Creating a content calendar doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Think of social media as a place to interact with your audience rather than as a place to advertise your business. Being too sales-y can stop potential customers from engaging with your business. Even planning ahead to avoid the stares at the screen can be a great way to save time.
You will be happy to learn that not a lot of time needs to be spent creating a complicated content calendar. Most small businesses will do just fine with a simple monthly calendar and a few different types of posts.
The first step is determining what types of content you want to create.
These will be the main themes that your content is centered around. Having 2-4 will keep your content engaging and entertaining.
To provide an example for a small local business, some of the categories might be:
– showcase completed projects
– give seasonal gardening tips
– share BTS team footage
– post customer testimonial reviews
And for a B2B accountancy practice, examples include:
– tax tips and updates
– business/finance growth advice
– team culture and company news
– client success stories
Establishing content pillars will provide a roadmap for future posts to avoid repetition and excessive commercialisation.
Step 2: Establish a Posting Routine
When it comes to audience engagement, posting consistency is more important than posting quantity. For example, it is better to post three times a week for a longer period than to post once a day for a short period. Make a commitment to your audience, and be sure to follow through. Below is an example of how small businesses can set their posting expectations:
Facebook: 3-5 posts a week.
Instagram: 3-5 posts a week, and try to post stories every day.
LinkedIn: 2-3 posts a week.
TikTok: 3-5 posts a week. Keep in mind that video content is more time-consuming than written content.
Step 3: Make a Monthly Content Calendar
Plan on spending an hour at the beginning of each month to create a content calendar. Outline the posts along with important business dates (events, sales, promotions, etc.). The use of a spreadsheet is recommended for easy navigation. Each row represents a date, and each column represents a social media platform, content type, captions, and images/videos. The ultimate goal is to prepare your content calendar in advance.
Step 4: Content Creation
To improve your social media engagement and efficiency, it is advisable to create content in bulk instead of doing it continuously throughout the month. Set aside one or two sessions to write captions, take pictures, and record videos.
This method is easier since you don’t have to think about or create daily content for your accounts.
Many business owners, for instance, can take photos for a week’s worth of content in just one hour, and then use scheduling services like Buffer or Hootsuite, or even the free scheduling function in Meta Business Suite.
### Step 5: Monthly Review & Refinement
At the end of the month, take about 15 minutes to evaluate the statistics of your posts to determine how far your posts reached, how many people engaged with them, or how many people clicked on them, and compare the performances of your posts. Over a longer period of time, certain patterns will become recognizable, whether they involve specific types, topics, or formats of content. Then, to enhance the content strategy for next month, use these patterns to focus on the content that was successful and remove the content that was not.
Here are some content ideas to help you get started
If coming up with ideas for your small business is difficult, here are some content types you can use:
– For service-based businesses like design, beauty, or trades, powerful visual examples of work before and after transformations of clients are effective.
– Tips and advice presenting short and practical posts demonstrates your skills and builds credibility.
– Customer testimonials. Turn written reviews into simple graphic posts, and show your team, workspace, or process in behind-the-scenes photos.
– Seasonal and relevant content allows your business to engage with current happenings, seasons, and days of significance.
– Create a space for your audience to give feedback, or share their thoughts, through interactive features such as questions or opinion polls.
Repurposed blog content – If you have any blog posts on your website, you can make a social media carousel or a short video using the main points.
Keep It Simple
The most important thing is that a content calendar is only as useful as you make it, and to start, the easiest option is always the best. A simple weekly plan is far better than the situation of having no plan, and once the habit has been established, further refinement can be added to the system. In this case, consistency is far more important than perfection.