Have you ever stared at a blank social media post, not knowing what to write? Perhaps you have not posted in while and are getting back on the wagon. Perhaps you are pivoting your business due to COVID-19. Perhaps you have an announcement to make, but are not sure where or when to share the news. Whatever the reason, you know you need to post something, but what?
This is where having a Social Media Calendar comes to the rescue.
A Social Media Calendar is your road map for when and where to post your social media content. It rescues you from the fear of the blank page and helps you pre-determine what content to share with your followers based on your Social Media Strategy. [Learn the 5 Steps to Create a Winning Social Media Strategy].
Below I outline my 3 Steps for Creating a Social Media Calendar, which builds upon your Social Media Strategy.
1. Develop your Voice
The first step in creating a Social Media Calendar is to develop a social media Voice. Refer to your goals, target audience, and relevant keywords and hashtags from your Social Media Strategy for inspiration. Draft a few sample posts and share them with your team for feedback before you publish them. If you want more data, send a few sample posts and track how they perform. Adapt your voice as needed.
Pro Tip: Your “voice” can also be different on different platforms. For example: perhaps you’re more formal on LinkedIn and more casual on Instagram.
2. Build your Calendar
The next step is to build the calendar in a program that what works for you and your team. This could be an official calendar program, a Google spreadsheet, AirTable, or something within your Social Media Scheduler (i.e. Hootsuite, Sprout Social, or Buffer).
The important element is you want to break the calendar year down into quarters and then months for easy planning. Next add holidays, conferences, events to watch, and anticipated developments for your organization (such as sales, promotions, product releases, etc.) Look for content themes and highlight opportunities where you can share your expertise. Add these notes as placeholders to your calendar.
3. Find your Rhythm
Using the calendar as your guide, the final step is to synthesize all your research to develop a cadence (or rhythm) for your posts. Consider the following: How often do you want to post? What time or day generates the most engagements? If you have multiple platforms sharing the same information, which platform should share the information or announcement first? How do all the platforms interact with each other?
Add placeholders for this content on your Social Media Calendar. The next time you go to post something on social media, you will have a clear strategy to inform your content.
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I hope you enjoyed learning about my proven social media calendar development method. Be sure to subscribe to our Newsletter so that you don’t miss my next insight.
