How to Create a Social Media Calendar in 2024

A societal media calendar is simply a elaborate overview of your upcoming societal media posts. It tin assistance you representation retired a timeline for what you’ll post, wherever you’ll station it, and erstwhile it volition spell live. 

The simplest societal media calendar mightiness conscionable beryllium dates with station titles and the contented to include. More precocious calendars whitethorn see station times, hashtags, images, and links. 

Here’s an illustration of what a societal media calendar tin look similar from our free template:

A societal media contented calendar is much than conscionable a schedule. When done well, it tin beryllium an indispensable instrumentality for your wider social media strategy. 

Here’s why:

It Saves You Time

A societal media calendar lets you program and docket tons of societal media posts astatine once. Creating contented successful batches similar this means you don’t discarded clip multitasking oregon scrambling for ideas connected random days.

You Stick to a Consistent Posting Schedule 

It tin beryllium hard to station consistently connected immoderate level erstwhile you’re doing it arsenic and erstwhile you person time. Other things get successful the way. And it’s pugnacious to stay disciplined.

But a societal calendar helps you station regularly. Keeping your marque astatine the forefront of your audience’s mind. And giving you accordant opportunities to look successful beforehand of caller imaginable readers and customers.

It besides allows you to program posts for optimal times. Which tin assistance maximize visibility and engagement.

It Keeps You Organized

A contented calendar keeps each your societal media activities successful 1 place. This tin assistance escaped up bandwidth for different important tasks.

No much scrambling for last-minute station ideas oregon forgetting important dates. Like holidays and manufacture events.

This methodical enactment tin amended your productivity. And trim the accent associated with unplanned oregon rushed contented creation. As you’ll ever person a wide presumption of what’s being posted and wherever implicit the coming weeks.

You Can Stay connected Top of Post Quality

Sticking to a contented calendar gives you the clip to review, revise, and cleanable your posts. You’re nary longer rushing to get contented out. And you tin enactment processes successful spot to treble cheque posts earlier they spell live.

Which means you tin support precocious posting standards and support your brand’s reputation. By minimizing the chances of mistakes making it to publication. 

It’s Easy for Team Members to Collaborate

A societal media contented calendar isn’t conscionable for you to use. It’s a collaboration instrumentality for your team.

It provides a cardinal presumption of your contented plan. And makes it easier to align with broader selling strategies and guarantee everyone is connected the aforesaid page.

Further reading: Social Media Management: The Ultimate Guide

There are assorted ways to make a societal media calendar depending connected what benignant of solution you need. The steps beneath use whether you’re gathering 1 from scratch, adapting a template, oregon utilizing a tool.

Conducting a social media audit tin assistance you place what’s moving and what’s not. So you tin acceptable up your calendar for occurrence from the start.

When auditing your societal media channels, consider:

• Your goals and cardinal show indicators (KPIs): You request to person a wide program of what you privation to achieve. Like accrued postulation to your site, marque awareness, oregon conversions (like sales).
• What posts person performed good successful the past: Which posts thrust the astir traffic/conversions? Which ones get the astir engagement?
• Which platforms your people assemblage uses most: This helps you determine wherever to absorption your efforts. So you don’t discarded your clip posting connected channels that don’t thrust results.

But however bash you find this information?

We’ll screen choosing the close platforms later successful this guide. But mounting the close goals is the archetypal steps to creating an effectual societal media calendar.

Your societal media goals volition evidently beryllium connected your wider concern goals. Having due goals and KPIs to way gives you a mode of measuring your performance. 

And you tin marque data-driven decisions based connected your content’s show successful enactment with those metrics.

Here are a fewer examples to supply immoderate inspiration: 

• Increased engagement (e.g., likes, comments, and shares)
• More website traffic (via links successful your societal content)
• Post reach (great for marque awareness)
• Conversions (like income oregon leads)

When choosing your goals, see pursuing the SMART framework. These goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound:

Analyze Your Successful Content

A large portion of creating an effectual societal media strategy is doubling down connected what works well. This means looking astatine your contented that has performed good successful the past, and creating much of that.

Depending connected the societal level you’re using, you astir apt person entree to immoderate analytics and information astir your posts, profile, and engagement levels. For example, here’s an overview of relationship engagement connected Instagram:

And here’s what LinkedIn’s analytics dashboard looks like:

But fixed 1 of the main benefits of creating a societal media calendar is redeeming clip and staying organized, we tin spell 1 measurement further. And consolidate our Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn analytics each successful 1 spot with Semrush Social’s analytics platform.

First, link the accounts you privation to analyze. Use our Social Analytics configuration guide for much connected however to bash this. 

If we usage the Facebook tab arsenic an example, you’ll spot details astir your assemblage and erstwhile they’re online (more connected that later).

For now, caput to the “Posts” tab.

This shows you information astir your posts, including engagement rates, nexus clicks, and more. 

Use this information (across Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn) to find which pieces of contented performed best. Analyze those pieces of contented to recognize wherefore they performed well. And weave those winning tactics into your aboriginal content.

2. Choose Your Platforms and Content Mix

You request to take societal media platforms wherever your people assemblage really spends their time. Otherwise you’re conscionable going to discarded your resources.

Each level has unsocial assemblage and contented preferences. For example, TikTok is each astir short-form vertical videos. Whereas connected LinkedIn, written contented with engaging images often performs well.

But however bash you cognize which societal media platforms to people with your contented calendar?

How to Choose the Right Platforms

Semrush’s One2Target instrumentality shows you wherever your people assemblage is astir active. So you tin absorption connected the platforms apt to output the champion results.

Just participate 1 of your competitors’ domains and click “Analyze.” (Your competitor’s people assemblage is apt akin to yours.)

You tin find accusation astir your people audience’s demographics and socioeconomics connected the applicable tabs. But we privation to caput to the “Behavior” tab. 

The “Social Media” widget shows you the platforms your people assemblage visits astir often. 

Use this information to pass wherever to walk your resources. For example, if you stock a people assemblage with Amazon, YouTube videos and Facebook posts are apt the champion places to start.

Choosing What to Post connected Each Platform

Your contented premix volition alteration depending connected factors similar your goals, brand, and industry. But determination are a fewer elemental systems you tin usage to assistance program retired your content.

The 80/20 rule: 80% of your contented informs, entertains oregon educates your audience. The remaining 20% promotes your products oregon services. 

The regularisation of thirds: Dedicate one-third of contented to each of the following:

• Content you curate from followers (like reviews and posts that tag your business)
• Interaction with followers
• Promotion of products and services

Take Passion Planner, for example. They make posts astir their products: 

But they besides people user-generated content:

And acquisition contented to assistance animate their assemblage of passionate planners:

And relatable memes that resonate with their followers:

They screen a wide contented premix to prosecute their following. All portion keeping everything applicable and not overly promotional.

For your ain contented mix, experimentation with a wide scope of content types:

• Videos
• Images
• Infographics
• Text-based posts
• Testimonials
• User-generated contented (like sharing follower photos, videos, and reviews)
• Livestreams

But guarantee what you stock fits with however radical similar to devour contented connected their preferred channels. 

For example, sharing a summary of a blog station mightiness enactment amended connected LinkedIn than it would connected Instagram oregon TikTok.

3. Select a Template oregon Tool to Build the Calendar

There are 3 main approaches to gathering a societal media calendar:

• Building 1 from scratch: It’s time-intensive, but you tin customize it nevertheless you like
• Adapting a template: This saves you time, but it mightiness person constricted functionality
• Using a tool: Tools whitethorn person constricted customization, but utilizing them tin importantly velocity up your processes

There are astir unlimited ways you could make a afloat customized societal media calendar from scratch.

But present are a fewer cardinal things you whitethorn privation to see erstwhile gathering yours:

• Keep it simple. Your societal calendar is meant to prevention you time. So don’t marque it truthful analyzable that it ends up costing you (and your team) clip instead.
• Use colour coding. This is simply a elemental ocular mode to marque your calendar easier to use. Include a cardinal astatine the broadside truthful you and your squad ne'er get lost.
• Choose the close medium. Create your calendar wrong a level your squad is comfy with. This makes collaboration overmuch easier.

Have columns for each the cardinal details of each post, including things like:

• The level to people on
• Publishing day and clip (with clip portion if applicable)
• Format (e.g., vertical video oregon poll)
• Copy for the post
• Visuals to attach
• Links to include
• Tracking parameters to adhd (more connected that successful Step 5)

Your blank calendar mightiness look thing similar this:

Using a Template

Templates are a large mode to commencement readying your societal media contented immediately. Without having to make your ain calendar from scratch.

If this sounds similar the close prime for your setup, cheque retired our free societal media calendar template successful Google Sheets. 

It has columns for antithetic societal media channels, time of the week, topics, copy, ocular assets, and more. 

Use the default formatting oregon consciousness escaped to customize it immoderate mode you like. Schedule your posts by adding the applicable details successful each cell. And stock the Google Sheet with your squad for elemental collaboration.

If you privation an all-in-one solution, see utilizing a instrumentality for your societal calendar. There are tons of options retired determination (we’ll screen a fewer later). There are dedicated calendar tools, but sometimes a spreadsheet is each you need.

Or you could usage thing with further functionality, similar Semrush Social’s Social Poster. 

This saves you clip by letting you docket posts connected Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Pinterest, and adjacent your Google Business Profile. All successful 1 place.

4. Schedule Your Content

Create a posting docket that suits your availability and resources. And—importantly—one that puts your contented successful beforehand of the close radical astatine the close time.

Plan When to Post

For each level you use, you request to plan:

1. When to post
2. How often to post

Some societal media platforms supply you with adjuvant information connected erstwhile your assemblage is astir active. This helps you cognize erstwhile to station for the highest levels of engagement.

Here’s however this looks connected Instagram:

Semrush Social provides you with a much elaborate view. Showing a illustration of erstwhile your followers are astir progressive by time and time. And however that correlates to erstwhile your posts spell live.

So you tin easy spot if you’re posting astatine the close times. Or if you request to set your strategy for amended reach.

Schedule Posts Ahead of Time

If you’re utilizing your ain contented calendar oregon a template, you’ll request to docket your contented manually. You could station the planned contented manually each day, but making usage of the scheduling relation wrong your societal media platforms saves a batch of time. 

They don’t each connection this ability, but galore of the large platforms do. You tin docket posts connected X:

And connected Facebook, done the Business Suite (which besides shows a useful timeline presumption of upcoming posts):

But for a streamlined experience, usage Semrush Social. The Social Poster lets you rapidly and easy docket posts crossed large platforms. 

Connect your societal accounts, and caput to the “Calendar” tab wrong the Social Poster. Hover implicit the time you privation to docket a station and click the “+” icon astatine the apical right.

Choose which platforms you privation to station to. Then participate your station text, adhd images and links, adhd tags, acceptable a publishing time, and more. You tin adjacent adhd UTM parameters for tracking show (see Step 5 for much connected this).

Click “Schedule” erstwhile you’re ready.

This allows you to docket posts up of time. And spot your scheduled posts successful a calendar view. All successful 1 place.

Track your societal media show to recognize what is working. And what isn’t. This lets you accommodate your strategy implicit clip to conscionable the goals you acceptable successful Step 1.

The astir important metrics to way volition beryllium connected those goals. But a fewer adjuvant ones to see include:

• Impressions: This is the fig of radical that saw your content, careless of whether they interacted with it
• Likes/comments/shares: Engagement metrics archer you however good your contented is resonating with your people audience
• Conversions: This could beryllium sales, leads, oregon email signups, oregon immoderate different conversion you track
• Website traffic: If you’re sending postulation from your societal posts to your website, you tin way this information successful a instrumentality similar Google Analytics

Use engagement information to recognize which posts execute best. And replicate what that contented does good successful aboriginal posts. You’ll besides beryllium capable to recognize whether your engagement levels are expanding implicit time. Or if you request to accommodate your approach.

You’ll beryllium capable to spot your engagement metrics successful your chosen platform’s analytics dashboard. Here’s what that looks similar successful Pinterest:

We showed you successful Step 1 however the Social Analytics instrumentality wrong Semrush Social tin assistance you audit your societal media content. Before adjacent creating a calendar.

But it besides lets you way show implicit clip arsenic you instrumentality your campaigns. Head to the tool, and click the “Engagement” tab for an overview of your account’s show implicit time.

You’ll beryllium capable to show your Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn show from 1 dashboard. Keeping tabs connected your impressions, reach, and engagement implicit time. 

This helps you recognize however effectual your societal media calendar is. And besides provides penetration into the days you get the astir engagement. So you tin tweak your calendar to station much connected the days your contented performs best.

Tracking Conversions

To way metrics similar conversions, you’ll request to person a mode of linking a societal media station to a fixed merchantability oregon signup. Do this utilizing UTM parameters erstwhile scheduling your posts.

UTM parameters are snippets you adhd to the extremity of URLs that let you way run performance. Here’s an illustration of a UTM parameter for a societal media campaign:

Add UTM parameters to the posts you docket with the Social Poster. You’ll find this successful Semrush Social. When scheduling a caller post, click the “UTM” button. Next, adhd your run name, run medium, and take a run root (it’ll bash this for you automatically).

Then click “Apply to post.”

Check retired our usher to UTM codes successful Google Analytics to larn however to analyse this data. And to recognize however to usage UTM tracking for amended societal media run performance.

Engaging societal media contented tin thrust a batch of postulation to your website. But knowing which platforms bash this champion requires a spot of information analysis.

Seeing your full societal postulation is reasonably straightforward wrong Google Analytics 4. In the spot you privation to track, click “Reports” > “Life cycle” > “Acquisition” > “Traffic acquisition.”

You’ll spot an overview of your website’s postulation sources. Including “Organic Social” (and “Paid Social” if you’re moving ads). You’ll besides spot metrics similar “Average engagement clip per session” and “Engaged sessions per user.”

These are utile for knowing whether the postulation you’re sending to your tract from societal media is really engaging with your site’s content.

But if you’re driving postulation to your tract from aggregate societal media platforms, this information mightiness not beryllium enough. To spot much granular data, click “Add filter +” and past prime “Session source/medium” successful the “Dimension” drop-down.

Next, prime “exactly matches” successful the “Match Type” drop-down. And past the societal media platforms you privation to way from the “Value” drop-down. Then click “Apply.”

Finally, successful the bottommost near drop-down, prime “Session source.” This volition amusement you a array with each of the sources you selected. 

You tin past comparison each source’s engagement metrics to recognize which societal media platforms thrust the astir engaged postulation to your website.

Tracking your cardinal metrics similar this lets you enactment connected apical of what’s working—and what isn’t. Giving you the assurance to treble down connected the contented that performs best. Without wasting your resources.

Semrush Social offers societal media calendar functionality alongside scheduling, analytics, and adjacent inbox management. Saving you clip by keeping each of your societal media absorption successful 1 place.

We’ve already covered utilizing the Social Poster to docket your contented successful Step 4 of our usher above. But you tin usage Semrush Social arsenic an all-in-one dashboard for each your main accounts. And for antithetic websites too.

Meaning you tin docket posts, way your analytics, and respond to messages crossed antithetic platforms. All wrong 1 tool. This makes it the perfect prime for anyone managing the societal media accounts of aggregate businesses. Or galore idiosyncratic projects.

Google Sheets 

Perfect if you’re looking for a elemental spreadsheet-based solution, Google Sheets allows you to plan, schedule, and way your societal media contented successful a structured way. 

You tin make antithetic sheets for each period and adhd details similar the date, content, and links. 

Like successful our social media calendar template:

However, Google Sheets lacks precocious features similar automated posting and show tracking. 

Notion

Notion is simply a almighty instrumentality for managing tons of aspects of your business. But it tin besides relation arsenic a useful societal media calendar. 

Notion tin beryllium an effectual (free) mode to negociate societal media calendars. And you tin stock it with others wrong Notion for streamlined management. 

But determination is nary mode to docket and station contented from wrong the level itself.

Canva 

Canva is simply a instrumentality chiefly utilized for graphic design. But the Pro (paid) mentation besides offers a diagnostic called Content Planner. It allows you to plan, schedule, and people your societal media posts consecutive from Canva. 

It supports platforms similar Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. And you tin besides way the show of your posts. 

This is an perfect solution if you nutrient a batch of graphic-focused content. As your subscription besides gives you entree to the Canva Pro plus library.

You tin usage our free societal media calendar template to program and signifier your societal media posts. 

This template is simply a large starting point, and you tin customize it to acceptable your circumstantial needs. 

For example, you tin adhd columns for antithetic societal media platforms, contented types, oregon run themes.

With an effectual societal media calendar, you tin plan, organize, and execute connected your strategy. Making it easier to station consistently and show your results.

But you tin marque it adjacent easier with a instrumentality similar Semrush Social. Combining scheduling, analyzing performance, gaining contented insights, and adjacent responding to messages into 1 intuitive platform. 

Get these benefits by signing up to Semrush Social.