A quarterly social media plan above the monthly calendar

Key takeaways

A quarterly social media content plan sits above the monthly calendar and holds only what needs more than a month's notice: themes, launches, events, seasonal peaks and any change to your slots or platforms. It is one page, set in a one-hour session each quarter. It does not list individual posts; those are planned month by month.

• 1 page per quarter: themes, launches, events, peaks.
• No individual posts: those are planned monthly.
• 1 hour a quarter to set it, using three months of results.
• Slot and platform changes happen here, not monthly.

What goes in a quarterly plan?

Four things: the quarter's business priorities and any monthly themes, the dates that need early preparation (launches, events, seasonal peaks and their lead times), any change to slots, pillars or platforms based on three months of results, and one goal per month. That is enough for each monthly session to start with step 2 half done.

• How to build a monthly social media content calendar
• Monthly content themes: when they help

Why not plan posts for the whole quarter?

Because a quarter of specific posts is usually rewritten before it publishes: offers change, jobs finish differently, news happens. Planning posts that far ahead teaches the team that planning is wasted. The quarterly plan exists to give the monthly calendar warning, not to replace it.

• Plan social media monthly or weekly?
• A social media content calendar that survives a busy month

How do you use three months of results?

Look at the quarter's archive and completion rates. Which pillars and formats brought enquiries? Which slots were missed most? Was any platform not worth the time? Make one or two structural changes for the next quarter, such as swapping a slot or dropping a platform, and leave the rest alone.

• Keep a social media post archive that pays you back

How do seasonal lead times fit?

Seasonal posts often need to start four to eight weeks before a peak, and two to three months for big-ticket buys and Pinterest. The quarterly plan marks the start dates, so the right monthly session plans them. Christmas, for example, appears in the July to September plan.

• How early should seasonal content go out?

When is a quarterly plan unnecessary?

It is unnecessary for very simple calendars with no launches, events or seasonal peaks, where an annual one-page view is enough. Most businesses with any seasonality benefit from it.

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: a launch remembered in the monthly session that falls two weeks after it, with no time for warm-up posts. A one-page quarterly plan usually means the launch posts start on time.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses

Quarterly plan checklist

• Book one hour a quarter.
• List priorities, themes and one goal a month.
• Mark launches, events and peaks with lead times.
• Make one or two slot or platform changes.
• Keep it to one page and no individual posts.

• Keep a social media post archive that pays you back
• An annual social media calendar on one page

Next step

List everything happening in the next three months that needs more than a month's notice. That list is your first quarterly plan.