The InVerve social media marketing planning template is a calendar and schedule designed to help manage multiple social media accounts for your business all in one place. The planning calendar creates a visual representation of your social media posts in a single week and for an entire month. This will guide you through planning and executing a successful social media strategy.
Before creating a social media calendar and schedule, you need to determine a solid strategy with goals and objectives.
Finding your Target Customer
The most important factor is reaching your target customer and determining the proper social media platforms where these individuals are present. Each social media platform has a unique user base and varying demographics which can influence where to focus your social media efforts.
There are numerous social media channels available, which are always expanding and changing. In order to reach your target customer, you need to be present and active on social media.
The channels your strategy includes ultimately depend on what your budget allows. It takes a lot of time and manpower to manage multiple pages and profiles. Some brands may want to begin by focusing on the most popular social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+. Brands that have a dedicated social media team may find it most valuable to be present on all social media platforms.
Reaching your Target Customer
Timing is critical for engagement and a successful social media strategy. Since your main purpose is to communicate with your target customers, you need to be posting when you audience is present and online.
Certain days of the week have higher engagement rates and active users. These days vary across all social media channels. When creating and planning a social media calendar, it’s important to consider the days and times you will be posting.
Since no two social media audiences are alike, there’s varying information available about the best days and times for optimum engagement and performance.
Buffer is a social media tool to manage multiple social media accounts at once.
Considering that Buffer is a social media pro with 225,000 followers on Twitter, they have a very extensive and elaborate posting schedule. This schedule is what they’ve discovered works well for their brand:
- Facebook – 2 times per day, seven days a week, 10:08 a.m. and 3:04 p.m.
- Twitter – 14 times per day, from midnight to 10:00 p.m. Central Time, never more than once per hour; seven times per day on weekends, from 3:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., roughly every three hours
- LinkedIn – 1 time per day, 8:14 a.m., no weekends
- Google+ – 2 times per day, 9:03 a.m. and 7:04 p.m., no weekends
Not every brand has the time and resources to invest in such as ambitious social media schedule. Average social media accounts post a schedule more like this:
- Facebook – 1-2 times per day, seven days a week.
- Twitter - 3 tweets per day is the point where brands start seeing big engagement.
- LinkedIn - 1 post per weekday.
- Google+ - 5-10 posts per week.
Just as Buffer posts at specific times for each social media channel. You will want to rely on the most optimum time for reach and engagement. The time and day of posts should be decided based on highest usage
Social Media Calendar
After determining an appropriate social media schedule for your brand, which platforms you will be using, how often you will be posting, and which days, you’re ready to create a social media calendar.
After you’ve created the social media calendar and numbered each post, you should create a corresponding Excel document of posts. Since Excel automatically numbers each row, the numbers on the calendar will match up.
The example above shows how the Excel file would look. With the correct columns and formatting, the document can be exported as a CSV file and easily uploaded to most social media management tools. Then the posts will automatically post without any further action on your part.
To manage social media as efficiently and effectively as possible, set a goal, understand the audience and channels, and establish a strategy.
The social media planning template will give you an extra hand in executing a successful and beneficial strategy while staying ahead of the game.
Topics: marketing