Social Media Calendars: A Guide for Virtual Assistants

As a virtual assistant, social media is a powerful tool that you can use to help your client’s business. However, it may be hard to master at first.

There are many strategies to try in order to build an audience and manage a social media account, which can be confusing. But out of all of the strategies you can find online, content marketing has been proven to be one of the most effective.

Content marketing is the process of creating and sharing valuable content to attract and engage your target audience. And social media is the perfect platform to share this content.

But in order for your content to be effective, your content needs to be well-planned and organized. You need to strategize what content to publish and when to post it to make the most out of your strategy. This is where a social media calendar comes in.

What is a Social Media Calendar?

A social media calendar is a tool that helps you plan and organize your content strategy. It’s a way to map out your content in advance and make sure that everything is scheduled and published in a timely manner.

When it comes to social media marketing, a social media calendar can be a great asset. It can help you plan and publish your content more effectively, saving you time and allowing you to better measure your results.

A social media calendar may take different formats and styles depending on your client’s unique needs and preferences. But it almost always contains similar parts, which are the following:

• Date
• Time
• Text to post
• Link
• Multimedia link
• Character count (for Twitter)

Social Calendar Formats

Your social media calendar can take two formats. You can use each one based on your strategy’s specific requirements:

Monthly View

Arranging your social media calendar for your content in a monthly view allows you to visualize what you’ll be posting for your client for the next few weeks. You can also use it to highlight some of the remarkable events coming up that you need to focus on.

Weekly/Daily View

Another format you can use for your social media calendar is the weekly or daily view. This type of social media calendar can help you manage every post you need to publish for each day of the week in depth. You can also use it to write out every detail of your posts at the start of the week to save some time.

How to Make a Social Media Calendar

As a social media virtual assistant, creating a social media calendar for your client may seem like a simple task. However, if you want to make an effective one, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. Here’s how you can make a social media calendar:

Define Your Audience

The first step in creating your social media calendar is to identify your audience. This will help you determine the kind of content that will resonate with them.

To do this, you should build personas for your target audience. You can use these personas to have a representation of the key characteristics of your client’s customers, including their pain points, desires, media consumption behavior, and demographic profile. Once you have your personas, you’ll be able to better understand what type of content will resonate with them.

Choose Your Topics and Hashtags

Once you have an idea of who your audience is, you can start looking for topics that you think they will be interested in. Choosing the right topics for your chosen audience will help improve your chances of getting your content seen and shared.

You can use a variety of tools to help you find topics for your content, including Google AdWords Keyword Planner, BuzzSumo, and Answer the Public. These tools will help you come up with topics that are relevant to your audience and are being talked about online.

Finding the right hashtags for your content can also help boost your posts’ reach. Aside from being seen by followers, your post can reach users outside your client’s immediate circles of influence.

Select Your Social Media Platforms

Now that you have your topics and hashtags, it’s time to select the social media platforms where you’ll be sharing your content. Not all platforms are created equal, so it’s important to choose those that will work best for your audience and your business goals.

To help you make your decision, consider the following factors:

• The demographics of each platform’s user base
• The kind of content that performs well on each platform
• Your client’s goals for their social media marketing campaign

Come Up With a List of Post Categories

If you’re planning to share different types of updates, you should come up with a list of post categories you’ll be publishing. This will allow you to share a variety of post types instead of filling your profile with monotonous posts.

Some of the most common post types you should try are:

• Blog posts
• Conversation starters
• Quotes
• Tips
• Multimedia content
• Events
• Promotions
• Announcements

Decide When to Publish Each Post Category

After finalizing your post categories, you should decide when to post each one. To make your feed more interesting, try to alternate between each post type every week.

For example, you can publish blog posts every Monday and share helpful tips every Friday. Doing so will provide your followers with something to expect every week.

Plan Posts Ahead for Special Events and Promotions

If your client has any special events or promotions coming up, be sure to plan your posts ahead. This will ensure that you have everything ready before the date of the event.

To make things easier, you can create separate social media calendars for each event or promotion. Doing so will help you keep track of all the posts you need to publish.

Track Your Posts’ Performance

Once you start publishing your content, it’s important to track its performance. Doing so will help you determine which post categories are performing well and which ones need to be improved.

There are a variety of tools you can use to track your posts’ performance. These tools will help you track things like when to freshen up your social ads, engagement rate, reach, and clicks.

Tools to Help You Create Your Social Media Calendar

There are several social media calendar templates available online. However, it might not always suit your client’s specific needs or requirements. To make a customized social media calendar, here are some tools you can use:

Microsoft Excel

This is the most popular tool that you can use to create a social media calendar. It has several features that allow you to customize your calendar according to your preferences.

Google Calendar

Another tool you can use is Google Calendar. It is convenient because it is already formatted as a calendar, so you don’t have to manually enter dates. This tool also allows you to share your calendar with others and set reminders.

Trello

Trello is a great tool if you’re working with a team. It allows you to create boards where you can add different elements, including posts, images, and links. You can also assign tasks to specific team members and set deadlines.

Buffer

Buffer is a social media management tool that allows you to schedule and publish your posts ahead of time. It also provides you with analytics so you can track the performance of your posts.

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is another social media management tool that allows you to monitor all your social media platforms in one place. It also has a scheduling feature that lets you publish your posts ahead of time.

Conclusion

Now that you know all about social media calendars, it’s time to start creating one for your business! Just remember your goals, target audience, and the post type you want to share. With a little planning, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a social media pro!

Do you use a social media calendar to plan your posts? Share your tips in the comments below!