Creating a content calendar for LinkedIn can help you stay organized and strategic with your posting strategy. A content calendar allows you to plan out your posts in advance and ensures you have a consistent cadence of high-quality content going out. This is especially important on LinkedIn where regular posting is key to staying top of mind with your connections.
In this article, we’ll walk through the key steps for creating a LinkedIn content calendar from start to finish. We’ll cover:
- Why you need a LinkedIn content calendar
- How to conduct an audit of your current LinkedIn presence
- Tips for developing a strong LinkedIn posting strategy
- How to use editorial calendars and templates
- Best practices for managing your calendar long-term
Whether you’re just getting started with LinkedIn or looking to take your presence to the next level, read on for a comprehensive guide on creating a robust LinkedIn content calendar.
Why You Need a LinkedIn Content Calendar
Here are some of the key benefits of creating and maintaining a LinkedIn content calendar:
Stay Organized
A content calendar allows you to map out your LinkedIn posts in advance and get organized. Without a calendar, it’s easy to post sporadically without much strategy. A calendar helps you align posting dates, topics, and other promotional strategies.
Maintain Consistency
Posting consistently is critical on LinkedIn. A calendar encourages you to maintain a steady cadence of posting rather than posting in fits and starts. This consistency keeps your brand top of mind.
Schedule Content Efficiently
A calendar allows you to batch create content on your own timeline. You can then easily schedule posts in advance with tools like Hootsuite. This is much more efficient than posting in real-time.
Align Efforts with Goals
A calendar enables you to intentionally align content with business goals. For example, you can coordinate launches, campaigns, and announcements. This ensures your content has maximum impact.
Prevent Content Gaps
Gaps in posting decrease visibility. A calendar helps prevent gaps by allowing you to visually map out dates and topics ahead of time. You can then fill in any holes.
Track Performance
With a calendar, you can easily track content performance over time. This allows you to double down on what works and swap out underperforming content.
Conduct a LinkedIn Audit
Before creating your calendar, it’s important to conduct an audit of your existing LinkedIn presence. This will provide the information you need to create an optimized strategy.
Here are some key things to assess in your audit:
LinkedIn Company Page
– How regularly do you post? Is there a consistent cadence?
– What types of content do you post (text posts, links, photos, videos)?
– What topics and themes perform best?
– How engaged are followers? Look at likes, comments, and shares.
Employee Profiles
– How strong are individual employee profiles? Do they need any optimization?
– How regularly do employees post? Is there an opportunity to increase posting?
Content Performance
– Which existing posts have driven the most engagement? Look at historical performance.
– When did you see spikes or dips in engagement? Were there any factors at play?
– How well are you leveraging hashtags? Are there any overlooked opportunities?
Competitor Analysis
– What types of content are your competitors posting?
– What is their posting cadence?
– What topics resonate most with their followers?
Develop Your LinkedIn Posting Strategy
Once you’ve completed your audit, use the insights to develop a posting strategy tailored to your brand, audience, and goals.
Posting Cadence
Determine your ideal posting frequency. LinkedIn recommends 1-2 times per day for company pages. But assess your bandwidth and resources. Aim for consistency vs. overwhelming your audience.
Content Mix
Consider what types of posts have worked well – articles, images, videos, etc. Aim for a healthy mix of content formats. Videos historically see high engagement.
Topics and Themes
Identify relevant topics and themes to focus on based on audience interests. Develop personas to determine what would resonate most. Mix educational and promotional content.
CTAs and Offers
Incorporate occasional calls-to-action to drive traffic. Share special offers and content upgrades to encourage action. But don’t make every post promotional.
Hashtag Strategy
Research relevant hashtags your audience uses and incorporate popular ones into posts. This expands reach. But don’t over-hashtag or forced it.
Employee Involvement
Develop an internal process for submitting and scheduling employee posts. This provides diversity of thought and voice.
Use Editorial Calendars and Templates
With your strategy defined, it’s time to start structuring your calendar. Editorial calendars and templates make it easy.
Monthly Editorial Calendars
Map out your posts month-by-month in a simple calendar format or spreadsheet. Plot topics and content types into your desired posting cadence.
| Date | Post Topic | Content Type |
|---|---|---|
| March 1 | Introducing New Product | Video |
| March 5 | Team Spotlight: Q&A with our CEO | Employee Post |
Content Templates
Create modular templates for your most common content types that include keywords, hashtags, branding, and more. This allows scalable content creation.
For example, an ebook template could include:
– Ebook title
– Intro paragraph with [keyword]
– Download now CTA
– #hashtags
Manage Your Calendar Long-Term
Don’t just set and forget your calendar. Actively manage it to ensure you achieve maximum results over time.
Track Performance
Continuously track your content’s engagement and which topics resonate most. Tweak your approach accordingly.
Stay on Top of Trends
Evolve your calendar as trends change and new formats like Reels arise. Stay fresh and current.
Maintain Consistency
While adapting your approach, maintain a consistent posting cadence. Don’t let your calendar unravel.
Collaborate Across Teams
Keep an open dialogue to collect content ideas from sales, customer success, etc. This enhances diversity.
Use Social Listening
Leverage social listening to identify new opportunities. If competitors are using a hashtag, can you take it further?
Conclusion
Creating a comprehensive content calendar is critical for LinkedIn marketing success. By following the steps above, you can develop a strategic calendar tailored to your brand and audience. Maintain your calendar diligently over time, tracking performance and optimizing as you go. With a thoughtful calendar in place, you’ll be well on your way to building an impactful presence on LinkedIn.
