Social media has become an essential tool for beauty brands looking to connect with their audience, showcase their products, and build a thriving online presence. Just think of brands like Huda Beauty, The Ordinary, Glossier, or Summer Fridays, and their massive followings and engaged audiences.
However, as social media evolves at lightning speed, new trends, algorithm updates, and shifting audience preferences constantly reshape the digital landscape.
So how can we get ahead of the evolving platforms? Social media calendars.
A structured social media calendar helps make your online strategy feel less like navigating a maze. By following a planned content schedule, you can maintain consistency, engage your audience effectively, and make the most of emerging beauty trends—all while optimizing your time and budget (and not getting lost in the noise).
This guide will break down a 30-day social media plan, covering content themes, execution tips, and platforms to explore for beauty ecommerce success.
What is media planning?
But first things first, let’s quickly answer, “What is social media planning?”
Social media planning involves taking an active and future-thinking approach to your social strategy. You preemptively plan and lay out what content you’ll be sharing across each social media platform. Maybe you break out themes, content buckets, or fully-fledged posts.
Either way, social media planning allows you to save time, maintain consistency, and take a more strategic approach to your content.
How to structure your social media calendar
Consistently posting on social media can get overwhelming.
But as strategists say, consistency is key–and they’re not wrong. Buffer found that the most consistent social media posters received 5x more engagement (likes, comments, and shares) per post than those who post inconsistently. 5x!
So to make social media attainable, rather than reinventing the wheel each day, structure your content into recurring themes to streamline planning. A consistent framework ensures your content remains balanced, engaging, and aligned with your brand’s goals while still being manageable for you and your team.
Here’s a breakdown of how you can organize your posts:
Weekly content themes:
Each day of the week can serve a specific purpose, helping you stay organized while keeping your content fresh. Let’s map out your calendar:
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Monday: Educational content (e.g., skincare routines, ingredient benefits, myths vs. facts).
- Proof: 66% of social users find edutainment (educational and entertaining) content to be the most engaging of all brand content.
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Tuesday: User-generated content (UGC) and customer testimonials.
- Proof: 80% of users surveyed by nosto stated UGC highly impacts their purchasing decisions.
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Wednesday: Behind-the-scenes brand moments (e.g., packaging process, founder story, product development insights).
- Proof: HubSpot reported that content marketers consider behind-the-scenes content to be among the top three most effective types of social media content.
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Thursday: Product showcases, how-to tutorials, and benefits breakdowns.
- Proof: Videos with “makeup tutorial” in the title have been watched on YouTube alone over 2.4 billion times.
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Friday: Interactive content (e.g., polls, Q&As, social media giveaways).
- Proof: 35% of marketers worldwide find polls and quizzes to be the best type of interactive content.
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Saturday: Influencer collaborations, unboxings, or customer spotlight features.
- Proof: 69% of consumers said they trust the recommendations of influencers for new products.
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Sunday: Lifestyle or inspirational beauty content (self-care tips, wellness topics, or trending beauty hacks).
- Proof: In 2023, lifestyle was the most popular Instagram influencer category with a 13.7% share.
Breaking down your 30-day social media plan
A successful social media calendar requires variety–a combination of education, engagement, and promotion. You wouldn’t want to see repetitive content from your favorite beauty businesses, so don’t do that for your own audience.
Here’s a sample 30-day calendar to execute your plan week by week. And note that this calendar can be repurposed monthly.
Week 1: Building brand awareness & engagement
If you’re just starting your social media strategy, then this week focuses on introducing your brand, building credibility, and engaging your audience with valuable content. If you’ve been active on social media for some time, then this week will emphasize engagement and valuable content.
- Day 1 (Monday): Post a skincare or makeup myth vs. fact carousel to educate your audience.
- Day 2 (Tuesday): Re-share a customer testimonial or UGC featuring your product to build trust.
- Day 3 (Wednesday): Take followers behind the scenes with a “day in the life” of your brand.
- Day 4 (Thursday): Share a tutorial demonstrating how to use your best-selling product.
- Day 5 (Friday): Run an Instagram Story poll to let customers vote on your next product release (if applicable). Or ask them what their favorite shade of a product is.
- Day 6 (Saturday): Collaborate with a beauty influencer for a GRWM (Get Ready With Me) video.
- Day 7 (Sunday): Share a Sunday self-care routine featuring your products to reinforce lifestyle branding.
Week 2: Driving conversions & sales
Now that you’ve engaged your audience, it’s time to start encouraging conversions and boosting sales.
- Day 8 (Monday): Highlight key product ingredients and their benefits.
- Day 9 (Tuesday): Feature a customer review video with before-and-after results to boost credibility.
- Day 10 (Wednesday): Show how your product is packaged and prepped for delivery.
- Day 11 (Thursday): Showcase a limited-time offer or discount for followers.
- Day 12 (Friday): Host a social media giveaway to increase engagement and brand visibility.
- Day 13 (Saturday): Have an influencer do an unboxing and first impressions.
- Day 14 (Sunday): Post a beauty or wellness affirmation graphic to inspire your audience.
Week 3: Expanding reach & brand authority
This week, focus on increasing your reach, tapping into new audiences, and positioning your brand as an authority.
- Day 15 (Monday): Post a video explaining the science behind your products.
- Day 16 (Tuesday): Feature a user-generated “favorite product” testimonial.
- Day 17 (Wednesday): Show your brand’s sustainability or ethical sourcing efforts.
- Day 18 (Thursday): Film a short-form video tutorial on creative ways to use your product.
- Day 19 (Friday): Run a “This or That” challenge where followers vote between two shades or products.
- Day 20 (Saturday): Partner with a micro-influencer (10K-100K followers) to share a beauty routine.
- Day 21 (Sunday): Post a relaxation tip tied to self-care Sunday.
Week 4: Customer loyalty & retention
Strengthening relationships with your existing customers helps create long-term brand advocates (ones that you can likely use their UGC in your strategy). This week is all about strengthening that loyalty.
- Day 22 (Monday): Share expert skincare or beauty tips.
- Day 23 (Tuesday): Repost a customer’s transformation story to foster credibility.
- Day 24 (Wednesday): Highlight your brand values with a behind-the-scenes interview.
- Day 25 (Thursday): Drop a sneak peek of an upcoming product launch.
- Day 26 (Friday): Reward followers with a flash sale.
- Day 27 (Saturday): Have an influencer share their holy-grail picks from your brand.
- Day 28 (Sunday): Post a positive affirmation or beauty mantra to inspire customers.
- Day 29 (Monday): Recap the most engaging content from the month and ask followers what they love most.
- Day 30 (Tuesday): Announce an exclusive perk for email subscribers or loyal customers.
Social media calendar for beauty ecommerce success
A structured 30-day social media calendar can transform your beauty ecommerce brand’s online presence. As we mentioned, with a healthy mix of education, engagement, and promotions, you can maintain consistency while growing your audience and boosting sales.
The key to social media success is not just posting regularly but posting intentionally. By focusing on brand storytelling and customer engagement, you’ll create a well-rounded digital presence that resonates with audiences.
And remember, the beauty industry is dynamic, and your social media strategy should evolve with trends, audience preferences, and performance insights.
Evaluate your social media performance regularly, fine-tune your content strategy based on what resonates most, and keep your brand voice authentic. People engage with brands that feel genuine and aligned with their values—so focus on building real connections, not just followers.
