Why Is Social Media Calendar Planning Important?

Do you want to “get ahead” and be more organized in your business? Perhaps you are already looking into the next business year and researching ways to increase revenue and be more productive. Like many small business owners, you may feel overwhelmed by planning your social media content. If you are not consistently posting on your social media platforms, there are fewer opportunities for your ideal clients to see your content. Your content may not have the reach and engagement needed to meet your goals. Keeping the algorithm up to attract new customers is probably the biggest reason why social media calendar planning is important! 

The Importance Of Social Media Calendar Planning

You might feel you need help to develop enough relevant and engaging content to post consistently. However, that is exactly why you need to do a content calendar! A famous quote says, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. Let’s face it, if you don’t plan out your social media content ahead of time, it will most likely be put on the backburner. The next thing you know, weeks and months go by and you have not posted. 

You can get all of the best content creation tools, or take a course on social media content creation, but the number one reason small business owners struggle is because they don’t plan their social media posts. A social media content calendar is the easiest way to make the best use of your company’s time and resources to improve your social media marketing. It’s simply a tool that allows you to coordinate your content creation into easy and manageable time units. Whether you are creating your own social media content or outsourcing it to a social media manager, having a content calendar makes the process streamlined, fast, and easy! When you use a content calendar, you will no longer have to waste time wondering what to write about. Instead, you can focus on creating the content and putting it out there for your audience to enjoy. 

Using a social media calendar will help you avoid gaps in your content posting, as well as over-posting the same material. You can plan out your content to post at the best times that will be the most effective for views and algorithms. 

Another great thing about social media calendar planning is that it helps with your follow-up. You can do a social media audit where you look back at your content and see what worked best and what didn’t work as well. 

Tips On Creating Your Content Calendar

The first step to creating your social media content calendar is to define your goals for your social media marketing strategy. Do you want to gain more social media followers and gain visibility? Is your goal more about generating new leads for your business? Knowing your goals will help you to decide who you want to reach, where you post, and how often you post content. 

The next step is to create a template for the content calendar. It can be as simple as using a basic spreadsheet or online calendar. There are also many software tools that you can use. You can even have AI do it for you by using ChatGPT to create your content calendar! You can create your content calendar with whatever items suit your business needs. Some of the most common items are the topic, the type of content, the channel in which it will be published, and the date and time for publishing. 

Once you have your content calendar template set up, you can start brainstorming and filling in the fields for relevant content ideas. If you know you have business events planned at a certain time, you could plan to post content advertising your event. Are you launching a new product or service in the upcoming year? Plan to post some content teasers about the exciting news! Throw in some educational posts here and there throughout your calendar. Don’t forget to add some fun posts, such as contests and giveaways. Another fun type of content is to show your followers the “behind the scenes” of your business. Showcase your team, show them your office, even your pet. Let your clients vote on topics they want to learn more about (that counts as a post!). Implement some customer testimonials into your content calendar, and perhaps highlight some of your clients (with their permission) to help them feel they are part of your brand community. 

Scheduling your posts will help you avoid missing deadlines and ensure your content gets posted at the right time. Schedule some time for your follow-up and engagement as well. Keep an eye on the likes and comments of your posts, reply to questions, or thank your followers for their comments. 

Lastly, check your social media metrics and analytics to see how many views and clicks your content received. You can use this data to confirm what types of content your followers engaged with the most, what content generated more leads, what worked well, and what did not work so well. 

In Conclusion

At Finding Business Balance, we’re experts at helping wellness businesses with their social media needs. If you’re interested in learning more about how we can help you build your brand through your social media marketing and content planning, contact us today for a complimentary consultation call!