Buffer , a social media management platform, not only provides tools for scheduling content but also runs a popular blog and social accounts of their own. They have been very transparent about their marketing experiments, which gives us insight into their editorial calendar practices: - Experimentation Slots: Buffer often runs content experiments (like posting more frequently vs. less, trying new formats, etc.) and then writes about the results. Their content calendar deliberately includes these experiments. For example, they might plan a month where they post 5 times a day on Twitter (versus their normal 2) and mark that experiment period on their calendar , with a corresponding blog post scheduled later to report findings.
- Audience-Inspired Topics: Buffer uses their social media interactions as fuel for content ideas. Common questions or discussions that arise on Twitter or their community forum get added as topics on their editorial calendar . Essentially, their calendar is partly “crowd-sourced” – if one week they notice many people asking about the best time to post on Instagram, they’ll slot a blog post about that in the near future (supported by research, which they love to do). - Consistent Cadence with Flexibility: They maintain a regular blogging cadence (e.g., one or two blogs per week). These slots are visible on the calendar .
However , they keep a couple of “open” slots each month for timely topics (like a sudden change in a social network’s algorithm or big industry news). Those open slots are filled on the fly when needed, or otherwise used for evergreen content if no timely news occurs. - Cross-Team Calendar: Buffer’s content calendar is shared between their content writers and social media managers. If a blog post is scheduled, the social team knows to prepare accompanying tweets or Facebook posts to promote it, scheduled on the same day. Conversely, if a social media campaign is planned (like a themed week on Twitter), the content writers might create a summary blog or email.
Everything is coordinated so that blog and social amplify each other , rather than operate separately. Lesson from Buffer: Always be testing – and reflect that in your calendar . Also, let audience engagement fuel your content plan. A good editorial calendar is not static; it adjusts based on feedback and stays flexible to cover the most relevant topics of the moment.