Have you ever gotten so caught up in the day-to-day at the office, working with patients and scheduling and treatment plans and emergency visits, that you find yourself without time to publish that awesome post you had in mind? It happens to all of us (myself included!) but can be avoided by a bit of planning. Using an editorial calendar can help you plan ahead, strategize your content, mix it up in an engaging way, and get more consistent and less frantic with your posts.
And one thing is for sure: it sounds way more complicated than it is. At its core, an editorial calendar is simply a calendar on which you plan when you’d like to post and what you’d like to post about. This month, let’s try to begin one for December and complete one for January, and use the calendar and social prompts that we’ve included. Combining these two resources with the everyday happenings at your office can lead to highly engaging content that’s never dull or redundant. Here’s how to do it!
Plan day-specific posts.
Sit down with your calendar and social media status prompts. Gather birthdays, anniversaries, events, and holidays now and get them on the calendar. These days don’t waiver and can’t always be postponed, so they should get concrete scheduling. Make a note in the appropriate day’s box.
Emphasize particular dates.
Take a look at the second half of the social media prompts and check for any posts you plan to do that also revolve around a specific day or week. Get those on the calendar next, since they, like birthdays, anniversaries, events, and holidays, they are not flexible.
Take a look at your calendar.
Analyze where there’s a bit of open space. You’ll want to schedule a post in these quieter times to keep your page active without overloading your fans. Plan treatment- or seasonal-related posts during these times, or just anything you have in mind!
Fill in other days.
Consider filling in days that look like they might need a post. Keep in mind that at Neon Canvas, we produce content for the website that we post twice a month, so you don’t need to overpack your calendar!
Plan ahead.
Look ahead at the next week or two on the calendar and plan for those posts. Take photos now, so you’re working ahead, rather than trying to catch up. This way, I can help you optimize your posts even more! Send me your photos and your copy, and I can make sure it’s as good as it can be for the voice and brand of your practice.
This month, take a stab at working up an editorial calendar, and we can start 2017 with a bang! Let’s make the new year the best yet for your practice’s social media. As always, feel free to reach out anytime to my email at [email protected] with any questions or consulting requests. Happy holidays!