Many business owners find the idea of planning their content an overwhelming prospect. In this blog post, we are going to show you how to create a content calendar.
If there’s anything more difficult than creating content, it’s planning it out.
Many business owners struggle with this, as it can appear more complicated than it really is. Usually, the thought of creating a content calendar sounds like a convoluted task that is quickly left on the shelf for another time.
Creating content doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, once you get the fundamentals in place, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to maintain. You’ll wonder why you didn’t use one before!
I’m going to show you how to create one, but first, let’s take a look at what a content calendar is.
What is a content calendar?
A content calendar (also known as an “editorial calendar”) is a written schedule of when and where you plan to publish upcoming content. Content calendars typically include upcoming pieces, status updates, planned promotional activity, partnerships, and updates to existing content.
Next, I’m going to show you how to create your content calendar so you can start planning your content today.
It starts with goals
An obvious start. Every business needs a clear idea of their goals when creating content. Sit down and write out the main goals you want your content to achieve.
Decide on content formats and topics
Decide what kind of content you will be sharing. Will they be blog posts, emails, social media posts? If you want to be extra organized, establish what kind of topics your content will be covering.
Timeline
Decide on a timeline and the frequency you will be posting content. Will it be weekly, monthly, or quarterly? For example, if you’re planning content for social media, you will be planning to publish more regularly than if you were publishing a blog post. Set dates for when each piece of content will be posted or shared.
Creating your template
Where will your content calendar be located? If you have a team working on your content, you’ll want a document that is easily shareable, and you want to be able to easily track progress. I recommend using Google Sheets or Excel as they are both easily accessible.
Add your content to the template
It’s time to fill in your content calendar. You could follow the example I showed above, or you could get really fancy and fill in extra fields. Include content topics, titles, and assign team names to specific pieces of content. You can add updates to these fields too, so everyone can keep track of any changes.
Keep up-to-date as you progress
A content calendar helps you to form a habit, and checking it regularly will keep you on top of your content schedule. You’ll also be able to check in on the rest of your team if you have one, and keep track of any changes, updates, topic ideas, and published posts.
Review your content calendar
At the end of the time period, you can review your content calendar to see what content did well, and what did not. With this extremely helpful data, you can plan out your next round of content.
Do you need help creating a content calendar?
Contact us to schedule a 1 Hour Small Business Technology Strategy Session with Ashley, which includes a website and digital marketing audit ($350 value).
