Most businesses do not struggle with social media because they lack ideas. They struggle because they decide what to post on the day, every day. That leads to rushed posts, long gaps and a feed with no clear direction.
Planning a month at once fixes most of that. Here is the process we use, and it fits into a single afternoon.
Step 1: Look back before you plan
Spend 20 minutes reviewing last month. Which posts brought in messages, website clicks or saves? Which ones fell flat? Write down two or three things to repeat and one to drop.
Step 2: Mark the key dates
Open a calendar and note anything that matters to your customers this month:
- product launches, offers and events;
- festivals and holidays your audience celebrates, such as Dashain, Tihar or New Year;
- seasonal moments in your industry, such as admissions season or wedding season.
These become anchor posts. Everything else fits around them.
Step 3: Choose your content pillars
Pillars are the three or four themes you post about again and again. For most businesses they look something like this:
- Proof: results, reviews and customer stories;
- Help: tips and answers to common questions;
- Behind the scenes: your team, process and values;
- Offer: what you sell and how to get it.
Spread them evenly across the month so your feed never feels like one long advert.
If you cannot name your pillars in one breath, you have too many. Three or four is plenty.
Step 4: Fill the calendar
Decide how often you can realistically post. Three good posts a week are better than seven rushed ones. Then fill each slot with a pillar and a one-line idea, for example "Help: three things to check before booking a venue".
Batching helps here. Write all the captions in one go, then plan all the photos and videos, rather than switching back and forth.
Step 5: Create in batches
Set aside one session to shoot photos and short videos for the whole month. Film several clips in one place, change outfits or angles between them, and you will have far more material than you expect. Then design any graphics in a second session.
Step 6: Schedule everything
Use Meta Business Suite, or another scheduling tool, to schedule the month's posts in advance. This frees you to spend the rest of the month on what scheduling cannot do: replying to comments and messages quickly.
"A plan does not make your content rigid. It frees up time to react to what is happening, because the basics are already done."
Leave room for the unexpected
Keep one or two slots a week free for timely posts, such as news, a trend that fits your brand, or a great customer moment. The plan is there to support you, not to box you in.
What to do next
Block out an afternoon this week and work through the six steps. By the end, you will have a full month planned and a clear idea of what you are trying to achieve with it.
If you want help building a content plan that leads to enquiries, not just likes, our free audit is a good place to start.
Mountics is a digital marketing agency in Kathmandu, Nepal. We write about the paid ads, SEO, social and conversion work we do in client accounts every week.