Social Media Calendar
A planning document scheduling social media content across platforms with dates, times, and content details.
Definition
A social media calendar is a planning and organizational tool that schedules content across social platforms. It typically includes post dates and times, platform assignments, content type, copy, visuals, and relevant campaign tags.
Calendars enable proactive planning rather than reactive posting. They ensure consistent posting frequency, balance content types, align with marketing campaigns, and coordinate approvals before deadlines become urgent.
Why It Matters
Consistent social media presence requires planning. Without calendars, teams post reactively, miss optimal timing, and struggle to maintain the frequency algorithms reward with visibility.
Calendars also improve content quality by allowing time for review and refinement. Last-minute posts often underperform compared to content planned and polished in advance.
Examples in Practice
A brand uses a monthly calendar to balance promotional content (20%), educational content (40%), and engagement posts (40%), maintaining audience interest without constant selling.
A social calendar maps content to product launches, ensuring teaser content precedes announcements and follow-up content extends campaign momentum.
Team review of the quarterly calendar reveals overlapping campaigns that would confuse audiences, leading to schedule adjustments before content creation begins.