We get it, social media can be a lot. There are multiple platforms—Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads and Pinterest, just to name a few—and each platform requires individualized attention. As a digital marketing agency, we’ve been active on pretty much every major platform, for clients in a wide range of industries. We decided to put all of our social media marketing knowledge into one definitive source.

You’re welcome 😉

This guide includes:

• Social media content ideas
• A breakdown of daily, weekly, monthly and annual social media maintenance tasks
• Social media graphic dimensions for 2024

Social Media Content Ideas

If you feel like you spend waaaaay too much time coming up with content ideas, trust us—you’re not alone. But that doesn’t change the fact that writer’s block can be a real you-know-what. Luckily for you, we’ve got lots of great social media content ideas—and we’re happy to share.

to inform:

• Introduce the team: tell your audience a little bit about yourself, and don’t forget the office pets!
• Highlight recent accomplishments: it’s okay to brag a little, so talk about a big goal that you reached, an exciting collaboration, or a customer success story
• Provide company updates: keep your audience informed by providing updates on what’s happening behind the scenes.
• Share a message from the CEO: it’s important for your brand to have a voice, so give your audience a personality to connect and build a relationship with
• Post behind-the-scenes pictures & video: give a glimpse into an average day at the office, and maybe provide some top secret insider information

to educate:

• Share a relevant article: show that you’re keeping tabs on what’s happening in your industry (and don’t forget to tag your source for increased reach)
• Link to blogs and resources on your website: demonstrate your thought authority by sharing your own authentic content
• Provide tips & tricks for your industry: share your knowledge and establish your role as an industry leader
• Focus on trending topics: stay relevant and join the conversation
• Host a Q&A with your audience: tell the people what they want to know! This works well in Instagram and Facebook stories, or you can opt for a livestream

to inspire:

• Share client success stories: showcase what you’ve done for others, and what you can do for someone else who may be interested in your services
• Provide client testimonials: word of mouth is extremely valuable in garnering trust for your brand
• Share interviews with team leaders: highlight what the team is doing to keep the company moving toward success
• Shine the spotlight on company milestones: recognizing monumental moments can help establish credibility
• Showcase your company’s culture: social media is a chance for your audience to get a feel for your brand, so go ahead and show how you walk-the-walk with your core values and vision

to engage:

• Share user-generated content (UGC): get your audience involved by inviting your audience to share their content on your platforms
• Provide inspirational quotes: inspirational quotes might sound cheesy, but they really do get more engagement than almost any other kind of post
• Host a giveaway: no one can resist a freebie!
• Poll your audience: whether you’re doing market research, gathering information, or just being cheeky and irreverent, you can learn a lot from your audience
• Host a social media takeover: showcase a day in the life of an employee, or even a customer!

to entertain:

• Leverage humor: share memes with funny captions, marketing fails, and employee spotlights featuring funny quirks or anecdotes
• Embrace pop culture: create industry-specific parodies using popular songs, music, and TV shows, or get in on a trending challenge!
• Create short-form video content: just keep it light, entertaining, and non-promotional
• Get interactive: irreverent quizzes or polls, caption contents, and social media games are a big hit!
• Post the unexpected: share a funny reel or meme that has nothing to do with your industry, or collaborate with a partner from a completely unrelated business

Now, we are NOT advocates for using AI to generate content—AI simply cannot replace human-generated content. However, AI can help generate ideas for social media content if you’re hungry for more.

social media maintenance tasks

If you want to succeed on social media, you’ve gotta keep up with the maintenance. And, just like some areas of your home require more attention than others, some aspects of social media need a little extra TLC, as well. By following this schedule, you can ensure your accounts remain optimized and under control. 

daily

• Engage with your audience: respond to comments, answer messages, and invite users to like & follow your page
• Engage with other accounts—the “golden rule” applies in social media, too!.
• Make sure fresh content is posted daily, if not multiple times a day 

weekly

• Schedule posts using a scheduling tool
• Check in with your analytics, see which posts are performing best (and which are performing the worst), and identify any areas of opportunity 
• Stay up to date with industry trends & discussions—watch a webinar (Hootsuite and Brandwatch host free webinars regularly), listen to a social media marketing podcast, or read recent articles from social media pros, like Hubspot

monthly

• Add/remove followers
• Plan content for the month; make sure to look for any fun “holidays” or relevant awareness weeks/months
• Schedule a content creation day—that video content ain’t gonna shoot itself!
• Host a brainstorming session with your team

yearly

• Identify holidays/celebrations/events that may require advance planning
• Host a marketing retreat

Social Media Image Size Guide

If you want to avoid low-quality or awkwardly-cropped images in your feeds, then make sure you’re building your graphics to the appropriate dimensions for each platform. Social media is not one-size-fits-all. Refer to our guide below for the optimal image sizes in 2024:

It’s important to note that this chart highlights the graphic dimensions that we think look best on social media. However, there may be situations where—for example—sharing a horizontally-formatted graphic in your Instagram post would make more sense. Use your best judgement!

It’s also important to note that not all social media platforms were created equal. In addition to adjusting your image dimensions for each platform, you’ll likely want to change around your captions. Check out our article on how to adjust your social media content to leverage each platform to its full potential.

What We’re Really Trying to Say Is…

It’s not enough to have a profile on each social media platform. And it’s not enough to take one graphic and one caption and smear it across all of your profiles identically. You need a solid social media marketing strategy (broken down platform by platform), and to master the art of being present, engaging, and consistent. Focus on the platforms that make sense for your brand, and put in the necessary time and effort to utilize social media to its full potential.

Contact the Social Media Marketing P-R-O-fessionals

Social media marketing isn’t rocket science, but—as you can see—it sure is time-consuming. Our team has the time and expertise to manage your entire social media strategy, helping you build a powerful digital presence while keeping your audience engaged (and your brand top-of-mind). Get in touch today, even if you just want to brainstorm with one of our strategists. We’re here for it!