Yes - for 2024 because now is a great time to examine your social media strategies.
Take some time to analyze what you've been doing well and where you might have missed the mark. Look at your habits over time and learn from them. Don't overlook the 70-20-10 rule in your social media mix; it's worth considering for your success. This article will guide you on creating a social media calendar. My aim is to empower you to do things correctly. Not preaching here, just sharing valuable insights that the big Marketing agencies do and along the way we will make digital for the rest of us!
See below for a guide on what to post.
MON | TUE | WED | THUR | FRI | SAT | SUN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Monday Motivation Post: Quote | Tuesday Show and Tell | Midweek Spotlight: New Something | It's About Us: Staff spotlight | Partnership Shoutout or Share Posts | (OPP)Other People's Posts | Plugging into popular culture |
Monday Motivation Post: Quote | Tuesday Show and Tell | Midweek Spotlight: New Something | It's About Us: Staff spotlight | Partnership Shoutout or Share Posts | (OPP)Other People's Posts | Plugging into popular culture |
Monday Motivation Post: Quote | Tuesday Show and Tell | Midweek Spotlight: New Something | It's About Us: Staff spotlight | Partnership Shoutout or Share Posts | (OPP)Other People's Posts | Plugging into popular culture |
Monday Motivation Post: Quote | Tuesday Show and Tell | Midweek Spotlight: New Something | It's About Us: Staff spotlight | Partnership Shoutout or Share Posts | (OPP)Other People's Posts | Plugging into popular culture |
First, start now by noting how you are showing up on Social Media. Note what you want to (CSS - continue, start, stop) continue doing, stop doing and start doing. Effective social media marketing hinges on one essential tool - the Social Media Calendar. Planning your social media activities can make your life much easier and your marketing efforts more successful. So, let's look at how you can create a robust social media calendar for 2024.
1. Understand Your Goals and Audience for Social Media
Before you dive into content creation, understand why you're using social media in the first place. What are your goals? Increase brand awareness? Generate sales or leads? Promote community engagement?
Understanding your audience is just as crucial. What are their interests? What types of content resonate with them? What platforms do they use most? Your goals and audience demographics will guide your content creation strategy.
2. Conduct a Social Media Audit
Examine your current social media efforts. What's working? What isn't? Keep track of engagement metrics like likes, shares, comments, and click-through rates. An audit will give you a clear picture of your current standing and areas to improve. Read this article to understand how to conduct a Social Media Audit properly.
3. Choose Your Platforms
You don't need to be present on every social media platform. Choose the ones that align best with your target audience and brand image. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest are popular options but don't overlook emerging platforms like Threads or Mastodon if they fit your brand and audience. Read this article for a list of new and rising social media platforms you might have missed.
4. Content is King in Social Media Calendar (ing)
Plan content that aligns with your brand and resonates with your audience. This could be blog posts, infographics, videos, product updates, user-generated content, testimonials, or anything else engaging your followers.
5. Develop a Posting Schedule
How often you post depends on the platform and your audience. You want to stay active without overwhelming your followers. Research the best times to post for each platform and aim for consistency.
6. Create Your Calendar
Now that you have your goals, audience, platforms, content, and schedule, it's time to create your calendar. You can use a simple spreadsheet or use social media management tools like Hootsuite, Buffer, or CoSchedule. Most platforms also provide a calendar for you to do this at no extra cost.
In your calendar, you'll want to include:
Date and time of post
Social media platform
Copy for the post
Links, hashtags, and any other necessary details
Visual assets (images, videos, etc.)
Performance metrics (for trackuseing purposes)
7. Automate and Schedule Posts
To save time and ensure consistency, use social media scheduling tools. Many of these tools will also provide analytics, so you can track post-performance and adjust your strategy as needed.
8. Regularly Review and Adjust
Social media is ever-evolving. Regularly review your strategy and content to ensure it's still serving your goals and resonating with your audience. Use your calendar's performance metrics to track what's working and adjust your plan accordingly.
Creating a social media calendar might seem daunting, but the payoff is worth the effort. With a well-planned calendar, your 2024 social media marketing efforts can be more efficient, effective, and stress-free. Start planning today, and you'll thank yourself when 2024 rolls around. Happy planning! I'm starting now!
Need Help? We'll coach you through it. Get in touch today!