Don't let social media overwhelm you. There are simple ways to make your life easier by using a social media calendar. It will help you stay organised and save yourself time by not having to spend your day on the computer scrolling through all of your social media accounts. Start with these 5 steps to create your own personalised schedule for the year ahead.
Step One: Think about your goals.
What are the most important goals that you have for social media for the year ahead? Think about what you want to achieve with social media. When you're setting yourself up, keep it to a straightforward goal like, "I want to post more on Instagram". If you have been using social media for a while, maybe your goal is to start using a new platform or posting more consistently. Whatever the goal, Make sure you can track and measure performance.
Adding a tab at the start of your spreadsheet that lists your goals will help keep you accountable and motivated. It should be the first thing you do when creating a new social media calendar.
Step Two: Set up your new calendar
Create a new calendar using either excel or Google sheets. As mentioned above, make sure you have a tab for your goals. After, create 12 tabs, one for each month in the year. Within these monthly tabs, create a table that has the dates aligned at the top.
Next, create a column on the left-hand side and add your favourite social media channels. I recommend having a unique colour for each channel for ease.
Don't forget to have a row for particular dates, public events or sales days throughout the month. This will help remind you of events or national days, which you can use for your social media content ideation. For example, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, International Ice Cream Day etc.
Step Three: Plan ahead to avoid social media burnout.
If you use social media to create a balance for your life, social media can also take up a lot of your time. This is often because you find it challenging to stay off social media for long periods. To avoid social media overload, try to plan ahead. Each week, schedule your social media posts and dedicate time for ideation, creating and posting.
Example social media management week:
Monday- Ideation
Wednesday - Creation
Sunday Scheduling for the following week
The aim is to always work a week or two ahead of yourself. This gives you breathing room if something gets in your way of creating new content.
Use online scheduling apps such as Later to schedule content. Later has a handy tool where you can preview your feed before posting. Another vital component of a successful social media account - aesthetics.
If you're stuck for content ideas? Read my blog on 'How to Find Social Media Content Idea'.
Step Four: Choose which social media platforms are essential for you.
Chances are, there will be different types of social media platforms that will be right for your brand and some that won't be. Take the time to research the various social media platforms available and assess whether or not they are helpful for your brand.
Each platform will have different layouts and options, so you need to know what your priorities are. For example, you'll probably want to spend more time on your blog and posting your blogs to Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook if you're a blogger. At the same time, cosmetic brands may find Instagram more helpful in marketing their business. Some people might prefer Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin, which might be suitable for your professional image and general business. Choose your favourite social media platforms and incorporate them into your schedule.
Step Five: Schedule your posts.
The first step is to create your calendar. Be realistic about the number of days you need to have social media posts scheduled. You can schedule as many or as few posts as you need to. If you plan to post every day, you will need to get more organised. Start by scheduling around 3 or 4 posts per day, just to be safe. Don't over-commit yourself, and never forget to schedule any posts you have planned. Pick a schedule You can also plan out your schedule by picking out a routine. A typical routine would have you posting every day for 3 or 4 hours. You don't have to stick to this all the time, but it's a good idea to have this option to not miss any days. It's also a good idea to keep your social media profiles up to date.
Summary
There are simple ways to make your life easier by using a social media calendar. It will help you stay organised and save yourself time by not having to spend your day on the computer scrolling through all of your social media accounts. Start with these 5 steps to create your own personalised schedule for the year ahead. The 5-Step Process to Creating Your Own Social Media Calendar explains what tabs you need to create a successful calendar. Remember, plan ahead to avoid social media burnout and plan ahead to conquer the social media game.
Thanks for reading!
Jack Willoughby