Have you ever had one of those weeks where you made what feels like 100 trips to the grocery store? Grab a forgotten dinner ingredient here, forgot you needed a bake sale item (the day of!) and then making just one more trip because of the can’t-miss sale on your favorite granola bars. It happens, and it’s sometimes necessary reality, but it does add up to extra work and time spent running those errands.
Not having a social media content calendar (or a marketing calendar in general) is a little bit like that in my mind. You have the bulk of your ingredients, but they’re kind of scattered all over your kitchen, and you’re likely going to forget you needed that darn cream of tartar until the mixer is already going.
So, what is a content calendar?
When I mention social media content calendars in presentations and classes, not everyone is on board right away. Why? It’s easy to think of it as rigid, overwhelming and not necessary for a one-man-show or small business like me.
In my experience, both with solopreneurs and large-scale businesses, a content calendar can be a time and sanity lifesaver. And I absolutely don’t see it as a way to box you in, or to discourage creativity. In fact, it should allow you a little more creative freedom! You’re setting the foundation for a social media plan and allowing more time to really get the best (or realistic best) post.
Now that I’ve given you a sneak peek a few of my top reasons for leveraging a content calendar, here’s more about the three reasons why I think you will also benefit from using one, too!
- Reduce Last-Minute Planning & Focus on Strategic Planning
Have you ever made it halfway through National Taco Day and realized you had that adorable enamel taco pin in the works that you could have posted about, if only you’d known sooner? Or worse: That you not only had a taco enamel pin, but also a decal and a keychain, so you could have made it a taco-themed week? Ugh! “Smacks head* and declares “next year!” (It’s happened to everyone at least once…if not more!)Improvising in a pinch isn’t actually all that bad, in my opinion. You can occasionally come up with a pretty quick decision on something creative, but that’s not a long-term plan (see next point). The benefit of planning a day, week, month, quarter or year in advance is that you have time to thoughtfully plan and source your best plans (within a realistic way, of course!). Think about if you had wanted a fun social media collaboration with a fellow taco enthusiast maker (custom taco holder stand, anyone?). That’s something that needs planning in advance.
- Eliminate the Dreaded “Staring at a Blank Screen” Time Blank
When I talk about this one in classes, I get a LOT of heads nodding in agreement during the description of staring at your laptop/tablet/phone at a blank post screen for what feels like an eternity. And that eternity actually equates to precious minutes going down the drain at a rapid place. The outcome: 1. Throwing your hands up in frustration and not posting at all. (Can’t wait to repeat this process tomorrow!) 2. You just post something to get it out there, since you’re crunched for time, which also impacts your creativity. - Work Smarter (Not Harder) with Organization in One Easy-to-Access Place
Have you ever stopped in a panic and wondered if you’d already posted about a topic, or if the timing on an upcoming post was spot on? Enter content calendar for quick reference! (Like a time-saving/sanity restoring superhero, minus the cape!) This becomes even more helpful if you’re working with multiple messages, team members and/or departments within your business. You’ll have the answer to “is there space on the social media calendar,” and “when are we posting about xyz” all in one place.Bonus: Now, I’m the queen of the random-slips-of-paper notes, sticky notes everywhere kingdom, but eventually those all need to come into one place. Welcome to your new home in the content calendar! Even if they’re phrases or not fully worked out ideas, set yourself up for success and save them with their soon-to-be-content family members.
Now, those are just three of the reasons I sing social media (and all!) content calendars’ praises. What would you add?
