Whether you’re a business owner who does it all or a marketer who wears dozens of hats, it can be challenging to find the time to source, create and post social media content on a regular basis. Enter: the editorial calendar, your key to social media success.

Here’s why a content calendar matters - and some tips for creating a social media editorial calendar that will guide your communications plan to profitability.

The Value of a Content Calendar

If you’re short on time, and especially if marketing is one small portion of your already-overwhelmed workday, it might seem counterintuitive to invest the effort into creating an editorial calendar - but it really is worth it.

A content calendar not only saves you time in the long run, but also gives you a powerful framework for telling compelling stories about your business.

1. It saves time in the long run.

Have you ever looked at your social accounts and struggled, thinking “Oh no, we haven’t posted in two weeks, but what do we say now?” There’s no denying that building out a content calendar takes time, but the investment you make up front will help you to avoid that last-minute scramble to find something to post every few days. Once you’ve thought a few weeks into the future, you can even schedule the posts and let them go live automatically.

2. It allows for intentional content.

Even if you do have the ability to get content out reactively, it’s difficult to have it follow a clear pattern if you haven’t planned in advance. A content calendar allows you to be intentional with not only what you post, but the channels by which you post it.

3. It helps you determine what resources you need.

When you’re able to think about when and where you’ll be posting your content, you have the unique ability to be able to plan out what you’ll need to get it ready in time. Looking to post about Easter? You can schedule your photo shoot three weeks prior to ensure you have the pictures of video in time for your post.

4. It helps you avoid missed opportunities.

It’s risky to only be reactive with your content, as it leaves room for you to miss opportunities to participate in timely conversations. Holidays and busy times can most certainly sneak up on you, especially if you aren’t thinking ahead. Having a robust content calendar can help you to prepare for these opportunities in advance, so you never miss an opportunity to tell a relevant story.

5. It gives you the chance to cover all of your business needs with evergreen content.

In addition to having timely content for relevant business opportunities, a content calendar gives you the chance to schedule relevant content that tells the most important parts of your business’s story. The concept of evergreen content is that you can tell stories that are relevant any time of year; by building a regular cadence of scheduled posts, you’ll ensure that your audience is consistently hearing about you.

6. It affords you the flexibility to pivot if needed.

If you’re always reactive with your content strategy, there isn’t any time left to tell meaningful stories in a calculated way. By preparing in advance, you give yourself the gift of nimbleness when you really need it. If there’s ever an emergency, whether at your own business or globally, having a calendar already in place means you only need to adapt when it’s truly necessary.

Steps for Creating a Social Media Editorial Calendar

There are many reasons why a social editorial calendar could be beneficial for your business, but it’s not always easy to know how to actually create one. Here are some steps for building a content calendar that could apply to any industry or business.

1. Review your current efforts.

Take a look at the current channels your business is active on, and which types of content are working best. Once you discover which platforms and content formats are your highest performers, you have the information you need to ensure you create more content like it.

• Which content format offers the best engagement? Photos? Videos? Polls?

• When is your audience online on each channel?

• Which of your social platforms give you the largest, most engaged audience?

• What times is most of your audience online?

Auditing your current efforts will give you the opportunity to determine where you should be, when you should be posting, and which channels are most important to your audience.

2. Plan out your stories in advance.

Think about what pieces of your story are most important to your business, and use them in your social posts! By planning out your strategy in advance, you’ll ensure that you always have something to share about over time, and keep the content coming at regular intervals. This is such an important part of creating evergreen content, making sure that you always have something to say.

• Consider building content series, whether they are to share important stories about your offerings or your team.

• See if there are recurring themes or initiatives that you can build into a regular posting schedule, such as trivia Tuesdays or meet the team Mondays.

3. Determine how to track your efforts.

Above all else, it’s so important to evaluate how your content is performing; after all, the investment is only as powerful as the return it brings you. Think about how you’d like to track the performance of the different pieces of content you’re building.

• Is engagement most important to you?

• Are you predominantly using social media to drive traffic to your website?

• Are you mostly looking to book appointments?

• Is it most important that you use social media to get sales?

Think about why you use social, and structure your tracking accordingly.

4. Build a content library.

Once you’ve determined what you’re going to say, and how and where you’re going to say it, it’s time to create a database to ensure you’re keeping track of what you’re sharing.

A content library is an invaluable tool to make sure that you always have something relevant to share on your social accounts. Whether you’re using partners to create your content, or organizing photoshoots of your own, organize your content library so that you always have an easy way to find what you need.

5. Create a workflow for your posts.

After you know what you’ll be posting, and when, it’s time to create a workflow. Think about who will participate in the content creation process, and ensure that the timeline is built out far enough in advance to have all of the content in time for when you need it.

Once you have the imagery or videos for your posts, and then edit as needed. Another benefit of planning in advance is that you have the time to make edits before each post goes live. This allows you to make sure you’re always putting your best foot forward as a business.

6. Schedule your posts.

After you’ve put in all of this effort to create content that will resonate with your audience, it’s time to optimize your posting schedule. Refer back to your audit, and schedule to post at a time when your audience is most engaged.

You can always edit as needed if things should change between the time you scheduled and the time you scheduled the post to go live.

Need Help?

Not everyone has the time or resources to build out a content calendar on their own, and that’s totally okay. If you’re feeling challenged with your social media marketing strategy and how to tell your stories effectively, the team at Doukas Media is always here for you.

Have you ever made a social media calendar? What are your tips for creating a social media editorial calendar that works well for your industry? Let us know in the comments!