what's inside
Four sheets, and the main one is not a list of headings, but a matrix of shares. List headings can be found in any article about SMM. The answer to the question “how much of what is in my niche” is usually not there.
- Categories Twelve pieces: why is it in the plan, in what format it comes out with what frequency.
- Matrix. Shares of headings in eight niches. Column folds at 100%, the total formula is hardwired.
- Niches. What is compelling in the mix, what to focus on and what is in this niche doesn't come in.
- Your own mix. Blank form with responsible persons and amount verification.
why shares are more important than a list
A content category planner without parts turns into a declaration. All twelve headings are listed in plan, but in practice there are two: the one that sells and the one that is easiest write. After a month, the feed looks like a showcase, engagement drops, and the content category planner is declared inoperative.
The shares solve this by arithmetic. If the selling section takes up 20%, and publications eight per month, then there are exactly two selling posts. Not “as many as possible,” but two. The remaining six slots are filled in advance, and there is nowhere to fill them with sales.
column for which it is worth opening the “Niches” sheet
The last one: “what doesn’t work.” In public catering, they don’t read long summaries, Engaging surveys don’t work in B2B services; no one is interested in real estate behind the scenes, and in local retail a long examination fails.
This is not a ban, but a price warning. Each such section eats up a slot in plan and time of the editor, but does not give any return. Remove one non-working category usually more useful than adding a new one.
lies nearby
Analysis of the methodology with examples of topics - article about the content category planner and distribution of shares. Calendar for the collected content category planner - SMM content plan template. If Some of the content is purchased from bloggers, the calculation lies in media plan for sponsored posts.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a content category planner in SMM?
- List of regular sections with purpose, format and share in the total volume of publications. It is needed so as not to come up with a topic from scratch every time: the rubric sets a frame within which it remains to select a specific news item. Without a rubric, the content plan falls apart in the second or third week, when obvious ideas run out.
- How many categories should you maintain?
- There are twelve in the template, but you don’t need to maintain all twelve. The working range is five to seven categories: there is enough variety for them, and at the same time, each appears often enough for the audience to recognize it. Twelve columns with eight publications per month means that half will never be published.
- What does a content category planner for social networks look like?
- A table where the row is a category, and the columns answer four questions: why is it needed, in what format is it published, how often and what share does it occupy in the monthly mix. Shares are more important than the list: they are the ones who prevent the plan from collapsing into one continuous selling content.
- How does a content category planner differ from a content plan?
- A content category planner is a set of frameworks; it changes once a quarter. Content plan - specific dates, topics and statuses, it lasts for a month. First, the content category planner is assembled, then the calendar is laid out under it, and not vice versa.
- Is the content category planner the same for different niches?
- No, and the matrix in the template shows this. In catering, backstage and product take up almost half of the mix, in B2B services the same 40% is taken away by expertise and cases, and involvement and selections do not work at all. Copying someone else's content category planner without recalculating shares is the most common mistake.