When I started in January working on a plan to better my social media accounts, I honestly had no idea what I was getting into. I just knew as an SLP in 2018 that if I wanted to improve my business, I had to learn how to “social media.” (Yes, I just turned that phrase into a verb!) So, I started in January on my Instagram. The word “content” popped up EVERYWHERE! Planning content, scheduling content, prepping your content calendar…content, content, content! First, I had to figure out what “content” was. Then, I had to plan and prep it, schedule it, and post it! What the heck?! Where do I even start?
Starting the Social Media Content Planner
I bought a giant calendar at Staples at the first of the year. This is how I was going to plan content. When it comes to planning, I am a “paper-pencil” girl. Technology is great, but I need to physically write things down. I need to be able to flip the pages to see what is coming up, what has been done, and what needs to be done. (I cannot be the only paper planner person out there, right?) In January, I was only planning Instagram content and blog posts on this calendar. How could I designate which was which?
Cue the college study days when EVERYTHING was color coded!!! I got out my flair pens that fit my brand colors and started planning! Instagram posts are hot pink. Blog posts are light purple. If I plan to promote a blog post on Instagram, it had a pink AM or PM beside it. That meant it would either be my morning IG post or my evening IG post. I did this for the entire month of January. In February, I added TpT and my blog newsletter. Both are in turquoise ink. Now that I have added LinkedIn Twitter, I am changing it up a little. Still color coded but done differently. I am experimenting with it right now, so I am not ready to share that process just yet. But let’s just say my April content calendar looks like a rainbow!
I also have a checklist that I complete each week to make sure I stay on track, even on the road. Obviously, I can’t take my giant calendar with me. But between clients or if I have a cancellation, I can work on my posts for the next day or next week easily. The checklist is not quite ready to share, but I PINKY PROMISE to share once I have it right.
I have many other SLPs reach out to me to say they are wanting to improve their presence on social media. If you have picked one or two channels, this would be a great way to start planning your content. I would love for you to tag me on Instagram and share your content calendar!
