Last week, a friend shared how hard it is to publish real-time, quality social media content when you have a multi-location business that “sells” an in-person experience. My friend is the co-owner of a very successful pet hotel business, Paradise for Paws. But with multiple locations, in different states, how can one social media marketer create content showing customers’ experiences, real-time?

I was impressed that my friend appreciated that people are looking for fresh, “insta” social media content. Content that’s genuine and as close to home as possible. The popularity of Instagram, Snapchat, Periscope and other live streaming services confirms the trend – the most desirable content has to be timely, fresh and genuine. It has to replicate what a

friend would send to you – a quick, real snapshot of their experience right now.

How do you capture real-time, fresh and genuine content without having a full-time person running around all day?

Set up a content list

It may seem counter-intuitive to try to plan “real-time” moments. But the reality is that one person won’t be able to be around your customers all day, and watch for those outstanding moments. Your social media manager is not a wildlife photographer, perched on an observation station for days to no end.

You can go in with a plan and still keep it real. Start by creating a “shot” list that answers these questions:

• What are the emotions which if you capture and publish will move your audiences?
• What employee interactions will best illustrate the change you want to make in the world?
• What customer interactions with your product or services will make one want to buy from you?
• What moments will show that you are solving actual problems for your customers?
• Which customers, if shown on your social networks, will create a desirability effect?
• What situations will trigger FOMO?
• What experiences will give a behind-the-scenes feeling, a feeling of VIP access?
• What snapshots will give ego-boosts to your influencers?
• Do you have any milestones to celebrate?

Establish a content workflow and process:

Kapost has a very simple example of a content workflow. You can simplify this even further. You’ll need a process and a tool that will connect the following steps:

• Content creators
• Content transfer method
• Content notification method
• Content editor
• Content publisher

You can use Basecamp, Slack, or another project management tool to establish a channel or project binder through which content creators submit content to the workflow. Then an editor will pick up the content, transform it and publish it. The process should allow for the content creators to include as much detail about the content they’re submitting. Who needs to be mentioned and credited, what happened, where and why is it significant?

Inject accountability:

If you haven’t guessed yet, what I’m outlining here is a publishing method. You are now getting into the publishing business. Until now you may have considered this “just social media.” Something that a college intern can do. But you’re expecting a steady stream of content showing customers’ experiences, real-time. To make this happen, you need to get serious about changing the culture of your organization into one that cares about showing the world what you’re all about. An organization where everyone is a brand promoter.

Here’s how you start:

• Have a daily content deadline. Because the boss says so.
• Hold your content creators responsible to meet deadline. It’s part of their job as new-media journalists.  
• Use the themes list discussed earlier. And other daily themes: For example, Monday, your content creators will be responsible to send you an #InspirationMonday snapshot. Tuesday is for funny pet moments.
• Stick to the content flow
• Collaborate with your content creators. It’s highly recommended to have weekly editorial meetings or virtual check-ins.

You may have noticed I mention “content creators” a lot. That’s because if you have multiple locations, you’ll need multiple contributors. More on this further down.

Have an established, kick-ass content editor/manager

In the workflow discussion above, I separated content creators from content editor/manager. The content manager has a critical role. They are the leader. They are the project manager. They set the tone, follow up with contributors, and inject expertise in the process. They should be THE BEST at creating content, but they should also know how to work with others to inspire and lead them to create content.

To be successful at this, in addition to the process, set up some content rules. It doesn’t have to be haphazard.

• Have a content manager, for the entire organization
• The content manager is responsible for what gets published – if the contributors don’t submit content, the editor has to fill the gap
• They are responsible for communicating with the content creators. This is a critical piece. It means the editors have to know how to motivate the contributors, and keep them on deadline.
• The content manager will edit and publish the content. They should be expected to execute to perfection. They will need to craft the copy into a compelling story and add the engagement details such as hashtags and links. The content manager’s role should be to make the content more than just a set of details, or just a picture. They will take the submitted content and shape it into a story that will capture the attention of your audiences and move them to take action.
• The content manager is responsible for analyzing results and giving guidance to contributors on what content will improve results

Invite your front-line employees to participate

Once you have an editorial process in place you can build an army of contributors. Your content creators!

Your employees are already busy sharing things on their social networks. Pick a few employees who show excitement to collect content for your social networks. Find one or two people per location and reward them for their contributions.

The companies that are the most successful at digital marketing are the ones that make digital marketing part of their DNA. The companies that acknowledge that every employee is a brand representative. And since we all walk around with our digital devices on us, at all times, there are no excuse to not take five minutes and capture stories throughout the day.

You don’t need these employees to be social media experts. They should be good at storytelling and have access to the stories. You will just need them to capture the moments. Then, send the information to the social media editor. The editor will take the time needed to edit the image, craft the copy and publish.

One of the more common concerns I hear from business owners is that their employees forget to take and send pictures to their social media teams. It’s all about accountability. Here are some ways to break this bad habit:

• Make it a requirement of the job – whoever is on the front lines has to send you a picture every day.
• Give them a theme from your content list – my vet’s employees would put scarves on the resident cats and post their “fashion shows” on Facebook.
• Keep reminding them and communicating content needs with them.
• Reward them – give monthly gift-card awards to employees who are your best in-house journalists!

Nurture your ambassadors

Create an ambassador program. Find your biggest fans, create a rewards package for them and let them participate in creating content for you!

There are three ways to leverage content created by your ambassadors:

1. Use the editorial process to funnel content to an editor. Give the ambassadors the same rules as your employees, deadlines and all.
2. Encourage ambassadors to publish the content to their social networks, with a common hashtag
3. Reshare with your own social networks what the ambassadors are publishing, giving them credit

Organize takeovers – the ultimate authentic experience

Why do you think we say a celebrity endorsed a product instead of saying they used a product? Because they’re not using it, or if they are, they’re not exclusively using it. And we all know that. Every out-of-work celebrity is endorsing something on Instagram these days.

To make the experience genuine, give your influencers the keys to your social media accounts for a day, or for an event. Let them tell their story. It will be the most powerful endorsement you can get and will get you #ThrowBackThursday content for years to come.

Last year, for five weeks, Capital One gave three popular Instagrammers the keys to its Instagram account for a campaign under the hashtag #walletstories. The photographers then snapped pictures of the interesting things they keep in their wallets such as love letters, photographs and tickets. The most popular pictures were turned into Instagram Ads and also posted to the influencers’ Instagram accounts. According to AdWeek, “the images boosted Capital One’s ad recall 16 percent, particularly among Gen Xers and Baby Boomers. With people ages 45 and older, ad recall increased 25 percent.”

What other content creation tips do you have for multi-location businesses?