How to create a social media calendar that works?
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50% of the global population uses social media - and that's 3.8 billion people. They are on phones or other mobile devices or desktop to keep in touch with friends or they look for authentic branded content for entertainment and information, or a social issue they can be a part of. With the average consumer exposed to somewhere between 5000 and 10,000 marketing messages - how do businesses stand a chance to cut the noise and be noticed by their target users on social platforms? Well, by creating content that either wows or benefits the customer. But that's easier said than done. To relate well with the audience plus meet the business goals, social media content needs the right strategy and tactical excellence. Before we go into the nitty gritties of creating a social media calendar, let's understand why do people follow businesses on social media and what do they expect. Let's look at some interesting data: 50% of users follow brands on social channels to stay informed about new products or services. 48% say they follow because they want to be entertained. The third and fourth most popular reasons are to stay up to date on company news and learn about promotions or discounts.
A well-thought-out social media plan can support better business performance across a range of metrics. So, before you start jotting down the content buckets and formats, fix the goals and objectives first. Here are some of the common business goals that clients expect to achieve from their social media campaigns.
Useful tips on creating social media calendar
1) Content format
Should you be zeroing in on short-form content? Or long form? Or a mix of short and long form content ? The answer depends on the audience insights. Analyze the insights across all channels. See how your audience is interacting with each content type on different channels? Your content format should be complemented by strong visual storytelling - whether it's videos, infographics, memes or motion graphics - your content should be meaningful, relevant, useful and interesting.
2) Don't miss out on the relevant days and moments
Days such as Independence Day or Valentine's Day or holiday opportunities such as Diwali or Christmas are usually trending topics on social media. By creating relevant and interesting content around important days you can leverage the power of trending hashtags and boost brand awareness.
3) Social media contests can achieve several marketing goals
Puzzles and competitions were popular methods of engaging people long before social media came into existence. It's interesting to note that social media may be a relatively new way to communicate and engage with users - but if you leave the channel aside for a moment - you will find that the motivations, interests, and desires of people are still the same as they have always been. There are multifold benefits of using social media contests - from creating buzz around your business and building up your email list to encourage user generated content. Here is an example of how we ran a simple contest for one of the largest eye hospitals in West Bengal to boost customer engagement on their social page.
4) Keep them engaged with infotainment content
Social media users want a mix of entertainment + informational content - popularly known as infotainment content. And interesting facts aligned around your brand is a popular infotainment content - they keep your audience engaged and in a very subtle way helps you get in front of more eyeballs.
5) Local language is an important factor
68% of internet users consider local language content on digital platforms to be more reliable than English content, as per this survey. The same report found that 88% of Indian users are more likely to respond to a digital ad in their local language as compared to English. If you are working for a regional business, add local content to your calendar to build brand affinity. For our clients based in Kolkata, we have created short, snappy and even long-form Bengali content to drive user engagement and build a connect with them.
6) User generated content (UGC) is an extremely powerful content type
According to a research focused mainly on millennials, it was found that users aged between 18 and 36 trust UGC 50% more than they do traditional media content. The study also found that UGC is 20% more influential when it comes to making buying decisions and 35% more memorable than other types of media. And there's a reason - a true heartfelt content from real audience as opposed to a made-up ad creates a stronger emotional connect. One of the recent successful examples of a brand using UGC during the COVID-19 lockdown is home security firm ADT. It launched its TV and social media campaign when the pandemic hit the world featuring user-generated footage. The campaign included footage from social media users adjusting to life at home and was well received.