Social Media Content Calendar: How To Get It Right

A social media calendar is essential in every social marketer's planning; however, streamlining the process so that it helps you stay informed while also adding a degree of flexibility is often a challenge. Managing multiple social media accounts can become an overwhelming task with the constant flow of new content, trends, and ideas. Creating and posting on the fly is inevitable, but setting the time to develop a content calendar for social media is much more effective. 

What Is a Content Calendar for Social Media?

A content calendar for social media is a calendar of all your social media posts to plan content ahead for multiple social channels. Social marketers use a social media calendar to maintain a consistent posting schedule across all channels, follow deadlines, and for a cohesive workflow within your team.

The difference between a social media editorial calendar and a marketing calendar is that it provides specific details on the day-to-day management of social media content, i.e., what the post is, when it will be published, and on what social network. The following tips will assist you in proactively organizing, planning, scheduling, and posting social media messages, freeing up your time for other priorities.

How Do You Make a Social Media Content Calendar?

Believe it or not, creating a social media content calendar is easier than you think. Simply put, it’s a content strategy plan that identifies how content can help achieve business goals. No two social media content calendar templates are the same, so get creative and take your content performance to the next level.

1. Review Your Social Media Accounts and Content

In creating your social media content calendar, you need a solid understanding of your overall social strategy to be in a better place. Establish a baseline before building out your calendar template, then review and audit it to gain a clearer picture of your social media accounts. Keep track of what social networks you are posting on, how often you are posting, what content is working best, and most importantly, what your goals and KPIs are.

For example, start your Instagram content calendar with an audit of your content, objectives, followers, profile, posting cadence, and overall engagement. An audit of each channel will allow you to feel more in control of your content plan and more prepared for your time on the platform.

2. Identify the Social Channels and Their Content Mix 

This process would have been simple a few years ago, but now that a handful of social platforms dominate, you need to decide what platform will be most effective for your audience and your content. Make a list of every platform you intend to publish on, whether it is Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook or YouTube, to ensure you don't miss any and know when you are focusing too much on one. With the help of a content calendar and scheduler, it eliminates the stress of trying to post content at the moment and allows you to better plan and execute your cross-channel content strategy.

Leveraging a scheduling app or program, like Dash Hudon’s Scheduler, allows you to set up in advance, schedule posts at the most convenient times, and review your posts so they are accurate and consistent. You may find TikTok challenging when managing multiple channels, so here’s everything you need to know about setting up a TikTok posting schedule. 

3.  What Your Content Calendar Should Include

Social media content calendars are a way to organize posts and should include essential information such as: 

• Date and time the post will go live.
• The social network it will be published on and the format for that channel (Story, Reel, poll, shoppable post, etc.)
• Assets (copy, photos, videos, etc.) 
• Whether it's a paid or organic post.
• The links and tags that must be included.

Make sure to leverage the content that resonates with the target demographic depending on the social platform to maximize engagement and ROI. It is also essential to determine how often you post across channels. You've likely asked yourself these questions countless times, so we’ve broken out the best cadence for you.

4. Get Feedback From Your Team to Improve

The most effective content calendar for social media is one that everyone on your marketing team understands. With the help of Dash Hudson and your team, you can be confident that your content will resonate with your unique audience. Take advantage of their expertise and utilize our AI technology Vision for insight into which pictures and videos are predicted to reach your goals. Moreover, it's fully integrated into Dash Hudson's Scheduler, further simplifying your workflow.

Why Is a Social Media Content Calendar Important for Brands?

We all know how fast social media moves. It is easy to get overwhelmed and post too much or too little, which is why a social media calendar is essential to: 

1. Save time and keep projects organized. Content calendars help you stay ahead of the curve and curate your content without missing any gaps. Important dates and timelines can easily slip your mind, so ensure your content calendar has everything planned out in advance.
2. Keep a consistent posting schedule. Offer your audience content every day to stay on their radar. 
3. Avoid mistakes. A social media content calendar can help you identify gaps and errors early and fix them with plenty of time to spare. 
4. Maintain a cohesive workflow within your team. You'll be able to get a better grasp of your overall marketing strategy with a content calendar, and everyone on your team will be able to stay in the loop.

Dash Hudson’s Content Planning for Social Media 

Content planning for social media is made simple with Dash Hudson. Our multi-channel solution is the simplest way to efficiently plan and visualize your entire content calendar and collaborate and align with your team on posts before they go live.  

Not only does Dash Hudson have a Scheduler to pre-plan your posts, but our AI-powered Vision provides real-time, data-backed recommendations on which owned, earned, and paid photos and videos will drive the highest engagement with your audience. 

Ultimately, by planning your posts in a content calendar, you can be intentional and strategic and reduce stress and time-wasting. Using a social media content calendar will help you take your social media game to the next level.

FAQs

Can you schedule social media posts?

Yes, you can schedule social media posts. Most social media management tools let you upload content, plan and schedule your social posts within the tool. 

What should a social media content calendar include? 

While the contents of your social media calendar might look different depending on your team and its focus, in general, here are the basics a content calendar for social media should include: 

• Upcoming campaigns. 
• Holidays. 
• The platforms you plan to post on.   
• Date: The day, time and timezone your posts are scheduled for. 
• Relevant links to image assets, post copy, UTM links or other posting requirements. 

What is a calendar of activities for social media?

A calendar of activities for social media is another word for a content calendar. Your calendar of activities should list your upcoming social media posts and any upcoming events that will impact posting. These events include internal and external campaigns, upcoming holidays and any national days that are relevant to your business that you want to make content for.