The Importance of Having a Social Media Content Calendar
If you want your business to excel in today’s online world of social media and internet marketing, you need a plan. For businesses of any size, posting to social media blindly in hopes that traction will naturally occur is just simply… not good enough. Through the implementation of some simple organizational tools, you can really up your game when it comes to social media. One of the best ways to keep everyone in your organization on the same track with your brand’s social media strategy is by using a Social Media Content Calendar. So let’s talk about that!
What is a content calendar?
A social media content calendar can take on many shapes and forms, but at its core, it is simply a document/list of social media posts that you plan on posting to your already existing social media platforms. Included on that list are things like the purpose, graphics/pictures, content, category, etc… of each post, as well as the date, time, and platform(s) they will be posted on.
This calendar is useful for any size team, whether it be you as an individual business owner or a social media team, having a plan that everyone is aware of can help achieve your overall vision for social media in a way that keeps everyone on track and aware of what actions to take moving forward in the month. It can be as simple as an excel spreadsheet with several columns and dates, or as complex as a third-party app that many users can have access to. Several social media management apps/tools even come equipped with a content calendar as a necessary tool to keep your social media platforms funning at the optimum level.
Why is a social media calendar important?
While there are countless reasons for a content calendar, the main benefits can be simplified into two things, peace of mind and consistency. With a consistent, planned-out approach to your social media, you can have peace of mind knowing that you don’t have to dig for last-minute content ever again. You or your team will already have the posts ready to go when they are needed, and you can spend your brainpower elsewhere. Additionally, you will start to see consistent patterns in your posts. With more consistency, you will be able to track your best-performing content and start to expand on areas that need improvement.
Overall, having a plan is significantly better than not having one. It is as simple as that really. Even if you are not a professional planner, this is an easy way to implement some structure and professionalism into your business, and take your social media presence to the next level.