Organizations can benefit from content calendars, but so can any marketer who relies on content to fuel their company’s growth. A content planner or calendar gives you a quick snapshot of your content schedule for weeks or months ahead. Keep reading to find out how to create a content calendar.

Determine the subject matter you want to cover

List the topics you must cover. If you’ve already created information, check for gaps. Who are you writing for? When your content solves their concerns, they’re more likely to interact, share, and become leads and customers. As your customers travel through the buyer experience, their needs may alter. Consider marketing objectives. Do you want to spotlight products, increase website traffic, or grow your social media following?

Identify publication channels

What are your plans for getting the word out about your work? For each channel, there is an appropriate content type for it:

Weber (2009). States that the blog for your company. It’s perfect for information like “how-to” guides and insights into your company.

Your online presence. Increase your credibility by creating landing pages, movies, and other gated content. The more frequently you post content on your website, the more likely you are to be found by search engines.

Online video storage and distribution services. For instructional films, interviews, and behind-the-scenes clips.

Facebook, Twitter, etc. A great way to spread the word about fresh content and raise brand recognition.

Emails. Newsletters, press releases, polls, and seasonal material can all target certain groups here.

Determine the Frequency of Posting

Mortensen & Walker (2002). Explained that you could write a new blog post daily, but is this something you want to do? Plan a publishing schedule that is manageable for your team. Maintain a routine, no matter what you decide to do. If you are unsure, you can begin with one to three postings per week.

Establish a Spreadsheet

A spreadsheet is sufficient for most content marketers. Consider using Google Drive, which offers safe cloud storage and backup, to work with other team members. You should include the following columns:

• Date of release.
• Author.
• Title in the meantime.
• A description of the content.
• Intent on promoting something.
• Channels of distribution.
• For search engine optimization (SEO).
• Calls to action are welcome.
• Resources and notes are included in this section.
• Status: draft, completed, published, or on hold.

It is possible to use the WordPress Editorial Calendar plugin or other free editorial calendars like the Content Marketing Institute, CoSchedule, or HubSpot if you desire a more advanced solution.

Fill out your content calendar.

A content calendar’s greatest strength is its adaptability. Except for the fixed seasonal material, you can change the rest of your content to suit your timetable and marketing objectives.

Think of as many ideas as possible, but don’t go over the top regarding your available money. If you’re unsure how much material to produce, focus on quality rather than quantity. Remember that you can also repurpose material and tackle a single issue from multiple perspectives.

Define the workflow.

Each member of your team should be given a copy of the content strategy guide, which includes:

Goals for your overall marketing strategy.

An editorial guide includes a business tone of voice, suitable content forms, preferred language, and a list of recommended keywords.

An overview of the content calendar’s best practices and how to use them.

Each team member’s name and the task for which they are responsible.

Which person should I contact, and how should I communicate with them?

Take away

Creating an editorial schedule is a critical step in achieving your goals if you’re serious about your content marketing efforts.

Start with a simple spreadsheet and let it expand into a more polished content calendar over time, whether you create your material or hire freelance authors. Your life will never be the same without one.

References.

Weber, L. (2009). Marketing to the social web: How digital customer communities build your business. John Wiley & Sons.

Mortensen, T., & Walker, J. (2002). Blogging thoughts: personal publication as an online research tool.