Keeping a quality content calendar and posting regularly from it is the key to expanding your reach through Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and keeping your current audience interested.
A well-crafted content calendar should help you create opportunities to engage with your target audience and ensure your brand’s voice is being heard, acting as a guide for developing your yearly content. It should include frequency of posts, where posts are being made, and types of content being posted. Allie Freeman, provides insight into the do’s and don’ts when creating and managing your content calendar in her article, “The Do’s and Don’ts of Your Brand’s Content Calendar“.
Use Editorial Calendar Tools
- Do | Manage your due dates with a web-based, multi-user tool like Basecamp, OneNote, or Evernote. These popular task management applications enable users to create and assign tasks as well as set due dates.
- Don’t | Use an application that only one person has access too. If you use a spreadsheet, ensure that more than one user can access it at one time.
Quantify Content Strategy
- Do | Measure your goals by establishing benchmarks. Determine the number of likes, followers, shares, etc. to quantify the success of your content.
- Don’t | Set unrealistic goals. Your goals should be easily attainable to maintain a good morale for your team.
Collaboration on Content
- Do | Hire an editor. An editor can ensure your t’s are crossed and your i’s are dotted. This is especially important if the manager is not a professional writer.
- Don’t | Let one person manage the editorial calendar. Keep your content diverse and fresh by allowing multiple people to manage it.
Establish a Vision
- Do | Understand who your demographic. Leverage resources like Facebook Insights and Google Analytics to help refine your ideal targets.
- Don’t | Assume you know your core audience. Leverage social media comments, shares and feedback to inspire content.
Diversify Your Editorial Calendar
- Do | Conduct content research on a monthly and quarterly basis. While newsletters, white papers, info graphics, and eBooks take longer to produce, the content has a longer life than strict text only website articles.
- Don’t | Make your content calendar too confusing. Keep it simple for your team.
Plan Ahead
- Do | Choose your content theme at least a year in advance. Your theme should relate to your industry.
- Don’t | Plan too far ahead. Limit your planning to three month’s keep the content current.
Review Your Blog’s History
- Do | Review your previous topics before you publish anything new. Conduct website keyword searches to ensure you haven’t missed any of your older posts.
- Don’t | Over use a topic. Keep your content fresh by varying your topics.
