People who create and manage the content of various types on multiple social media platforms are known as content creators or influencers. Being a content creator, one would be well aware of the importance of making a calendar and adhering to it. A calendar helps the creators post content timely and precisely to keep the followers interested and engaged. This, in return, helps them gain traction, increasing the number of views, likes, and followers.

A calendar can help plan and schedule content for each week or month so that one can meet the deadlines provided to the affiliates. Creators can also cater to the blog posts or content that is not yet edited and work in teams with the help of a calendar.

However, it is important to use a blank monthly calendar template to organize the content. In this article, we’ll touch on various calendar templates so that one can know its use and incorporate it in creating content strategies. This article is a complete guide for content creators seeking help in creating an effective calendar to ensure that their social media handles are always appreciated.

What is a calendar template?
A calendar template is nothing but empty boxes and grids in the form of a template, which can be filled with work schedules, deadlines and details. The calendar templates are found in Microsoft Word and other Microsoft documents. Apart from this, multiple apps on the internet help a person create an effective calendar for their daily course of work by providing them with a calendar template.

Why do content creators require calendar templates?
The content creators work as freelancers. Some days they create a range of videos or brand-related visuals and images, and others do not create even one. However, they must post their creativity regularly to keep users and followers engaged. For this, they make use of calendar templates. It helps them create a content calendar so they can post their creations regularly on multiple platforms. This ensures that they do not miss an important post or the branding deadline of an affiliate and create a dynamic profile.

Things to consider before creating a calendar using a template

What is the frequency of posts?
It is important to update the profile regularly to create a dynamic portfolio. However, you must upload your content at a fixed interval based on your content strategy or work type. Track the engagement across social media platforms and check the timeline of the posts. This will help you determine the frequency of publishing content and achieve your goals.

How many types of content do you create?
It would help if you also considered the types of content that is being created on a daily basis. This might include videos, blog posts, and photos. It is only after structuring the content type created that you can create an effective calendar to meet the daily requirements.

How many people are on your team?
You will also need to identify the number of people in the team with whom the calendar will be shared. It will help the team members to be in tandem with your work priorities. They will be able to access, manage, monitor and edit the schedule effectively. Make sure the primary access is given to the manager or assistant.

How to choose a calendar template?
You can choose a calendar template to create the content calendar for your work in multiple ways. They provide different features and you can choose the perfect one based on the needs. Below are some different ways you can get a calendar template.

A Calendar App
There are multiple apps available on Google Play Store and the Apple App Store that come with the calendar feature. They also come with multiple features such as online sharing, project management, reminders, etc. The most dynamic ones are Google calendar, calendar.com, Outlook calendar, etc. They provide you with year-specific calendar templates for creating editorial or content schedules.

A Spreadsheet
A spreadsheet is the traditional content calendar template that can be used as a calendar for all the activities you have planned for the month. Apps like Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel make using spreadsheets a child’s task.

Project management tools
There are multiple project management tools that provide you with calendar templates along with managing your projects for you. They are comprehensive apps with multiple features helpful for a content creator.

Content calendar apps
Multiple companies have also developed apps and software or platforms that create content calendar templates. They have the features of a calendar and all other project management aspects that can be highly useful to the content creators. For example, Contently, Loosely, among others.

Also, keep in mind your content goals. Make sure the team is aligned with your course of work. Once the calendar is populated with the schedule time and date of the assignments, track the engagement on the published content. You can create an analysis tracker in the calendar to get insights.