Social Media Calendar for 2026 below

A new year starts, and planning is key to social media success, especially for newsagencies needing community connection and seasonal trend awareness. A proper social media calendar is very strategic. It requires consistency, aligning content with local events and holidays, and strengthening customer relationships. With monthly themes, templates, and tailored strategies, you'll be ready to make each post impactful and boost customer loyalty.

I found that last year's calendar received such incredible feedback from newsagencies across Australia, so clearly filling a need and a lot of thanks, as it was a professional job. Retailers reported that it made keeping their social media fresh and relevant much easier, saving them hours each week. This year, after listening to your input, I made key improvements based on the comments I received and the pos systems for the retail shop of them, not all by the way use my POS System to ensure the calendar is even more practical and effective for your business in 2026.

So I'm excited to introduce the 2026 Social Media Content Calendar, a key resource for newsagencies to stay organised, boost engagement, and increase foot traffic year-round.

Start Planning Today

Written by:

Bernard Zimmermann is the founding director of POS Solutions, a leading point-of-sale system company with 45 years of industry experience, now retired and seeking new opportunities. He consults with various organisations, from small businesses to large retailers and government institutions. Bernard is passionate about helping companies optimise their operations through innovative POS technology and enabling seamless customer experiences through effective software solutions.

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91.34% of online searches in Australia are done through Google. In Australia, where market shares above 40-50% raise concerns, a market share of 91% is considered a monopoly or near-monopoly under competition law. It gives you a feel of how mighty Google is in searches here. Now, since almost everyone uses Google, you have to try to get into it. Here is an idea on how to get your business on Google without incurring any costs, using Instagram.

Now, since July 2025, Google has been showing public posts from a professional account on Instagram for free in its search results. It means your products can appear when people search on Google for free. For example, say you run a newsagency in Sydney. Your Reel showing new stationery items with hashtags like #SydneyStationery could appear in Google searches for "stationery near me." It helps potential customers find your business during everyday searches.

Practical Steps to Get Started

1. If you do not have one, you need to set up an Instagram Business account. It is a simple process that takes minutes.

2. Convert your existing account to a business profile

Open Instagram settings Select "Switch to Professional Account" Choose "Business."

3. Then fill in your business information:

Make sure to add

Add trading hours Address Contact methods

Make sure that these are correct, as if they are wrong, the customer cannot come.

Make sure your details include a clear call-to-action, like "Visit our store for the latest "

4. Post regularly 

You should post 3-5 times per week to stay visible.

For your posts, you need to write captions with clear product names and location tags like "Sydney CBD stationery set" to get the most from search benefits. You do not want to confuse Google. If Google is confused, it will drop you.

If you are currently using Facebook, you will find that you can use your Facebook posts for Instagram. 

Analytics That Help You Make Decisions

After 3 weeks, check Insights weekly on Instagram to track your progress. Look at your high-performing content Now repeat what works and stop what doesn't work well. What I find is looking at the scores and saying what the person is based on these scores, looking at my page, and what they want. Then, after making what we call a persona, I write for that person.

Now, review your POS System to see how it aligns with Instagram. Commonly, they are different. That may be a fact, as online people are not the same as your shop's customers, or you are posting something wrong.

Over time, this is a strong strategy that supports your growth without extra costs.

Next Steps

Convert your Instagram profile today for instant access to free tools at no risk. Use the analytics from your three weeks of posts to identify strategic changes, then make improvements.

Now people are looking at using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve their business. We have seen firsthand here how such AI tools can be used. I was reading a recent survey of social media (advertisers) managers by Metricool here, and I immediately saw another use of how these AI tools can be used.

Survey Insights on AI Usage

Metricool did a deep analysis, and what struck me was just how many of these people 96% were using AI to create advertisements. 72.6% doing so daily. Interestingly, half of them rely on free versions of tools such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or Perplexity. So what they do is available to any retailer.

The first point that stands out is the efficiency gain. Nearly 79% of respondents say AI saves them significant time. Another 77.9% value AI most for generating ideas to promote products, followed by 72.5% who use it for writing content. When it comes to quality, the survey shows promising results. Of those who compared AI-generated material to traditional content, 59% found it on par, 33% deemed it better, and only 8% said it was worse. As professionals in marketing, our standards are high, so imagine how this could elevate our efforts, as we are not professional copywriters. For SMB businesses, this means producing tailored ads quickly, without outsourcing or spending hours.

Real-World Retail Example: Father's Day Campaign

Let's explore how this plays out for SMB retailers. Say you're preparing for Father's Day. You could prompt an AI tool just as I did here. Note, I use Perplexity, which we offered our readers here at a significantly discounted rate a while ago. It has a space set up for a fictional newsagency.

I liked the last idea, so I asked the AI to write a Facebook post.

Now I did like it but thought maybe I should ask for a few other ideas so I asked

I did like the post 1 idea the best, but it was a bit short so I went 

This all took under a minute to generate. If I was to post it to Facebook, I would add a quick photo from my your mobile and then I would have a decent Facebook post advertising my shop.

Practical Tips for Getting Started

Start simple

Choose a free AI tool, I like Perplexity, but Google Gemini or ChatGPT, all are also excellent.

Now experiment, like using your POS System reports to find your top ten selling products. Now ask AI to generate a Facebook post for the shop to market one of these products.

Edit your Facebook post

I find it good to ask for a few different ideas, and feel free to contribute.  

Post your Facebook post

Remember to add a photo.

Monitor results.

Track your results.

Looking Ahead: Empower Your Business

Embracing AI in advertising helps SMB retailers to compete.

Written by:

Bernard Zimmermann is the founding director of POS Solutions, a leading point-of-sale system company with 45 years of industry experience, now retired and seeking new opportunities. He consults with various organisations, from small businesses to large retailers and government institutions. Bernard is passionate about helping companies optimise their operations through innovative POS technology and enabling seamless customer experiences through effective software solutions.

​ A newsagent asked me to help him create a post for Facebook to help him market his shop for the Chinese New Year since I have qualifications in social media marketing and have done some courses on it. So here are 12, I came up with

I suggested the main picture be a close-up photo he takes of beautifully designed Chinese New Year Cards like this one. ​

Here are some Facebook post ideas to promote his Chinese New Year greeting cards and encourage customers to visit their shop. The idea is to invite people to explore their collection in the shop. They should give you some ideas

1 🧧✨ Get ready for Chinese New Year with our stunning collection of greeting cards! Whether you're wishing for prosperity, happiness, or success, we have the perfect card waiting for you.

Visit our shop today and choose yours! 🐉

2.🏮 Swipe through for a sneak peek of our Chinese New Year greeting card collection! Each design is crafted with love and inspired by tradition.

Stop by our shop to see the full range! 🌟

3.🎥 Take a virtual tour of our shop and explore our Chinese New Year greeting card collection! From bold reds to intricate designs, we have everything you need to send blessings this season. 🧧✨

Visit us today to find the perfect card!

4. Looking for the perfect way to send blessings this Lunar New Year? 🧧 visit us and browse our wide selection of Chinese New Year greeting cards—each one designed to bring joy and good fortune! 🌟

See you at the shop! 🐉

5. Every card has a story to tell. 🖌️✨ This Chinese New Year, visit our shop and find a greeting card that speaks from the heart. Whether for family, friends, or colleagues, we've got something special for everyone. 🧧🐉

Stop by today!

6. Which design do you love most for the Year of the Dragon? 🐉 Cast your vote below! 🗳️ Stop by our shop to see these designs (and many more) in person. 🏮✨

Let us know your favourite in the comments too! 💬

7. Celebrate Chinese New Year with cards that make an impression! 🌟 Swipe through to discover some of our favourite designs, then visit us in-store to see the full collection. 🧧🐉

Don't miss out on these festive treasures!

8. Behind every card is a story of tradition and creativity. 🎨✨ Watch our Chinese New Year greeting cards come to life, then visit us in-store to see them up close! 🧧🐉

Find your favourite today!

9. Red is the colour of luck and joy—perfect for celebrating Chinese New Year! 🏮🧧 Our vibrant greeting cards await you in-store to help spread blessings this season. 🌟 Who will you send yours to this year? 💌

Visit us today and take your pick!

10. Did you know? ✨ Exchanging greeting cards during Chinese New Year symbolizes love, respect, and good fortune. 🐉 visit us and explore our collection of meaningful designs to share blessings with those you care about most! 🌟🧧

See you at the shop!

11. 💬 'I found the perfect card for my family at our shop. The designs are beautiful and meaningful.' – Happy Customer 🌟 visit us and find yours too this Chinese New Year! 🐉🧧✨

We can't wait to see you in-store!

12.🏮 The countdown to Chinese New Year is on! Celebrate the season with heartfelt wishes for your loved ones—our shop is stocked with a wide selection of beautiful greeting cards just for you. 🐉✨

Visit us today and find yours before they're gone!

These posts will encourage customers to visit your store while showcasing the variety and beauty of your Chinese New Year greeting card collection. ​

If you sell such items, do not overthink it, do it.

Can social media marketing help your small retail business stand out? Let's explore how social platforms can amplify your unique offerings and attract more customers. Today, fewer people now walk to your shop to shop; they surf the net for shopping. Many retailers now post something on their Facebook company page every day. It is their primary communication method. Today, in business, using social marketing has never been more important—vital, I would say.

No business can afford to ignore social media as part of its marketing strategy.

Checkout statistics for social media in Australia

"85% of the eligible (age 13+) Australian population have active social media accounts and spend an average of 1 hour 47 minutes per day on social media."

Last year, in 2023, I was shocked when a client asked us for help setting up a Facebook page. We helped him out, but now the problem is that he does not know how to use it. I told him that he would do better to learn. There is no excuse if he cannot get someone to help him. Then, I gave him a few pointers. I advised him that there are plenty of good online courses and that he does not need to pay a cent for them to learn, for example, the Hubspot social media marketing course. I completed an online social media marketing course, which ultimately resulted in a social media marketing certification.
 

I thought it was worthwhile. If you know something better, please let me know, and I will tell people here about it.

Here are some advantages of social media.

1. Visibility: Social media platforms can help you get to a broader audience.
2. Cost-effective: Social media marketing strategies can often be free.
3. Customer engagement: You can interact directly with your customers, building relationships and loyalty.
4. Local Targeting: Social media allows you to target customers in your local area.

Getting Started with Social Media Marketing

Choose the Right Platforms

Not all social media platforms are the same. Ask your customers; this helps you focus on the ones where your target audience is most active. For retailers, Facebook and Instagram are often good starting points.
 

Learning from Successful Social Media Strategies

When it comes to starting social media marketing, it's crucial to learn from those who are doing it well. If you can, get an expert to help you start even better.

Study and Adapt

One of the best ways to improve your social media presence is to learn from successful retailers doing similar stuff by:

1. Identify successful competitors: Look for businesses with engaging social media profiles like yours.
2. Analyse their content: What types of posts get the most engagement? How often do they post?
3. Observe their tone: Is it friendly, professional, or humorous? How do they interact with followers?
4. Note their visual style: What images or videos do they use?

Pay attention to their social media creatives - the elements that make their posts recognizable and engaging. This will help you develop your own consistent visual brand identity.

I recommend you go to Facebook and see what a few similar businesses to yours are doing there now. Check the ones you like and take a few notes about what your business needs. Note the words they say, too. Presumably, they have experimented and found that these work. I admit that when I started with social media, I copied people in Canada; they are similar to Australia, and I found that what they did was novel and new in Australia.

So, to start, copy what they do, change it to make it yours and see how you go. As you learn more, you can adapt.

You can always experiment later with the paid services, but like anything, if you are going to pay, it's best to know a little first.

Key Strategies to Implement

Based on my observations of successful retailers, here are some effective strategies:

1. Showcase your products: Use high-quality images and videos to highlight your offerings.
2. Behind-the-scenes content: Give followers a peek into your daily operations or product creation process.
3. Customer spotlights: Feature satisfied customers using your products or services.
4. Engage with your audience: Respond promptly to comments and messages.

My Personal Experience

When we revamped our social media strategy for our POS company, we started by studying successful tech companies and local retailers. We noticed that posts showcasing real-life applications of our software received the most engagement.

We began creating short video tutorials demonstrating how our POS system solved common problems for retailers. These videos attracted potential customers and provided value to our existing clients. We also started featuring customer success stories, significantly boosting our credibility and engagement rates.

Measuring Success

To ensure our strategy was effective, we tracked KPI metrics. Most social media sites give you this stuff for free.

By consistently applying these strategies and measuring our results, I know we significantly improved our social media presence and, ultimately, our business growth.

Remember, the key is to start with observation, adapt strategies to fit your unique business, and consistently measure and adjust your approach. With time and effort, you can develop a solid social media presence that supports your shop and have much fun doing it.

• Engaging: Use high-quality images and videos for your products; your suppliers have this; ask them for social media content. I am sure they have a social media manager who can help you get effective social media. Alternatively, explore online image generator options to create professional visuals tailored to your brand, ensuring your posts stand out and attract more engagement.
• Informative: Share tips, how-to guides, and product information.
• Authentic: Show the human side of your business.

Consistency is Key

To keep your marketing campaign going, you must maintain a regular posting schedule and commit to best practices in social media management.

Leveraging Social Media for Your Shop

Here are some ways to use social media to promote your retail shop:

1. Showcase your products: Show photos and videos of your products. If you get new gift items, books, or pets in your shop, take a picture and share it online. 
2. Share customer testimonials: These bring trust by highlighting positive customer experiences.
3. Provide customer service: I have clients whose staff, when they are not busy behind the counter, are answering customer inquiries on social media.

Be a marketer (an influencer).

Measuring Your Success

Measure the effectiveness of your social media marketing, and keep an eye on these KPIs:

Conclusion

"It's 2024, and the retail landscape demands a modern approach. Social media marketing stands out as a game-changing tool for small retailers looking to scale their business and highlight their POS software capabilities. Create a compelling online presence that works in tandem with your physical store by carefully choosing your platforms, developing captivating content, and actively engaging with your audience. The secret to thriving? Begin with manageable goals, maintain regularity, and always focus on enriching your audience's experience.

Let your social media shine!

A few people who wanted to attend our upcoming webinar on social media marketing tips have said they are currently too busy ramping up for the holiday sales season, so we've decided to postpone the webinar until early next year when things settle down. We know this time of year can be hectic for retailers now!

New Webinar Date

We have rescheduled the webinar for mid-February 2024. We'll send out reminders as it gets closer.

Why Social Media Matters for Your Store

Social media marketing can be a huge boost for local shops, and it's probably the most effective advertising today.

Here is what we cover:

Choosing the Right Platforms

We'll provide tips on prioritizing platforms like:

• Facebook - By far the most prominent platform, essential for retailers
• Instagram - Great for visually showcasing products & store culture
• Google My Business - Vital for local search visibility

Setting Up Your Facebook Page

A good Facebook presence is invaluable, so we'll walk through crucial elements like:

• Ensuring your business info/hours are accurate
• Writing an engaging About section

Posting Content That Connects

We'll explore free content ideas centred around:

• Seasonal offers and sales events
• Using photos that quickly communicate what you offer
• Local community happenings
• User-generated content from customers

Monitoring Performance

You will never get very far in social media if you do not measure, so I will run you through a free social media analytics tool that integrates into our POS Software to help track your KPIs:

I will then run you through the most popular social media marketing KPIs.

Engagement rate is the percentage of your followers interacting with your social media posts.

Reach is the number of unique people who see your social media advertisements.

Impressions are the number of times your social media posts are seen, which shows both positives and negatives.

Understanding performance data lets you refine your strategy over time.

Conclusion

Please let us know if you have any other questions before mid-Feb 2024

I have seen firsthand how a strong online presence can transform a company's reach and reputation and increase its bottom line. Social media provides invaluable marketing opportunities for small businesses. Since the pandemic, when almost everyone went online, social media is deeply embedded in many people's routines; it has become the leading advertising today.

The Rising Importance of Social Media

Social media has become a dominant force in marketing. Here are some compelling statistics:

• 6 in 10 Australians use Facebook
• 1 in 2 Australians uses Facebook daily
• 1 in 2 Australians use YouTube
• 1 in 3 Australians use Instagram
• 1 in 4 Australians use Snapchat

The average person will be on Facebook today in Australia for 2 hours.

Social Media Marketing Success Stories

The point is that it is often FREE!

Many of my clients, e.g. newsagents, have implemented a social media strategy focused on the products they market. This boosted their brand awareness and engagement tremendously. It has driven traffic to their shop by connecting with their customers.

Tips to Promote Your Small Business on Social Media

Here are some best practices I recommend for utilising social media as part of your overall marketing strategy:

Create shareworthy content. Post photos, videos, Stories, Reels, and live videos that capture attention and interest. Entertain and educate your customers

Engage with your audience. Respond to comments, questions, and feedback. Show customers you care.

Promote your shop online. Social platforms provide many detailed targeting options. Promote posts and products to your ideal demographics.

Analyse your posts. Use analytics to see which content and strategies are most effective. Double down on what drives engagement and conversions.

Be consistent. Post regularly to stay top of mind. But focus on quality over quantity in your content.

Highlight your purpose. Showcase how your business positively impacts the community. Consumers align with brands that reflect their values. Use flyers in your social media strategy. Designwiz helps you create eye-catching digital flyers to promote special offers, events, or new products. Share these flyers on your social platforms to capture attention and drive engagement effortlessly.

My Social Media Marketing Webinar for Small Business

If enough are interested, I am happy to run another Webinar to show you the potential of social media marketing.

• How to set up and optimize social media profiles
• Types of content that fuel engagement
• How to get images and news to post
• Using analytics to guide your approach
• Building engagement and community
• Driving sales through social platforms

Let me know if you are interested.

The High Court has recently confirmed that if your business has a Facebook page, you are responsible for the libellous comments people make on your shop's Facebook page. 

The High Court stated here recently that

Fairfax could not be considered "passive and unwitting victims of Facebook's functionality" as they operated the Facebook page for their own commercial and financial interests, and invited users to leave comments on the Facebook page. Instead, the media organisations must "bear the legal consequences" of doing so.

This confirms our early remarks that if you have a business Facebook page, you must turn off comments, as many do, or actively monitor posts and comments by your Facebook users.

Here are some actionable tips if you decide to allow comments.

Go to your business page.

Then press Settings on the bottom left.

Now you will get a page with the settings.

Here are our suggestions.

Visitor Posts: - Only you can post.

Post and Story Sharing: - Disabled.

Tagging Ability: - Off

Content moderation: - add any problematic words. There is no point in making your problems worse. Besides, I doubt your customers will appreciate people using these words. Keep adding to the list as required.

Profanity filter: - Turn on.

Remember, if such comments appear, please go to your Facebook page ASAP and delete them.

You could use an image like this in your POS Software, Staff would appreciate when searching for a stock item an image. 

However you need to promote your business. The fact is that the cheapest (it's free), most effective, quickest, and the best way today is online on Social Media. 

What about a picture of something interesting in your shop? Look at large companies. If you look at their Facebook pages, you will see much of it in pictures. 

Why?

Well, they know that they have a few seconds to grab a person's attention. Visually you can captivate someone very quickly. A picture can help that person to visualise the product and/or service offered immediately. If they like what they see, they may read the offer. What they want is an exciting image that will grab your attention. 

Social media today is an inherently visual medium.

So, where is this headed? You need to be active on social media to promote your business too!  Ideally, what you are doing is something on social media at least a few times a month. If once a week, you are looking at 50 images a year.  It does not have to be Earth-shaking images. Few of them we see are. Use a picture of a jigsaw puzzle that has just arrived in your shop,  a new dog for sale, a Christmas greeting card, some perfume, a book, etc. 

Often you can get professional images from your supplier. If not well, it does it have to be professionally made.  With a decent smartphone today, anyone can take a good picture. All you need is some basic photography skills.

A Tip: One advantage that an amateur photographer has is that they can take as many photos as they like whenever they like.  Professionals can only come at set times and rarely will go back. Use this advantage and take many pictures, up, down, around, left, right, etc. until you get it right. If none worked, try again, it cost nothing today to take heaps of photos.

Another tip: Check out a few youtubes on taking photographs with smartphones. For example, this guy explains it well. 

Knowing how to take a good photo today on a smartphone is a skill worth learning. 

Give it a shot, and I would like to see some of your examples.

I have clients now that are on social media all day. Today any retail business that wants to reach a broader target audience and attract new customers needs to go on social media, particularly if it is not in a centre. A centre will drag people in for you.

That is why often you will see cashiers in small businesses on Facebook on the front counter typing away, answering customer enquires.

Today many of your clients are using social media sites like Facebook frequently throughout the day. If you connect with them on these social networks, you help keep them engaged and interested in your business while they are outside the shop. 

It also allows you to get real-time feedback from the people who are most interested in your goods and services. This is vital if only because of the damage now bad reviews can do to your business.  A nail parlour near me got a few bad reviews and was begging its customers to say something nice about them because they were losing business as people were reading bad reviews and then not coming. 

Getting involved is not hard, try by sharing some cool photos of new stock items, if you have 10 major suppliers they odds are you will get at least one new photo or news item from one of them a day for you to share, then there is also news to share, eg your support for a bushfire appeal, worst case you always have the weather, etc. 

This will result in you having a loyal, engaged audience.

If you are thinking of growing your social media presence, you are probably wondering which social network is the best for you. It depends on the specific products you sell, but I would say Facebook first and then ask your customers.

If you want to learn more, click here