The Carmel Social
Academy
A self-paced learning program for The Crossroads Carmel tenants on how to actually win at organic social media in 2026 — with paid as the footnote. Built on Hearst · Social Studio research, refreshed with current 2026 platform data, and tailored to the dual locals-and-Highway-1-visitors mix that defines retail at The Crossroads.
The Curriculum
Eight modules and a capstone, designed to be read in sequence over a long weekend or one module per week for a ten-week study cycle.
Foundations: How Social Actually Works in 2026
Vocabulary, formats — Reels, Stories, carousels, broadcast channels — the three Mosseri ranking signals, account types, and Meta Business Suite setup. Zero-baseline friendly.
Module 02The State of Social — 2026 Landscape
The headline numbers, why search migrated from Google to Instagram, the five 2026 macro-shifts, and the dual locals-and-Highway-1-visitors picture for Carmel tenants.
Module 03Platform Purpose
IG, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, Threads, LinkedIn, Reddit — with current 2026 stats and per-category playbooks for the seven major Crossroads tenant types.
Module 04Organic Pillars: Show / Tell / Teach / Invite
Our four-pillar content framework with category-specific examples, the V.O.P.R.A. five-test, and the 12-Idea Exercise that produces your starter calendar.
Module 05Building the Content Calendar
The six-field calendar template, the 90-minute batch shoot rhythm, three free scheduling tools, the Carmel tentpole event map, and the content bank discipline.
Module 06Captions & SEO
Captions as SEO copy after the mid-2025 indexing change. Hook + middle + CTA. Per-shop keyword bank, the 3–6 hashtag rule, dual Carmel geo-tagging.
Module 07Reply Culture
The 24-hour reply rule, saved replies, broadcast channels, UGC permissions, and the hide-don't-delete moderation discipline.
Module 08Paid Social — the footnote
When to graduate to paid, the Three Small Starts, the Anatomy-of-an-Ad checklist, six-lever audience targeting, and the year-one budget posture.
★ CapstoneYour 90-Day Crossroads Social Plan
Phase 1 → 2 → 3 dated action plan with weekly tasks. The AI Authenticity Guardrail Card. The 2026 trends watchlist. The 12-month evolution path.
Tools & Source Material
Phase I Social Audit, plus the original Hearst · Social Studio research deck and one-pager that this academy is built on.
Cross-Module Action Checklist
As you complete each item, check it off. Progress saves locally to your browser.