You might already know that it’s important to publish new content regularly on social media. What might not be quite so clear? Knowing what to publish. If you’re running low on ideas for your content calendar, this two-part blog series should help you get the creative juices flowing again.

Using the ideas I’ll share in today’s post and in the post to follow, you could repeat this same calendar every month simply by making each topic current and relevant to what’s going on in your business. For example, on days when you want to promote your website, you can tie in your post to a current promotion or offer. On days when you’re giving a behind-the-scenes snapshot of your business, you can simply snap a photo of what’s going on in the break room or at someone’s desk. You get the idea.

You can switch up the order of posts, as long as you have a variety of different posts throughout the week. Keep in mind, you want to avoid being too self-promotional and instead have the goal of authentically connecting with your customers. They want to get to know the real you and gain something of value, not get bombarded with sales messages every day.

Day 1: Post an inspirational quote
Do you have a favorite author, business leader, speaker, musician, philosopher? Look up some of their inspirational quotes, and turn them into beautiful images using a graphic design app. One of my favorites is Canva.com, which offers a wide range of backgrounds, fonts, templates and images, many of them free. You can also upload your own images and use them as backgrounds.

Day 2: Showcase one of your products or services.
A great way to show off your product or service is through a customer testimonial. Ideally, you’ll have a real photo of a customer using your product or showing off the results of your service, posted along with the text of the testimonial. Otherwise, you can simply post the text or even turn it into an image like you did with the inspirational quote above.

Day 3: Offer something free.
People love freebies. Do you have a download (or can you create one) that you can give away? If you are a chef, you could offer a downloadable pdf of “10 Quick and Easy Weeknight Meals.” Be sure to capture their email addresses and request opt-ins so you’ll have their information, too.

Day 4: Post a behind-the-scenes photo or video.
Using the chef example above, you can capture and post moments in the kitchen, cooking tips and simple recipe tutorials. People will share and save your tips and videos and come back to them again and again.

Day 5: Share someone else’s post or link.
Let someone else do the talking by sharing a great photo or link from someone you follow. You’ll not only save time, but also offer something of value to your readers and build relationships with people in your industry.

Day 6: Answer an FAQ.
What are some of the burning questions in your industry related to your business? Answer one of them in a quick post or video.

Day 7: Promote your website or blog.
Post a quick, enticing snippet that encourages readers to click over to your website or blog. The chef could say, “Planning a big summer barbecue? Head over to my website to sign up for my four-part cooking class, and become a grill master in just four weeks!”

Day 8:  Ask people to fill in the blank.
When thought-provoking enough, these posts encourage lots of engagement. Examples: “I always take along my ____ when I travel” or “I would never eat _____.”

Day 9: Post an old photo.
Your old photographs make for great “Throwback Thursday” or “Flashback Friday” posts. Make a game out of it by creating a collage that includes yourself along with other random baby pictures, and ask people to guess which one is you.

Day 10: Ask people to caption something.
Some pictures are worth 1,000 words (or at least a line or two of text!). Post a fun photo depicting a funny, cute, odd or incredible event, and ask people to provide a caption describing what’s going on.

Day 11: Share a link to sign up for your newsletter.
Once you’ve gained your readers’ trust, invite them to keep up with your latest news. You can even pair this post with another freebie. They opt in to your emails, and you send them a digital download in return.

Day 12: Share a tip from a reader.
Readers have great content ideas, too. Snag a tip from a reader and turn it into a post, such as: “Eric does his meal planning and grocery shopping on Sundays. As he cooks throughout the week, he makes enough of certain dishes to have leftovers and freezes them for another meal.”

Day 13: Share a favorite resource, app or tool.
The chef could post a photo of herself with a favorite cooking utensil or ingredient. Better yet, create a promotion in conjunction with another brand: “I’ve paired up with XYZ Company to offer a free cookbook to the first 100 subscribers.”

Day 14: Post a photo of yourself outside the office.
Do you frequent a local coffee house? Snap a photo of your latte, and tag the shop in the photo. Place your to-do list alongside your coffee to let people know what you’re up to today.

Day 15: Thank your followers.
A simple “Thanks for being our fans!” goes a long way toward building good will, brand loyalty and confidence in your brand.

Tune in next week for part two of this series with days 16 to 31. In the meantime, you have plenty of ideas to get you started. Happy posting!

What other ideas do you have for social media content? Leave your comments below.