Save the Date: Why and How to Use a Content Calendar?
Having a content calendar is one of the most effective ways to stay on top of your marketing. By using a content calendar, you will know exactly what posts you’re creating, when they are going live and can plan to schedule them in advance.
This makes life so much easier for both you and your readers because they can always expect fresh content from you.
What is a content calendar?
A content calendar is a plan or schedule for your content. It can be as simple as an excel spreadsheet or as complex as an online tool, but it’s important to have one in place so you know what’s coming up and how much time you need to spend on each piece.
Why do I need a content calendar?
A content calendar is a way to stay organised and plan ahead. It’s an essential tool for any business that wants to publish content consistently, but it’s especially useful if you’re working on social media marketing for your business and you are busy running your business too.
A content calendar helps you:
- Plan future posts and campaigns.
- Prioritise what needs to be done now versus later, so that nothing slips through the cracks.
- Stay on top of all your social media accounts.
How to create a content calendar.
To get started, you will need a spreadsheet.
In the first column of your spreadsheet (the left-most column), list out the months for the next 3, 6 or even 12 months as desired. In the next column, break down each month into weeks by creating a new row for each week.
Then list out topics for each week/month. Start by including key dates such as Easter, Mother’s Day, Halloween, St Patrick’s day etc. As you will want to create relevant content around them. Then think about what topics you want to discuss on your social media for each week/month. At this stage we are only thinking about ideas and writing them down. We will schedule time later to create these graphics, videos or blogs. Now you have the bones of a plan for the coming few months at least.
A content calendar can help you manage your blog, social media and email marketing.
A content calendar helps you plan and organise your time so that the most important tasks are completed first. It also allows you to plan out your strategy for each month or quarter, depending on how far in advance you want to schedule posts. A well organised system is essential for keeping track of everything.
Having this plan in place can be helpful if you are already busy and find it difficult to manage your social media activity. Remember the old saying ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail’. Plan your calendar to success today and reduce the overwhelm of managing your social media activity.
