The average digitally connected person sees between 4,000 and 10,000 ads per day. If we break that down by the number of hours we are awake (world average is around 17 hours), that means we are seeing 588 ads every single hour. 

We are bombarded with advertising on every page, every site, every corner, and every app we use. With so many places to put ads and content about your business, if you don’t have a strategy for getting your social media content and brand out there, you will be wasting valuable resources of time and money. Luckily, there are tools that can help you strategically tell your company story and attract new followers and clients. One of the most useful is a social media content calendar.

A social media calendar is a tool that can help you strategically plan how you communicate on social media with your audience over a given period of time. Whether your content plan is done monthly, weekly, or something different, it is the single biggest tool to help you keep your messaging organized. 

Here are 6 reasons why you need a social media content calendar.

1. Create a strategy for your content creation

   Those new to social media will learn quickly that posting content without a solid social media strategy in mind will quickly lead to frustration and burnout. By planning out your social media posts in advance, you can tailor each post in a way that not only continues to build trust in your brand, but also drives new followers and customers. For example, if your strategic goal is more followers, you can see how effective your strategy is by tracking the number of followers you added over a specified time period and then adjust the strategy accordingly.  

2. Creates a predictable workflow for you and your team

   As a business owner, wasted time is wasted money. How many times have you sat down to create a post on social media only to stare at the screen and have nothing to write, or write something and realize you posted almost the exact same thing 2-3 weeks ago. This is where a content calendar can save you. By having your social media content planned out in advance, you and your team can stay focused on what posts need done and can begin working on items further in advance. Not only does this prevent repeating content and posts, but also allows your team the opportunity to work ahead because they know what to focus on when creating content.

3. Missing deadlines becomes a thing of the past

   Missing deadlines for content can have a huge ripple effect on getting work done. Not only does it throw off a great content calendar, it can also hurt your visibility on social media. Here at GoldBear Media, we use Monday for project management and social media content planning. At a glance, we can see what posts are being worked on, what has been completed, and what is outstanding.  

   Once all the design and content is put together, we load everything into Cloud Campaign to schedule and distribute content across multiple platforms at once. This guarantees we can deliver content on time for our clients and our company. The platform you use isn’t necessarily as important as following your strategy and plan. To avoid missed deadlines or missed posts, have a content calendar that everyone agrees to use and use it to create accountability for getting things done.

4. Better Planned Content Means Better Quality Content

   One of my favorite quotes says “If I had 6 hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend 4 sharpening my axe.” This quote, credited to Abraham Lincoln, really is talking about being prepared to do the job. A sharp axe will cut down a tree faster than a dull one, and better planned content means better quality content and overall strategy. Having a plan allows you and your team to look at the project on a much larger scale and work at different parts throughout their workday. Struggling with a post that’s not due for 2 weeks? Put it down and pick another one, or collaborate with another member of the team for better quality results. Good planning is the first step to good execution.

5. Multiple opportunities to share and increase awareness.

   By having a well detailed social media posting schedule, you can also strategize how best to share your content. Do you have a blog you post to weekly? How are you letting your followers know? A well organized social media calendar can help you not only plan when you post the blog, but also how you support that content through other social media channels throughout the week. Don’t just share the blog post through your company’s social media profile, pick another day during the week to share through your personal profiles as well, and help to draw attention back to your blog post days after it’s been written.

6. Better Mix of Content ideas

   A well organized content calendar can also help you achieve a good balance of different types of content. A well balanced social calendar will have a good mix of education, calls to action, workday photos and success stories throughout the month and will use a combination of posts, stories, reels, etc., to achieve the goal. By planning ahead with a content calendar, it also allows you the time and creativity to generate the best content.

One of the best resources out there if you’re just getting started is Hub Spot’s Social Media Content Calendar Template. It’s an excel spreadsheet that you can download (you’ll need to give your email address) and try for yourself.

The single biggest factor in using a social media content calendar is actually using the calendar. If you miss a day, don’t give up and quit. Stick with it so you can see the results of the previous month and then adjust as needed to hit your goal. Consistent effort creates consistent results. 

Happy Planning! If you’re interested in finding out more about how we can help you create dynamic social media calendars and content that get results, reach out to us at hello@goldbear.media to start a conversation. We are here when you are ready.