Are you having a hard time figuring out what to post on social media? Do you need a tool to help you stay organized so that you always have something to post?

I’ve been using this content calendar to keep my blog post ideas, drafts, and scheduled posts in order. By doing this, I’m able to stay on track with my marketing and put out content that’s relevant and consistent each week. I started strictly following this calendar in the beginning of June and I’m already seeing my hard work pay off. 

On Pinterest, my impressions have increased by 47% and my total audience has increased by 41%. And that’s just on Pinterest.

For my Content Calendar, I’ve arranged my themes so that Sundays are for new blog posts, Mondays are motivational posts, and so on. You don’t have to post something motivational EVERY Monday, but it’s there to guide you when you’re coming up with ideas for future posts. For Independence Day, instead of putting a theme I made sure to label it for the holiday! That way it doesn’t sneak up on me, and I can start thinking about ideas in advance. 

Using a social media content calendar template will not only get your thoughts in order but it will change the way you utilize social media for your small business by keeping your efforts goal focused & organized.

How do I use a social media content calendar template?

I’ve created a template for you to download and use for all of your content planning needs. Feel free to make a copy into your Google Sheets, and start planning right away. If you use something other than Google Sheet? Don’t sweat it! You can export as a CSV or another file type to be used in a software you’re more comfortable with.

Once that’s sorted out, you’ll be able to start planning! Make sure to keep a copy of the original file. You’ll want a blank file for each month that you use it.

You’ll find that I’ve left a row available above each day of the week, where you can brainstorm themes that’ll help you come up with ideas for future content. 

For example, on Tuesdays your theme can be “books” and Fridays can be “something personal”. Following themes each week will help your content stay consistent with your brand.

Are spreadsheets not for you? Download the template anyway and copy the layout into your favorite project management software like Trello or ClickUp!

START PLANNING YOUR CONTENT

Determine Which Social Media Platforms to Use

In the content calendar template, I’ve included some social media platforms that I use to post on. You can add rows, remove rows, and rename them to fit your small business. Where is your target audience showing up? You’ll definitely want to be showing up where your audience is. Here are some stats to help you determine where to be active:

• Facebook has over 2.4 billion active users and a wide variety of features (photo, video, community, etc.)
• Instagram has 500 million active users and is based on images & videos.
• Twitter is the top social messaging platform, ideal for joining trending conversations.
• LinkedIn is a top professional networking site, ideal for connecting with industry leaders & experts and great for targeting other businesses.
• YouTube is the TOP video-sharing site where businesses and influencers can create their own channel. Content can be monetized after certain requirements are met.
• Pinterest has more than 320 million monthly active users and is used as an image-based search engine.

Source: LinkedIn Learning – Social Media Marketing Foundations Course

For each platform, you use, be sure to track your performance! You’ll want to see where you’re reaching the right people and where there’s room for improvement.

If a certain platform isn’t working out, you might want to change gears and focus on creating quality content on another platform where your audience is more active.

Related Post: Define Your Brand Voice & Vocab

What’s Next?

Still need to download your FREE Content Planner? Click here!

Stuck on something else? Let me know in the comments or send me a quick email! I’d love to hear from you.

I can’t wait to see the pivot in your content strategy! This template can be completely customized to your liking. Add more columns & rows to include things you may need, additional to those included in the template. The possibilities are endless!