Social Media marketers, ASSEMBLE! We've found your saviour! Imagine a regular day in a social media manager's life. You open your laptop, and your to-do-list jumps out of your laptop screen. Right from thanking people on your previous posts to making creatives ? ad copies and approvals, we understand everything cannot be tabled on your own. Well, you clearly can run out of potency, but the advancement of tech and tools can make you infallible! How would you get the 'kabhi kabhi lagta hai apun hi Bhagwan hai' vibes? With a flinch, the answer that strikes is 'Social Media Calendar'.? Unlike the Bermuda Triangle, social media calendars aren't unsolved or covert mysteries. Instead, these have been in the books since the very beginning of social media marketing. If so, what makes this blog different? Well, if you'll read further, you'll know better!
In the initial times, social media was merely posting, liking, and commenting. However, since the word 'Marketing' was adjoined with it, the dynamics have taken a 360-degree shift. Today's social media marketing definitely goes beyond the boundaries of sheer posting. More crucial things like content themes, timelines, strong online presence, and the coordination of social with digital and traditional have slided into the picture. With all these gaining simultaneous gravity, a social media content planning calendar is essential. You ask why? Here's how it can save you:
There comes the real deal you've been waiting to crack! We are listing four steps that can help you create a free yet effective social media calendar for the upcoming year:
Start with opening a spreadsheet. Add the following columns:
If your requirements go beyond, add those sections, too! But, for average daily purposes, the above columns suffice.
Your social media posting scheduler becomes instantly manageable when you add dropdowns for the same. This particular step won't be applied to all your bifurcated categories but will surely help you manage the implied ones. For example, you can add dropdowns to the platform or status column. Here, you can include options like 'approval pending', 'sent' or 'Instagram', 'Facebook' etc. According to your needs, add dropdowns for enhanced functioning.
Don't worry, here we won't tell you to refer to the colour wheel! Instead, the approach here is to create a colour theory of your own understanding. Generate a color-coded legend with corresponding labels for your content categories. Apply the colours indicated in the legend to a new column or modify the colour of each row accordingly.
Start inputting content into your social media calendar template to assess its compatibility with your team's workflow. Keep refining the template to align more closely with your specific requirements.
The next billion-dollar question is, how would you plan your social media calendar? Well, there is no secret formula that would tell you 'This day' you 'post this'.? It all depends on your product or service and the rational approach you have towards it. Remember, the main motto is to keep your objective in mind. If you are catering awareness, you could simply run campaigns that meet your end goals. Additionally, don't skip out on important dates for 2024. Right from some fancy day to national holidays, make sure you engage your audience with the best!