Start your 2014 off right with a free social media calendar from the Lab3 Marketing Scientists!
Our simple monthly plan has all the basics you need to start your year with a successful marketing strategy. Need help filling it out? We’ve got you covered.
Step 1
Download the calendar and print it out. We’ve provided the calendar in PDF format so it’s friendly to both Mac and PC users. We’re non-operating system discriminators. 
Now, fill in your company name and the month, and let’s get started!
Step 2
Beginning at the top, decide how many posts you want per week on each platform. Are you currently posting 3x/week on Facebook and it seems to be working well? Then stick with it! If you want to increase your frequency, now’s the time to try. Write it out, plan it out!
Step 3
Pick a few topics to focus on for the month. Maybe you’re in the HVAC industry and January is a busy month for heating. Think about the types of things you’d like to talk about relating to heating — those are your focus topics. Choosing two or three specific topics will give your posts structure and consistency throughout the month. Not all of your posts will relate to your focus, but you’re establishing a basic framework.
Step 4
Continue working your way down the left side of the calendar, filling out the blanks as you go.
Monthly goals: What do you want to achieve with your social media this month? Do you want to increase brand awareness? Generate more leads? Whatever your goals, mark them here to remind you as you compose your posts through the month.
Content breakdown: Nothing to fill out here, but this should serve as a reminder when you’re scheduling your posts. Content should follow the basic 60/20/20 rule: 60% education, 20% inspiration, and 20% promotion. Don’t overpromote yourself, or your Facebook page will start to look like a billboard.
Audience engagement: This section is meant to help remind you to engage with others on their own pages. Plan it out – how many comments do you plan to leave on other people’s posts during the week? How many LinkedIn endorsements would you like to give? If you’re looking to increase engagement on your pages (hint – you should be), then start by commenting, liking, retweeting, and sharing the content of others.
Upcoming brand events: Hosting a local coffee meet up at your store? Note it here so you won’t forget to post about it beforehand.
Holidays and Observances: This one’s pretty self explanitory. Write down any holidays you’d like to mention in your posts. You don’t have to stick to national holidays. People will appreciate your recognition of National Pickle Day too.
Step 5
If you’re planning to spend money on advertising this month, note it here. This is not the place to plan out your entire Facebook Ad campaign, but having your budget and targets written down will ensure that the focus of your ad campaign aligns with the focus of your social strategy for the month. Remember, marketing works better when there’s some consistency of message. If you’re focusing on health & wellness for your ads but all of your social media post are about saving energy in your home, your strategy will look disjointed and your campaign will fall flat.
Step 6
Move to the second half of the calendar and start planning your posts! You don’t have to write in word-for-word what you plan to post on a particular day. Writing down the general idea will help you gain a better perspective – especially when you have the entire month laid out in front of you.
Things to remember:
- Stick with your monthly focus topics – but don’t box yourself in.
- Keep a balanced distribution of posts based on your content breakdown. If you see you’ve got too many inspirational quotes for this month, save some for later and add in a different type of content.
- Speak to your monthly goals. If you’re looking to generate more leads, will your posts resonate with those potential customers? If not, you could rephrase what you’re saying… or you may need to find something else to post instead.
- Use your personality. Having a calendar doesn’t mean you have to go into Type A planning mode. Social media works better when there’s personality behind what you’re posting. After all, your loyal clients keep coming back because they like you. So don’t be afraid to be yourself.
Step 7
We included a section at the bottom for your newsletter and blogs. Just as we mentioned with your advertising section, we added this so you can make sure your topics for the newsletter and blogs align with your social media focus. It should all work together, like cogs in a watch. Or like pieces of a puzzle, coming together. Or like interlocking fingers… Oh, you get the picture.
We’re pretty much in love with our new plan and we hope you are too. If so, use the icons below to spread the love and share this calendar with others!
