Check out this easy social media hack to boost your efficiency and creativity.
Looking for a quick social media win? A content calendar might be exactly what you’re after! We’re pretty confident that everyone’s been here at some point: You sit down to create a post or to schedule a few in advance, but you don’t know what to post about. There are so many possibilities it’s almost paralysing. Sound familiar?
Well, good news! A content calendar will solve this problem for you. It makes the process of posting on social media more manageable and more efficient. Plus, it’s really simple to create. Here’s how in a few simple steps:
Step 1: Come up with a list of post categories
The first step is to consider some general post-topic categories relevant to your business. Look through your previous posts (or even some of your competitors’ posts) for inspiration. Your list of categories might end up looking something like this:
- Highlight a product or service
- Take a photo or video
- Share something interesting about your business
- Share a recent customer review or testimonial
- Share a link to a page on your website
- Share an article relevant to your industry (either from the web or written by you)
- Offer a useful piece of advice to show your expertise
Step 2: Create a table or spreadsheet
The next step is to create your table. Start with 13 rows down by 5 columns across. Down the left-hand side, put in each of the 12 months. You should then have 4 spare columns for each month. This is where your post categories will go. You can add or remove columns depending on how frequently you intend to post (we generally recommend 4-8 per month).
Step 3: Fill up the table with your post categories
Plan out your post topics in advance by entering categories from your list into the content calendar. Make sure to space them out, not putting too much of the same category too close together. This will ensure that your content is varied, interesting, and engaging rather than repetitive, repetitive and repetitive. You’ll also want to make sure you strike a balance between telling and selling. If all of your posts are selling something, your content will become tiresome for your followers. Remember, social media is a two-way street, so providing value in some way is important.
When you’re finished, you should end up with something like the one below. It doesn’t need to be pretty. It just needs to be functional! If you want to be extra organised, you could go further and plan a specific topic for each post and category.
| POST 1 | POST 2 | POST 3 | POST 4 | |
| JANUARY | Product | Video | Article | Review |
| FEBRUARY | Advice | Photo | Staff | Case Study |
| MARCH | Product | Video | Article | Review |
| APRIL | Advice | Photo | Staff | Case Study |
| MAY | Product | Video | Article | Review |
| JUNE | Advice | Photo | Staff | Case Study |
| JULY | Product | Video | Article | Review |
| AUGUST | Advice | Photo | Staff | Case Study |
| SEPTEMBER | Product | Video | Article | Review |
| OCTOBER | Advice | Photo | Staff | Case Study |
| NOVEMBER | Product | Video | Article | Review |
| DECEMBER | Advice | Photo | Staff | Case Study |
Step 4: Schedule your posts
Suddenly, you’re looking at a full 12-month plan for your social media content! The final step is to set aside some time on a regular basis to create and schedule your posts. It could be 2-3 hours at the start of every month, or half an hour every Friday afternoon, whatever suits you. The content calendar will provide clear direction about what to post each week, boosting efficiency. No more feeling stuck because there are too many options!
When your posts are scheduled, you might also want to add an extra note in your calendar about what each post was specifically about. This allows you to look back and see what you have posted in the past. Remember, each post should only have one key idea. Happy scheduling!
Want more social media tips?
Make sure to follow Dubzz Digital Marketing on Facebook or Instagram for more social media tips and tricks! If you’d like more specialised guidance, we also offer one-on-one social media training and tailored social media management services. Contact us today to take your online presence to the next level!
