Creating an effective social media calendar is an essential part of any digital marketing strategy. It allows you to plan and organise your social media posts strategically, maximising your reach and engagement. Here’s how you can prepare your next social media calendar step-by-step.
What is a Social Media Calendar?
A social media calendar is a planning tool that helps you organise what content you will post, when and where. It can take the form of a spreadsheet, a document or an interactive dashboard. The details you can include in your calendar can vary, but in general, each post usually includes:
- The content of the post (text, images, videos, links, hashtags, etc.)
- The date and time of publication
- The social network and account it will be posted to
Benefits of a Social Media Calendar
A social media calendar offers several benefits, among them:
- Organisation and time saving: It allows you to plan your posts in advance, giving you the ability to work more efficiently.
- Consistency of posts: It helps you to post regularly and consistently, which is key to keeping your audience active and engaged.
- Improved content quality: By having more time to plan and prepare your posts, you can ensure that the content you share is of high quality.
- Avoid mistakes and crises: By having a calendar, you can prevent everything from small writing mistakes to major communication crises.
- Maximise the impact of your posts: By planning ahead, you can coordinate your posts with important events or dates, which can increase their relevance and impact.
Prepare your next social media calendar step by step.
- Evaluate your Social Media and Content
Before you start building your social media calendar, it is important that you have a clear understanding of the current status of your social media accounts. Examine how many times you currently post on each social network and what type of content generates the most interaction.
- Selecting your Social Media Channels and Content Type
Decide what type of content you will post and on which channels. This will largely depend on your target audience and the goals of your social media marketing strategy.
- Determining the Elements of your Social Media Calendar
Depending on your needs and the size of your team, your social media calendar can include everything from basic details such as platform, date, time and post text, to more advanced elements such as specific post format, associated campaign and geographic targeting.
- Invite Your Team to Review and Improve the Calendar
An effective social media calendar should be useful for all members of your team. Therefore, it is important that you solicit their feedback and ideas to ensure that the calendar meets everyone’s needs.
Social Media Calendar Examples
Here are some examples to help you visualise how you can structure your social media calendar.
Social Media Calendar for January
Date Social Networking Content
1 January Facebook New Year’s Greetings
2 January Instagram Back to work team photo
3 January Twitter Promotion of new product line
Social Media Calendar for February
Date Social Networking Content Link
14 February Facebook Valentine’s Day Special Offer Link
15 February Instagram Photo of best-selling Valentine’s Day products link
16 February Twitter Thank you to customers for their support on Valentine’s Day link
Remember that a social media calendar is a flexible tool that you can adapt to your specific needs. Feel free to modify and adjust it as your social media strategy evolves.
We hope this guide has provided you with a clear overview of how you can create an effective social media calendar for your business. Always remember that planning is the key to success in any digital marketing strategy – good luck!
JANUARY
1 January – New Year’s Day 2020
6th January – Epiphany or Epiphany Day
7 January – Official Start of the Sales
14th January – International Kite Day
16 January – International Spicy Food Day
19 January – World Snow Day (WSD) or World Snow Day
20 January – Blue Monday
21 January – International Tracksuit Trouser Day
24 January – Journalists’ Day
25 January – Advertising Day
30 January – School Day for Peace and Non-Violence
FEBRUARY
4 February – World Cancer Day
14 February – Valentine’s Day
20 February – World Cat Day
21 February – International Mother Language Day
23 February – Carnival
27 February – International Transplant Day
28 February – Andalusia Day
29 February – International Day for Rare Diseases
MARCH
1 March – Day of the Balearic Islands
3 March – World Nature Day
8 March – Working Women’s Day
15 March – World Consumer Rights Day
17 March – St. Patrick’s Day
19 March – Father’s Day / St. Joseph’s Day
20 March – Happiness Day
21 March – Poetry Day / Forest Day
22 March – World Water Day
27 March – World Theatre Day
29 March – Daylight Saving Time.
31 March – World Transgender Awareness Day
APRIL
1st April – Fun at Work Day
2 April – Children’s Book Day
5 April – Palm Sunday
6 April – International Day of Sport for Development and Peace
7 April – International Health Day
9 April – Maundy Thursday
10 April – Good Friday
12 April – Easter / Resurrection Sunday
13 April – International Kissing Day
15 April – International Children’s Day / International Day of Art
19 April – World Bike Day / World Simpsons Day
22 April – International Mother Earth Day
23 April – Book Day / Aragon Day / Castile and Leon Day
26 April – World Intellectual Property Day
27 April – World Design Day
29 April – International Dance Day / International Guide Dog Day
MAY
1 May – Workers’ Day
2 May – World Bullying Day
3 May – Mother’s Day 2020
4 May – Star Wars Day
8 May – International Internship Day
13 May – International Hummus Day
15 May – International Day of Virtual Assistants / Families Day
17 May – International Internet Day
18 May – Museum / Recycling Day
25 May – Geek Pride Day
JUNE
5 June – World Environment Day
8 June – World Oceans Day
12 June – World Day against child labour
14 June – World Blood Donor Day
15 June – International Surfing / Tapa Day
18 June – International Picnic / Sushi Day
21 June – International Yoga Day / World Music Day
23 June – Midsummer’s Eve
28th June – World LGBT Pride Day
JULY
1 July – World Joke Day
7 July – San FermÃn
10 July – Beatles Day
13 July – International Rock Day
17 July – International Emoji Day
18 July – Nelson Mandela International Day
21 July – World Dog Day
25 July – Galicia Day
26 July – Grandparents’ Day
30 July – International Friendship Day
AUGUST
1 August – World Day of Joy
2 August – International Beer Day
8 August – International Cat Day
9 August – Day of Cantabria / Mountain Day
12 August – International Youth Day
13 August – International Left-handed People’s Day
17 August – International Homeless Animal Day
19 August – World Photography Day
23 August – hastag Day
SEPTEMBER
8 September – International Literacy Day
11 September – Catalonia Day
13 September – International Chocolate Day
15 September – International Day of Democracy
16 September – World Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
21 September – International Day of Peace / Bone Marrow Donor Day
27 September – World Tourism Day
28 September – World Heart Day / International Rabbit Day
30 September – International Translation Day / International Podcast Day
OCTOBER
1 October – International Coffee Day
2 October – International Day of Non-Violence
4 October – International Animal Day
6 October – World Smile Day
11 October – International Day of the Girl Child
12 October – Columbus Day
16 October – Women Writers’ Day
17 October – International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
19 October – Breast Cancer Day / International Gin & Tonic Day
20 October – International Chef’s Day
25 October – Daylight Saving Time / International Artist’s Day
29 October – International Cat Day
31 October – Halloween
NOVEMBER
1 November – All Saints’ Day
November 7 – International Project Manager’s Day
9 November – Almudena’s Day
10 November – International Tongue Twisters’ Day / International Bookshop Day / International Science Day
11 November – Children’s Day
16 November – International Day of Tolerance / Philosophy Day
19 November – International Men’s Day
20 November – Universal Children’s Day
21 November – Television Day
27 November – Black Friday
DECEMBER
1 December – World AIDS Day
6 December – Spanish Constitution Day
8 December – Immaculate Conception Day
9 December – International Anti-Corruption Day
10 December – Human Rights Day
11 December – International Mountain Day
15 December – International Tea Day
18 December – International Migrants Day
22 December – National Lottery Draw
24 December – Christmas Eve
25 December – Christmas Day
28 December – April Fool’s Day
31 December – New Year’s Eve