Setting Up a Social Media Workflow That Saves Time

A great social media workflow turns messy to do lists into clear steps. It helps you post more, stress less, and win more leads. This guide gives you a simple system you can run every week. It suits a single agent, a small team, or a VA. It fits real estate work like appraisals, opens, and auctions. It also keeps your posts on brand and your time under control.

What a Workflow Is and Why It Matters

A workflow is a repeatable set of steps that you follow every time. It removes guesswork. It saves time. It also makes it easy to hand work to a VA or team member.

Benefits for your business
• Faster creation with fewer mistakes
• Consistent posts across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Stories
• Clear roles so nothing gets stuck
• Easy handover when you get busy with buyers and sellers
• Better results because you review and improve each week

The Seven Step Weekly Workflow

Follow these seven steps every week. Keep it simple. Keep it the same.

1. Plan
   • Set one weekly goal such as book three appraisals or build brand in two key suburbs
   • Choose three content pillars such as Listings, Local Proof, Education
   • Map your key dates such as opens, auctions, settlement, local events

2. Source
   • Collect raw material such as photos, videos, testimonials, suburb stats, FAQs
   • Use a shared folder with clear names for files
   • Keep a running list of ideas in Notes or a cloud doc

3. Draft
   • Write short captions with a clear hook, one key point, and one call to action
   • Draft carousels and Reels scripts in the same document
   • Aim for five to seven posts each week

4. Design
   • Use templates for Reels covers, carousels, story frames, and thumbnails
   • Keep brand colours, fonts, and logo consistent
   • Export all assets to a single weekly folder

5. Approve and Schedule
   • Run a quick checklist for spelling, names, prices, and compliance
   • Schedule posts in one sitting for the whole week
   • Save hashtags and location tags inside your scheduler for speed

6. Publish and Engage
   • Let the tool post for you
   • Spend 15 minutes daily to reply, like, and comment
   • Log any hot leads into your CRM at once

7. Review and Improve
   • Open last week’s numbers
   • Keep what worked and fix what did not
   • Plan next week using the lessons you found

The 60 Minute Monday Planning Ritual

Block one hour every Monday morning. This hour powers your whole week.

• Minutes 0 to 10
Write your weekly goal. Choose your three content pillars. List key dates.

• Minutes 10 to 25
Pick post topics. Match each to a day and a format. For example
Monday new listing carousel
Tuesday local tip story
Wednesday quick market stat post
Thursday behind the scenes Reel
Friday testimonial graphic
Saturday open home reminder story
Sunday suburb spotlight or auction wrap

• Minutes 25 to 45
Draft all captions. Keep them short and clear. Add a call to action.

• Minutes 45 to 60
Assign tasks. Set due times. Add to your scheduler or checklist.

The Batching Method for Speed

Batching is doing one type of task at a time. This avoids constant switching.

• Script batch
Write all captions for the week in one sitting

• Film batch
Record three to five short videos in one session
Use a simple shot list such as listing teaser, buyer tip, suburb story

• Design batch
Build all carousels and story frames using saved templates

• Schedule batch
Upload and schedule every post for the week at once

Your Lean Tool Stack

Choose one tool per job. Keep it light so you can move fast.

• Planning and scripts
Google Docs or Notion with a shared content calendar

• Asset storage
Drive or Dropbox with folders for Weekly, Listings, Testimonials, Video

• Design
Canva brand kit with your logo, colours, and type styles

• Scheduling
Meta Planner for Facebook and Instagram
LinkedIn native scheduler or a trusted tool

• CRM
Your CRM to capture leads from DMs and comments

Roles and Responsibilities in a Small Team

If you have help, split the work clearly. If you work alone, use the same checklist.

• Agent
Sets weekly goal, records videos, gives approvals, replies to hot leads

• VA or Marketing Assistant
Collects assets, writes first draft captions, designs posts, schedules content

• Co Agent or Manager
Signs off on compliance and brand tone, checks names and key facts

Templates You Can Reuse Every Week

Templates remove thinking time. Build these once. Then reuse forever.

• Caption starters
Just listed in suburb name at price guide. Three reasons buyers will love it
Three local secrets about suburb name you will want to know
This week’s auction wrap. Results, buyers, next steps

• Carousel frames
Headline, three benefits, social proof, call to action

• Story sequences
Four frames for opens. Time and address. What to expect. Quick tour. See you there

• Reel scripts
Hook in one line. One tip in three points. Call to action in one line

A Simple Approval Checklist

Run this checklist before you schedule any post.

• Names and addresses are correct
• Prices, dates, and times are correct
• Vendor consent is on file for photos and testimonials
• Branding is consistent
• Call to action is clear
• Captions have line breaks and emojis if you use them
• Hashtags and locations are added
• The post meets platform rules

Posting Calendar for a Busy Agent

Here is a simple plan you can repeat. Adjust to your stock and your week.

• Monday
Listing carousel or suburb spotlight

• Tuesday
Buyer or seller tip Reel

• Wednesday
Testimonial graphic or case study

• Thursday
Behind the scenes from a photo shoot, staging, or paperwork

• Friday
Market stat with plain language

• Saturday
Open home story sequence and reminder posts

• Sunday
Auction wrap or weekly summary with a soft call to action

Daily Engagement Routine in 15 Minutes

Short daily actions add up to trust and leads.

• Minutes 0 to 5
Reply to comments and DMs. Use quick replies for speed.

• Minutes 5 to 10
Comment on local business posts and community pages. Be helpful and kind.

• Minutes 10 to 15
Follow up any warm leads in your CRM. Send a thank you note or a link.

Repurpose Every Post Across Channels

Make one piece of content work three times.

• LinkedIn
Turn a carousel into a short article with three bullet points

• Instagram
Use the same carousel with a tighter caption and saved hashtags

• Facebook
Post the carousel and add a local group share with a helpful intro

• Stories
Cut the key points into four frames with stickers and a poll

• Reel
Record the same points on video with a hook and captions

Tracking and Reporting That Fits on One Page

Keep your report short so you can act on it.

• Inputs
How many posts, stories, and Reels did you publish

• Reach
Accounts reached and video views

• Engagement
Comments, saves, shares, link taps

• Actions
Profile visits, website taps, message conversations started, enquiries

• Outcomes
Appraisals booked, listings won, buyers qualified

Write one line each week. What worked. What did not. What to change next week.

Automations That Save Hours

Use simple automations to remove manual work.

• Saved replies for common DMs such as inspection times, price guides, agency address
• Comment keywords that send a DM with a brochure link
• Automatic UTM links in your scheduler so you can track traffic
• Auto post listing updates from your CRM to a draft folder for review
• Calendar holds for content blocks so you protect your batching time

Handling Comments and Risks

Plan how you will handle common issues. Keep a short playbook.

• Positive comments
Thank the person. Ask a gentle follow up question.

• Negative comments
Acknowledge. Offer to move to DM. Log the issue.

• Errors in a post
Fix the caption or repost if needed. Add a note that the error is corrected.

• Compliance
Do not share private details. Keep vendor consent with the file.

Onboarding a VA To Run This Workflow

Give your VA a clear start. Use this five part pack.

• Brand kit with logo, colours, fonts, voice guide, and sample captions
• Template pack for carousels, stories, Reels covers, thumbnails
• SOPs for weekly steps. Plan, source, draft, design, approve, schedule, engage, report
• Access list for tools and folders with clear naming rules
• Quality bar checklist and approval rules

The Quality Bar

Set the standard once. Hold it every time.

• Clear hook in the first line
• One idea per post
• Local proof such as a street name, school name, or market stat
• Simple call to action such as message me to book a free appraisal
• Clean design with white space and brand colours
• Native video captions for sound off viewers
• All copy checked for spelling and names

Time Saving Example

Here is how the workflow saves hours.

Without a workflow
• You spend 20 minutes here and 15 minutes there
• You repeat tasks
• You lose files
• You forget to post on busy days
• Total time can be five to six hours with weak results

With this workflow
• 60 minute Monday plan
• 60 minutes to script and film three Reels
• 60 minutes to design and schedule all posts
• 15 minutes each day for engagement
• Total time about three hours with stronger reach, better consistency, and more leads

Simple SOP You Can Copy

You can paste this into your doc and follow it step by step.

• Step 1 Plan
Set weekly goal. Choose pillars. List key dates.

• Step 2 Source
Collect photos, videos, stats, proof. Put all in the Weekly folder.

• Step 3 Draft
Write all captions. Add calls to action.

• Step 4 Design
Build carousels and story frames from templates.

• Step 5 Approve
Run the checklist. Fix any errors.

• Step 6 Schedule
Load all content for the week. Add hashtags and locations.

• Step 7 Engage
Reply daily. Log leads in the CRM.

• Step 8 Report
Fill the one page report. Plan next week.

Next Steps

• Create your brand kit and templates in Canva
• Set up your shared Weekly folder with clear names
• Choose a scheduler and learn its features
• Book your 60 minute Monday planning block
• Run the workflow for four weeks and refine it

When you build a clear workflow, social media becomes simple. You show up every day with helpful posts. You save time. You build trust. You create more real conversations that lead to appraisals and signed agreements. This is how you turn social platforms into a steady pipeline for your business.

Author Ken Hobson
ken@agentslibrary.com.au