Creating Your 2018 Social Media Calendar

It's a new year and you should already have your 2018 Marketing Strategy outlined.  Now it is time for you to translate that strategy into a scheduled social media plan. You will want to include goals for various channels, frequency and timing of posts, content, messaging, and metrics.

A calendar will provide structure for the core strategy but you also want to post spontaneously when it is relevant, such as a current news story or commentary on a retweet. You can also use your calendar to archive successful evergreen content to use again at a later time.

Here are some tips for planning social media content on the Big 3:

Twitter - Use to offer business tips and to establish your position as an expert. Twitter is the perfect forum for cycling brief, frequent updates. Use images to grab attention and encourage retweets. Aim for 3 or more tweets per day during afternoon and early evening to reach more users.

Facebook - Keep Facebook posts brief and engaging to encourage sharing and follower interaction. Images and videos will capture attention and define your online brand. Boost your strategic posts regularly to reach the target demographic with your message.  Post on Facebook once per day, at least 3 days per week.

Instagram - Primarily a network for sharing visual content, Instagram almost exclusively used as a mobile app, meaning that users are accessing it multiple times throughout the day.  Post early mornings and weekends to reach the largest audience. Use fresh visuals with a consistent branding feel and encourage follower engagement through giveaways.

Once the posting schedule is determined, be consistent and track analytics so that you can adjust your plan to reach

your target audience.