Creating a social media content calendar can be a daunting process when it’s your first time. That’s why, in this article, we want to break down the whole process into simple and easy-to-understand steps to help you get started.
In this article, you’ll learn how to set goals, chose the right platforms for you, decide on content types, and much more. But before we jump into that…
Why Do I Need a Social Media Content Calendar?
At Giraffe, we set up social media content calendars for every single one of our clients, and that’s for good reason.
The first benefit from this is that we’re able to plan ahead, noting down all the relevant holidays and national days that we should create content for. Without a calendar telling us exactly when these dates are, there’s a chance they’ll be missed, or we simply won’t have enough time to create killer content.
Additionally, fleshing out a social media content calendar will stop you from creating that always annoying – and almost always rushed – last-minute content every day. Have you ever sat down to create the day’s post only to have no ideas to work with? When you plan all your content in advance, you can stop this from happening.
How to Create a Social Media Content Calendar
Now that we know why it’s important to create a social media content calendar for our brands, how do we actually go about it?
In the following steps, you’ll learn the easy and pain-free way of creating a powerful social media content calendar that will help you succeed in your marketing efforts!
Step 1: Set Goals
The first step to creating a content calendar is to define your goals. What do you want to accomplish with your social media presence? Are you looking to increase brand awareness, drive website traffic, or generate sales?
The answer to each of these questions will influence what you include in your content calendar. For example, if you want to grow your brand, you may include spaces to post every day. If you want to drive website traffic, you’ll include plenty of links to your website and blog content.
Step 2: Choose Platforms
Once you have identified your goals, it’s time to decide which platforms you’ll use to achieve them. Each social media platform has unique characteristics, so be sure to research them, selecting the ones that make the most sense for your business.
It’s important to remember that your target audience likely isn’t using every single social platform out there, so there’s no reason you should be either. Take some time to research where your target customer is spending their time, and then only include those platforms in your social calendar.
Step 3: Create a Template
Now that you know the platforms you will use and what you want to achieve, it’s time to create a template for your content calendar. You can use an Excel spreadsheet or an online tool such as Trello or Asana. Whichever way you decide to do it, make sure that it’s organised and easy to use.
Or, if you don’t have time to set something up from scratch, we’ve put together a killer calendar template for you to use. And even better, it’s completely FREE!
Grab the free Social Media Content Calendar template here!
Step 4: Content Types
Once you have a template, it’s time to decide which types of content you’ll be creating. Will you be posting articles, images, videos, or a combination of all three? Once you have a clear idea of the types of content you’ll create, you can start filling out your content calendar.
We recommend including a good range of content types, as this will give you the best chance of reaching new people on social media. And, to level up the chances of getting eyes on your brand, you can’t avoid creating short-form videos for Instagram Reels and TikTok.
Step 5: Fill Out the Calendar
Now it’s time to fill out your content calendar. Start by deciding which days and times you want to post, then fill in the content type and the specific post. Make sure to include any relevant hashtags or links to other pages or websites that you want to include in the post.
When creating your content, we highly recommend you don’t work any more than a month in advance. This is because a month’s worth of content will give you enough time to get ahead, but also enough time to react to trends when making your next content batch.
And remember, you should also look to make use of curated content in your calendar too!
Conclusion
Creating a social media content calendar is a great way to ensure that you’re consistently creating content that’s engaging and effective. By following the steps outlined in this blog post, you can easily create your own content calendar and start maximizing your social media presence. And with our free template, you can get started in no time!
