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<\/p>\nPosting on social media whenever you feel inspired might seem convenient, but if you’re running a business, it’s not going to bring you much success. If you want to attract attention and engagement, you need to post content regularly.<\/p>\n
The easiest way to do this without burning out is to create a social media calendar and schedule your posts in advance.<\/p>\n
Whether it\u2019s a simple Excel spreadsheet with a few links or a sophisticated dashboard that can contain plans for a dozen social media platforms, the way you structure your calendar is up to your preferences and needs.<\/p>\n
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In this piece, we outline the steps needed to plan a functional social media calendar. We\u2019ll also show you some real-world examples, and give you a list of our favorite social media calendar tools. We\u2019ve included a free social media calendar template to help you get started in no time.<\/p>\n
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A social media calendar is a spreadsheet, calendar, or interactive dashboard (if you\u2019re using a social media management platform) used to organize and schedule social media content across multiple platforms ahead of time. It helps social media managers juggle campaigns better and keep track of deadlines.<\/p>\n
You can use any platform you want to create your calendar as long as it outlines all your social media content in one place.<\/p>\n
Each entry in a social media calendar should consist of some of these elements:<\/p>\n
Your social media calendar can include one or several social networks, depending on the scope of your social media strategy.<\/p>\n
Picture this: It\u2019s Monday morning. 9 am.<\/p>\n
You just started a job as a social media manager in a fast food restaurant, and throughout your onboarding session, your boss continually emphasized the importance of \u201cgoing viral on social media right now!\u201d<\/p>\n
To avoid getting fired on your first day, you log into the company\u2019s Facebook account and spend the next 30 minutes frantically trying to come up with some mind-blowing content to post. Eventually, you figure something out and post it. And suddenly you can breathe better.<\/p>\n
Until you realize that you\u2019ll have to repeat this stressful process for their Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Reddit, and LinkedIn accounts.<\/p>\n
And you have to do this every day.<\/p>\n
Terrible, right?<\/p>\n
That’s why social media calendars exist. They simply make your life easier.<\/p>\n
Want more reasons to create a social media calendar? Well, here you go!<\/p>\n
Reaching your social media marketing goals requires you to spend a ton of time and effort every day trying to come up with great social content ideas, even when you don\u2019t feel inspired. And scribbling potential topics into random notebooks and post-it notes isn\u2019t a fail-safe way to keep track of the social media posts you need to make.<\/p>\n
Using a social media content calendar can help you plan and schedule all your social media posts in advance<\/a> instead of churning them out on the day they\u2019re supposed to go live. This reduces the risk of forgetting to post and ensures that your content is published when your audience is online.<\/p>\n If you work with a team, a shared social content calendar can help everyone keep track of upcoming campaigns and due dates. This allows you to save time on any research needed for potential topics. You\u2019ll know everything you need in order to stay and schedule your content ahead of time so that there won\u2019t be any last-minute scuffle.<\/p>\n Hootsuite\u2019s Planner can help you schedule upcoming social media posts and manage audience engagement<\/a> from one place. You can check it out here<\/a>.<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=c_xYkyfivDI<\/a><\/p>\n The best way to reach as many of your social media followers as possible is to post content consistently. There\u2019s no way around this.<\/p>\n No matter how much your audience likes your content, not posting regularly will lead to an \u201cout of sight, out of mind\u201d situation, which can harm your brand.<\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re trying to increase the number of your Instagram followers<\/a>, get more YouTube views<\/a>, or see a boost across different social media KPIs<\/a>, posting consistently ensures that you\u2019re on your audience\u2019s radar.<\/p>\n The more your target audience sees your posts on their feed, the better they\u2019ll engage with your content. And the more they engage, the platform\u2019s algorithm pushes your content in front of new eyes, so that new (and relevant) people start following your brand.<\/p>\n As your audience grows, your conversions will, too.<\/p>\n Filling your social media content calendar with posts ahead of time allows you to deliver content consistently, without hindrances like inconvenient time zones and slow news weeks.<\/p>\n Apart from helping you reach more people, posting consistently also increases engagement and fosters community because your followers have something to look forward to.<\/p>\n When your audience knows that you deliver relevant and helpful content regularly, they\u2019ll be more inclined to interact with your brand. You\u2019ll also be able to develop a unified voice across all your social networks and solidify your brand in the eyes of your audience.<\/p>\n A social media calendar is the best way to prevent social media crisis<\/a> like making embarrassing typos or posting the same content across all social channels<\/a>.<\/p>\n When you plan your posts days (or weeks) in advance, you\u2019ll be able to cross-check your workflows before they\u2019re executed.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll be able to easily fact-check information, copy-edit your text, and even get your idea approved by stakeholders like the C-suite or legal team.<\/p>\n The biggest social media brands often run multiple campaigns all at once\u2014short-term, medium and long-term, paid and organic. And that\u2019s just the \u201cbusiness as usual\u201d social media posts.<\/p>\n So no, you\u2019re not crazy if, after you have your schedule nailed down, you\u2019re itching to explore other social media channels and diversify your social content mix.<\/p>\n Big questions run through your creative mind: Should you start making TikTok videos<\/a>? Start partnering with influencers<\/a>? Maybe you think you should register your brand on LinkedIn<\/a> or start a social media employee advocacy program<\/a>.<\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re managing a ten-person content team or you\u2019re posting pictures of your freshly distilled perfume oils that you took at 3 am on Instagram, a social media calendar can help you get more ambitious with your social strategies.<\/p>\n The 2022 Superbowl happened a couple of weeks ago, and I bet you saw all those Superbowl-inspired ads\/content that many brands rolled out across social platforms prior to the big game.<\/p>\n<\/a>2. Post consistently<\/h3>\n
<\/a>3. Make fewer mistakes<\/h3>\n
<\/a>4. Expand your social media strategy<\/h3>\n
<\/a>5. Don\u2019t miss out on pivotal moments<\/h3>\n