Module 9 workshop: a 30-day social plan

What you will be able to do

• Set one measurable goal for the next 30 days and choose the platforms that serve it
• Build a dated 30-day calendar from three content pillars and a weekly rhythm
• Schedule the batching, inbox and review time that keep the plan running

You now have every piece: platforms chosen for a reason, a profile that converts, a rhythm you can keep, an inbox routine, a view on creators and a short list of numbers. The workshop turns those pieces into one page and one calendar for the next 30 days. Set aside two hours. At the end you will have a plan you can start tomorrow morning.

Read the transcript

Module 9 workshop: a 30-day social plan.

You now have every piece: platforms chosen for a reason, a profile that converts, a rhythm you can keep, an inbox routine, a view on creators and a short list of numbers.

The workshop turns those pieces into one page and one calendar for the next 30 days.

Step 1: Write one goal with a number in it.

A 30-day plan needs one goal, not five.

Choose the goal from where your business is right now, and make it something social can actually influence within a month.

Step 2: Choose two platforms and give each a job.

Use the scorecard from the first lesson of the module.

For a 30-day plan, pick one main platform where you will post and engage every week, and one supporting platform that you keep current.

Step 3: Choose three content pillars.

A content pillar is a recurring theme that serves your goal.

Three is enough to keep variety without making you start from zero each time.

Step 4: Fill in the 30-day calendar.

Take the weekly rhythm you set earlier in the module, multiply it by four, and assign a pillar and a specific idea to each slot.

Mark any day you are working an event, because you will not post or reply properly that day unless the post is scheduled in advance.

Step 5: Schedule the production time.

A calendar without production time is a wish list.

Work out the hours, then book them.

That is the lesson. The worksheet and the quiz are just below this video.

Step 1: Write one goal with a number in it

A 30-day plan needs one goal, not five. Choose the goal from where your business is right now, and make it something social can actually influence within a month.

• Fill a gap in the calendar: “Generate 8 inquiries for Friday and Sunday dates in the next six months.”
• Launch something new: “Get 5 inquiries for our new corporate lunch package.”
• Build trust in a new market: “Get 3 inquiries from planners in York Region.”
• Rebuild after a quiet spell: “Post 12 times, reply to every message within one business day, and get 4 inquiries.”

Write your goal at the top of the page. Every other decision in the plan should serve it.

Step 2: Choose two platforms and give each a job

Use the scorecard from the first lesson of the module. For a 30-day plan, pick one main platform where you will post and engage every week, and one supporting platform that you keep current. Write one line for each: “Instagram: show finished events and invite inquiries. LinkedIn: reach office managers and HR leads for holiday parties.” Everything else waits until next month.

Step 3: Choose three content pillars

A content pillar is a recurring theme that serves your goal. Three is enough to keep variety without making you start from zero each time. Good pillars for event businesses usually include one that shows the work, one that teaches and one that proves.

Step 4: Fill in the 30-day calendar

Take the weekly rhythm you set earlier in the module, multiply it by four, and assign a pillar and a specific idea to each slot. Use real dates. Mark any day you are working an event, because you will not post or reply properly that day unless the post is scheduled in advance.

Here is Lantern & Lane’s November plan. Their goal: 6 inquiries for winter and spring corporate events, while keeping the wedding audience warm. Their main platform is Instagram, three posts a week plus stories; LinkedIn is the supporting platform, with one post a week from Marco.

Step 5: Schedule the production time

A calendar without production time is a wish list. Work out the hours, then book them.

Lantern & Lane’s arithmetic: 12 Instagram posts at about 45 minutes each, including editing and captions, is 9 hours. Four LinkedIn posts at 30 minutes each is 2 hours. Stories take about 10 minutes a day on 20 working days, or about 3.3 hours. The inbox and comments take about 20 minutes a day on 20 days, or about 6.7 hours. The total is roughly 21 hours in the month, a little over 5 hours a week. They book two 2-hour batching sessions on Monday mornings in weeks 1 and 3, schedule posts for the following fortnight, and leave the stories and inbox for the daily routine.

If your total is more than you can give, cut the number of posts, not the inbox time. A slower rhythm with fast replies beats a busy grid with unanswered messages.

Step 6: Set the inbox routine and the day-30 review

Write down who checks messages, when, and who covers event days, using the saved replies you wrote earlier. Then put the review on the calendar for day 30. Use the monthly template from the analytics lesson and answer three questions:

1. Did we hit the goal? Count inquiries from each platform in the CRM.
2. Which pillar and format drove the most saves, shares and profile visits?
3. What will we do more of, stop and test next month?

Lantern & Lane’s result, as an example: 5 corporate inquiries against a goal of 6, three of them naming the holiday party budget carousel or Marco’s LinkedIn posts. Next month they will make two more teach posts for corporate buyers and drop the weekly poll, which drew votes but no inquiries.

Your one-page plan

• Goal, with a number and a date.
• Main platform and its job; supporting platform and its job.
• Three content pillars.
• The dated 30-day calendar.
• Production hours and batching sessions, booked.
• Inbox routine and event-day cover.
• Day-30 review date and the three questions.

In Canada and the GTA

Fit the month to the local calendar. Before you fill in the dates, mark what is happening in the GTA that month. November and December are holiday party season for corporate buyers and the busiest weeks of the year for many caterers, bars, DJs and venues. January to March is quieter for events but busy for wedding planning, with the wedding show season running and couples comparing vendors. Spring brings offsites, proms and the first outdoor weddings; summer is patio, festival and wedding season; September and October bring galas, conferences and the start of holiday party bookings. Note statutory holidays and long weekends too, such as Family Day in February and the Civic Holiday in August, when corporate audiences are away from their desks. Add the cultural and religious occasions your clients celebrate, and check their dates for the year, because many move.

Language. The GTA is multilingual, and Ottawa and eastern Ontario have large francophone communities. If you serve clients who prefer another language, consider one post a week with a caption in that language, and be sure someone on the team can answer the messages it brings.

Your pre-publishing checklist

Run every post in the plan through these checks before you schedule it. Each item comes from the rules covered earlier in the module.

• Photo rights. For photos taken since November 7, 2012, the photographer owns the copyright by default unless a signed written agreement says otherwise. Confirm you have permission for marketing use and credit as agreed.
• Client permission. Corporate clients often do not want product launches or internal events shown. Ask before posting and check your contract’s marketing-use clause. Treat identifiable guests in photos as personal information and be careful with children.
• Music. On TikTok, business accounts must use the Commercial Music Library for commercial posts, organic or paid. On any platform, use music licensed for business use or your own audio.
• Disclosure. If a post involves a creator, a gifted service or a referral arrangement, it needs a clear label such as #ad upfront in the caption, and in the audio and on-screen text of any video, as Ad Standards’ guidelines describe.
• Staff and family. Ask your team to make their connection obvious when they comment on or share your posts. The Competition Bureau says employees must disclose their connection when reviewing their employer, even if their opinion is honest.
• Prices. If a post shows a price, it must be attainable. Under the Competition Act’s drip pricing rule, the advertised price must include every mandatory fixed fee; only charges imposed by law, such as the 13% HST, may be added on top. See the Competition Bureau’s guidance on drip pricing.
• Alcohol. Licensed businesses must follow the AGCO’s advertising guidelines: no excessive consumption, nothing aimed at people under the legal drinking age, and no “2 for 1” or similar purchase-linked offers. Private events under a Special Occasion Permit may not be publicly advertised, including on social media.
• Environmental claims. If you call a choice sustainable or low-waste, you need adequate and proper substantiation. Describe what you actually did, such as “we reused the same linens across three events”, rather than making a broad green claim.
• Accessibility. Add alt text to images, captions to videos and keep text on images short. These are good practice for every audience, and they help clients who use screen readers or watch with the sound off.

This checklist is general information, not legal advice. When a post raises a question you cannot answer, leave it out of the plan until you have checked the source or asked someone qualified.

Worksheet

Download the worksheet and complete it for your own business, using Lantern & Lane as the model where it helps. Keep it with your marketing plan. It takes about 12 minutes.

Download the worksheet (PDF)