Five Things Every Social Media Manager Should Be Doing This Week
Congratulations, you’ve survived another year of social media trends, algorithms, and endless “Let’s make this go viral!” requests. Now it’s time to roll up your sleeves, refill your coffee, and get this year off to a roaring start. To help you hit the ground running (or at least hobble in the right direction), here are five things you absolutely *must* do this week. Trust me, future you will thank you.
1. Update Your Annual Editorial Calendar (No, Seriously, Right Now)
Let’s face it: your editorial calendar from last year is basically a relic. Maybe you forgot to update it, or maybe you spent December stress-eating cookies instead of tracking holidays. Either way, now’s the time to get it together.
Add all the major holidays, quirky observances (yes, National Pizza Day counts), and anything your audience might care about.
Double-check for sneaky date changes—nobody wants to post about Earth Day on the wrong day and look like they hate the planet.
Pro tip: Block off time to laugh at the *ridiculous* national holidays (National Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day, anyone?) before deciding which ones to include.
2. Mark All the Big Moments (So You Don’t Forget)
This is your reminder to plan for everything—product launches, anniversaries, seasonal campaigns, that time of year when your CEO insists on a selfie post.
Ask yourself: How much time will you need to prepare? Double it. You’ll need the cushion for last-minute “urgent” requests.
Break big projects into smaller steps and set deadlines now. Otherwise, you’ll be the one sweating bullets at 11:59 p.m. the night before.
Pro tip: If you know a major campaign will require approval from the higher-ups, start buttering them up now. Send coffee. Or donuts. Or both.
3. Schedule Reminders Like a Pro (Because Future You Is Forgetful)
Ever had a deadline sneak up on you? Let’s make that a thing of the past. Pull out your favorite calendar app, project management tool, or, heck, even sticky notes, and start scheduling reminders.
Think of everything: draft deadlines, reviews, team meetings, and analytics reports.
Set reminders early. Nobody ever said, “I wish I had less time to finish this.”
Pro tip: Label your reminders with something fun so you don’t dread them. “Check analytics” becomes “Discover how awesome I was last month.”
4. Follow Up on Last Year’s Chaos
Before you dive headfirst into another year of hashtags and trends, take a minute to reflect. What worked last year? What was an absolute disaster?
Did your editorial calendar actually help, or did you ignore it after March? What about that gorgeous content development spreadsheet with automated tagging?
Were there bottlenecks? Approvals that took forever? Posts that flopped?
What should you change so this year is a little less… chaotic?
Pro tip: If something didn’t work, blame the algorithms or bureaucracy. (Just kidding—kind of.)
5. Analyze What Your Audience Actually Cared About
It’s time to dig into your analytics and figure out what made your audience click, like, and share—and what made them scroll right past.
Did your videos crush it? Did memes outperform polished graphics?
What topics were a hit, and which ones fell flat?
Be ruthless. If it didn’t work last year, it’s probably not worth repeating.
Pro tip: If your best-performing post was something you threw together in five minutes, try not to cry. Learn from it.
Wrapping It Up: Your Future Self Will Thank You
This week isn’t about being perfect—it’s about being *prepared*. By tackling these five tasks, you’ll set yourself up for a year of (mostly) stress-free social media wins. Remember: planning now means less scrambling later, and less scrambling means more time for coffee, memes, and possibly sleep.
Got any other tips to kick off the year? Drop them in the comments—because let’s be honest, we can all use a little help.