Why do you need a Social Media Content Calendar
Social media seems like the easiest thing to hack. You already do it every day!
With funny memes, and a well-captioned photo, sprinkle in beautiful photos and your profile becomes nothing short of Instagram genius.
As much as we would love to simplify this, hacking social media for your brand is much more than relying on user-generated content or witty captions. Yes, the photos and copy are important, but with social media, if content is king, strategy, is it’s Queen.
Everyone can create a social media account. It’s been made easy that way. The question here is how are you using this push your brand identity? A sound strategy is key in any business decision you make so why shouldn’t you apply this to handling your social media? The key to having an effective strategy is in staying organized which is why you need a social media content calendar.
This does not necessarily mean a fancy template or another app, it really could be a word document or a spreadsheet. A social media content calendar helps you stay organized by prioritizing your goals and also placing your content ideas in context.
Not sure about this? We have outlined below 3 reasons why you need a social media content calendar.
1. Staying Organized
You must have seen the benefits of having that little google calendar notification when you’re knee-deep in deadlines and oblivious to the meetings you have, lined-up. This is why people keep secretaries and assistants, this is why an interactive calendar was made by Google, to help you stay organized.
It is the same with social media. A content calendar not only outlines what your Social Media platforms will look like for the year but it helps you get a jumpstart on things. This means no more last-minute Instagram captions and typos in your tweets. You can even use scheduling platforms like Hootsuite and Buffer to plan these making for a seamless procedure. The key to staying organized however is effective planning.
2. Putting Your Content Into Context
Having a social media calendar means that you never have to worry that your content does not resonate with your audience. It means that you know which events are important to your audience and you also know when they occur. Having a social media calendar helps you plan the content leading up to that event/holiday, which leads to increased engagement that often converts to an increase in revenue during said event or holiday. The benefits of having a social media calendar mean putting out only the best for your audience because your team has been prepared for this long before it arrived!
3. Consistent And Varying Content
A perk of being organized is consistency, and this is one of the most, if not the most important thing to note when working with social media platforms. Consistent content not only serves to increase engagement, but it also helps in building brand loyalty over time, Having a content calendar gives you the luxury of testing out different content options to know the right mix that works for your brand. This will also go a long way to help with your quest to create content that resonates with your audience. Planning your social content ensures you are publishing a balanced amount of content in each area you choose to publish in.
Set a goal for yourself this month, write out the kind of content you would like to put out and an estimate on the metrics you would like to see. Pull up an excel document and get to planning!