Speaker, author, podcaster and social media master Marki Lemons-Ryhal packed the house on Education Day at the ASI Show Orlando with her class, “Create Your Social Media Marketing Planner.”

Right off the bat, she got the audience thinking, planning – and laughing.

Marki Lemons-Ryhal

Let’s say you’re a distributor who wants to target local youth ministers in hopes of getting them to buy logoed T-shirts, caps and hoodies. First, she advised, start following them on social media and posting eye-catching content to your own pages. “You need to post relevant content,” said Lemons-Ryhal (@MarkiLemon). “You should probably not post twerking videos.”

In her fast-paced class, Lemons-Ryhal shared tips and strategies to help members of the promotional products industry plan a year’s worth of social media content designed to grow their business and, equally as important, grow the business of those they do business with. Stop being stressed out over what to post, increase your online visibility and reduce wasted time by taking a methodical approach to social media, she advised.

First step: “Go to your clients’ social media platforms and find out where they hang out,” Lemons-Ryhal said. “They’re your customers. Follow them.”

Furthermore, execute what Lemons-Ryhal calls “S.M.A.R.T. Goals.” Specific. Measurable. Attainable. Relevant. Time-based. “What are we going to do in 2020?” she asked. “How many people do you have to connect with to meet your goals?”

To help promo pros focus in on objectives, Lemons-Ryhal advised session attendees to create a social media spreadsheet for each month. Start by researching which holidays and months targeted businesses might be celebrating, like Fair Housing Month for real estate companies. Fill in the days, scheduling content based on special celebrations, picking one idea to focus on each month. Other tips included: 

• Set weekly and annual goals along with daily tasks.
• Follow five organizations or trade associations, sharing, commenting on and liking content from those groups.
• Be consistent and be active.
• Stay positive.

“If I don’t like fried chicken, I’m not going to say anything negative about your fried chicken,” she said. “But if I like your fried chicken, I am going to post positive things about your fried chicken.”