Information in this blog post was obtained from, Semrush Blog, Sprout Social, and HubSpot.
Have you ever found yourself at work or school, working on creating new original content, just to look at your company's or school's social media and find someone else has just beat you on posting about the same topic, meaning you have to restart and come up with a new idea? As students, we understand that it is nearly impossible to communicate with everyone working on creating content at all times. That's why the easiest solution to saving time and resources by creating original content is to create and share a content calendar!
So, what is a content calendar? A content calendar as described by Sprout Social is the framework used to effectively manage your content marketing programs. It can be used to help you plan every step of the way and have everything you need in one place! We know how difficult can be to effectively manage multiple social media campaigns, that's why we have compiled some of the best tips and steps on getting started creating your own content calendar!
Benefits of Using a Content Calendar
Visualizing your content strategy. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the content creation process and forget what you have already done. By keeping your calendar open and updating frequently, it's no problem to remember what is being posted, or what you may have already posted about!
Save yourself valuable time and be consistent! Time is something we can all use more of, and as college students, we know that all too well. By keeping plans organized, you'll save yourself and others from creating things that have already been done or researching topics that have been completed. A content calendar can also help you keep consistent by keeping your posts on a similar schedule so that viewers can know when to look at your page for updates.
Increase your transparency. Oftentimes, content creation is a team effort, meaning many people in your company and many separate teams may be working on similar things. So, keeping your calendar accessible makes it a lot easier for everyone involved!
Getting Started with a Content Calendar
To make your content the most effective, starting with a social media audit is the way to go! According to HubSpot, a social media audit assesses your social media presence, accounts, and engagement. This is a great first step to see where you can make improvements before constructing your calendar. You will want to look over your engagements, conversions, and clicks, and make sure your content is connected to your goals. Lastly, you will want to check out competitors! When checking out competitors, don't copy and paste what is working for them! But see why what they are doing works, and determine how can you modify your strategy to benefit you and your goals.
Next, we will want to move on to gathering more key information. More specifically, we want to take a look at our target audience. What is appealing to them? What times is the target audience most active on social media? We also need to look at what resources we have available to us. Are you doing this project alone? Are you working with a team? Are you in charge of a team? All of these factors can change how you allocate your time! Next, what channels will be used? This will vary depending on the campaign or company. Some content will do great on one social media channel, and maybe not so great on another. Research, research, research! Keep content relevant to each platform and your audience that uses it!
Constructing Your Content Calendar
First, you should decide what you would like to include in your content calendar. A few things that should always be included in the calendar are:
Platforms being used.
Date and time your posts will be published.
Graphics or videos being used.
Copy of the post to be published.
Some other things HubSpot finds to be useful are platform image sizes, campaign hashtags, and quick tips on hand to help build your calendar.
Next, you have the option of building your own calendar template or finding one you love! Find a great premade template, courtesy of HubSpot here.
If instead of using a premade template, you choose to create your own calendar, don't worry! We have a few suggestions to help you get started. First, how would you like your content organized? Would you benefit more from organizing it by day, weeks, months, or quarters? This will vary based on the content you are creating and the strategy you choose! Two of the most common choices in calendar you have are a spreadsheet or a project management software.
According to Sprout Social, there are many benefits to the use of both of these options! To start off with a spreadsheet, they provide simple labeling by columns and rows. Some great labels you could use for example are creation steps, approval steps, date and time, and key performance indicators, or KPIs. A spreadsheet is user-friendly and easily shared among classmates or colleagues.
If you are more interested in a content calendar with more advanced features, maybe a project management tool would benefit you more! In a survey shared by Sprout Social, 76% said that they use tools for calendaring, collaboration, or workflow in their content marketing activities. Many tools for project management combine a spreadsheet and database with their own benefits. This may not be the best option for a beginner, but you be the judge!
Publishing Content
You made it! You have created your first content calendar and it's time to begin creating posts! You have the option to directly post or to schedule a post, but no matter what you choose, be sure to add it to the calendar! This will help you and your colleagues from going back and forth, checking to see if their idea has already been posted, and keeping everything in one convenient location!
There are some scenarios in which scheduling is recommended over direct posting. A few of those as recommended by Semrush are:
If you are managing different businesses at the same time. This keeps things from getting muddy and it will make things easier for yourself in the long run!
If the ideal time to publish content for your platform and target audience is not within your own or your coworkers' working hours.
If the target audience is in a different time zone.
If your business and another agree to post things at certain times, this may be done because of a case study or for research purposes.
These are just a few reasons why scheduling is beneficial! It will help get your post the most engagement and help minimize errors.
Things to Consider
There are a few things to keep in mind when scheduling content, such as:
Seasonal posts. Depending on your company, you may want to keep in mind special events and holidays! For example, if you are managing the social media account of a company that sells honey, you may want to make a special post on National Honeybee Day! The general rule is to also make special posts around the more popular holidays, like Christmas or Independence Day if you are a company whose target audience is based in the United States.
Company milestones. Make sure you are recognizing your company and coworkers for their accomplishments! It is important for your audiences to be "in the know".
Keep content timely. If there is a trending topic that pertains to your brand, make sure you post about it before it is gone! Trends fade quickly, don't miss your chance to capitalize on one!
Conclusion
In conclusion, posting whatever whenever is a thing of the past. An effective content calendar will benefit your productivity levels, keep the team on the same page and on task, and make communication between team members easier. It can also help keep all information readily available when you are on a time crunch trying to meet deadlines! Remember, your content calendar is what you want it to be! When utilized correctly, a content calendar could be exactly what you need. Happy scheduling!
For more advice on Instagram posting, view my colleague Jordan's post here.
Resources
Bernazzani, S. (2023, June 15). How to create a social media calendar to plan your content. HubSpot Blog. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/social-media-calendar-tools
Naseer, H. (2023, June 8). Complete Guide to Content Calendar Creation. Sprout Social. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/content-calendar/
How to create a great content calendar (+ 4 free templates). Semrush Blog. (n.d.). https://www.semrush.com/blog/content-calendar/
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