How to Create a Social Media Content Plan

How to Create a Social Media Content Plan

Do you follow other brands on social media and wonder why their engagement is better than yours? Or how they threw up that Mother’s Day-related post so fast?

It is not witchcraft.  They will have a social media content plan.

So many potential customers and clients will find you through social media. It is a modern-day shopfront. Having a social media calendar allows your business to be more organized, make fewer mistakes, post more often, and be ambitious.

Use this guide to help you learn when to post social media content and how to post social media content.

Audit Your Past Social Media Efforts

To create a new social media content plan, you need to examine where you are starting from.

Are your efforts pretty good, sporadic, or non-existent? Do you keep up with current events and interact with your followers?

Now is also a good time to examine your competitors’ output on social media to see how you compare.

Choose Your Social Media Networks

Next, you need to choose which social media networks to use and how you are going to use them. There is nothing wrong with focusing on your hero platforms and abandoning others.

If you are a furniture retailer, for example, then your audience is likely not on TikTok anyway.

Also, split out the social media networks like this, using Instagram as an example:

• Grid – photo, video, text
• Reels – video
• IGTV – video
• Stories – photo, video, text

Knowing what types of content you need for certain platforms and features will help you plan the next step.

Design and Create a Content Library

And the next step is to create a content library! It is one thing knowing when to post on social media, but if you have nothing to post you are stuck.

Hire a professional photographer and/or videographer and build a library of stock photos and videos. If you sell jewelry, for example, have product shots and model shots. Take a few seconds of video with a model moving a bracelet.

Influencers can also create content for you. If you do not know anything about influencer marketing, check out this article from Izea.com.

Examine a Literal Calendar and Brainstorm

Next, it is time to start coming up with content ideas.

Concentrate on ideas that you can replicate. For example, every Sunday you could post an interactive quiz on Instagram stories. And every Friday you could highlight a product on your Instagram feed.

Look at an annual calendar and make a note of any holidays and seasonal prompts. Make sure they align with your brand.

Produce an Ideas and Feedback Workflow

The final step in producing a social media content plan (before you create the actual content!) is to come up with a system where team members can add ideas and ask for feedback.

Make a spreadsheet with space for every block of content you want to fill e.g. Monday morning tweet, so people can add ideas.

Ensure you are working at least two weeks in advance so you can schedule upcoming posts once a week.

That’s How You Create a Social Media Content Plan

Creating a social media content plan might seem daunting at first. But once you start posting, you will have a better understanding of what works and what doesn’t.

Soon, you will spend more time engaging with your loyal followers than posting content.

Check out our other social media articles for tips and advice