. Write it on paper (in the middle of the sheet). Make sure it is no more than 25 words! If it’s longer than 25 words it’s a MONOLOGUE, not a dialogue. Write the most important profound dialogue first! It does not matter where this dialogue exists within the entire narrative.
Cast
I use the P.R.I.C.E. method for Casting. You can use whichever method is most comfortable for you. Casting is just what you think it is! You’re casting ACTORS that interact with your 25-word dialogue. The reason you write your dialogue in the middle of the sheet is that you need to write the ACTORS above and below your dialogue that will DIALOGUE with you. MAKE SURE YOU CAST FIRST!! No reason to dialogue with another brand or individual on social media if they are unwilling to play their part.
Direct
Now that you have ONE dialogue and at least ONE actor you can script your first post. Go ahead. Script it. Publish it. Notice the order of magnitude difference in the result (Insights). If you do not see the order of magnitude difference in REACH then your actor(s) did NOT interact within the 120-second threshold.
Try again, this time when you say “Lights, Camera, ACTION!” Make sure your actors ACT! Every second COUNTS!!
Remember the movie they are watching is one made just for them. Your job as the Director is to get your SCENE into their MOVIE. You can never (NEVER!) direct their Movie! You can only direct your “scene” well enough to where the Executive Producer (Ali) decides to insert your “scene” into their movie. Keep in mind 93% of all scenes are left on the editing room’s floor. Most posts never make it to the theatre. The theatre is their DEVICE (rather TV, phone, tablet, headset, etc.)
Educate your team!
Use the undeniable RESULTS in your Insights Report to put scheduling to rest forever in your organization and to embrace SCRIPTING POSTS.
No one in your organization can dispute the order of magnitude difference in the result for the same (or less) money!
Social Media Target, LLC
If you need help, please reach out! We are only $60 per hour. In less than a day, we can change your world forever!