Reasons Why You Need a Social Media Calendar

Blog post by: Kaelen Bailey, Baer Performance Marketing Intern

Imagine trying to schedule meetings, doctor’s appointments, or events without a plan or calendar. When life gets busy and obligations start to pile up, a schedule of any kind can help you stay organized and productive. Social media calendars can have the same benefits as those used for work or your personal life.

 

What Are Social Media Calendars?

A social media calendar is a plan for upcoming posts on all of the social media platforms on which a business is active. Content can be organized through a spreadsheet, Word document, or a digital calendar, and its structure can be personalized to fit the organization’s and social media team’s needs.

 

Why Are Social Media Calendars Important?

There are many reasons why social media calendars are important, but let’s focus on some of the larger benefits. Experts in the field find that social media calendars help them:

  • Keep Organized: You are able to analyze your social media content strategy over a period of time and quickly identify where, what, and when to post.
  • Stay Consistent: A social media calendar allows you to keep your posts and brand voice consistent. It creates a unified voice and makes your account(s) a reliable source of information.
  • Create Better Content: By planning out your posts in advance, you give yourself more time to thoroughly research information and develop creative tactics. Quantity is important, but so is quality.
  • Keep Track of Engagement: By tracking how much engagement each post from your social media calendar receives, you can see what is working and what isn’t. This allows you to adjust your strategy around audience preferences and behavior.

 

How to Create a Social Media Calendar

Follow these easy steps when developing a social media calendar:

  • Conduct a social media audit: Evaluating your past content will help you identify what your current social presence should look like. It is important to determine who your target audience is, your vision and goals, how often you plan to post, and what posts are generating the most and least engagement.
  • Find or create a social media calendar template: As mentioned above, there are various types of software that can house your social media calendar. Your template can be personalized to your business’ needs, but generally, it should include:
    • Social media platforms
    • Date and time
    • Media (images, videos, etc.)
    • Content (written information, hashtags, tags, emojis)
    • Type of post (main feed, Story, Reel, etc.)
  • Select your social media platforms and content: On what platforms is your target audience spending the most time? Which of your current platforms are you seeing the most engagement? From there, brainstorm a few basic topic ideas for your calendar and then dive deeper. Consider giveaways and themed days/weeks (e.g., Flashback Friday).
  • Determine a social media calendar posting schedule: Figuring out how many times a week or month you are going to post will help you when you’re building your template. When it comes to what days and times to post, you should aim for a sweet spot based on the platform. Different social media platforms have different days and times where their users are the most active. For example, Tuesday afternoons are a great time to post on Instagram. Also, be sure to review previous data from your own social accounts.
  • Track and analyze your content: Tracking and analyzing the content from your social media calendar allows you to see what is and isn’t working.

 

The Takeaway

A social media calendar can set your team up for success by helping you create a structured, unified and ultimately, more effective social media plan. You’ll be able to stay organized and develop strategic content that creates a cohesive feed all while saving time and boosting engagement. If your business is considering launching a social media presence or would like help strengthening your content, BPM has the expertise to guide you. Let our team help you make informed decisions about your social media strategy. Contact us today.

 

Sources:

Why Should You Be Using A Social Media Content Calendar? (socialpilot.co)

A Guide to Creating a Social Media Calendar | Sprout Social