Before jumping into placing titles on dates, when creating a content calendar, you will want to answer some key questions to make sure your content isn’t in vain. Make your content count and deliver your messages with a strategy. Here are 5 Content Calendar Creation Do’s & Dont’s to know before creating your content calendar.
CONTENT CALENDAR DO’S:
- Do set the time and/or team aside to commit to your content calendar goals.
- Do research how much content you will need to create to make an impact.
- Do know how often you will need to share content in order to be effective.
- Do establish your best channels for sharing content.
- Do measure your results and determine if your efforts produce the right ROI.
CONTENT CALENDAR DON’TS:
- Don’t skimp on researching your audience. Get intrusively familiar with their needs.
- Don’t use a generalized ‘free content calendar’ online – take the time to make your own, it will be well worth it.
- Don’t hand off the project to anyone who isn’t going to research your audience.
- Don’t generalize, be specific and include key information about content details.
- Don’t give up! Well done content calendars take effort but pay off big.
Make sure your team is set up for success with the best content marketing software to track progress, complete tasks, and make publishing a no-brainer. Software options include Basecamp, Trello, Monday, Kapost, Google Docs, and Freedcamp. You can also use your own CRM if it has a content management section, like Salesforce or Zoho. Whatever you choose, keep it organized and make it mandatory for content creators to document their status and update necessary files.
What’s Included in a Content Calendar Entry?
Here’s a list of the basic things you’ll want to include in each entry of your calendar for content. These details will allow anyone to enter the calendar and have a clear idea of who the content is being created for, at what stage in a buying process they are, the time frame around the content and who to answer to or look for if questions arise, the project manager.
Details to include in the content calendar:
- Working Headline of topic
- Author assigned to that piece of content
- Project Manager and Final Editor
- Official due dates & publish date
- Status of the project (completed, in progress)
- Channels for sharing
- Format
- Category
- Target Personas
- Level of reader’s knowledge/stage in learning process (beginner, intermediate, expert).
Developing a content plan is rewarding when approached with diligence. The more effort you front load on your content development team and calendar, the easier it will be to execute and distribute. When you have a content calendar that you can rely on, writers and designers will be able to concentrate on the quality of their work and not the management and file sharing details that can get hectic without a system.
If you’re doing content right, you will see that there is no ‘one size fits all’ template. Honing your organization’s zone of genius and conveying that expertise that’s particular to your business and team, requires a tailored plan. If you’re a list lover like we are, this will actually be a fun process. Content is fun and when you put enthusiasm behind your content calendar, your writers and designers will also feel excited. In this case, the trickle-down effect is actually true because your readers will feel the same enthusiasm.
Have fun, be diligent, include your team, and get to planning!
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