As 2016 is fast approaching, the year’s end is the perfect time to reassess your content strategy, learn from your success (as well as setbacks), and plan for the New Year. How to start? Look back, then plan ahead! Use our tips to analyze this year’s social steps and plan a better 2016:

Looking back – what has worked and what hasn’t

Social media platforms offer access to data that can help you understand what is working, and what isn’t. This data can be accessed via Page Insights* on Facebook (for “Page” accounts only, not for personal accounts) and the Analytics Dashboard** on Twitter.

• Check your posts’ reach and engagement. How many people actually see your content? The more people that interact with a post, the more people you will ultimately reach. If your reach is too low, your messages won’t be seen regardless of the quality of the content. If you aren’t getting likes, comments or shares, adjust your posting strategy. Test different types of copy, images, or posting times to see what works best. You may also want to consider advertising or promoting your posts to boost your reach. (Visit https://www.facebook.com/business/products/ads for more on advertising.)
• Don’t recreate the wheel. If you’re sharing third-party content, take note of the types of articles that get high engagement and plan for similar posts in the upcoming year. You can easily do this with a content curation tool such as Lumentus Social, which features a highly customizable newsfeed that caters to special interests as well as local and regional content.

*To see your Page Insights, click Insights at the top of your Page. From here, you can view metrics about your Page by clicking the sections on the left (ex: Likes, Reach).

**To see your Analytics Dashboard, visit https://analytics.twitter.com and log in with your Twitter account.

Planning ahead – winning the social media game

Between showing appointments and running your business, creating and curating new social media content can seem daunting. To avoid a last-minute scramble and to save time, take advantage of the lull between the year’s end and the New Year to sketch out the content you can repurpose for your social media channels.

For example, if you or members of your team are going to attend a community or real estate event, make a note to remind yourself to publicize it in advance. Happenings at the office, including birthdays or office anniversaries, are great occasions to post on social media.

When you have a tentative timeline planned out, you’ll find it much easier to plan and post great, relevant content on a regular basis.

Now that you’ve wrapped up the year and taken a look at your social impact, you’ll have a much better idea of where you can go in 2016 – the possibilities are endless if you plan accordingly and stay connected!