The 7 Best Content Planning Tools for Small Businesses

Small businesses often wear many hats, from accounting to marketing. Content planning can be even more daunting. You have to plan social media updates, blog posts, and newsletters, all while juggling the other aspects of your business. But don’t worry!

There are plenty of great content planning tools out there that can help you stay organized and on track.

You’re a small business owner, and you have to wear many hats. Between marketing, accounting, and everything else your business needs, it can feel like there’s never enough time in the day.

There are plenty of great content planning tools out there that will help you stay organized and on track. But don’t worry! This guide will show you the 7 top content planning tools for small businesses.

The following is a list of our favorite content planning tools for small businesses that will help keep your social media updates, blog posts, or newsletters organized for the next month.

Why do you need a content planning tool

As a small business owner, it’s essential to have a content planning tool.

A content planning tool will help you stay organized by providing resources for scheduling all of your social media updates, blog posts, or newsletters in advance.

This guide will help you find the best content planning tool for you!

Why do you need a content planning tool?

As a small business owner, you’re probably wearing many hats. Between marketing, accounting, and everything else your business needs, it can feel like there’s never enough time in the day.

That’s why it’s essential to have a content planning tool- so you can stay organized and on track.

A content planning tool will help you plan your social media posts, blog posts, or newsletters in advance. This guide will help you find the best content planning tool for you!

The best place to start with your content planning

Social media is a great place to start- there are plenty of free social media scheduling tools out there!

The first step for any content planning tool is social media. Why? Social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can be among the best places to start your content planning because they offer free scheduling tools.

For example, you could use a tool like Hootsuite or Buffer, which allows you to schedule future posts on multiple platforms at once.

A content planning tool can be helpful when sharing original blog posts

Sharing your original blog posts is an important aspect of content planning, too! But finding places to share your posts can be difficult. Luckily, there are plenty of great blogging communities that make it easier to reach new audiences with your original content.

A content planning tool can also help share original blog posts too! Sharing your original blog posts is an important aspect of content planning, but finding places to share those posts can be difficult.

Luckily, there are plenty of great blogging communities that make it easier to reach new audiences with your original content.

Twitter chats, for example, can be a great place to engage with other bloggers and readers while sharing your content. Look for hashtags related to your industry and join in on the conversation.

Use a content planning tool to stay organized

Use a content planning tool tay organized

Staying organized is key for social media or blogging communities- especially if you’re sharing your content.

Whether you’re sharing original blog posts, participating in Twitter chats, or scheduling future social media updates, staying organized with a content planning tool is important.

A content planning tool will help you plan your social media and blog posts ahead of time so that you can participate actively in conversations while staying on track and staying organized.

The 7 top content planning tools

Now that you know why a content planning tool is helpful and where to start let’s take a closer look at some of our favorite free tools out there!

Buffer

One of the most popular social media scheduling tools out there, Buffer, will help you save time. You can share your original blog posts and schedule future social media updates ahead of time.

Buffer’s free version allows you to connect up to 3 accounts per platform, but its paid plan unlocks more features that can be helpful for small businesses.

Hootsuite

Another popular social media scheduling tool is Hootsuite, which has a free version.

Hootsuite’s free version allows you to connect up to three accounts per platform and is best known for its social media scheduling capabilities.

Oktopost

If you’re looking for a content planning tool that will let you schedule your blog posts, newsletters, and more, Oktopost may be the choice for you.

Oktopost is an all-in-one content planning tool that will let you schedule your blog posts, participate in blog chats, and share original content on social media channels.

Crowdfire

Crowdfire is a great resource for small businesses with limited budgets looking to expand their audience on Twitter.

Since it’s a Twitter-exclusive tool, it’s best for growing your social media presence on this channel. For only $3/month, you can connect up to five accounts and automate your posts without spending time manually posting updates.

Trello

Trello is a free project management tool that’s great for staying organized, even if you don’t have a team of people working on content with you. Use Trello to track your progress for blogging projects, social media posts, or future events!

SharpSpring

SharpSpring is another great tool that can help manage multiple social media accounts and includes customer relationship management capabilities. If you’re looking for a free tool that does it all, SharpSpring is the way to go.

Bonus: Google Calendar

While not technically a content planning tool, Google calendar can be extremely useful for your content planning workflow.

Set up future blog posts or social media updates in Google calendar so you can stay organized and always have an idea of what you’re working on next.

All of these tools can help you plan and organize your social media, blog posts, or newsletters in advance so that you stay organized and save time!

How to use each content planning tool

Now that you know about the different content planning tools available, it’s time to learn how to use them! Each tool has its unique features, so it’s important to understand how each one works before planning your content.

The Content Calendar: The Content Calendar is a great tool for scheduling your social media updates, blog posts, and newsletters in advance. This calendar provides a monthly overview of all the content you plan to publish, so you can easily see what’s coming up and plan accordingly.
The Editorial Calendar: The Editorial Calendar is perfect for scheduling blog posts. This calendar helps you plan your content by providing a week-by-week overview of all the topics you want to cover.

Which content planning tool is right for you

Now that you know about the different content planning tools available, it’s time to learn which one is right for you! Each tool has its unique features, so it’s important to understand how each one works before planning your content.

The Content Calendar: The Content Calendar is a great tool for scheduling your social media updates, blog posts, and newsletters in advance. This calendar provides a monthly overview of all the content you plan to publish, so you can easily see what’s coming up and plan accordingly.

The Editorial Calendar: The Editorial Calendar is perfect for scheduling blog posts. This calendar helps you plan your content by providing a week-by-week overview of all the topics you want to cover.

You’re looking for a content planning tool that will let you schedule your blog posts, newsletters, and more, SharpSpring may be the choice for you.

SharpSpring is an all-in-one content planning tool that will let you schedule your blog posts, participate in blog chats, and share original content on social media channels.

Crowdfire is a great resource for small businesses with limited budgets who are looking to expand their audience on Twitter.

Since it’s a Twitter-exclusive tool, it’s best for growing your social media presence on this channel.

For only $3/month, you can connect up to five accounts and automate your posts so that you don’t have to spend time posting them manually.

Tips for using a content planning tool effectively

When using a content planning tool, it’s important to remember these tips for effective use:

1. Plan your content.

If you want to be successful with content planning, you need to plan your content. This will help you stay organized and ensure that you publish content regularly.

This can be used for website content planning tools as well.

2. Use a calendar to schedule your updates.

A content calendar is essential for effective content planning. This calendar will help you schedule all of your social media updates, blog posts, and newsletters in advance.

3. Write down your ideas as they come to you.

Don’t wait until the last minute to plan your content! If you have an idea for a blog post, social media update, or newsletter and want to record it for future use, write it down on a dry erase board or piece of paper.

4. Use the scheduling feature in your social media management tool.

Every social media management tool has its unique scheduling feature that allows you to share content at optimal times with your audience. You can use the scheduling feature in the content planning tool you use or another social media management tool to schedule your posts.

5. Remember to revisit your calendar as needed.

Once you’ve designed a plan using a content calendar, it’s important to revisit this calendar from time to time to make sure that you’re still on track with meeting deadlines and publishing content regularly.

6. Don’t forget to repurpose your existing content.

You don’t have to do all of the hard work of creating original content from scratch! You can repurpose some of your older blog posts or social media updates by re-sharing them on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.

7. Don’t be afraid to go back and change things up if needed.

Once you’ve created a plan using your content calendar, unique no set guidelines for how long it should remain unchanged! Don’t feel obligated to stick to your original idea – you can always make changes by editing posts or updating dates as the need arises.

8. Alert your readers to new content!

The only way you’ll effectively use a content planning tool is if you know about it and actively use it.

Let your audience know that they can expect regular updates from you using this tool by promoting this schedule on your website, blog, social media profiles, etc.

Need help with selecting or implementing content planning tools? Let us know at 3030-351-1645 or book a meeting here.

Conclusion on content planning tools

Content planning tools can help save you time and stay organized by providing resources for scheduling your future blog posts, social media updates, or newsletters in advance.

Each tool has its unique features, so it’s important to understand how each one works before planning your content. Now that you know about the different content planning tools available, it’s time to learn which one is right for you!

Now that you know about the different content planning tools available, it’s time to learn which one is right for you!

Each tool has its unique features, so it’s important to understand how each one works before planning your content.

The Content Calendar: The Content Calendar is a great tool for scheduling your social media updates, blog posts, and newsletters in advance.

This calendar provides a monthly overview of all the content you plan to publish, so you can easily see what’s coming up and plan accordingly.

FAQs about content planning tools for small businesses

What are some of the benefits of content planning tools for small businesses?

Specialized content planning tools can help make your marketing more effective by providing resources to plan your content. This makes social media updates, blog posts, and newsletters a lot easier to manage by letting you know what needs to be published and when it should go live. Content planning helps stay coordinated with deadlines and coordinate publications, so nothing falls through the cracks!

How long should I use a content calendar before making changes?

There’s no set guideline for how long you should use a content calendar before making changes, but it’s important to revisit your original plan from time to time to make sure you’re still on track. You can always edit posts or update dates as the need arises.

Is it too late to change my social media strategy if I already published an article using a content calendar?

It’s never too late to change your social media strategy! If you’ve already published an article using a content calendar, it’s easy to make changes by editing posts or updating dates. This way, your content planning tool will work best for you! The important thing is to stay flexible and adapt as needed.

Do all types of online content need their calendar?

Not all types of online content need their calendar, but it’s a good idea to have some kind of system in place for keeping track of your updates. This way, you’ll be able to stay organized and publish content regularly. If you’re not sure whether or not you need a content calendar, try using one for a month and see how it works for you. You can always make changes as needed!