How to Create a 30-day Social Media Plan

Whether you’re a social media manager in a new role or a solopreneur managing multiple accounts, creating a social media plan is a great way to realign your goals, stay organized, and grow your online community.

And while the task may seem daunting, we’ve got you covered. 

We’re breaking down how to build a successful (30-day!) social media plan, so you can hit the ground running — plus, the best tool for managing your posts. 

What Is a Social Media Marketing Plan?

A social media plan is the blueprint you create to optimize your social media strategy.

From auditing your social media profiles to building your content calendar, a 30-day plan will keep you calm and collected — rather than doing everything all at once.

The best part? We’ve laid it all out for you, week by week (keep reading). 

FYI: Later is trusted by over 7M social media managers, brands, & creators to organize, publish, and analyze their social media content — saving them tons of time. Create an account today.

How to Create a Social Media Plan (That You Can Use Again and Again)

Ready to tackle creating your very own 30-day social media plan? Social media success awaits, below. 

1. Week 1 (Days 1-7): Set New Goals & Metrics

2. Week 2 (Days 8-14): Audit Your Social Media Profiles 

3. Week 3 (Days 15-21): Create & Build a Content Calendar 

4. Week 4 (Days 22-30): Revisit & Readjust Your Strategy

Week #1 (Days 1-7): Set New Goals & Metrics

Social media goals are the foundation on which your social media plan (and strategy) are built. 

They inform the type of content you create, the cadence, and define your "why."

So, it’s fitting that your first seven days will be to choose your success metrics and create long-term SMART goals:

1. Specific 

2. Measurable 

3. Achievable 

4. Relevant 

5. Timely 

Whether you want to improve engagement or build brand awareness, defining these goals and metrics with the SMART method will help you drive your strategy forward.

TIP: Learn how to set intentional, SMART goals in this Later blog: How to Set Social Media Goals (+ Free Course)

Week #2 (Days 8-14): Audit Your Social Media Profiles

Now that you’ve laid the groundwork for your social media plan, it’s time to figure out what's working, and what's not.

How? With a social media audit. 

This process involves a comprehensive evaluation of your social media platforms, content, and performance metrics — whether you have a few posts or hundreds. 

Our advice? Spend the first couple of days sweeping the surface: Is your tone of voice consistent across platforms? Is it obvious who you are and what you have to offer?

TIP: Creating a consistent bio across platforms makes it easy for followers to find you and identify with your content. 

For the second half of your week, dig into platform analytics to see how you’re tracking towards your goals.

Make note of high-performing social media posts, their captions, the visuals used, and any relevant hashtags (or keywords). 

Then, start thinking about how you can replicate your success (more on that, later). 

NOTE: If you’re starting from scratch, opt for auditing similar brands in your niche for inspiration!

Week #3 (Days 15-21): Create & Build a Content Calendar 

Ultimately, content is the key to building (and sustaining) a community online — so it’s no surprise it’s the center of a solid social media plan. 

Dedicate the first part of this week to drafting a social media calendar, choosing your content pillars, and defining how often you’ll post on every platform. 

By getting a macro look at the upcoming week (or month), you’ll know what type of content needs to be created, identify any gaps, and leave room open to jump on a potential trend or meme.

PRO TIP: Download our free ready-to-use social media calendar to streamline your social media strategy. 

Next, put on your brainstorming hat and then start creating content — whether it’s educational carousel posts, short-form videos for Reels, or longform LinkedIn captions.

Once your content is up to par, congrats — the hard part is officially over.

You’re now ready to populate your calendar and schedule your posts! 

With a social media management platform like Later, you can drag and drop images from your Media Library onto your content calendar, insert your captions, schedule at your best time to post, and more.

TIP: Improve your social media workflow with Later's features and tools! Create an account in just two clicks.

Week #4 (Days 22-30): Revisit & Readjust Your Strategy

And just like that, you’re nearing the finish line of your social media plan. 

The final week is all about digging into the performance of the posts that have gone live and making light adjustments to better your results. 

This is also the perfect time to set the cadence for reviewing your insights on a weekly and monthly basis. 

With Later's in-depth analytics tool, you can track key metrics like comments, likes, and your engagement rate:

You can also dig into your top performing posts, audience demographics, your growth rate, hashtag analytics, and more.

Create a free account — or try one of our paid plans — and start diving into your data today.

Bonus: Get Inspired & Stay on Trend

Need more help?

Lucky for you, we have a long list of resources to keep you inspired, on trend, and dominating social media feeds everywhere: 

1. The Top TikTok Trends to Try This Week 

2. The Top Instagram Reels Trends to Try This Week 

3. How to Create Shareable Content on Social Media

4. How to Go Viral on Social Media — With Original Content

5. The Ultimate Guide to Evergreen Content (+ 5 Ideas To Get You Started)

6. 15 Easy Instagram Reels Ideas to Post Today (+ Free Planner)

7. 10 TikTok Ideas for Your Next Post

8. 7 of the Best Apps for Editing Your Instagram Reels

9. 65 of the Best Instagram Captions for Brands

10. 25 Instagram Stories Ideas to Level-up Your Social Strategy

And just like that, your social media strategy is revitalized and ready to shine. 

Whether you’re looking to grow your existing social accounts or start from scratch, a social media plan is the first chapter of your brand’s social media success story. 

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