Social media: love it or hate it, it’s a must in today’s digital world.
As a brilliant, passionate coach, you’re likely posting on or using social media in some form (even if it’s just paid ads).
But in order to use social media to the fullest (and potentially reach thousands of millions of ‘just perfect’ people), you need a more strategic approach than just “posting to post” or “saying whatever’s on your mind in the moment.”
Enter, the social media content calendar.
Sure, it takes time, thought and energy to set up a content calendar that supports your biz goals and gets your one-of-a-kind message across. But it can also ease overwhelm and save you hours and hours of wasted time.
(Because let’s be real: It can actually be way more stressful to try to create content on the fly. Like, ever realize it was “National ‘Email’ Day”–which makes perfect sense for your audience–only to find out at 8pm and have to whip something up without much thoughts? Exactly.)
We get it: You’re a kind, giving, intelligent and authentic person and you want more than anything to share your passion with the world. Maybe you’ve even resisted the idea of a content calendar because it seems like too much work or ‘too strategic’ for your creative brain.
The good thing is a social media calendar can actually help you plan, share and stay consistent with putting even more quality content out into the world, in less time–and impacting more people, to boot.
(Oh, and also dramatically reduce the time you spend in your social-media-app-of-choice every week–and hallelujah for that, right?).
Just imagine what having a clear view of what you need to post over the next month could do for your business (and your brain).
Sound good?
Below, you’ll find hard-won wisdom for crafting your social media content calendar:
1) Get Crystal-Clear on Your Biz Goals
First things first: Your social media content calendar literally exists to support your overall business goals.
For example:
Sales goals. Are you looking to hit a specific income number?
Audience goals. Want to grow your followers–or your email list?
Launch goals. Are you selling or launching a particular offer this month? You need to talk about it on social. Or, alternatively, are you gearing up for a launch in a few months–and if so, what topic is it on?
Get clear on your goals for the month and put them down in writing before you start planning out individual post topics.
2) Choose Captivating Content Buckets
We know, you’ve probably heard this one before. But if you don’t already have defined content buckets, now is the time to nail ‘em down, sister.
That said, we know the struggle to ‘hone in’ on just 3-5 topics feels stifling for some coaches. If you’ve ever struggled with this because you’re multi-passionate or don’t want to pigeonhole yourself, know this: Just because you put a few broad content buckets in writing doesn’t mean you can’t choose to talk or post about other topics.
But what it does mean is that you’ll always have ideas to fall back on if you’re ever feeling uninspired, tired or ‘fresh out’ of ideas.
(Because let’s be real: Even if you’re super passionate about a topic, it’s still easy to get stuck on what to say about it or to ‘overthink’ it and never post anything at all.)
When choosing your buckets (or giving them a makeover), think about things like:
What does my audience want to learn from me?
What does my audience need to hear from me?
If you already have content buckets, great!
Your content buckets will guide your overarching content strategy and help ensure you’re sharing valuable, educational or brand-building content regularly. This content will help you nurture your audience in between promotional content (because nobody just wants to be sold to all the time, especially on social media).
Pro tip: Carve out time in your calendar just for content brainstorming. And of course, keep a running list in an easy-to-access place (like Google Docs or your Notes app) so you can add to it whenever you get an idea while you’re out living life (which is always when the best ideas show up, right?)
3) Brainstorm Value-Based Content
Your content buckets should drive most of your educational content. But you don’t just have to share how-tos or “top 10” lists. Oh, no.
You’ll also want to share content that builds your brand and boosts your credibility, every single month.
Think about things like:
What blog posts am I releasing this month?
What podcasts or other long-form content am I releasing this month (mine or other people’s)?
What other free content am I releasing or participating in this month that I can either repurpose or share on social media? (For example, are you a guest expert in someone else’s free workshop?)
What ‘life events’ are happening that I could share to help my audience get to know me better?
What stories can I tell to build my brand or help my audience get to know me better?
What client wins or stories or testimonials can I share? (For example, a screenshot from your Facebook group last month about a client win, or a photo of your most recent sold out group coaching workshop).
What launches do I have on the horizon over the next several months? You can start posting about these topics a few months in advance of a launch to garner interest in the topic from your audience, so they’re educated on it–and excited to buy from you–when the time comes.
What content can I repurpose this month instead of reinventing the wheel?
You’ll also want to make sure you map out:
National and International holidays that relate to your niche or audience (Checkiday.com is a great little resource for this)
Seasonal content that would make sense to post this time of year (For example: It’s October, so you share a post on your “Top 5 Fears of New Business Coaches.”)
List out any content ideas you have for any of the above.
4) Plan Out Profitable Promotional Content
Now that you know your business goals and the value-based content you plan to share, it’s time to switch your focus to your promotional content.
In order to pick the ‘right’ promotional content for your monthly social media calendar, you’ll want to write down:
Products and services you’re promoting
Any special sales or deals
Announcements or live events on your calendar
Giveaways you’re participating in
JVs or affiliate sales or offers you want to promote
Write out exactly what you’re selling, and decide on dates for each of these promotions.
5) Don’t Forget Compelling Calls-to-Action
Each post you create will also need a compelling call-to-action that’s tied back to your business goals.
Promotional content will usually drive people to a sales page or invite them to DM you or reach out to you for more information
Value-based content can drive people almost anywhere–perhaps it’s your freebie landing page, an old piece of content that expands on the topic, or a brand new podcast or blog post, for example.
6) Decide on a Posting Schedule and Cadence
If you don’t already have one, you’ll need to get clear on when–and where–you’re going to post to social.
While some platforms require a bit less pre-planning (we’re looking at you, Instagram Stories!), it can be helpful to know when you need your posts done and dusted–especially if you decide to outsource bits of the process to a VA or team member.
Which days of the week will you post?
Which platforms will you post on?
How often will you post?
What time of day will you post?
When will you carve out time to respond or engage with comments, etc. on your posts?
Once you know all this, you can take a look back at the lists you’ve made of content ideas and narrow them down so they ‘fit’ into your calendar and the posting schedule you’ve created. (And if you don’t have a calendar yet, there are tons of tools available with a quick Google search – from HootSuite to Google Sheets!)
Pro tip: Include a space in your calendar to analyze each piece of content and its’ results. This way, you’ll also know what your top-performing content is so you can repurpose it and expand on the topic in next month’s calendar! Easy, peasy.
Wish you could spend even less time creating content for social media?
Good news: Inside the CoachGlue VIP Club, you’ll find tons of done-for-you blog posts and lots of other done & dusted content you can turn into scintillating social media posts with just a quick copy & paste. Sound like your cup o’ tea? Check it out here.
