Entrepreneurs and enterprise house owners are spoiled for alternative in the case of the numerous social media platforms obtainable for rising an internet viewers.
From BlueSky to TikTok, LinkedIn to Patreon, social media advertising and marketing has by no means been extra strong, or, arguably, time-consuming.
Nevertheless it doesn’t need to be. Happily, you don’t need to be in all places directly.
The place you select to indicate up on-line needs to be based mostly on the place your goal prospects spend most of their time. Select these platforms purposefully.
Additionally, streamlining your social media advertising and marketing is made simpler with the correct planning instrument in your arsenal – and no, it doesn’t require fancy software program options.
On this information, I’m sharing a free, easy-to-use social media planning template, plus useful steps on how one can make it be just right for you.
It’s as easy or as customizable as you want it to be. No pointless bells or whistles.
Free Social Media Planner Template For Google Sheets
Planning your social media content material doesn’t need to be sophisticated – or require using costly instruments.
With the free Planner Template, you’ll discover a neater method to plan, set up, and schedule your social media content material.
Whether or not you’re a person, enterprise proprietor, or marketer, this template is designed that can assist you publish content material constantly, keep organized, and make higher selections about your social media technique.
With this Google Sheets template, you’ll be able to:
- Plan your content material calendar prematurely, see what you’ve revealed, and know what’s arising subsequent.
- Schedule posts for a number of social media accounts from one calendar.
- Observe the progress of your content material and use the data to tell your future technique.
- Collaborate with others by sharing entry along with your group.
Observe: Click on on File > Make a Copy to edit your template. You don’t want to request edit entry.
Make a duplicate: Social Media Planner Template for Google Sheets
How To Plan Your Social Media Content material
The Google Sheet template makes it straightforward to see your schedule properly prematurely and save your whole social media property in a single place.
Right here’s how one can plan your social media content material this yr.
Step 1: Create A Copy Of The “Social Media Planner Template”
Upon getting entry to the template, click on “File” after which “Make a Copy.” It will create a brand new copy of the template that you would be able to edit.
Screenshot from Social Media Planner Template, Could 2025Subsequent, give your copy a descriptive identify, akin to “[Business name] – Social Media Plan Q1-This autumn 2025,” and put it aside to Google Drive.
Step 2: Establish Your Present Quarter/Month
Relying on once you’re studying this text, it would be best to establish the quarter and/or month by which you intend to start out your social media planning.
The underside of the template contains tabs spanning from “Q1: January” to “This autumn: December” of 2025.
Open the tab for the month by which you need to begin planning your content material:
Screenshot from Social Media Planner Template, Could 2025For simplicity, we began with “Q1: January” and commenced filling out the primary few subjects for example:
Screenshot from Social Media Planner Template, Could 2025Additionally, you will see within the left-hand columns that there’s a calendar for every month. That is merely a reference to the proper days of the week/month for 2025 so you’ll be able to plan accordingly.
You may, in fact, replace this for 2026, 2027, and so forth.
Step 3: Select Your Social Media Platforms (“Platform”)
Column Ok features a dropdown of assorted social media platforms to which you’ll be publishing your content material.
You may choose from this checklist of choices (Weblog, Instagram, LinkedIn, Fb, Twitter/X, TikTok, YouTube, or Different), or you’ll be able to add your personal by clicking the pencil icon:
Screenshot from Social Media Planner Template, Could 2025This dropdown means that you can simply establish which platform you intend on publishing to. Whether or not it’s Fb, Instagram, X (Twitter), or every other platform, this may allow you to hold your content material organized.
Step 4: Plan Your Matters
Now, it’s time to fill in your matter concepts.
There are fairly just a few methods to consider partaking social media subjects, which we coated in our information on how one can create genuine social media content material.
Nonetheless, the analysis course of doesn’t need to cease there. Listed below are just a few methods to give you social media posts:
- Conduct competitor analysis: Take a look at what your opponents are doing on social media and use that as inspiration on your future social media posts.
- Take a look at business tendencies: Keep up-to-date on business tendencies and information, and use this info to create related and well timed posts on your viewers.
- Make the most of user-generated content material: Encourage your followers to share their very own experiences and use that content material as inspiration on your posts.
- Take a look at hashtags: Analysis and use related hashtags to extend the visibility of your posts and attain a wider viewers. This can be a method to discover content material concepts.
- Schedule common promotions: Share your promotions and reductions to drive engagement and enhance gross sales.
When you assume up some concepts, you can begin filling out your social media planner.
Simply fill out Columns J by R along with your “Title/Matter,” “Description,” and the like.
Step 5: Add Content material And Publishing Notes
Begin modifying the template by including related info, akin to your descriptions, content material doc hyperlinks, hashtags, publish dates, and monitoring hyperlinks (if wanted).
Screenshot from Social Media Planner Template, Could 2025Be happy so as to add rows, columns, or fields to fit your wants.
Within the “Pictures” and “Video/Media” columns, you’ll be able to add hyperlinks to the visible property you intend to make use of in your social media publish. You are able to do this by including a hyperlink to a Google Drive folder with photographs or your chosen Digital Asset Supervisor (DAM).
Step 6: Add Publish Dates
Subsequent, use the template to schedule your posts prematurely by including the date and platform for every publish.
Don’t overlook to replace the “Standing” column (I) as you’re employed by your social media plan.
You may as well use the template to trace the success of your content material by including metrics akin to likes, feedback, and shares.
Step 7: Share With Your Workforce
If you’re working with a group, share the template along with your colleagues and provides them entry to edit the template.
It will can help you collaborate and work collectively to take care of a constant social media presence.
The “Notes” column is for any miscellaneous notes about your upcoming content material, together with particulars about your upcoming content material, drafts, due dates, and so forth. and you need to use this to work along with your group async.
Step 8: Plan Forward And Repeat
Planning your social media content material prematurely gives quite a few advantages that may tremendously improve your social media presence.
By taking the time to plan your content material, you’ll be able to guarantee that you’re constantly publishing related posts that have interaction your viewers and drive outcomes.
With a transparent content material plan in place, you’ll be able to concentrate on creating high-quality content material that’s aligned along with your general advertising and marketing technique and keep away from the pitfalls of impulsive, unplanned posting.
I like to recommend utilizing the social media planner to plan at the least one quarter’s value of content material, so that you’re not scrambling to write down the copy, acquire the property, schedule the posts, and so forth.
Plan And Publish Social Media Content material Like A Professional
Social media advertising and marketing doesn’t need to be a headache. With the correct course of, you’ll be able to streamline your social media content material planning and publishing schedule.
In as little as just a few hours per quarter, you’ll be able to plan your content material properly prematurely, taking the guesswork out of your social media posting.
Utilizing a planning template means that you can be proactive in your matter planning, get organized, and keep on schedule. Over time, planning your content material will really feel like second nature quite than a chore.
With social media planning, entrepreneurs acquire:
- A no-nonsense system for monitoring content material subjects and scheduling.
- Time effectivity and a streamlined publishing cadence.
- Consistency in publishing well timed, related posts.
- Improved visibility into efficiency and outcomes.
Additionally, once you plan your social media posts prematurely, you’ll be able to higher allocate finances and sources to your efforts, guaranteeing you’re utilizing your time in the simplest approach doable.
So, reap the benefits of the free social media planning template, make it yours, and save time in your social media advertising and marketing efforts.
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Featured Picture: Paulo Bobita/Search Engine Journal
