Creating a Content Plan

“Hey, should we post about this?"

This question is asked far too many times in organizations- and oftentimes, no one knows the answer. It may be easy to leave your social media presence to a student intern and hope for the best- but when something is as important as your digital presence, it is smarter to make sure each decision is made with a clear purpose in mind. 

The best way to organize your social content is by using a social media content calendar. With this tool, you can create your content ahead of time, and map out what types of social content will be posted when, and where. It is an essential tool to establish strategy-based content, and to make sure that your social media presence is the best it can be. 

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Top Three Reasons to use a Content Calendar for your Social Posts:

Number One: Content Calendars Help Keep You Organized.

Staying organized is one of the most important aspects of any strategy- especially a social media strategy. Content Calendars allow you to plan your content out ahead of time, and to ensure you aren’t repeating posts or images. When you create and organize your social media posts, establish patterns of content that are more effective. This can create a sense of reliability in your brand. 

Number Two: Content Calendars Help Establish More Purposeful Content

When you plan content ahead of time, it forces you to be strategic and not create content on a whim. Content should have a clear purpose- not just what is on someone’s mind today. The best social posts are the ones that have a clear structure while still feeling genuine- and that is hard to achieve when you wing it with your content. It takes time and planning. In addition, when it comes to organic social content- often times less is more. Clear concise content that has a strong voice and brand is more engaging to your audience than heavy and busy content with no clear purpose.

Number Three: Content Calendars Help Create Stronger Brand Identity

Using a content organization strategy like a calendar can establish a clear layout over a period of time. This allows you to see the bigger picture of what you are posting, and to see how it all fits together. When you look at all of your content over time, you can identify patterns and themes that you may want to emphasize. Just like making your content more purposeful is important, creating a clear and consistent brand identity is essential to establishing a strong social presence.

The unspoken fourth rule, do NOT let the content calendar get in the way of the real world. If a major event occurs, delay the planned content and put out something relevant. Planning content ought to be seen as a roadtrip; on the way to your final destination, you are going to stop to see the sights along the way, and that is a GOOD thing! Finding the balance between a content calendar and spontaneous post can be difficult, but not impossible. Keep your ultimate goals in mind, and work to make your content relevant and useful for your audience.

What are your thoughts on how to maintain a healthy social media presence?

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