A 6-Step Guide to Creating a Social Media Planner for 2024 (Free Template)

As a solopreneur, you don’t have a marketing team to market your business. You’re solely responsible for that. This is why many business owners choose networks with existing demand like social media to do that.

With networks like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn boasting a user base of billions worldwide, it makes the effort worth the investment.

We understand how overwhelming the entire process can be initially. You spend hours posting on different social media platforms with no strategy, ending leading to mediocre results—or worse—no results.

To save you the trouble, we’ll show you how to lay the foundation for your social strategy in hours. Plus, you’ll get access to a free social media marketing planner template to kickstart the process.

Step 1: Define clear-cut marketing goals for your solo business

Even though most solopreneurs face similar challenges, like a lack of resources or time to execute their marketing goals, their main goals for being on social media can differ. 

Let's say you want to launch digital products or market your consultancy business. Your channels and content strategy change entirely based on that.

Start by asking yourself why you’re creating this social media marketing plan. That singular goal will guide the entire process. The best way to do this is to use the SMART framework:

• Make the goal specific

• Make sure you can measure it

• Be realistic and ensure it’s attainable

• Hone in on its relevance

• Create a time-bound goal

For example, let's say you're a graphic artist that sells personalized art. So create goals like:

• Get 2500 followers on Instagram in Q3 2023

• Sell art worth $1250 by September 2023

• Partner with three creators by December 2023

Step 2: Conduct market research on platforms and competitors

The most common mistake solopreneurs make is thinking they need to jump straight into content creation. This will lead to burn out and disappointing results. Eventually, you’ll leave these platforms, thinking they don't work.

So start with research—more specifically:

• Market research

• Competitor research

• Customer research

Doing so will clarify the who, how, and what of your social media strategy. 

Begin with customer research. Talk to existing customers (if you have them) or individuals who fit your buyer persona. One option: conduct a one-to-one interview and ask them what they struggle with, the platforms they visit the most, and their current way of doing things.

For example, if you're a freelance writer, ask your customers why they hire writers, where they find them, and how they get the job done if they don't have writers on board. This gives you insights into the kind of content you need to post and the platforms to choose.

Once you have a list of potential platforms, research them thoroughly by finding competitors in the space. Based on that, answer these questions:

• Are solopreneurs succeeding on the platform?

• What kind of content do they post?

• What kind of content doesn’t work well?

• Which content formats are popular at the moment?

• How are you different from these solo business owners?

Use this data to refine your digital marketing strategy and create one that highlights your values and offerings.

Step 3: Choose your social marketing channels and understand the platform

Now, pick the social media networks that suit your marketing goals and target audience. Don’t spread yourself too thin—choose one or two platforms. If you find success on these, diversify later.

Study the platform or, if needed, consult a personal branding strategist with expertise on that platform. For example, a LinkedIn strategist can create a solid plan based on the platform's nuances, like engagement and hashtag strategy.

Note: We've already added the top social media networks to our content planner template—check it out here.

Step 4: Craft a holistic strategy for each social media channel

One thing every content creator agrees on: consistency is key. And if you’re consistent, it compounds over time.

Think of it like investing in stocks. A one-time investment gets you minimal returns, but a regular and consistent investment compounds in the long term.

That should be your aim with social media too. 

Create a strategy that supports your main goal and a social media content calendar that gets you there. For example, if your goal is to increase sign-ups for your beta software product, here's how the strategy would look:

• Post how-to content based on the problems your product solves (educational)

• Challenge common notions or ways of doing things in your industry (inspirational)

• Show your product in action for different use cases at least once a week (promotional)

Example posts for a LinkedIn account

Use this as a guide to pick your content pillars (broad topics) and topics for each post. For example, an ecommerce business owner would talk about ecommerce market trends and products their store sells.

Then map these topics to different content formats like text, image carousels, or video based on the following:

• Best way to present that information

• Resources you have (time, effort, money)

• Current algorithmic preferences

Step 5: Create your social media content in advance and schedule them

A social media planner keeps you prepared and on track. A bonus, since time management is a significant challenge for a small business owner. But one way you can overcome this is by batching your content.

Ideate topics, create content, and schedule posts in advance to stay on course with your goals. 

It's hard to build momentum—but it's even worse when you take the foot off the pedal. You start from scratch if you don't post when planned or take a long social media break.

Use our social media planner to batch create posts in advance

So batch create for a week or multiple weeks to get things rolling. And if that’s not possible, hire a freelance social media manager to manage your social media account.

Use social media scheduling tools like Buffer and Hootsuite for free if you have limited social media posts to schedule. It allows you to remain consistent without being tied to your devices all day.

Step 6: Monitor your analytics and make improvements to your strategy

Don’t just post and ghost. Keep a tab on post performance to understand what resonates and doesn't.

If your text-heavy content gets more engagement when you turn it into a carousel, you know the latter is a better format. Metrics to monitor include:

• Impressions or reach

• Likes

• Comments

• Shares or reposts

• Click-through-rate 

• Conversion rate

Many social media analytics tools like RivalIQ and Quintly give you these insights. But you can access these metrics through the social network you're using.

Monitor and iterate your strategy to optimize for your audience and platform continuously.

Download your free social media marketing planner template

Get your hands on our free Google Sheets/Excel content calendar template that lets you create a content schedule and store campaign or post ideas in one place.

It’s a customizable content planning template that drills down into the types of content you’re posting and lets you create a workflow that makes sense.

Tips for solopreneurs to make the most of their marketing initiatives

Here’s what a few founders and marketers had to say about marketing on social media as a solopreneur:

Create a sustainable posting schedule to stay consistent

It’s tempting to post on five different platforms at first. But trust us, it’s not sustainable and leads to disappointment.

So create a library of quality content first, then distribute it by modifying or repurposing regularly.

“Outside of the quality of content, over-posting and under-posting is the biggest hurdle,” says Nick Giordullo, marketing director at MIS Solutions. 

Giordullo also notes that when you have a repository of quality content, you should find ways to leverage it. Ideally, create a library of quality content first and then distribute it by repackaging or repurposing regularly. For example, if you’re a blogger, take those blogs and re-format them for social media.

Start by determining how frequently you can post and how much time you can give for engagement. Even if it's one social post a week with 15 minutes of engagement every weekday, staying the course will pay off in the long run.

Hire a freelancer to streamline social media production

You already wear many hats, and social media requires hours of investment. So if you have the budget, consider hiring a freelancer instead.

“If you can hire a freelancer, do it. Your time needs to be spent closing business,” says Giordullo. “If you have a pipeline offline, don't risk it for the potential of social. Doing social the right way takes time and expertise. Why reinvent the wheel if someone can do it for you at a rate you can afford?”

These professionals have experience creating strategies for multiple social channels and on-brand content in advance. Plus, they can manage different social profiles simultaneously—leaving project management up to them.

Handing over the reins frees up valuable time you can spend doing business-critical tasks like sales calls. 

Go deep first, and then diversify channels

Back to the point of sustainability, you can't stay strong on too many channels. It's a recipe for burnout and disengagement, which harm your business.

“One common mistake is trying to be on all platforms,” says Brad Smith, CEO and interior designer at Omni Home Ideas. “Focus on one to two platforms where your audience is most active.”

If you're a B2C ecommerce business owner, consider platforms like Instagram or TikTok that allow you to showcase your products. For example, your Instagram posts could tackle common customer pain points. And then use Reels to showcase products.

Over time, repurpose your Reels on TikTok and expand from there. It allows you to build a loyal following on one channel, validating the demand for your offer.

Invest in social media management tools to save time 

As a business owner, automate what you can. Three areas you can automate: social media planning, scheduling, and analytics.

Lindsey Chastain, co-founder at The Waddle and Cluck, recommends content creation tools like Canva and analytics tools like Metricool to get things going. Then choose software with built-in integrations for your tools or Chrome extensions.

“If you’re using a scheduling or monitoring tool, you’ll have better insights into how your posts are doing,” says Chastain. “As the amount of data can be overwhelming, I use Metricool to get an idea of the best times of day to post. I use that as a guideline.I also check to see how well each post did. Was there a certain format that worked better? Did shorter videos do better than longer videos? Then, I adjust my strategy accordingly.”

Here are a few tool options to consider:

• Content ideas generator (HubSpot Ideas Generator, ChatGPT)

• Social media copywriting (Jasper, Copy.ai)

• Social media scheduling (Buffer, Hootsuite)

• Social media analytics (Metricool, Sprout Social)

• Social media designing (Canva, Adobe Express)

Fuel your social media growth with Fiverr’s talent pool

Social media networks offer an excellent opportunity to build your brand and market your business. With the growing global user base on each platform, the opportunities are endless.

But as a business owner, time is scarce. Why not outsource the tedious part of this job? Hire freelance social media strategists and managers to do the legwork for you. They handle everything for you, from market research to publishing and analyzing metrics.

Plus, they monitor market and social media trends to extract the best of what these platforms offer.

And the best part? They work closely with you to highlight your values and mission with little effort on your part.

Sign up for Fiverr and meet your next social media partner today.