Running a business account on social media is much different from running a personal account.
On a personal account, it doesn’t matter what or when you post. But, when you’re using social media to promote your business, consistency, organization, and engagement is key to success!
One tool I think every small business should take advantage of (and one I use to stay organized on social media myself!) is a content calendar.
What is a content calendar? Why do you need one? And most importantly, how do you create one?! Let’s dive in.
What’s a Content Calendar?
A content calendar is exactly what it sounds like — a monthly calendar with all the content you’ll post on your social media pages!
Creating a content calendar is a great way to stay organized, keep things consistent, and make sure you’re not posting too much of one type of content and too little of another.
Why Do I Need a Content Calendar?
In my opinion, all small businesses can benefit from a content calendar. Having a content calendar:
● Helps with organization
● Ensures you won’t forget to post important updates
● Helps you keep a consistent posting schedule
● Prevents you from posting too much similar content
Having a content calendar lets you see a bigger picture of what’s coming up.
When you already know what and when you’ll post on your pages, content creation takes a backseat to help you center your time, resources, and energy around actually running your business.
How to Create a Content Calendar
The thought of creating a content calendar might scare you. But, it’s easier than you think!
The best time to start planning the next month of content is in the second half of the current month. That way, you’ll have plenty of time to get everything together and schedule what you can before the first of the month comes around.
When you’re ready, here’s how you can get your content calendar started.
Write Down Everything You Want to Post
The first step in creating a content calendar is deciding what type of content you want to post. Know of any sales coming up? Have new products you’re planning to drop? Write it all down so you can organize it later.
When you’re thinking of content ideas, remember the 80/20 rule — 80% of your content should be entertaining, educational, or informational to keep your audience engaged with your brand, and only 20% should be promotional.
Create Graphics and Videos
Before you start creating your content calendar, it’s a good idea to get the graphics and videos that will accompany your posts together.
Having visual aids ready before you start planning content for the month will make everything much easier. Spend a day or two creating graphics or shooting videos for everything you want to post, then store all the images in a file on your computer.
When it comes time to schedule a post, all you have to do is upload the image and copy/paste the caption!
Create a Google Sheet or Excel Document
The easiest way to create a content calendar is with a Google Sheet or Excel document. Open a new document and start creating some column headings:
● Date
● Platform
● Title
● Caption
● Notes
Then, start filling in the information based on the visual aids you’ve created.
Color Code for Simplicity
By the time you’re done creating your content calendar, you’ll probably have something that looks like this:
Looks a little cluttered, right? Here’s my solution — color coding!
Choose one color for posts that need to be scheduled, one for posts that have been scheduled, and one for posts you’ve published.
Now, all you need to do is glance at your color key and see what needs to be done!
Keep your content calendar updated throughout the month — each time a post goes live or you schedule something new, adjust the colors accordingly.
Streamline Your Social Media with a Content Calendar
Don’t let disorganization ruin your social media presence!
Creating and using a monthly content calendar will help you keep track of what and how often you’re posting, allowing you to keep a consistent schedule and offer the best types of content to keep your audience engaged.
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