To be successful on social media, it is essential to have a plan and be organized. One way to do this is to create a social media calendar. A social media calendar helps you to keep track of what you need to post when you need to post it, and which platform you need to post it on.
This can be a lifesaver when you are managing multiple social media accounts. In addition, a social media calendar allows you to schedule your posts in advance to take advantage of high-traffic times.
A social media calendar can also help save time by eliminating the need to scramble to come up with new content daily. In addition, a well-crafted calendar can help businesses to track their progress and measure their success over time.
By creating a social media calendar, businesses can ensure that their social media efforts are as effective as possible. However, with the numerous advantages of social media calendars, it is important to understand how to create one to get the most out of it.
This article will cover the steps you need to take to make a social media calendar in 2023. Let’s get started.
What is a Social Media Calendar?
A social media calendar is a tool that helps businesses plan, track and measure their social media activity. It includes the dates and times when posts are scheduled, what type of content will be posted, and tags and links.
As mentioned above, dates and times are essential for ensuring that posts reach the maximum number of people when they are most likely to be active. By scheduling posts ahead of time, businesses can save time and make sure their posts are timely and relevant.
Also, the content types and tags used must be carefully chosen to reach the right audience. This is where a social media calendar comes in handy—it helps you plan and organize your content in advance.
Creating Your Social Media Calendar
Step 1: Decide What Content You Want to Post
The first step in creating a social media marketing calendar is deciding what content you want to post. Ask yourself what types of posts will be beneficial for your business. It is important to make sure you have the right content for your audience.
For example, images and videos showcasing new products or promotions would be ideal if you have a retail store. If you’re an event planner, announcements about upcoming events and behind-the-scenes photos could be great topics to post about.
It is crucial to tailor your content to the type of business you have and the audience you are trying to reach.
Step 2: Set Up a Calendar
Once you know what content you want to post, it’s time to set up your calendar. You can use a social media marketing calendar tool such as Crosscap or Google Calendar.
It is essential to ensure that you include all of the platforms you post on, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also add notes about each post to remember what content you want to post on a certain day.
Step 3: Set Up a Posting Schedule
There are options on how many times you want to be published; for example, you can decide to post 1-2 times per week or even more. It is essential to ensure that you are consistent with your posting schedule and stick to it, so your followers know what to expect.
It is also important to space out the posts so that there isn’t a buildup of content in one day, as this can be off-putting for some followers.
Step 4: Choose the Platforms You Want to Use
The next step is to decide which platforms you want to use. Many different social media platforms are available, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Consider who your target audience is and which platforms they use most.
Once you have decided what platform to use, make sure that you set up accounts on each one if you haven’t already done so. You can then start adding your content to the calendar.
The following are the ideal number of times to post on your platforms: As far as how often you should be posting on social media, there’s no magic number.
- Post on Facebook at least 1 per day
- On TikTok, plan to post daily
- For Instagram, post at least 1-2 times per week and post stories daily
- On Twitter, tweet up to 4 times daily
- For LinkedIn, plan on posting 1 time a week.
- As for Pinterest, make it 3plus times per day
- For Tumblr, make it 3+ times per week
- Snapchat: Daily or multiple times per day
- Periscope: Multiple times per day
- YouTube: Multiple times a week or daily
Also, you should include the best time to post on your social media. Here are the recommended times:
- Instagram: 6 AM- 9 AM, 12 PM- 2 PM
- Facebook: 1 PM- 4 PM
- Twitter: 9 AM- 3 PM
- LinkedIn: 7:30 AM- 11 AM
- Pinterest: 2 PM- 4 PM
- TikTok: 1 PM- 3 PM
It’s worth noting that the ideal frequency for each platform may vary depending on the size of your audience and how much engagement each post receives, so keep an eye on those metrics as well!
Also, consider any special circumstances that might warrant increased or decreased posting (holidays, sales/promotions, company news/updates, etc.).
Step 5: Plan Your Content Mix & Curation Formula
Plan your content mix and curation formula. This means deciding which type of content you want to post and how much of it will be original versus curated (from other sources). For example, if you have an online shop, images and videos showcasing products or customer photos tagged with your product would be a great mix of content.
You can also add customer testimonials, educational blog posts, and updates about upcoming events or promotions to your calendar. To keep your followers interested and entertained, you need to post a mix of different types of content. The more creative you get with the types of content you post, the better!
Step 5: Track Your Progress
Once you have created your social media calendar, tracking your posts’ performance is important. This will help you understand what works and what doesn’t so that you can make adjustments as needed.
You can use tools such as Google Analytics or other analytics tools to track the performance of your posts. This will help you understand your social media activities’ effectiveness and make adjustments as needed.
Wrapping Up
Creating a social media calendar can be an effective way to plan and track your social media activity. If you follow the steps above, you can make a good social media calendar that helps you reach your target audience and get the most out of your efforts.
Remember, keeping your content fresh and engaging is important, and don’t be afraid to experiment with different types of content. Good luck!