Entrepreneurs and enterprise homeowners are spoiled for selection in relation to the numerous social media platforms out there for rising a web based viewers.
From BlueSky to TikTok, LinkedIn to Patreon, social media advertising and marketing has by no means been extra sturdy, or, arguably, time-consuming.
However it doesn’t should be. Fortuitously, you don’t should be all over the place without delay.
The place you select to point out up on-line ought to be based mostly on the place your goal clients spend most of their time. Select these platforms purposefully.
Additionally, streamlining your social media advertising and marketing is made simpler with the proper planning software 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 find out how to make it give you the results you want.
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 should be difficult – or require the usage of costly instruments.
With the free Planner Template, you’ll discover a better technique to plan, arrange, and schedule your social media content material.
Whether or not you might be a person, enterprise proprietor, or marketer, this template is designed that can assist you publish content material constantly, keep organized, and make higher choices 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 together 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 replica: Social Media Planner Template for Google Sheets
How To Plan Your Social Media Content material
The Google Sheet template makes it simple to see your schedule nicely prematurely and save all your social media belongings in a single place.
Right here’s find out how to plan your social media content material this yr.
Step 1: Create A Copy Of The “Social Media Planner Template”
After getting entry to the template, click on “File” after which “Make a Copy.” This can create a brand new copy of the template you can edit.
Screenshot from Social Media Planner Template, Might 2025
Subsequent, give your copy a descriptive identify, comparable to “[Business name] – Social Media Plan Q1-This fall 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 propose to begin your social media planning.
The underside of the template consists of tabs spanning from “Q1: January” to “This fall: 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, Might 2025
For simplicity, we began with “Q1: January” and commenced filling out the primary few matters for example:
Screenshot from Social Media Planner Template, Might 2025
Additionally, you will see within the left-hand columns that there’s a calendar for every month. That is merely a reference to the right 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 will 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, Might 2025
This dropdown lets you simply establish which platform you propose on publishing to. Whether or not or not it’s Fb, Instagram, X (Twitter), or some other platform, it will enable you hold your content material organized.
Step 4: Plan Your Subjects
Now, it’s time to fill in your subject concepts.
There are fairly just a few methods to consider participating social media matters, which we coated in our information on find out how to create genuine social media content material.
Nevertheless, the analysis course of doesn’t should cease there. Listed here are just a few methods to give you social media posts:
- Conduct competitor analysis: Take a look at what your rivals are doing on social media and use that as inspiration on your future social media posts.
- Take a look at trade traits: Keep up-to-date on trade traits 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 will also be a technique to discover content material concepts.
- Schedule common promotions: Share your promotions and reductions to drive engagement and improve gross sales.
When you assume up some concepts, you can begin filling out your social media planner.
Simply fill out Columns J by way of R together with your “Title/Matter,” “Description,” and the like.
Step 5: Add Content material And Publishing Notes
Begin enhancing the template by including related info, comparable to your descriptions, content material doc hyperlinks, hashtags, publish dates, and monitoring hyperlinks (if wanted).
Screenshot from Social Media Planner Template, Might 2025
Be 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 belongings you propose 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 pictures 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 neglect to replace the “Standing” column (I) as you’re employed by way of your social media plan.
It’s also possible to use the template to trace the success of your content material by including metrics comparable to likes, feedback, and shares.
Step 7: Share With Your Crew
In case you are working with a group, share the template together with your colleagues and provides them entry to edit the template.
This 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 on. and you should use this to work together with your group async.
Step 8: Plan Forward And Repeat
Planning your social media content material prematurely gives quite a few advantages that may enormously 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 deal with creating high-quality content material that’s aligned together 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 very least one quarter’s price of content material, so that you’re not scrambling to put in writing the copy, gather the belongings, schedule the posts, and so on.
Plan And Publish Social Media Content material Like A Professional
Social media advertising and marketing doesn’t should be a headache. With the proper 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 nicely prematurely, taking the guesswork out of your social media posting.
Utilizing a planning template lets you be proactive in your subject planning, get organized, and keep on schedule. Over time, planning your content material will really feel like second nature relatively than a chore.
With social media planning, entrepreneurs acquire:
- A no-nonsense system for monitoring content material matters 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 assets to your efforts, guaranteeing you’re utilizing your time in the best means doable.
So, make the most 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