When you fail to plan, you intend to fail.
As an excellent Kind-An individual, that’s a favourite expression of mine. And — having spent a few years managing numerous social media platforms in advertising and marketing and media — I’ve realized the laborious manner that that is one space the place you completely can not wing it. Particularly for those who’re managing a number of channels.
You want a social media content material calendar.
A social media calendar is a recreation changer when constructing a social media presence, be it as somebody constructing your private model, a creator, or a social media supervisor.
However you’re studying this text, so I’m preaching to the transformed — so let’s get proper into the meat of it. I’ll stroll you thru the advantages of getting a social media calendar and precisely find out how to create your personal calendar utilizing Buffer. I’ll additionally share the social media calendar system we use in our Advertising workforce, together with a plug-and-play social media calendar template you need to use straight away.
We’ve written about why you want a social media calendar in-depth, so I’ll depart you with the important advantages of getting one right here. A social media calendar will aid you:
- Keep on prime of a number of social media channels effectively
- Stick with the content material pillars in your social media advertising and marketing technique
- Publish constantly
- Schedule posts upfront and automate processes so that you’re not working across the clock
- Work with workforce members (for those who’re on a Advertising workforce or social media workforce), collaborators, or stakeholders
- Keep on prime of product launches, advertising and marketing campaigns, occasions, and even holidays
- Streamline a system of approvals earlier than posting
- Save time with content material batching
- Repurpose content material
- Preserve observe of content material concepts
Buffer is a social media scheduling device constructed to make it simpler to develop your following on-line. It’s a one-stop-shop for all the course of — from content material ideation to publishing, proper on to analyzing content material efficiency.
There are a number of different perks to housing your social media calendar proper in Buffer — past the flexibility to plan and schedule in a single device:
- A high-level month-to-month view for big-picture planning.
- A extra in-depth weekly view to see all the important thing particulars at a look.
- The flexibility to exclude sure channels from view for further readability and focus.
- Entry it anyplace. Due to Buffer’s cellular app, you’ll be able to verify or amend your calendar on the go.
- Extra to come back! The calendar is a giant focus for us in the intervening time, and we’ve some actually thrilling plans for 2024.
📲 Obtain the Buffer app for iOS right here
📲 Obtain the Buffer app for Android right here
I’m going to stroll you thru precisely find out how to create yours in Buffer’s free social media calendar, take you past planning, and proper into scheduling.
1. Outline your social media technique
Earlier than you even open a calendar device, a social media technique needs to be your first port of name.
When you’re a creator and never a social media supervisor, it will likely be tempting to skip this step. However belief me, content material technique isn’t just for Advertising groups. They’re an important step in social media success. Random posting = random outcomes. Having clear targets, understanding your audience, and defining your content material pillars will make your work a lot simpler and extra profitable in the long term.
Don’t simply take it from me — I really like this Reel by @stanforcreators, which outlines simply how essential it’s for creators and their distinctive strategy to creating one.
This doesn’t contain pages and pages — even only a single-page information will aid you get crystal clear in your targets and the way you’re going to get there.
You’ll discover our full social media technique information right here, and it’s properly value working your manner by it for those who’re simply beginning (there’s even a template there, too!). Right here’s a high-level overview of your steps:
- Pinpoint your ‘why.’ Why do it’s essential to be lively on social media? What’s your final objective?
- Outline your audience. Who’re you making an attempt to achieve along with your content material?
- Outline your content material pillars. What are you going to share, and why will it resonate?
- Select your platforms. Which social media websites will you utilize to achieve your viewers? What number of social platforms must you select?
- Set your cadence. Determine in your posting frequency (which can differ from platform to platform).
2. Join your channels
Congratulations, the hardest half is out of the best way! Together with your technique in hand, you’re prepared to attach your social media accounts to Buffer. First, ensure you’re logged in to these channels within the browser or on the system you’re utilizing.
Then log in to Buffer, head over to account.buffer.com/channels, and select Join Channel. You would additionally click on in your profile avatar on the prime proper of your dashboard and click on Account, then Channels.
Click on on the kind of channel you would like to attach. (If you have already got channels linked, click on Join New Channel after which click on the channel you would like to attach.)
The method is fairly simple, however we’ve an in-depth information to connecting channels in Buffer in our assist heart, plus particular how-tos for every platform for those who run into any issues.
3. Create your tagging system
Coloration coding is my organizational love language (you need to see my bookshelf), so Buffer’s new function addition, Tags, has modified the sport for me in relation to content material planning.
There are a number of how to make use of Tags that might be extremely helpful in your social media administration system. You would use them to tag posts by:
- Content material pillar (my private favourite)
- Publish standing (thought, draft, able to publish)
- Format or kind of content material (textual content, video, photograph, carousel)
- Platform (whilst you’ll be capable to see which social media app your put up is scheduled on within the calendar, this might be helpful for those who’re additionally saving concepts right here for, say, a weblog)
What’s actually neat about Tags is that they translate over to the Analytics part, too, so you’ll be able to measure up the efficiency of 1 grouping in opposition to one other. This has been extremely helpful for me as I experiment with my content material pillars to see which resonate probably the most with my viewers.
To create your Tags, click on on Publishing on the prime left of the display, then Create simply beneath that.
Then head over to Handle Tags on the underside left of your display and click on Create Tag on the highest proper.
A pop-up will seem the place you’ll be able to add your tag identify and select a coloration to signify it. (All the colour choices have been particularly chosen as a result of they work properly collectively, so any mixture might be aesthetically pleasing if, like me, you’re into that!)
4. Get your concepts down
Prepared for a mind dump? You possible have a strong thought of the type of content material you’re creating due to your technique work in Step 1. Now, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get to work on the precise content material creation.
That is the place Buffer’s Create area is available in. It’s a flexible system that you need to use in loads of alternative ways, however for those who’re engaged on constructing out your calendar, I’d advise you begin by utilizing it as a hub for all of your concepts. As a creator, something I share on one in all my social channels will begin on this area first.
Prime tip: Don’t fear about making all of your social media posts lovely straight away. Even when all you’ve gotten is a half-baked thought or a reminder about an essential product launch, a quick word works simply high quality right here, too. Simply get it down — you’ll be able to refine it later.
My posts usually begin out this fashion (just like the Create playing cards you’ll see within the screenshot beneath), which I then flesh out as inspiration strikes and polish up earlier than including them to my calendar to schedule.
To create an thought, click on Create within the prime left nook, then Create Thought on the highest proper.
Proper right here, you’ll be able to:
- Add your copy or caption (or placeholder textual content)
- Select your Tag/s
- Add media, like video or photographs
- Add instantly from Buffer integrations (like Canva, Dropbox, Google Drive, Unsplash, and extra)
- Get assist from Buffer’s AI Assistant once you’re caught
It can save you the thought to maintain it in your Create area by clicking the Save Thought button or scheduling it straight away with the Create Publish button (extra on this beneath).
5. Arrange your Queue
At Buffer, we consider the posting schedule for each social media platform as a Queue — mainly, set time slots each week for posting.
You don’t have to stay to this, in fact, however it’s a extremely helpful technique to decide to the cadence you specified by your social media technique. As time goes on and also you experiment with completely different timings and frequencies on all of the platforms you’re utilizing, you’ll be capable to pinpoint the slots that work properly on your audience.
While you first begin with Buffer, the platform will mechanically assign instances in your Queue. (Don’t fear, this doesn’t imply that one thing will mechanically be printed. Consider these instances as empty placeholders posting slots that you need to use, tweak, or depart as you see match.)
To arrange your Queue, click on on Publishing on the highest left, then select the channel you need to tweak within the listing on the left-hand facet.
On the precise of the window, you’ll see the Queue that Buffer has mechanically created for the channel. To alter your Queue instances, click on on the gear icon subsequent to your chosen time zone.
Right here within the posting schedule settings, you’ll be able to:
- Add a brand new posting time
- Flip off posting on particular days
- Take away instances out of your present schedule (hover over the time, then click on on the arrow that pops up)
- Clear your Queue utterly
You may select to depart these slots as is — you’ll be able to edit your scheduled instances within the calendar, in spite of everything — however it’s a good suggestion to concentrate on the Queue timings for all of your channels (you’ll see why in Step 6 beneath).
6. Begin planning
Now that you’ve a number of nice concepts prepared and ready to be printed in your social media channels, it’s lastly time to get them on the calendar.
To take action, choose an concept that’s able to go in Create. Then click on on the Create Publish button on the backside of the pop-up.
Subsequent, select which channels you need to put up the replace on.
When you’ve chosen a number of platforms, scroll down throughout the window to tailor every one for the social community it’s happening. Buffer will let you realize if the put up suits into the restrictions (like textual content, or video, or photograph measurement and dimensions) for every channel.
Select Add to Queue. This schedules your put up for the subsequent accessible slot in your Queue, leaving another posts you have already got scheduled in place. Don’t fear, you’ll be able to nonetheless tweak this time slot!
You may also click on on the dropdown arrow to Share Subsequent (go to the very subsequent spot in your Queue, bumping another content material already in that slot to the subsequent slot) or Share Now (publish straight away).
In fact, you don’t undoubtedly have to start out placing your posts collectively in Create — you’ll be able to create new content material instantly within the Calendar, too.
Click on on Calendar within the prime left nook, and also you’ll be taken to every week view. (I like to make use of month view after I’m doing a little critical content material planning, which you are able to do by clicking Month on the highest proper nook. All of it comes down to private desire.)
So as to add to the calendar, click on Create Publish on the highest proper.
You’ll be taken to an identical pop-up window as talked about within the Create Publish part of Create the place you’ll be able to add textual content and media, get assist from Buffer’s AI assistant, and extra. When the put up is able to go, hit Add to Queue, Share Subsequent, or Share Now, as above.
You even have the choice to avoid wasting the put up as a draft for those who’re not fairly able to schedule or for those who want approvals from one other workforce member or supervisor.
Discovering your saved drafts is very easy — simply click on on the channel you saved the put up for, then Drafts on the prime of the display.
6. High quality-tune your calendar
Together with your content material prepared and raring to go, mess around along with your calendar to search out the proper combine for every day, week, and month. So long as the put up hasn’t been printed, you’ll be able to tweak all the things to your coronary heart’s content material.
To see the main points of every put up in your calendar, hover over the cardboard. Hit Delete to take away the put up completely, or Share Now to publish it instantly.
To make adjustments to the put up, click on Edit. Right here, you’ll be able to change all the things from the publish date to the content material itself.
Within the month-to-month calendar view, you may as well drag and drop playing cards on completely different days to have them go reside on the similar time on that new date. Within the week view, you are able to do the identical however drag it into a brand new time slot to alter that, too.
Examine in along with your calendar originally of every day to see what you’ve gotten scheduled and refine your content material if want be.
As a lot because it pays to be proactive along with your calendar and schedule all the things upfront, social media usually wants reactive work, too. There is perhaps a brand new trending TikTok sound it’s essential to bounce on straight away. On the flip facet, world occasions may imply it’s a must to tweak your messaging, curate your content material, or overhaul your plan utterly.
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Streamline your workflow by creating Hashtag Teams to avoid wasting you time in relation to posting. To take action, click on the hashtag image on the backside of the put up creation window, then on the right-hand facet, Create Hashtag group.
At Buffer, we’ve X/Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Fb, YouTube, Threads, and Mastodon accounts. We’re most lively on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube. We’re a small workforce, so we’re prioritizing the social networks our audience is most lively on — however it’s nonetheless loads to handle.
Enter: Our super-efficient content material calendar system. We’ve a dual-tool system, as we log every bit of content material we share — whether or not it’s a social media put up, weblog article, or new advertising and marketing launch in the identical content material calendar in Notion. From there, our social media posts are moved into Buffer to be scheduled.
As a instruments junkie, I’ve tried out a number of methods in my profession, however after I began at Buffer in August 2023, I used to be blown away by the content material workflow. Whereas it would look difficult, it’s very easy to familiarize yourself with and can give everybody on the firm a chicken’s-eye view of the content material panorama at any given second.
Right here’s how that works:
- Our Social Media Supervisor, Mitra Mehvar, pulls sources from our weblog content material calendar and our advertising and marketing launch plan to share on social. She fills within the gaps together with her personal sensible content material concepts, usually associated to distant work, life at Buffer, or life as a Social Media Supervisor, small enterprise proprietor, or content material creator.
- She creates playing cards for every put up in our content material calendar in Notion, tagging them with the social channels she plans to put up them to.
- She’ll draft all of the required copy, and, if obligatory, file a video. The copy and video hyperlink will go proper within the related Notion card.
- Mitra will let our Head of Content material and Communications, Hailley Griffis, know when the posts are prepared for checking. Hailley often provides her the thumbs up immediately.
- Mitra copies the content material into Buffer to schedule the posts and transfer them round if want be.
- Lastly, she checks again in usually to watch the content material efficiency metrics proper in Buffer’s analytics dashboard.
Technically, our social media calendar is a filtered view of our content material calendar, the place solely posts tagged with a social media platform within the ‘channel’ discipline might be seen. This free template is molded after that view and is totally customizable.
Social media calendar template [button]
The best way to use this social media calendar template
- Click on over to the template
- Click on on Duplicate within the prime proper nook
- Create a free Notion account for those who don’t have one already
- Get content material creating! The social media content material calendar template is yours to edit as you see match.
Once I first began out as a Social Media Supervisor, I hacked collectively a social media planning system and editorial calendar in a desk in Microsoft Phrase (I don’t need to speak about it). Fortunately, instances have modified an entire lot since then — there are a number of sensible instruments on the market you need to use on your social media calendar.
I could also be biased, however Buffer is undoubtedly the best choice for those who’re on the lookout for an all-in-one planning, scheduling, and analytics social media administration device. Notion is sensible for those who’re mapping out content material outdoors social media platforms. Then there’s Asana, Trello, Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, and even Google Calendar.
My level is: Work out what feels best for you. Whereas deciding on a system may really feel like a make-or-break in your course of, strive to not overthink it an excessive amount of. There’s no possible way you’ll be able to know whether or not it is going to give you the results you want till you strive it.
When you strive one and it’s not understanding, migrating to a brand new device received’t be the top of the world. Don’t be afraid to experiment — so long as you’ve gotten a social media calendar that works for you, you’re properly in your technique to success.