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If you’re overwhelmed by everything you need to do in business and don’t know how to plan your social media content – I’ve got the solution for you!

In this post, I’ll walk you through a simple step-by-step process for creating a social media content plan that works for your business.

You’ll learn how to prioritize the essential tasks and get everything done in a way that will help you grow your business.

That being said, once you have your plan set up, creating and scheduling your content shouldn’t take more than 3 hours per week.

Let’s get started.

Complete Guide To Successful Social Media Content Planning

This post includes affiliate links to products I love and recommend, meaning I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.

The Importance of a Social Media Content Plan

You have to plan your social media content because it will help you:

  • Increase engagement and interaction with your audience
  • Keep your content fresh, relevant, and interesting
  • Reduce the amount of time you have to spend on social media (which means more time for you to spend with your family)

The bottom line is that a social media content plan is an essential part of your overall social media marketing strategy. You need one to grow your business effectively. Now let’s look at how you can create it.

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Social Media Content Calendar - Google Sheets Template

How to plan your social media content

You’ll have to follow a few steps to create a plan that will work for you.

Before you read on, I suggest you take a pen and paper to write down all the action points so you don’t get overwhelmed or make any mistakes.

After you go through my blog post, you’ll be ready to easily make your social media content plan. Are you ready? Ok, let’s begin.

How to plan your social media content

Write down your content goals

Before you begin creating and scheduling social media content, you must set clear goals for each piece of content you’ll make.

This is a part of the planning process that you shouldn’t skip because, without goals, it’s difficult to create posts that will help you achieve the success you always dream of.

At the beginning of my business journey, I skipped this part which caused me to make mediocre posts that attracted the wrong audience. 

It made more problems for me in the long run, so if you want to avoid this, write down clear targets for each piece of content you create.

The best way to start setting your goals is to ask yourself three simple questions:

  • What do you want to achieve with this post?
  • Who is your target audience?
  • How will it benefit them?

From there, go deeper and use the SMART goals formula:

S.M.A.R.T. goals - by big income paradise blog

Write down the essential holidays and observances

You can start by making a list of the holidays and observances you want to celebrate with your audience but make sure they are relevant to your business.

For example, suppose your business is all about beauty and wellness. In that case, you could celebrate Bubble Bath Day, which falls on January 8th.

Check out this list of holidays and pick the ones that would fit your brand. Then write them down because you’ll have to include them in your content calendar (I’ll discuss it in more detail below.)

Know which products you’ll promote

Your next step is deciding which products you’ll promote on social media. That’s essential because it will be easier for you to create great content that will drive more sales.

For example, if you have a natural skincare line, you could promote your face cream the first week of the month.

Also, you’ll know what kind of content you should create before you start promoting your product. The topics you cover should closely relate to what you’re selling so people can easily connect to your product and make a purchase.

Here’s how I do it; because the majority of my products and courses are focused on the subject of social media content – I create posts on that topic and include the pain points my ideal customers have.

In the posts, I also share valuable tips and other essential information. It explains to my potential customers why this subject is important and why they should take it seriously.

So I build up interest in the topic and also my credibility. When it’s time to promote, most potential customers are ready to purchase.

That’s why you should plan which products to advertise and when.

Set your social media content pillars

Social media content pillars are broad themes you will cover in your business.

The pillars will help you to create a consistent and compelling message for your audience. They also help you to stay on topic when creating content, which makes it more appealing to your followers.

Choose up to 5 different content pillars – for instance, if your business is about health and fitness, these could be:

  • nutrition,
  • exercise,
  • healthy lifestyle.

You can learn more about social media content pillars from my guide here.

Brainstorm social media content ideas

Now that you have your top 5 pillars, you’re ready to start brainstorming and searching for content ideas.

Start by looking at each pillar and asking yourself what types of content you can create around it. For example, think about recipes or food hacks if one of your pillars is nutrition.

Once you’ve developed a list of ideas for each pillar, start narrowing down which ones will work best for your business and target audience.

If you find it challenging to develop content ideas, check out these 18 top places that will help you find outstanding topics.

Create a social media content calendar

The best part about a content calendar is that it helps you stay organized. You can use it to track what type of content you’ll need to create over the next few weeks and when you plan on posting it. This will help ensure your social media strategy doesn’t fall through the cracks!

I created a blog post to teach you how to create a yearly social media content calendar. While it might take you a few weeks to complete, it will be well worth your time.

The content calendar helps you keep track of your content, save time, and ensure that you’re constantly posting something new for your followers.

However, if you’re swamped with work and can’t find the time to complete your calendar, don’t worry! I created 3 done-for-you content calendars that you can get here instantly.

3 done-for-you content calendars

Strategically mix your content

Mix up your posts, so your followers don’t get bored and tune out. It will keep them engaged and interested in your content.

So if you post quotes three days in a row, your audience may get tired of seeing them. They follow you because they want to learn something from your business – not just be motivated.

For instance, mix it up by posting a quote on Monday, sharing a funny meme on Tuesday, and valuable tips on Wednesday.

You should also make sure to switch between different formats like:

Test it out, see what your audience loves best, and use that format the most (but not all the time).

Creating a schedule and posting frequency

Having a schedule for your social media content is a great way to stay consistent. You don’t want to post one day and then not post again for two weeks. Your audience will forget about you and move on to someone else who is posting consistently.

Look at your analytics weekly and see when your audience is most active on social media. Then schedule your content at the best times.

Post your promotional content on highly engaged days, and publish questions, quotes, or memes on low-engagement days.

Posting consistently is also essential, so pick a schedule and stick with it. If you don’t have time to post daily, aim for at least 5 posts per week. Once you find what works for your brand, stick with it!

Write your content

100 Killer Social Media Post Ideas To Boost Your Engagement
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Now it’s time for the fun part – content creation. Start with a clear idea of what you want to say. Once you have a solid message, write it out.

Start with a catchy headline that will attract your audience’s attention. Here are some title ideas you can use:

  • 7 Super Smart Ways to _____
  • Should You Be Worried About _____?
  • Here Are TOP 3 _____ Mistakes You Might Be Doing
  • The One Thing All _____ Have In Common
  • 9 Signs Your _____ Needs a New Routine

Try to use odd numbers in your headlines because they’re more eye-catching.

Once you have a headline, write the first paragraph. It should include your audience’s pain points or desires to hook them into reading the rest of your post.

Then you can share the tips that will help them solve a problem or achieve the desired result. Remember to write in a conversational tone to make your audience feel like you’re speaking directly to them.

Your last step is to include a clear call to action so readers know what they can do next. For example, you can ask them to share their thoughts or pass them on to their friends.

You don’t need to be a professional copywriter to create engaging and compelling content. Still, your writing needs to be clear and concise so people can understand what you are saying.

Create visuals for each post

The next fun thing to create are visuals – photos, infographics, carousels, videos – to increase your reach and engagement on social media platforms.

But you should know a few things about the design before creating your visuals. Here are 5 crucial tips:

  • Use high-quality images and videos because they are more likely to be shared on social media.
  • Make your design clean and simple to make it easy for your readers to scan.
  • Use a consistent design style to make it recognizable.
  • Include visuals that are relevant to the topic of your post.
  • Make the graphics interesting, entertaining, and educational.
5 design tips for creating your Social Media graphics

Schedule your content

Scheduling your content in advance can help you avoid missing any opportunities to post. This will also make it easier for you to stay consistent.

You can use Meta Business Suite (free) to schedule Facebook and Instagram posts. But there are also tools like Smarter Queue or SociaMonials.

Content creation and planning tools

  • 3 Social Media Content Calendars – They work for digital and product-based small business owners. The calendars will help you save time on content research, stay organized, plan for the future, and make sure you never miss an opportunity to post.
  • Copy.ai – This tool actually creates your content for you. It uses artificial intelligence to create original content optimized for your social media platform.
  • 5-Minute Reels – these will help you create viral reels in 5 minutes and grow your followers – without having to be on camera.

Conclusion

So there you have it! A step-by-step social media content planning guide can help you stay organized, save time, and build your business.

If you have been putting off this task because it seems too complicated, just do one small step today – and another tomorrow. Before you know it, you’ll have a whole system in place.

And if you want more help with your social media content, grab my Social Media Content Checklist here.

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Petra Šranc (CEO of Big Income Paradise) is passionate about teaching female entrepreneurs how to do Social Media Marketing to grow their business online. She also focuses on teaching Social Media content tactics to skyrocket traffic, leads, and sales.