By now, you’ve probably been told you need a social media calendar. You might also be wondering why you need one, and dreading the possibility of yet another task added to your already busy day.

Since social media continues to be top dog in the internet marketing realm, you need a focused means of staying on top of your social media marketing strategy. A social media calendar can do just that while saving you time and money.

Making money and saving time? That’s what we all like to hear, right?

Benefits of having a social media calendar

  1. A social media calendar will help to keep track of content consistency, quality, and how well you’re performing. Feedback gained through this will help you make the necessary changes to improve your social campaigns.
  2. You will be able to better time your social media posts and prevent untimely or missed content. Nothing’s worse than posting a #TBT on Wednesday, right? Your followers will be able to feel that you know what is happening and are on top of things.
  3. A large number of complaints we hear pertain to redundant or inaccurate content. That can get extremely annoying for everyone involved. Nobody wants to be tagged for possible spamming or to be seen as someone who just posts the same dull stuff over and over.

Pro Tip: Remember that poorly researched and written content is another issue. Take enough time to ensure that you are using your social media calendar to schedule quality material.

In short, it is important to have a social media calendar to help ensure that you’re sending out good stuff – content that can be shared and that your followers will WANT to share – in a timely manner and with consistency.

Setting up your social media calendar

The following steps will offer a good starting point for creating your social media calendar.

Strategic undertaking for success

Having a strategy is important. Following that strategy so that you know where you’re going with this calendar will be what makes you successful. First, know your audience and what they want. Research is always of prime importance and should never be ignored. Since your audience grows and evolves, this research and your social strategy will be an ongoing thing. Do not be afraid to tweak your calendar to suit your strategy.

Properly timed posts

Record on your calendar any dates that are a must for your business. Make sure you create reminders so that you do not miss these important dates. Whether it’s to help you remember a certain article that needs to be published or a special event that you want to address, having these planned out in advance and added to your social media calendar will give you the extra time to meet your deadline.

Assigning channels for posts 

Make notes on the calendar as to what channels you want to post the materials you have on hand. This will help you prevent missing an all-important channel. For an even better visual, use the social media icons instead of words on your calendar. This will make them much more noticeable and less likely to be overlooked.

Writers

If you utilize ghostwriters, guest bloggers, interns, or any other content writers, be sure that you list them on the calendar along with the materials they are to produce. You should make sure they are aware of what is expected and when it will be due. Make sure to include time for proofing and correcting mistakes. Poor writers or fluff pieces can drive social media followers off of your page.

Pro Tip: Know your writers. Be sure to thoroughly vet them before giving them a byline on your site, otherwise, you could potentially lose time and money by having to excessively edit and/or rewrite content.

Your social media calendar is a must-have

Developing and implementing a social media calendar for 2018 is a make-it-or-break-it-deal. It is easy to do and should be a part of any marketing plan. Take your time in determining the timing of your content, the content itself, and who your true audience may be. Layout a strong strategy, but leave room for adjustments.

Here’s a helpful template to get you started. If you have any questions, contact us to see how we can help!