Steal This Social Media Calendar Template (+ Make Your Personal From Scratch)

When you fail to plan, you propose to fail.

As an excellent Sort-An individual, that’s a favourite expression of mine. And — having spent a few years managing numerous social media platforms in advertising and media — I’ve realized the exhausting approach that that is one space the place you completely can not wing it. Particularly should you’re managing a number of channels. 

You want a social media content material calendar.

A social media calendar is a sport changer when constructing a social media presence, be it as somebody constructing your private model, a creator, or a social media supervisor. 

However you’re studying this text, so I’m preaching to the transformed — so let’s get proper into the meat of it. I’ll stroll you thru the advantages of getting a social media calendar and precisely how you can create your personal calendar utilizing Buffer. I’ll additionally share the social media calendar system we use in our Advertising group, together with a plug-and-play social media calendar template you need to use straight away. 

We’ve written about why you want a social media calendar in-depth, so I’ll depart you with the important advantages of getting one right here. A social media calendar will provide help to:

1. Keep on prime of a number of social media channels effectively
2. Persist with the content material pillars in your social media advertising technique
3. Put up constantly
4. Schedule posts upfront and automate processes so that you’re not working across the clock
5. Work with group members (should you’re on a Advertising group or social media group), collaborators, or stakeholders 
6. Keep on prime of product launches, advertising campaigns, occasions, and even holidays
7. Streamline a system of approvals earlier than posting
8. Save time with content material batching 
9. Repurpose content material 
10. Hold monitor of content material concepts 

Buffer is a social media scheduling software constructed to make it simpler to develop your following on-line. It’s a one-stop-shop for the complete course of — from content material ideation to publishing, proper on to analyzing content material efficiency. 

There are a bunch of different perks to housing your social media calendar proper in Buffer — past the power to plan and schedule in a single software:

• A high-level month-to-month view for big-picture planning.
• A extra in-depth weekly view to see all the important thing particulars at a look.
• The power to exclude sure channels from view for further readability and focus.
• Entry it anyplace. Due to Buffer’s cell app, you possibly can examine or amend your calendar on the go. 
• Extra to return! The calendar is a giant focus for us for the time being, and we’ve got some actually thrilling plans for 2024.

📲 Obtain the Buffer app for iOS right here

📲 Obtain the Buffer app for Android right here

I’m going to stroll you thru precisely how you can create yours in Buffer’s free social media calendar, take you past planning, and proper into scheduling. 

1. Outline your social media technique

Earlier than you even open a calendar software, a social media technique needs to be your first port of name. 

When you’re a creator and never a social media supervisor, will probably be tempting to skip this step. However belief me, content material technique isn’t just for Advertising groups. They’re a vital step in social media success. Random posting = random outcomes. Having clear targets, understanding your target market, and defining your content material pillars will make your work a lot simpler and extra profitable in the long term. 

Don’t simply take it from me — I really like this Reel by @stanforcreators, which outlines simply how necessary it’s for creators and their distinctive strategy to creating one.

This doesn’t contain pages and pages — even only a single-page information will provide help to get crystal clear in your targets and the way you’re going to get there. 

You’ll discover our full social media technique information right here, and it’s properly value working your approach via it should you’re simply beginning (there’s even a template there, too!). Right here’s a high-level overview of your steps:

1. Pinpoint your ‘why.’ Why do you’ll want to be lively on social media? What’s your final aim?
2. Outline your target market. Who’re you making an attempt to achieve together with your content material?
3. Outline your content material pillars. What are you going to share, and why will it resonate?
4. Select your platforms. Which social media websites will you employ to achieve your viewers? What number of social platforms must you select?
5. Set your cadence. Resolve in your posting frequency (which can differ from platform to platform).

2. Join your channels

Congratulations, the hardest half is out of the best way! Along with your technique in hand, you’re prepared to attach your social media accounts to Buffer. First, ensure you’re logged in to these channels within the browser or on the system you’re utilizing.

Then log in to Buffer, head over to account.buffer.com/channels, and select Join Channel. You may additionally click on in your profile avatar on the prime proper of your dashboard and click on Account, then Channels.

Click on on the kind of channel you need to attach. (If you have already got channels related, click on Join New Channel after which click on the channel you need to attach.)

The method is fairly easy, however we’ve got an in-depth information to connecting channels in Buffer in our assist middle, plus particular how-tos for every platform should you run into any issues.

3. Create your tagging system

Shade coding is my organizational love language (you need to see my bookshelf), so Buffer’s new function addition, Tags, has modified the sport for me in the case of content material planning. 

There are a bunch of how to make use of Tags that will probably be extremely helpful in your social media administration system. You may use them to tag posts by:

• Content material pillar (my private favourite)
• Put up standing (concept, draft, able to publish)
• Format or sort of content material (textual content, video, picture, carousel)
• Platform (when you’ll be capable to see which social media app your put up is scheduled on within the calendar, this could possibly be helpful should you’re additionally saving concepts right here for, say, a weblog)

What’s actually neat about Tags is that they translate over to the Analytics part, too, so you possibly can measure up the efficiency of 1 grouping in opposition to one other. This has been extremely helpful for me as I experiment with my content material pillars to see which resonate probably the most with my viewers.

To create your Tags, click on on Publishing on the prime left of the display screen, then Create simply beneath that. 

Then head over to Handle Tags on the underside left of your display screen and click on Create Tag on the highest proper.

A pop-up will seem the place you possibly can add your tag identify and select a shade to characterize it. (All the colour choices have been particularly chosen as a result of they work properly collectively, so any mixture will probably be aesthetically pleasing if, like me, you’re into that!) 

4. Get your concepts down

Prepared for a mind dump? You doubtless have a stable concept of the form of content material you’re creating because of your technique work in Step 1. Now, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get to work on the precise content material creation. 

That is the place Buffer’s Create area is available in. It’s a flexible system that you need to use in loads of alternative ways, however should you’re engaged on constructing out your calendar, I’d advise you begin by utilizing it as a hub for all of your concepts. As a creator, something I share on certainly one of my social channels will begin on this area first. 

High tip: Don’t fear about making all of your social media posts stunning straight away. Even when all you’ve gotten is a half-baked concept or a reminder about an necessary product launch, a quick word works simply nice right here, too. Simply get it down — you possibly can refine it later.

My posts typically begin out this manner (just like the Create playing cards you’ll see within the screenshot beneath), which I then flesh out as inspiration strikes and polish up earlier than including them to my calendar to schedule. 

To create an concept, click on Create within the prime left nook, then Create Concept on the highest proper.

Proper right here, you possibly can:

1. Add your copy or caption (or placeholder textual content)
2. Select your Tag/s
3. Add media, like video or images
4. Add immediately from Buffer integrations (like Canva, Dropbox, Google Drive, Unsplash, and extra)
5. Get assist from Buffer’s AI Assistant once you’re caught

It can save you the concept to maintain it in your Create area by clicking the Save Concept button or scheduling it straight away with the Create Put up button (extra on this beneath).

5. Arrange your Queue

At Buffer, we consider the posting schedule for each social media platform as a Queue — principally, set time slots each week for posting.

You don’t have to stay to this, in fact, however it’s a extremely useful approach to decide to the cadence you specified by your social media technique. As time goes on and also you experiment with completely different timings and frequencies on all of the platforms you’re utilizing, you’ll be capable to pinpoint the slots that work properly in your target market. 

If you first begin with Buffer, the platform will routinely assign occasions in your Queue. (Don’t fear, this doesn’t imply that one thing will routinely be printed. Consider these occasions as empty placeholders posting slots that you need to use, tweak, or depart as you see match.)

To arrange your Queue, click on on Publishing on the highest left, then select the channel you wish to tweak within the listing on the left-hand facet. 

On the appropriate of the window, you’ll see the Queue that Buffer has routinely created for the channel. To alter your Queue occasions, click on on the gear icon subsequent to your chosen time zone. 

Right here within the posting schedule settings, you possibly can:

1. Add a brand new posting time
2. Flip off posting on particular days
3. Take away occasions out of your present schedule (hover over the time, then click on on the arrow that pops up)
4. Clear your Queue utterly

You may select to go away these slots as is — you possibly can edit your scheduled occasions within the calendar, in spite of everything — however it’s a good suggestion to pay attention to the Queue timings for all of your channels (you’ll see why in Step 6 beneath).

6. Begin planning

Now that you’ve a bunch of nice concepts prepared and ready to be printed in your social media channels, it’s lastly time to get them on the calendar.

To take action, choose an concept that’s able to go in Create. Then click on on the Create Put up button on the backside of the pop-up.

Subsequent, select which channels you wish to put up the replace on. 

When you’ve chosen a number of platforms, scroll down inside the window to tailor every one for the social community it’s occurring. Buffer will let you already know if the put up matches into the constraints (like textual content, or video, or picture dimension and dimensions) for every channel.

Select Add to Queue. This schedules your put up for the following accessible slot in your Queue, leaving every other posts you have already got scheduled in place. Don’t fear, you possibly can nonetheless tweak this time slot!

It’s also possible to click on on the dropdown arrow to Share Subsequent (go to the very subsequent spot in your Queue, bumping every other content material already in that slot to the following slot) or Share Now (publish straight away).

After all, you don’t positively have to begin placing your posts collectively in Create — you possibly can create new content material immediately within the Calendar, too. 

Click on on Calendar within the prime left nook, and also you’ll be taken to per week view. (I like to make use of month view after I’m performing some severe content material planning, which you are able to do by clicking Month on the highest proper nook. All of it comes down to private choice.)

So as to add to the calendar, click on Create Put up on the highest proper.

You’ll be taken to an identical pop-up window as talked about within the Create Put up part of Create the place you possibly can add textual content and media, get assist from Buffer’s AI assistant, and extra. When the put up is able to go, hit Add to Queue, Share Subsequent, or Share Now, as above. 

You even have the choice to save lots of the put up as a draft should you’re not fairly able to schedule or should you want approvals from one other group member or supervisor.

Discovering your saved drafts is very easy — simply click on on the channel you saved the put up for, then Drafts on the prime of the display screen.

6. Positive-tune your calendar

Along with your content material prepared and raring to go, mess around together with your calendar to search out the right combine for every day, week, and month. So long as the put up hasn’t been printed, you possibly can tweak every part to your coronary heart’s content material. 

To see the main points of every put up in your calendar, hover over the cardboard. Hit Delete to take away the put up fully, or Share Now to publish it instantly. 

To make adjustments to the put up, click on Edit. Right here, you possibly can change every part from the publish date to the content material itself. 

Within the month-to-month calendar view, it’s also possible to drag and drop playing cards on completely different days to have them go reside on the similar time on that new date. Within the week view, you are able to do the identical however drag it into a brand new time slot to alter that, too. 

Test in together with your calendar initially of every day to see what you’ve gotten scheduled and refine your content material if want be.

As a lot because it pays to be proactive together with your calendar and schedule every part upfront, social media typically wants reactive work, too. There could be a brand new trending TikTok sound you’ll want to soar on straight away. On the flip facet, international occasions may imply you need to tweak your messaging, curate your content material, or overhaul your plan utterly.

💡

Streamline your workflow by creating Hashtag Teams to save lots of you time in the case of posting. To take action, click on the hashtag image on the backside of the put up creation window, then on the right-hand facet, Create Hashtag group.

At Buffer, we’ve got X/Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Fb, YouTube, Threads, and Mastodon accounts. We’re most lively on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube. We’re a small group, so we’re prioritizing the social networks our target market is most lively on — however it’s nonetheless lots to handle.

Enter: Our super-efficient content material calendar system. We now have a dual-tool system, as we log each piece of content material we share — whether or not it’s a social media put up, weblog article, or new advertising launch in the identical content material calendar in Notion. From there, our social media posts are moved into Buffer to be scheduled. 

As a instruments junkie, I’ve tried out a bunch of methods in my profession, however after I began at Buffer in August 2023, I used to be blown away by the content material workflow. Whereas it’d look sophisticated, it’s very easy to become familiar with and can give everybody on the firm a chicken’s-eye view of the content material panorama at any given second. 

Right here’s how that works:

1. Our Social Media Supervisor, Mitra Mehvar, pulls assets from our weblog content material calendar and our advertising launch plan to share on social. She fills within the gaps along with her personal sensible content material concepts, typically associated to distant work, life at Buffer, or life as a Social Media Supervisor, small enterprise proprietor, or content material creator.
2. She creates playing cards for every put up in our content material calendar in Notion, tagging them with the social channels she plans to put up them to. 
3. She’ll draft all of the required copy, and, if essential, document a video. The copy and video hyperlink will go proper within the related Notion card.
4. Mitra will let our Head of Content material and Communications, Hailley Griffis, know when the posts are prepared for checking. Hailley normally offers her the thumbs up right away. 
5. Mitra copies the content material into Buffer to schedule the posts and transfer them round if want be.
6. Lastly, she checks again in typically to observe the content material efficiency metrics proper in Buffer’s analytics dashboard.

Technically, our social media calendar is a filtered view of our content material calendar, the place solely posts tagged with a social media platform within the ‘channel’ subject will probably be seen. This free template is molded after that view and is totally customizable. 

Social media calendar template

use this social media calendar template

1. Click on over to the template
2. Click on on Duplicate within the prime proper nook
3. Create a free Notion account should you don’t have one already
4. Get content material creating! The social media content material calendar template is yours to edit as you see match.

Once I first began out as a Social Media Supervisor, I hacked collectively a social media planning system and editorial calendar in a desk in Microsoft Phrase (I don’t wish to speak about it). Fortunately, occasions have modified an entire lot since then — there are a bunch of sensible instruments on the market you need to use in your social media calendar.

I could also be biased, however Buffer is undoubtedly the most suitable choice should you’re on the lookout for an all-in-one planning, scheduling, and analytics social media administration software. Notion is sensible should you’re mapping out content material outdoors social media platforms. Then there’s Asana, Trello, Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, and even Google Calendar. 

My level is: Determine what feels best for you. Whereas deciding on a system may really feel like a make-or-break in your course of, strive to not overthink it an excessive amount of. There’s no possible way you possibly can know whether or not it would give you the results you want till you strive it. 

When you strive one and it’s not understanding, migrating to a brand new software received’t be the top of the world. Don’t be afraid to experiment — so long as you’ve gotten a social media calendar that works for you, you’re properly in your approach to success.