Utilizing a blog editorial calendar to plan out content can be an efficient and effective way of keeping teams organized and on track, but how should you go about creating one?
Start by using an Excel or Google Sheets spreadsheet tool like Airtable or Google Sheets to add multiple columns for various content types and contributors, recording their work statuses as they go along.
1. Plan your posts in advance.
As consumers have shorter attention spans, businesses now create content across various channels and mediums – blogs, TikTok videos, podcast interviews and much more – making managing all this content an immense task for any team.
An editorial calendar is a tool designed to assist teams in creating and managing their content strategy in one central place, offering a high-level overview of what will be created over the coming months, quarters and years. This idea has its roots in traditional publishing but has long been utilized by media companies today.
Editorial calendars help marketing teams keep their content consistent and organized, tracking content creation progress and meeting publishing deadlines with ease. Utilizing an editorial calendar also increases productivity while speeding up article production time.
Content is an essential element of digital marketing strategies, yet can be difficult to manage. That is why it is vitally important that blog posts be scheduled ahead of time; this way, you can ensure your blog has enough engaging and timely posts that stay on topic for its target audience.
Create an editorial calendar by simply compiling a spreadsheet with all of the content to be produced across platforms, or use a project management app such as Trello, Asana or CoSchedule; these tools enable you to assign tasks, quickly view content at a glance and communicate directly with team members all from one central platform.
No matter which tool you use to publish content, it’s essential that you set and adhere to a schedule for publishing it regularly and drive more traffic to your site. Furthermore, analytics tools and SEO software should be utilized for monitoring its performance; this way, you can identify which topics or formats work most effectively and adjust your strategy accordingly.
2. Use a calendar.
When managing content across multiple platforms, having a calendar can help keep everything on schedule and prevent the chaos caused by missed deadlines and miscommunication. There are various calendar options available, with which one best fitting your needs depending on team size and individual preferences.
Google Calendar or Excel offer the simplest solution for solo content creators, while for larger teams you may require something more sophisticated. There are a number of editorial calendar tools that provide additional features – assign tasks, set reminders, create custom categories/tags, share content among team members etc – as well as keeping track of blog post ideas, timelines and performance of content creation efforts.
Before choosing an editorial calendar tool, it is important to carefully consider its impact on both your workflow and budget. Some tools offer free versions with limited functionality that may meet your needs; other can cost hundreds of dollars monthly – it may be best to start small and upgrade as necessary.
There are also editorial calendar tools that specialize in specific platforms or mediums, like blog posts or social media posts. This is useful if your target audience requires content tailored specifically towards that medium; for instance, B2B tech companies might prefer blog posts and webinars while B2C ecommerce businesses might prefer Instagram stories and Facebook ads as main components.
Whatever type of editorial calendar you opt for, it is critical that it is reviewed periodically and modified as necessary. Market conditions change constantly so it’s wise to be prepared to shift plans if they are no longer working effectively; doing this will enable you to meet deadlines, accomplish goals and generate income more easily. It can also help compare content performance against that of competitors to identify any gaps in strategy that might need addressing.
3. Share it.
An editorial calendar is an indispensable tool that allows you to stay on track with your content marketing goals. It enables you to plan and create content as well as hold all team members accountable with predetermined deadlines, while giving you the power to track performance metrics.
No matter the size or scope of your business, an editorial calendar is an indispensable way to stay organized. A blog content calendar will save time and energy by helping you deliver top-quality posts regularly.
Editorial calendars can be utilized by bloggers, publishers and any type of content creator to organize posts by topic and due date; as well as details regarding when and how it will be released.
An editorial calendar can be developed using any number of tools and techniques, but starting off with Google Sheets’ free and user-friendly spreadsheet is recommended for ease of use and accessibility by your entire team – it gives an instantaneous snapshot of planned content pieces at a glance.
Your content strategy should contain details regarding the formats that will be utilized, such as blog posts, social media updates, infographics and videos. This will enable you to plan out an overall structure for your material as well as meet requirements of various channels more easily.
Create an editorial calendar in order to identify patterns or trends in the type of content you publish online, such as whether certain types of blog posts receive more engagement than others, or when visitors tend to visit your site during certain hours. An editorial calendar allows you to analyze this data and use it to enhance future publishing strategies.
An editorial calendar can be created in any number of ways, and finding one that suits your business best is key to its success. A calendar will keep you on track with your goals and meeting deadlines more easily – helping ensure the ultimate success you seek is reached.
