Before we start: what’s important to remember is planning out 3 months of content isn’t license to “set-and-forget” your platforms; it simply allows you to focus on other areas of running a business while your social media surges forward. What this also doesn’t replace is the time to engage with your brand’s audience.

FOCUS ON WHAT YOU WANT TO PROMOTE

Umm, I know what I want to promote. 

Yeah, I know... it's a no-brainer in theory; but while knee-deep in boxes, fulfilling orders or sorting through inventory, you shouldn’t be worried about what to post on Instagram that day.

So, create a list of the priority products or services you want to focus on for the upcoming season. And don't forget to include last season’s – or year's – big hits if you still have the inventory sitting on your shelves or people are asking for particular services. 

CREATE A CONTENT PLAN

Why plan a month’s worth instead of just posting for the day or week of? 

Drafting a plan allows you to see the bigger picture and makes scheduling more efficient. It also lets you be creative and do a little research instead of rushing through an idea or realizing you missed a fun opportunity on a themed day.

While a majority of SMM’ers will queue content for an upcoming week or two, making small adjustments as needed, a vast majority are working from a massive strategic calendar to monitor progress and campaigns. We know exactly what’s going to be posted that week and when; what campaigns are starting, running, and ending; all while creating and collecting content for upcoming needs.

Over the summer, this can mean including August and/or September in your plans. Over the holiday season, it can mean including January. Why? Getting ahead can make a big difference as you transition from summer mode into work mode. If your business relies on the holidays to clear the year in the black, you definitely deserve a break and want to include January in your plans.

August can also offer valuable time for businesses to prepare for fall launches since most people getting in their last bits of summer vacations. January is also a solid time to clean up from the holiday chaos, review and reconcile the previous year, and sort out the upcoming year's plans and set goals. 

MY 3 PLANNING TIPS 

So, how do I go about this? 3 months feels daunting.

I like planning on paper so I can see the brand's scope and flow in one shot. I print out the months I'm working on and write notes on the calendars. A friend of mine uses sticky notes on calendars hand-drawn on butcher-paper, pinned to a wall so she can move items around easily. Another friend writes down a column of dates on a sheet of paper, stars the weekends, and notes her plan accordingly, like a checklist. Do whatever helps you stay organized.

What’s important to remember is this isn’t license to set-and-forget posts. This just simply allows you to focus on other things while your business surges forward. So, with your calendar system in front of you: 

one:

Write down the priority products/services you want to push related to your business. Then note special sales and deadlines, especially if you have to ship product or are relying on ticket sales. Launching a new product? Work backwards from the launch date.

two:

Include major holidays and mesh any fun or notable days into your plan that align with your brand. If you suddenly celebrate National Goat Hockey Day but your feed is full of dour cats, take a step back and double check your brand guidelines. When researching calendars, pick one and then stick to it otherwise you’ll end up pinging around several and possibly celebrating something every day (and no one has time for that). Need a place to start? HubSpot has a a great social calendar.

Three:

Create a high-level daily theme for each day of the week for content filler. This will keep you from wondering what to post on a given day. You don't have to strictly follow it since you'll want to remind people about upcoming deadlines or share something completely spontaneous; but for the vast majority of your posting needs, having a focused daily theme and direction saves a lot of time.

For example: an online shop, with products primarily targeted toward families, may have the following a high-level daily theme schedule:

To save even more time (!!), the shop's owner could use their partners' stock list images - and get permission to use their customers' Instagram posts (aka UGC, user generated content) - instead of creating all their own images if they fit within shop's own branding.

Need a little more inspiration? Review and get inspired with daily theme ideas for multiple industry examples.

bottom line:

Balancing work with life is crucial, especially during the summer and holidays. Feeling pressured to post updates on your brand's platforms can feel extra burdensome but with the below steps and tips, your load can be lightened, letting you focus more on relaxing and sharing good cheer.

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