The Case for Content Planning

How do you keep up with content creation without losing your mind?

Content planning!

I discovered how helpful this was by accident. When I worked at a community health center (ages ago!), I developed a nonprofit’s social media content in English, and a colleague translated it into Chinese.

When I went on vacation, I had to pre-plan our content for the first time. I filled the calendar with events, themes for the month, what was going on in the community, and available resources from us and our partners.

It was a game-changer! Even after I came back, we kept doing it - it increased our engagement substantially. 

Why?

1. Planning out content frees up your time to build online relationships with your supporters. Social media should be a 2-way communication channel, and content isn’t king – engagement is.

2. Content creation is a creative process, and it’s hard to turn that side of your brain on and off. Do it all at once, and then you’re done!

3.  It’s especially important with events. If you pre-schedule event content, you free up time and energy to engage with people with phone calls, personal emails, and other stewardship.  

4. Most importantly, when you pre-plan content with a bird’s eye view, your themes and marketing messages will be woven throughout. It’ll be consistent, and your audience will hear what you’re trying to say.

How do you handle your nonprofit’s content?