How to create a social media content calendar
How to create a social media content calendar
Social media is an essential part of marketing for any business, and for small businesses, it can be a gold mine. Creating a content calendar could make social media management easier for you and your team. So, make the most of every post by creating a social media content calendar. We’ll show you how.
What is a Social Media Calendar?
A social media calendar is similar to your personal or work calendar, but instead of meetings and appointments, you’re scheduling social media posts. A social media calendar with lots of great pre-planned content can be a lifesaver, especially for small businesses that may not have a dedicated social media team. A social media calendar will:
Plan your social media posts by date, time, platform and campaign
Help you to stay organised and keep your posts consistent
Keep your social media strategy on track
Reduce the stress of creating ad-hoc posts
Provide specific details including goals, target audience and objective
10 tips on How to Create a Social Media Calendar
A social media content calendar can sync and align with your overall business marketing strategy perfectly. Here are 10 tips to help you get started with your social media planning.
Define your goals
What do you want to achieve from your social media channels? Discuss what type of content you’ll be creating such as written posts, graphics, reels or videos. Do you want to grow your following, interact with customers or increase traffic to your website?
2. Create a template
Templates will keep your calendar organised. Split it into weekly increments for each platform so it’s clear what’s coming up. You can create a basic personalised template on Excel, or HubSpot has a great template you can download here. Upload the template onto a shared platform, so everyone can access the calendar and edit in real-time, even when working remotely.
3. Choosing social media channels
You need to think about which social media channel is right for your business and which app your target audience is spending most of their time on. Think quality over quantity.
4. Decide who will be responsible for the calendar and content
Deciding who is responsible for the calendar is key to its success. For small businesses, it might be a joint effort, or if someone wants to take ownership of the social media strategy and calendar planning, that’s great too. Tools like Notion, Asana, and Monday.com all have great collaborative calendars.
5. Choose the best day and time to post.
The average person spends about 145 minutes on social media every day, and maximising your engagement means posting while people are online. Data from Hootsuite suggests that each platform has a sweet spot, but generally, the best time to post on social media is 9:00 AM PST on Mondays. Analysing audience insights from your accounts will also show you when your followers are most active.
6. Use a social media planning tool
Putting posting into the hands of a social media scheduling tool will make managing your social channels even easier. Hootsuite, Sprout Social and Planoly are some great examples and for a small monthly cost, you can schedule your posts, create content and track performance. They offer a free trial too.
7. Tailor your content around special holidays or events
National holidays like Christmas, Easter and Valentine's Day are good to note in your calendar, as well as awareness days such as International Women’s Day or World Mental Health Day.
8. Track the performance of each post
Most business social media accounts allow you to gain valuable insights into the performance of your posts including engagement per post, website clicks, impressions, and profile views. This information helps you tailor future content to your audience.
9. Manage your marketing campaigns
A social media calendar allows you to plan campaigns at the best times. You can track performance and adjust campaigns to meet your needs.
1. Be flexible
It’s always good to add flexibility to your calendar and have evergreen posts ready if needed. There may be trends, world events or business needs that change quickly, meaning you need to adjust your social media post planning.
And that’s it! All you need to get started with your social media content calendar. For more information about creating a social media calendar for your business, book a 1-2-1 chat with one of our V-hub digital advisors.
