Tips to make a successful content calendar for social media  

While other marketing efforts are still relevant, social platforms offer the chance to engage with potential customers more personally. But let’s face it: Pumping out compelling posts isn’t easy! Social media users have exposure to media from countless brands vying for their attention.

If you want to stay relevant, you have to practice consistency and continually publish exciting and memorable posts. On top of all that, you likely have multiple channels with different types of content to monitor. It’s a tall order!

That’s why you need a content calendar. 

What is an editorial calendar?  

Whether you call it an editorial calendar or a social media content calendar, the goal is the same. These calendars act as a framework to keep your social media accounts organized. Think of it as a schedule of when and where you publish the media you produce. Editorial calendars allow you to map out your strategy and put everything into an easy-to-reference format.

But these documents are more than just simple schedules, of course. They serve to coordinate creation teams, ensuring everyone understands the goal and bottom line. Using editorial calendars can also help you brainstorm new content ideas and fine-tune your focus on creating killer campaigns that leave a lasting impact.

Social media calendars are the ultimate reference source. Whether you have modest marketing campaigns or use every social platform you can, having an editorial calendar is a must! 

Why should you have one?  

You wouldn’t throw important events or do product launches without a plan. So why throw caution to the wind concerning what you put on your various social media accounts? Every form of marketing you do deserves careful coordination and strategy. Social media users are notoriously fickle, and you must put out great posts on an ongoing basis to keep them engaged.

That’s what social media content calendars help you do! Use your calendar to support a well-thought-out social media approach that caters to your audience’s needs.

The framework can also help guide creators in developing a sense of cohesiveness around your brand. It can do wonders to cement and amplify your brand’s voice. Furthermore, social media calendars can push your goals and support the bottom line. 

Steps to create your own  

Want to know how to build a calendar to drive your social media success? It’s easier than you think. However, it does require careful planning and plenty of creativity to reach its full potential.

Not sure where to start? Here’s our step-by-step guide to help you get started. 

1. Brainstorm content ideas  

 First, you need quality content ideas to fill your editorial calendar. This step can be one of the more challenging aspects of content creation, but now is your chance to tap in to your marketing team’s imagination and put those thoughts into action!

Understand your brand’s goals and come up with ideas that support them. Contrary to popular belief, digital marketing is not about one-track thinking. It’s complex, and you must adopt unique approaches for every platform to have the farthest reach possible.

Not every type of content performs well on every platform, so consider where you plan on posting, and look at the needs of those specific audiences. For example, your audience on Instagram needs eye-catching visual media, whereas your blog readers might prefer thoughtful or informative content.

Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. You can shape your efforts based on user needs, but it always pays to be an innovator. 

2. Do keyword research  

Keyword research can make a world of difference. Sure, you can look to social posts and interactions to understand how your audience thinks. However, keyword research provides a more analytical approach and unveils information that can guide your content creation strategies.

Keywords help you understand what your audience is looking for and what interests them. While this step is most beneficial for those who post blogs, have a website, or sell merchandise, keyword research can benefit any content creator.

For starters, keyword research highlights those gaps in your content strategy. By looking at keyword volume, you get more insight into what your audience actively wants, making it a valuable tool for topic ideation. It’ll also help you identify weak points, ensuring that your published content covers all your bases. 

3. Decide what to post  

Next, you need to decide what you want to post. Take those ideas from earlier and figure out which ones are most applicable to your strategies. Not every idea will work for your current strategies or campaigns. That’s okay! The beauty of a calendar is that you can always push things back, save ideas for later, and focus on what works now.

Social media moves fast, and your marketing will evolve over time. Look at your goals and determine which posts can benefit your brand most. Also, pay attention to the type of social media posts you plan to publish. These could include basic social media posts, blog posts, videos, and photos. Figure out which kind of content works best for each of your ideas. From there, you can easily distribute content and determine where to post your best concepts.

This step is about filling in the blanks and putting your plan to paper. It’s what turns ideas into actions. 

4. Set a posting schedule  

Consistency is critical in social media marketing, and editorial calendars are the best way to develop a concrete schedule that your teams can follow every step of the way.

Create a realistic schedule detailing post frequency. The word “realistic” is essential here! If you don’t have the means to publish tons of content every day, let your schedule reflect that.

Your posting schedule will depend entirely on what you and your team can do. You might start small with only a few posts a week, or you might have the capability of devising a complex plan involving multiple platforms straight out of the gate. Whatever the case might be, set everything in stone to make your goals easy to follow moving forward. 

5. Choose a platform  

Of course, you must create a calendar to transform your plans into an easy-to-follow visual aid. There are many ways to do this. You can create a spreadsheet or calendar document with software you already have. For example, Google Calendar and Microsoft Excel are good places to start.

Alternatively, you can take advantage of platforms that offer ready-to-use templates; some good options include:

• Hubspot

• Trello

• Collato

• Asana

• Loomly

• Airtable

• Canva

These platforms are all easy to use, but their features and workflows vary. Do some trials to see which one is best for your needs. 

6. Customize to your needs  

Once you have a platform that works for you and your marketing team, it’s time to customize it to your needs. In addition to inserting relevant tasks and ideas, you must include elements that apply to your brand.

Most platforms are pretty generic. Customizing a platform ensures that everyone is on the same page. You can include deadlines, relevant copy, writer information, editor details, etc.

Some platforms also let you assign specific tasks or design topics. Use those features to your advantage and customize your social media calendar as much as possible.  

7. Share the calendar with your team  

Congratulations! The bulk of your calendar is complete — but your work isn't done just yet. Content creation is typically a collaborative effort, so you need to share it with your team.

That could be as easy as sending a download link. However, more intuitive platforms offer interactive calendars with features to make changes and contributions. If that’s the case with the platform you’re using, send out links, set permissions, and encourage your team to look at the calendar regularly for updates. 

8. Create a workflow  ‍

A content calendar can profoundly affect your team’s workflow when it’s done right. It can take some time to get comfortable using the framework, and trial and error play a big part in the discovery process. But once you get into a groove, it’s smooth sailing!

Figure out how you plan to use your editorial calendar. What teams have to work on a project first? Who gets it after that, and what is the approval process? Detail this collaborative pipeline and use the social media calendar as the ultimate resource to keep everyone on track.

Once again, your workflow can change over time as your strategies evolve. There’s nothing wrong with that. The most important thing is developing a workflow that streamlines the entire creation process for everyone involved. 

9. Hit publish!  ‍

After all that work, you’re ready to start publishing your content! Use the calendar to stay on schedule.

Monitor how your content performs. There’s always room for adjustments. Use that with the existing calendar to cultivate content ideas for the future. 

How to improve your content creation  

 While social media content calendars can streamline your marketing efforts and turn your team into a content creation powerhouse, there’s always room for improvement!

Never rest on your laurels. Just because a piece is out of the calendar pipeline doesn’t mean you should forget it. Monitor its performance after publishing, and use what you learn to shape your content marketing efforts moving forward. Track engagement to see what works and what doesn’t.

It's always a good idea to revisit old content and make updates. Use your calendar as a guide. You can pull a wealth of information from it to evolve as you grow your audience. 

Best practices to follow  

There is no shortage of available tips and tricks about social media content calendars. However, any content marketer who uses these frameworks will likely tell you the same thing: Start simple and build as you become more familiar with what works for you and your audience.

A detailed calendar can be overwhelming at first. If it’s challenging to understand, you might not want to follow the schedule you created. Keep things simple, and add to the calendar as you and your team nail down your workflow.

Once you become a well-oiled content creation machine, you can start including links to published pieces, set loftier goals, encourage more collaboration, or upgrade to a more feature-rich platform.

The critical thing to remember is that a content calendar should cater to your needs and the needs of your brand. What works for one company might not work for yours. Take time to figure things out, and it’ll work in your favor! 

Grow with Beacons  

With your editorial calendar in tow, turn to Beacons to produce impressive growth through your social platforms. When you join Beacons, you can take full advantage of the link in bio tool and website builder to guide your audience to your unique Beacons page.

There, you can make all your content viewable from one place. Pair that with monetization options, and Beacons can help your brand reach its full potential. Check out Beacons today to see what a difference it can make!