Managing social media for your business isn’t easy. You’re juggling multiple platforms while trying to balance video and photo posts. You don’t want to overwhelm your audience with content, but you also don’t want them to forget you exist. It’s a lot to handle, particularly when you’re running your business at the same time.
That’s where a social media calendar comes in handy. It’s designed to give you visibility over your social posting across all channels and greater control of the content mix. Instead of wondering whether it’s time for a post, you can see exactly what’s next on the list and when. Better yet, automation tools can do the posting for you.
What are the best times to post on social media?
Note: You’ve probably seen ‘best time to post’ guides floating around, but the reality is every audience is different. There’s no universal magic hour. Instead, use your own platform insights to spot when your followers are actually online
Start with your audience data.
Before you map out what to post and when, take a look at when your audience is actually online. Most social platforms give you access to this data, and it’s a smart place to start.
RELATED:The best social media platforms for small business.
Use these insights to plot out your ideal posting windows. For example, if your followers are most active around 8pm, schedule your content to go live a little before that. Over time, track performance and refine your schedule based on real engagement.
Use built-in insights to find your best posting time.
Most platforms offer analytics that show when your audience is most active. This includes:
- Instagram via Instagram Insights
- Facebook via Meta Business Suite
- TikTok via TikTok Analytics
- LinkedIn via LinkedIn Analytics
- X (Twitter) via third-party tools like Buffer or Hootsuite.
While the tools vary, the goal is the same: Find out when your audience is online, then post just before those peaks.
Here’s how to create a functional content calendar.
1. Find your content mix.
Audiences don’t want to see pushy sales posts every day, so it’s important to include other types of content. This can be user-generated posts, behind-the-scenes insights, how-to guides, thought leadership pieces and even links to curated content from others in your industry.
Many marketers swear by the 80-20 rule for social posting. That is:
- 80% of posts are informative, entertaining or useful
- 20% are sales drivers.
If that sounds like a lot of non-sales content, remember that it helps boost brand awareness – and contributes to building trust in your business.
RELATED: How to create standout online content for your business.
2. Set parameters.
What details will your calendar include? No single format works for everyone – it depends on the size of your business and the scale of your social marketing.
Basic details include:
- Date
- Platform
- Time (including time zone)
- Content title
- Content details – copy, visuals, and other elements
- Link to post once published.
If it’s all pretty straightforward, a spreadsheet can probably handle it for you – if it’s more complex, a social calendar tool could be useful.
RELATED: How to automate your social media marketing.
3. Talk to your team.
Next, check in with the people who’ll be using the calendar and ask for feedback. Is it easy for them to understand? Does it feel overly complicated and clunky, or does it need more detail? If your team struggles to get their heads around it, you’ll need to look for a different solution.
4. Get started.
Next, it’s time to fill your calendar and start posting. Make sure you create content ahead of time and include all the elements you need, so you’re not searching for an image at the last second. If you use a social calendar app, it can link your calendar to your social platforms and automate posting – making life even easier. It’s about careful planning so the right content pops up in the right place at the right time.
Consistency builds trust.
Staying active and consistent across your social media shows customers (and algorithms) that you’re reliable. A content calendar doesn’t just save you time, it helps keep your brand present, trustworthy, and top of mind.
RELATED: Social media optimisation (SMO) explained: How to use it for your small business.
Need to assess your social media performance before you dive into scheduling? Start with a Social Checkup.
