When you’re an entrepreneur, sometimes it feels like the hustle never stops.
It’s all about creating, attracting, nurturing… rinsing and repeating.
But let me tell you, this doesn’t have to be overwhelming at all!
By creating a social media content calendar, you can stay organized and on top of things… without any of the stress.
It’s true! Once you get the hang of creating a content calendar, social media becomes a breeze baby.
Let’s take a look at why, and how, to create a content calendar for your social media needs.
Why You Need a Social Media Content Calendar
While it seems like a simple organizational tool, it’s so much more than that!
A content calendar can help you…
- Manage — and save — your time
- Remain consistent across platforms
- Cultivate your unique brand voice
- Coordinate with others on your team
- Plan an aesthetically cohesive feed
- Track and take advantage of trends
How to Create Your Social Media Content Calendar
Are you convinced yet? Here are the steps you’ll need to take to create a great content calendar…
Step 1: Do Your Research
Before you begin planning, you’ll want to audit your current social media profiles and determine what best engages your audience.
Ask yourself:
- Which of your posts have performed well in the past?
- Do your followers prefer quirky videos, eye-catching graphics, or informative captions?
- What time is your audience usually active?
- Which social media platform has proven to be the most successful and relevant to your customer base?
The data you gather will also provide a nice “before” snapshot of your socials. Once you’ve implemented a content calendar, you’ll be able to see your metrics grow — or adjust your strategy to better achieve your goals.
Step 2: Plan Your Content
Now that you’ve determined which content works best on each of your platforms, you can proceed to the actual content-planning stage! For each platform, brainstorm the type of content you’d like to post: blog posts, Instagram reels, tutorials, etc.
A content calendar is especially great for all those little holidays that can slip past you. For example, if you run a vegan ice cream business and see that National Peanut Butter Day is coming up, you’ll be able to find the perfect image and create a memorable caption well in advance.
Step 3: Schedule in Advance
Now comes the fun part! Fill in your calendar with your planned content.
What specific calendar tool should you use? It’s totally up to you. There are tons of calendar templates out there, from simple spreadsheets to more sophisticated tools that can help you schedule months in advance.
As you fill out your calendar, you’ll be able to find your posting cadence: how much and how often will you post? Once you’ve decided on a timeline, go ahead and schedule all of your posts ahead of time. Your socials will run like a well-oiled machine!
Keep in mind that while your calendar is a great planning tool, you’ll still want to be flexible. Trends can change quickly. You need to be ready to pivot your social media strategy at any given moment in order to hop on the hottest trend.
Step 4: Analyze Your Performance
What’s great about a content calendar is that you can customize it to your specific needs. While it’s certainly not required, it can be helpful to return to published posts on your calendar and make a note of performance metrics. How many impressions, clicks, and likes did each post garner? Not only is it nice to have all this information in one place — it’ll inform and strengthen your future social media strategy.
Step 5: Enlist Help from an Experienced Assistant
Lastly, you can easily hand over your content calendar creation! Work with a Virtual Assistant who knows content – and knows your business, your brand and your goals – and you can make this task totally hands off for you.
Listen, social media marketing isn’t going away. But by creating a content calendar, not only will you transform an overwhelming job to a manageable routine, you have a plan in place that will help you save time and grow your audience.
