There’s no time like the present for you to kickstart your social media strategy for 2024! Say hello to the chance to create digital marketing magic.
Creating a social media calendar can feel overwhelming if you’re new to the social scene, but it doesn’t have to be an uphill battle. With a little awareness of what an effective content calendar should include, you can easily start preparing for a successful year ahead. Get ready to see spectacular social growth as you hone your social media presence!
Whether you’re working on your own or as part of a social media marketing team, Plann has the answers you’re searching for. Here’s what you need to know so that you can create the ultimate 2024 social media content calendar!
What is a social media content calendar anyway?
A social media content calendar is where all your social media posts live before you share them with the world! Basically, it’s a hub for creative ideas and campaign planning behind the scenes of your brand.
Providing a calendar-based overview of your upcoming social content, a social media calendar allows you to curate posts and take control of marketing campaigns, not to mention actioning your content pillars in a clear, intuitive way.
Using a social content calendar tool, you can turn content creation into something much more than guesswork. You can start working to implement a clear marketing strategy that highlights your brand’s value and keeps your feed looking great across all your social media accounts.
While some marketers use simple social content calendar systems like Google Calendar or a spreadsheet to organize social media content, there are plenty of other options to choose from that can offer great resources for better social media management.
Many social-savvy creators turn to tailor-made software tools designed to schedule content and keep track of how it performs across a long list of platforms, from Facebook and Instagram to TikTok, Pinterest, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Plann is one such social media planning tool, allowing you to access advanced calendar scheduling options while also including features that support idea generation, data tracking, marketing education, and much, much more.
Key features you can expect
Every social media content calendar tool is different, and that’s the beauty of the market. You can always find a system to suit your needs and unique content-planning style.
A good social media content calendar tool should include clear visual elements that show you when and where your posts are scheduled to go live. This can help you keep track of content streams, ensuring you understand your timeline and can schedule posts strategically.
You need a system that supports copy and a mix of creative assets. Photos and videos matter on social, and your software needs to take that into account! Ideally, your software should also allow for links, tags, and hashtags that allow you to set and forget your content, trusting that all the important details are in place.
If you have these features on deck, you have everything you need to create awesome posts and start gearing up for social media success!
Why do you need a content calendar?
When it comes to social media management, it’s best not to leave anything to chance. A strong, well-planned strategy can help you achieve your marketing goals and boost your brand performance in no time.
The benefits of thinking strategically across your social platforms? Here are just a few.
Easy Content Inspo
Have you ever found yourself running low on post ideas? With a good social content calendar, you can take control of your creativity and never run out of inspiration again.
Using a social media content calendar, you can reflect back on successful social posts and easily access ideas that relate to your content pillars.
Instead of feeling rudderless and lost when it’s time to create content, you can turn existing social posts into a goldmine for opportunities!
Less Time Wasted
It’s no secret that running a successful social media presence can be time-consuming! If you’re posting manually, social media probably takes up valuable time in your work day – or even your personal life.
By scheduling social media content ahead of time, you can rely on a time-saving and efficient system that doesn’t mean staying up at night so you can hit share on your latest campaign.
In the time you free up using social media calendar tools, you take some time to rest and recharge or get to work on marketing ideas.
Better Audience Engagement
If you’ve been working to achieve social media growth for a while, you probably know the importance of audience engagement. The good news is that using a social media content calendar can help!
By sticking to a clear posting schedule, you can turn your brand into a predictable social staple for your followers. Plus, you can use insights to create social media content your audience will love.
As if this wasn’t enough, scheduling social posts in advance can give you more capacity to engage with other accounts, helping you grow your influence over time.
Greater Posting Consistency
On social media, consistency is everything! Your content strategy needs to follow a pattern that helps users recognize and understand your brand.
With a content calendar, you can stay on top of regular social media publishing across a wide variety of platforms, repurposing content like a champ.
You’ll find more ways to reach your target audience with your social campaigns, and you’ll keep your content fresh in people’s minds for extra brand awareness.
Follow an Analytical Approach
You can’t win at social media without understanding the important role of data, insights and analytics in helping you identify and respond to performance trends.
Every time you post on social media, you have a chance to analyze audience interests and get a better sense of what content styles and formats work best for your brand.
A social media content calendar can help you keep track of when to post, what to post, and how to post so that you can get the most value out of the content you create.
Ultimate Organization
Last but not least, a social media content calendar provides epic organization benefits, helping you maintain a great posting schedule without the stress.
Using a content calendar to view your posts, you can take a holistic approach to content, evaluating ideas and campaigns side by side, even when posts appear on different social media platforms.
Cutting down on demands and helping you think clearly, a content calendar eliminates scheduling worries so that you can focus on putting together an awesome content strategy.
Top Scheduling Tips to Keep in Mind
Scheduling social media posts is a major time-saver in its own right, but these five best practices will make your life even easier, too.
Organize your creatives effectively
The key to effective social media content planning is organization, and that includes your media library!
It’s time to quit storing content across multiple folders and devices. Use your content calendar or its in-built media library to keep your visual assets in one easy-to-access place.
Wherever you can, look for ways to simplify and streamline. Sort your content into categories, and get rid of what you won’t need.
Don’t be afraid to hold a place
Guess what? You don’t have to plan your content all in one go! When you’re getting started with your 2024 content strategy, use placeholders when you need them.
Whether you add a simple note to self or even produce mock-up graphic designs, placeholders can help you avoid hitting a creative block while producing new content.
Who said content planning had to be linear? The beauty of placeholders is that you can use them to save space for fresh campaigns and collaborations as opportunities arise.
Make content a team effort
It can be easy to keep social content plans to yourself, but you don’t have to be an island. In fact, working as a team is often a better idea, bringing new creativity to your accounts.
Using your social calendar, you can quickly and easily share your content plans with team leaders and other stakeholders, ensuring that everyone is on the same page and in love with your branding skills.
Your calendar view is designed to accommodate simple reviews across all your social channels so that you can get the feedback you need to have confidence in your work.
Remember the power of keywords
Anywhere on the internet, keywords are central to your marketing power, helping you improve your content’s discoverability and allowing you to reach your target audience.
Use your social media content calendar to curate a list of relevant hashtags and caption keywords that speak to your brand’s mission and value proposition in 2024.
Some content calendar tools even include hashtag generation features, so you can access lists of keywords that you can add to any of your upcoming posts!
How to create a social media content calendar right now
Ready to create your 2024 social media content calendar? There’s no time to waste! Here are the steps you need to take to get started now. Let’s go!
1. Define your goals
Clear, actionable goals are the key to effective content creation. By defining your goals across a variety of social media platforms ahead of time, you can better understand what steps are required to take your social media content to the next level.
As you prepare to establish your New Year marketing strategy, think about what you’re trying to achieve. Do you want to gain followers, boost engagement, or increase conversions? When you know your goals, you can make decisions that work toward them even before it’s time to post.
2. Choose your platforms
All social media platforms are unique, offering different content options and growth opportunities. When you think strategically, you can select the social networks that will work best for your brand and your vision.
Before you set up your social media content calendar, decide which platforms align most closely with your audience, your branding, and the type of content you create. How do you want to communicate online? You could prioritize a presence on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Twitter, or another platform entirely.
3. Audit your strategy
A strategy audit might sound intimidating, but it’s an essential step if you want your social media content to do well. By checking in on what works and what doesn’t, you can start doing more of what makes your brand shine.
As you put together your new social media content calendar, reflect back on last year’s content. Visit your metrics and analytics to see what worked well in 2022 and what could be improved in the year. Take note of your content ideas and process details, and ask yourself what would enhance your content strategy going forward.
4. Create content pillars
Content pillars offer an easy way to keep your social media posts on track! With just a few key pillars, you can create clear, consistent content that provides the best possible value for your target audience across all posts.
Think about what your brand can offer to users, and break your content down into a few key ideas or subtopics. Once you’re clear on what these are, start creating content that matches the pillars you’ve chosen. This will help users learn to predict your content patterns and trust in the value you provide online.
5. Find your voice
Your voice and your branding are at the core of how you communicate and interact on social media. If you’re thoughtful about the brand voice and style you choose, you’ll be well on your way to instant recognisability in no time.
Consider what your brand needs to say to your social media audience, and factor this into your content calendar. If everyone you work with is on the same page, you can easily create a consistent brand persona. This will improve your professionalism, as well as make it easier to create new content when you need it.
Mix and Match
On social media, there are plenty of different content types and formats you can choose from, each offering its own unique benefits and engagement opportunities. By mixing and matching content types, you can make the most of everything on offer!
Whether you’re working on a single platform or several social media channels, try out a range of content formats and approaches. Take note of what works, and use this information to influence your content calendar. Using a good mix of tools and formats can give you an algorithm boost while allowing you the space to innovate.
6. Create and Curate
When your social media content calendar is almost ready for action, you’ll be ready to start work on the most important step in the process: content creation. High-quality posts attract engaged audiences, so it’s essential that you put your best foot forward.
Following the goals, plans, and ideas outlined in your content strategy, start to create your social media posts. Write rich, engaging, and informative captions with clear CTAs, and produce a selection of well-branded, eye-catching visual elements. Good content will keep users coming back for more, all while placing your brand at the top of the social game.
7. Plann Ahead
Often, planning and scheduling your content can have the power to make or break your digital marketing strategy. With an effective posting schedule and a project management system, you can ensure you never miss an advertising opportunity.
Decide how often and when you want to share new social media content, and include this information in your content calendar. If you’re looking for an easy, intuitive way to schedule content ahead of time, you might like to try scheduling your content and comparing content calendar options and ideas.
Why choose Plann as your content calendar go-to?
Your content calendar can have an incredible impact on the way you manage content across all your social channels, so it’s important that you choose the right calendar tool.
Here at Plann, we know we offer the best scheduling features to help you create content that rocks. Here are just a few of the reasons why we think we have the best social media calendar tool on the market!
• Instagram auto-posting to help you put your socials on auto-pilot
• Easylink link-in-bio tool for maximum conversion potential
• TikTok and Reels scheduling so you can make the most of video content
• Plann with team members for ultimate collaboration success
• Advanced analytics to help you track your stats with ease
• Image editing tools so you can improve content before you share it
• Custom strategy creation to turn your brand into a marketing superstar
• Brand calendar & content planner for premium planning control
Who can go past the social media content calendar tool used by your favorite brands, from Vogue to Cosmopolitan, Buzzfeed, InStyle, and more! With posting tools across the top five social media platforms, Plann can help you achieve your social media dreams!
Sound like a deal you don’t want to miss? Get started by signing up for a free 7-day trial of Plann!
