How to create a social media content calendar
A content calendar is necessary for any B2B company that wants to build an effective social media presence. It helps you coordinate and centralize social media campaigns and avoid mistakes.
But that's not all. Social media calendars can also help you…
- Brainstorm content ideas
- Write down important milestones and achievements for your business
- Planning company events
So how do you create your social media calendar? Follow these three steps.
1. Define your target group and goals
Before you create a social media content calendar, you need to know your audience and your goals. Because you want the content to reach the right people and every post to be published with a specific purpose.
Find the group of people who are most interested in your niche. You can do this by creating an audience persona, an imaginary person that encompasses the basic characteristics of your audience. Determine your persona’s pain points and preferred social media platforms.
Here’s an example of a B2B audience persona.
Source: SaaSquatch
Once you know who your target audience is, you can define your social media goals more precisely.
Surely your ultimate goal is sales. But you shouldn’t always write your posts about sales. You will only succeed in turning off your B2B audience.
Instead, pursue other social media content goals, such as: B. increasing email signups or increasing your number of followers on Facebook. These goals can still help you reach your ultimate sales goal.
2. Determine your content themes, formats, and themes
Once you have a clear understanding of your social media content goals and your B2B audience, it’s time to establish overarching themes that align with them. Topics serve as pillars of your social media strategy and guide your efforts.
For example, if you’re a brand targeting business marketers and your goal is to increase email signups and Facebook shares, your topics might include:
- Digital Marketing Trends
- Tools for marketers
- Digital Marketing Tips
You can then determine the specific content formats you create based on your topics.
Return to your target audience. For example, if you find that your B2B audience frequently visits LinkedIn, enjoys learning about digital marketing trends, and engages visual people, you may want to create infographics that summarize these trends.
At this point, you’ll also want to determine the specific topics you want to address based on each content format and overarching themes.
If you Write engaging blog postsYou don’t even have to think about your topics. Simply select the blog post with the most engagement and then create a social media post around it.
Check out this example from HubSpot.
Source: HubSpot
Since his post on global Instagram engagement trends garnered widespread attention, the company released a roundup of his content on its Facebook and Instagram accounts. And since the B2B audience on these platforms consisted mostly of visual people, the brand also included the post’s key insights as colorful slides.
You should also leave room for content that deals with topics relevant to specific holidays and company events, milestones, and achievements. Consider this example from Cience, a B2B lead generation company, released on the same day that the Inc. 5000 list was released, which included Cience.
Source: SCIENCE
One final tip: The topic you choose must also fit the content format you choose. For example, for content aimed at illustrating processes, social media videos like Instagram Reels are probably a better option. So if you want to create a social media post that shows your B2B audiences how to use your email marketing software, video is the way to go.
3. Plan your publishing schedule
Now you should have more or less an idea of ​​what content you will publish in a given publishing period. Now all you need to do is put your publishing schedule into a content calendar.
Many social media teams use spreadsheets like this Google Sheets calendar:
Source: Hootsuite
You can also use any digital calendar, such as: Google Calendar or a social media calendar template, and scheduling apps with advanced features, such as: b Google Calendar integration.
Once you’ve chosen your social media calendar format, set the frequency of your postings. If you’re just starting out with your social media marketing efforts, consider the best practices for each platform. These are the recommended posting frequencies for each social media channel Hootsuite:
- Instagram: 3-5 times per week
- TikTok: 3-5 times per week
- Facebook: 1-2 times per day
- Twitter/X: 2-3 times per day
- LinkedIn: 1-2 times per day
- Pinterest: at least once a week
Once you have data about your B2B audience’s engagement patterns, you can adjust your publishing schedule on each social media platform accordingly.
Assign specific content types, topics and formats to different days or weeks, ensuring a balanced mix of content across the calendar. Avoid repetitive content. This will engage your audience and avoid monotony.
If there are other people on your social media team, include them in the content calendar creation process. Encourage feedback, suggestions, and collaborative input to refine your social media planning calendar.
Once you have your final social media posting schedule, promote your social accounts.
For example, you can create one digital business card that contains your social media links and distribute it in your online marketing emails and offline networking events. Such a two-pronged strategy helps expand your social media audience. The e-card makes it easier for recipients to access your social media profiles and content. All you have to do is scan the QR code.
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If you want your social media efforts to pay off, you need to plan your content. This is why a social media content calendar is crucial for B2B companies.
Define your B2B audience and content goals, set your content, and then plan your publishing schedule.
Then use your social media content calendar to maximize your social media presence and drive meaningful results.
More resources for creating a social media calendar
How to schedule your social media updates more efficiently
Never Miss a Step in Your Social Media Marketing Plan (Checklist)
How to Plan Your Social Media Marketing: Four Tools for Approvals, Workflow, and Collaboration