Social Media Planning Calendar Template | Social Media Editorial Calendar
I’ve had several requests for an example of the social media planning calendar I use. Some call this a social media editorial calendar. Because I love to see people get excited about planning their social media, I’m going to give you a copy of my template for free! It’s a Microsoft Excel document (.xls). If you aren’t able to open it, please post a comment at the end of the article and I’ll help you out!
To receive your copy of this template, all I ask is that you enter your name and email in the form below and I’ll send you an email with a special download link to start making your social media strategy awesome! You’ll also receive a complimentary subscription to my E-Zine, packed with useful tips and articles to help you market your business.
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If you use this tool, I promise you your social media management will be much easier to plan and execute! This calendar takes the guesswork out of creating social media content. I don’t know about you, but when I sit down to try and come up with ideas, I draw a blank. By planning your content ahead of time and making lists of things to post, you don’t even have to think about it when it comes times to post. Your posts are sure to be relevant, timely, and consistent.
Here’s how I use this planning calendar step-by-step:
- Plan to Plan! The first thing I do is schedule some time each week to plan out my social media for the upcoming week. I choose Wednesday mornings, but you pick whatever is best for you.
- Build a Library. The very first time I used a calendar, I scheduled some extra time to build a library of ideas and resources for my posts. I created a list of quotes, a list of blog articles, and a list of different questions people ask me or topics I could post about.
- Pick a Theme. I find it easiest to have a theme for the week (depends on how often you post). I choose a theme and fill it in for the entire week. Some themes for me would be: DIY Websites, Social Media Planning, Good Design, etc. Basically, it’s a high-level topic that you want to break down more specifically during the week. This is completely optional, but it’s fun and makes it much easier to plan.
- Fill in content type. I use the Format Painter tool in Excel to copy the color-coded content type from the legend at the top of the calendar into the dates I want to post that type of content. I can look to be sure I’m using variety in the types of content I deliver. I can also pay special attention to use the 1 in 10 rule (only promote your products and services one in every ten posts). This way, I can quickly see that a majority of my content is helpful to people, rather than trying to get them to buy something.
- Fill in content ideas. After I’ve chosen the theme and type of content I’m going to post throughout the week, I can start filling in the actual post text, questions to ask, quotes, or blog titles, etc. You can put as much or as little content in as you’d like. The more content you put in the spreadsheet, the more difficult it becomes to read, so I usually just put key information I want to remember as I sit down to write.
- Schedule and Post. Schedule some time each day to post your content or use a tool like HootSuite to schedule posts. Just be sure that if you schedule posts, you respond quickly to interaction that is generated.
- Watch your Social Media popularity soar!
Thank you so much for sharing!
I am excited about utilizing social media to a higher level in the coming year!
Great, Stephanie! I’m glad you found it useful. Good luck in the New Year!
Thanks Kelly – this is great and so nice of you to share! I manage social media for 3+ hotel properties in my new position, so this looks like it would help manage that process alot. Happy New Year to you and your family!
Awesome, Rachelle! Hope all is going well with your new position. Happy New Year to you and your family also!
Thank you for sharing this!
You’re welcome!
Thank you very much! Learning to use social media is on my list for the new year. I wish you peace and prosperity, health and happiness in the new year.
Great Rosemary! Best of luck to you in 2012.
Fabulous! So generous for you to share, thank you.
You’re welcome!
Great stuff Kelly. Thanks so much for sharing!
You’re welcome!
Excellent ideas Kelly and its right on time too. Thank you for sharing them.
Glad you like them!
This is amazing! Thank you so much!
You’re welcome!
Kelly – This is really great! Thanks for sharing. I have question: What do you do if you’re posting multiple times on the same day to Twitter, for example? Do you put the content for all into one block – insert extra lines to handle, etc.? Thanks, Karen
Hi Karen,
I would insert additional lines, if it’s a lot of content. If it’s more than 3 or 4 times/day, then you might want to make a copy of the sheet – put a new sheet in the same workbook – and just use the left vertical column as ‘tweet 1: 8am, tweet 2: 10am, tweet 3: noon, etc.’. You’d have an extra page to flip back and forth between, but if there’s a lot of tweets, it would warrant it.
Yaay! Thanks, Kelly!
I put this up just because you asked, Susanne!
Kelly, this is a wonderful tool that I will share with Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Greater Sacramento as we are celebrating our 50th year in 2012. Our Anniversary Committee just met to discuss how to market and communicate our message. Your kindness will help us spread the word (via social media) about the kids who are waiting for a mentor in our communities. Thank you for sharing it with us!
That’s awesome!
Hi Kelly, thanks so much for this useful took and helpful ideas. I am excited to get started. I filled out the information above to receive a copy of the template. How long until I should expect to receive it? Again, thanks so much!
Danielle,
It should come within a few hours. You have to confirm your subscription. The confirmation link should have come in an email to the email address you entered on the form.
Have you received the confirmation email and the download email yet? If not, let me know and we’ll get you squared away.
This is going to help drastically with organizing my company’s social media efforts. Thank you for sharing!
Jessica, Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it. Let me know how it goes for you.
Great tool, Kelly! This should help out with the organizational skills! Puts everything into better perspective!
Awesome – thanks for that feedback! Check back and report how it’s working for you.
This is fantastic! It seems much more practical and organised. I have downloaded your spreadsheet and I am ready to give it a go!
Thanks so much for sharing.
Glad you liked it! Always happy to help. Check back and let me know how it works for you.
Hello! I keep entering my email address but it keeps asking me to “enter an email address.” Can you help me out? Or email the template to mjohnsto@uga.edu? Thank you!
Hi Megan,
I just subscribed you and will email the template. Thanks for your interest!
YES! I am forever grateful. I just landed two contract opportunities after losing my job–I’m trying to get organized fast and your post is a million times more helpful than most out there. People talk strategy all day long, but when you’re doing the work, step-by-step guidance is just invaluable. Thank you so much!
Awesome! Very glad it’s helpful. Check back and let me know how it works for you.
Hi, I just subscribed, could you please email me the template? Thanks!
Dan, did you ever get a copy of the template? What is your email address so I can be sure everything’s hooked up correctly?
Hi Kelly, I also just subscribed, could you please e-mail me the template when you get a chance? I’d really appreciate it! 🙂
Tiffany, what is your email address, so I can be sure you’re in the system. You can email it to info@ekcetera.com if you don’t want to leave it here. Thanks.
This looks wonderful. I’m looking forward to using this tool.
Glad to hear it, Marilyn! How’s the calendar working?
I just subscribed. Looking forward to using this document. Thank you very much for sharing.
Great, Thanks!
Kelly – what do you think about the WP editorial calendar plug in?
It looks like a useful tool. However, I plan my social media posts as well as blog posts, so I’d need all of that to be in one location.
Why didn’t I find this months ago?!
I’m starting my blog and have been building a list of topics but not I don’t know when to post theme. I was told it may be best to create a calendar. During my search I have seen many broken down by weekly dates. Which template is easier to start off with…?
Dee, I think it depends on how often you plan to post. If you think posting weekly will work for you, that might be an easier way to organize it. However, I include my daily social media postings in my planning, so that’s why this calendar is showing every day.
Just found this and am so excited to use it! Will I receive the download via email? 🙂
Thanks for sharing Kelly. It’s very difficult to keep it all going, but this is going to help me too. 🙂
Not working for me. I subscribed but when I download the document you sent it automatically opens my ical and asks if I want to import 1card…
Hello. The download link appears in a web page after you click the confirmation link the in the email you were sent. You don’t get the download via email. Hope that makes sense.
Really like this template. I have to manage multiple properties across business units and I tweaked it to list the properties on the left instead. Very flexible tool. Thanks so much for sharing!
Awesome! Glad you like it.
Hello, the link in the email takes me to your webpage but there is no link on there to download the document. Please help!
Helen, When you confirm, you’ll be taken to a page on Ekcetera’s website where you can download the document. You need to scroll down just a bit and it’s there on the page.