How to Create a Social Media Calendar to Plan Your Content

How to Create a Social Media Calendar

To create an effective social media calendar, you should:

1. Conduct a social media audit.

A social media audit assesses your social media presence, accounts, and engagement so you can see what's working, what's not, and where improvements need to be made. To learn how to conduct a social media audit, click here.

2. Choose your social media channels and the content you'll post.

After conducting a social media audit, you should comprehensively understand which channels your audience uses and the kind of content they prefer. You should use your findings to determine which social media channels you'll leverage and the content you'll post. 

For example, you may notice your audience prefers your behind-the-scenes content on Instagram but goes to Twitter to ask questions and learn more about your product. In that case, you can post fun behind-the-scenes photos and Reels on Instagram, then use Twitter to share information about your product and answer consumer questions.

3. Decide what your calendar should include.

Your social media calendar should be tailored to your business and goals, so you'll need to include information in our calendar that will make your desired results. 

To start, your calendar should include the following:

• The platforms you're using 
• The day and the time your posts will be published
• Links, graphics, videos, and copy

As you become more adept with your calendar, you may want to expand it to include the following:

• Platform-specific materials include Reels, TikTok LIVE, polls, shoppable posts, etc.
• Geo-targeting 
• The associated or vertical campaigns, such as product launches and contests

4. Get feedback.

Once your calendar is complete, share it with your team and stakeholders to get their feedback to ensure it meets everyone's needs. As you use the calendar, you may find ways to improve or expand upon it; you'll need to be open to ongoing feedback.