Post curated from content from Semrush, Copyblogger, and Sprout Social.
Do you struggle with knowing the right time to post to your Facebook Business page or any social media business page? Trust me, you are not alone!
Keeping up with trends and knowing when your content will get the most views is something that sounds hard but could be quite easy!
A social media calendar is an important way to keep your content on track. It helps you know when you want to make posts and it also allows you to see gaps in your content. It also allows you to schedule ahead of time, so you aren’t scrounging for ideas at the last second. They allow time to create and collaborate.
We are here to show you how to make an effective calendar that helps you get your content posting on track.
Social Media Calendar? What is it?
For starters, what is a social media calendar? Semrush defines it as, “a spreadsheet or app used to plan, organize and track social media posts” (https://bit.ly/3MVzgQn). It’s a lot like a traditional calendar, however, it doesn’t have pictures of different dogs each month. It tracks the days and weeks, so you don’t miss big deadlines. These calendars allow you to create your posts ahead of time and then post for you, so you don’t have to be glued to your social media all the time.
Good social media calendars share the following qualities according to Semrush:
When you plan to publish (time and date of post)
The social media platform (where do you plan to share your content)
Format of the post (is it a feed post, a story, a reel, etc.)
Materials of the post (pictures, videos, etc.)
What hashtags you want to use or who you want to tag
These are all good aspects to have as you schedule your content. Staying organized is key!
Why a social media calendar?
This is a great question. Knowing why to use something is important! Below are some ways a content calendar can help you (https://bit.ly/3MVzgQn).
It can help you plan new content. Putting together content that consumers haven’t seen yet can be scattered around your calendar.
Helps you stay on top of deadlines. Calendars allow you to see what needs to be done and let you see what is coming up.
Allows you to inform your staff of what will be posted and when.
Keeps you consistent. You will be able to start a trend of what time of the week you post.
Gets rid of typos and errors! You can edit content before it is posted to eliminate any embarrassing errors that the public might see.
When you plan ahead, the quality of the content you post will be better. There will be no scrambling at the last minute. Also, calendars free up time, so if something new happens or you need to break news, you can focus on that.
Social media calendars also help small businesses interact with their consumers. If your Facebook followers know you post exciting promotions every other Friday, they will flock to your page to get the latest information. Or, if you share employee of the week every Saturday, families may check your page each week to see if their loved one made the list.
What do you put on a social media calendar?
In order for your customers to get the latest news and posts from your social media, you need to figure out what to post and when to post it. Here are some steps to help decide what to put on your content calendar (https://bit.ly/3MVzgQn).
Know where to post. What social media platforms should you share content on and when should you share it? You have to learn where to prioritize your content resources. What type of content do your followers on Facebook enjoy compared to those on Instagram? What time is your post most likely to get the most views? Doing a social media audit will help answer most of those questions. If more people engage with your Facebook posts, focus on that platform, or learn how to better others. When you schedule your content ahead of time, it allows time to be freed up to audit social platforms.
Figure out what to post. One of the most important steps in creating your content calendar is to figure out your content mix. Know that social media is more of an engagement zone rather than a sales channel. With this in mind, follow the 80/20 rule, meaning 80% of your content informs or educates your consumers, while 20% promotes the product or services. Also, follow the rule of thirds, meaning a third of your content should be content you curate like reviews or posts your tagged in. Another third focuses on interacting with customers, while the final third promotes your product. Mix content up with videos, gifs, writing, photos, testimonials, live streams, or any other content you may come up with!
Decide when to post. Start out with a posting frequency that makes sense to you. Note that posting 4-6 times a week is the average. Learn the industry standards of the best time to share content. Semrush shares that for Facebook, 7:00, 9:00, and 10:00 am on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are ideal times to post. While 8:00, 9:00, and 10:00 am on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday are the key times for Instagram. Using social analytics to know when your followers are online is a good tool to help with this process. Also, knowing when your competitors are active could help you.
There are different types of social media calendars. There are physical paper ones you can use, or there are ones online. Google has options you could access and there are several websites around that help you get a calendar started. Tweetdeck is a good option for Twitter and Meta Business Suite has a social media calendar you can utilize for Instagram and Facebook.
Since Facebook is still a social media giant and a great place for brand marketing, we are going to focus on Meta Business Suite and how to make a Facebook social media calendar.
How do you schedule Facebook posts on Meta Business Suite?
Scheduling your Facebook posts is really simple! While there are plenty of third-party social media calendars available, Meta Business Suite is simple to use. Follow these steps in scheduling business posts (https://bit.ly/3o4Ucdn).
Log into your Facebook business page. Click pages on the main menu, or you can google Meta Business Suite.
Click the "create a post" icon and stitch together your post. Place the copy you want to use, add pictures or videos, and add a call to action if necessary.
Scroll to the schedule tab and choose the time and date you want to share this post. Then click "schedule."
That’s it! It really is that simple. In the Meta Business Suite, you are able to look at the full calendar and see when you have posts scheduled. You can edit them, add new ones, or delete existing items. This will help you keep up your posting frequency and see gaps you may need to fill with content.
What if I can’t meet the deadlines?
There are plenty of tools to keep content on track, however, it is important to keep up with the deadlines you made for yourself.
When creating content, there often times could be distractions. Many times, you could be sitting down at your computer and get distracted by a cat running by or a show on tv. Learning how to overcome these distractions is a good way to start your content scheduling. Stefanie Flaxman from the Copyblogger shares 3 unique tips on how to get over the distraction hump and meet your deadlines (https://bit.ly/43LNaKI).
Schedule more free time! Rewarding yourself for a job well done will trick your brain into being more excited about creating content! Add it to your schedule! After a deadline is met, make sure some fun is scheduled into your day.
Hide your phone! Our phones are our biggest distractors in this day and age. It’s easy to get caught up in a text from a friend or a juicy drdrama-filledweet, but that could knock out 10-15 minutes of your day, setting you behind schedule. Keeping it out of sight and out of mind can help you focus on the task at hand.
Figure out why you might not make deadlines. Acknowledging what distracts you and prevents you from getting content made on time will allow you to fine-tune your day. Learning your bad habits or giving yourself a few more hours to work on a project has the possibility to help you succeed.
Now that you know why a content calendar is important, how to schedule your posts, and ways to stick to your deadlines, you are set! It’s time to begin your content-scheduling journey.
Good luck!
For more information on content scheduling via Instagram, check out my colleague's post here: https://www.thesmmu.com/post/everything-you-need-to-know-about-scheduling-instagram-posts
Resources
Flaxman, S. (Dec. 6, 2022). The Flaky Writer’s Foolproof Guide to Meeting Deadlines. Copy Blogger. Retrieved on Apr. 18, 2023, from https://copyblogger.com/meeting-deadlines/.
Patterson, M. (Dec. 22, 2022). How to schedule Facebook posts. Sprout Social. Retrieved on Apr. 18, 2023, from https://sproutsocial.com/insights/schedule-facebook-posts/.
Semrush. (Feb. 13, 2023). How to Build a Social Media Content Calendar in 2023 (+ Template). Semrush Blog. Retrieved on Apr. 18, 2023, from https://www.semrush.com/blog/social-media-calendar/.
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