Last month, I talked about my three New Year’s resolutions for better social media content and planning in 2022. Now, I would like to do a deeper dive into one of them: Planning ahead. Recently, I set aside a couple of hours to do some things that will make my entire next year easier, and I want to share my strategies.

I will be honest: The work ahead takes time and can feel a little like data entry, but trust me, it is well worth doing now to set yourself up for success. Plus, you can always listen to a podcast while you take care of these five, small, but mighty, tasks!

1. Think ahead with events and holidays. Make a list of 2022 industry events and dates. For example, I want to make sure I know when Top Glass is coming up in April and GlassBuild in October while also keeping track of the timing of both American and Canadian holidays. Set reminders for those and anything else you want to be sure is on your radar. For example, I have a notification set for a few weeks before Greenbuild starts so I know I need to start sharing promotional information about the show on social media. PS – if you really want to plan ahead, schedule social media posts for your static 2022 holidays now, like Canada Day and the Fourth of July!
   
   
2. Prepare those editorial calendars. Update your in-house editorial calendars for all of 2022, with everything from deadlines, reminders of upcoming deadlines and topics you want to cover. I make ours in Excel, listing dates and names and roles. We have them for our three blogs as well as the many columns FGIA writes for a range of industry publications. I also make one for FGIA e-News, our monthly newsletter, so I know exactly when I need to have all my newsletter materials in from staff.
   
   
3. Plan 2022 topics in advance. Hold planning meetings now for things like timely or evergreen social media posts, blogs, articles and any other content you foresee writing and sharing this year. This way, you don’t have to frantically come up with a topic days before something is due.
   
   
4. Have a shared editorial calendar. While I don’t love duplicating work, it has been worth my time to take the dates from the in-house Excel editorial calendars I maintain and entering all that data into a shared Outlook calendar. That way, my entire department can see these dates and adjust their Outlook settings to get reminders if they so choose.
   
   
5. Be flexible. Plans change! Sometimes a topic that seemed worthwhile in January might not be as relevant in June. Use what you’ve got as a launchpad for brainstorming alternate ideas that are more timely or pressing. Having a plan to fall back on can make all the difference.

How have you prepared for the new year? Comment below with your own tips!