Introduction
Each year, bloggers spend more and more time creating content. In 2021, bloggers reported spending 4 hours on average for a blog post.
(Orbit Media)
When it comes to online marketing, content is king. That’s why every successful online marketer needs a content marketing strategy. But simply creating and publishing content isn’t enough. You need a content marketing calendar to help you stay organized and on track.
A content calendar is a tool that will help you plan, create, and publish your content in an organized way. It will also help you track your progress and measure your results.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to create a content marketing calendar that will help you achieve your marketing goals.
Why You Need A Content Calendar
If you’re serious about content marketing, then you need a content calendar. A content calendar will help you:
- Plan your content in advance
- Stay organized and on track
- Measure your results
- Achieve your marketing goals
Creating Your Content Calendar
There are a few different ways to create a content calendar. You can use a spreadsheet, a project management tool, or a dedicated content calendar tool.
Using a spreadsheet for Content Calendar:
If you want to keep things simple, you can use a spreadsheet like Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel. Creating a content calendar in a spreadsheet is easy and straightforward. Plus, you can easily share your calendar with others and give them access to view or edit it.
Using a Project Management Tool for Content Calendar:
If you’re already using a project management tool like Asana or Trello, you can easily create a content calendar in one of these tools. You can add tasks, due dates, and other details to each task, and you can assign tasks to team members.
How to use a Project Management tool for Content Calendar:
If you want to use Asana or Trello for your content calendar, you can create a new project and add a task for each piece of content you plan to create. For example, if you’re planning to write a blog post, you would add a task for “Write a blog post” and include the title of the post, the due date, and any other relevant details.
Once you’ve added all of the tasks for your content calendar, you can assign them to team members and set due dates. You can also add comments and attachments to each task.
Using a dedicated content calendar tool:
If you want a dedicated content marketing calendar tool, there are a few options to choose from. CoSchedule is a popular option that starts at $10 per month.
How to use CoSchedule as a Content Calendar:
1. Create a free account and sign in.
2. Click on the “New Calendar” button.
3. Give your calendar a name and description.
4. Choose a time zone and start date.
5. Add events to your calendar by clicking on the “Add Event” button.
6. Include all relevant event details, such as the title, date, time, location, and description.
7. Save your calendar and share it with others by clicking on the “Share” button.
8. Your calendar is now ready to use!
Another option is MyContentCalendar, which starts at $49 per month.
How to use MyContentCalendar as a Content Calendar:
1. Create a free account and sign in.
2. Click on the “Create Calendar” button.
3. Choose a start date and end date for your calendar.
4. Select the content type (e.g., blog post, social media update, etc.) you want to add to each day.
5. Enter the title, URL, and other details for each piece of content.
6. Click on the “Save” button.
MyContentCalendar is a great option for those who want to create and publish content on a regular basis. It’s easy to use and can help you stay organized and on track.
Once you’ve decided which tool you want to use, it’s time to start creating your content calendar. Whichever method you choose, there are a few key elements that your content calendar should include:
Your target audience: Mention your target audience in your calendar so you can create content that appeals to them. For example, if you’re targeting millennials, you might want to create content about the latest trends or social media platforms.
Your goals: What do you want to achieve with your content? Include your goals in your calendar so you can measure your success. For example, if you want to increase brand awareness, track the number of views and shares your content gets.
Your content topics: Brainstorm a list of content ideas that you can write about. For each topic, include a brief description and target audience.
Your publishing date: Choose a date for when you want to publish your content. Make sure to leave enough time for editing and promoting your content.
Your call to action: What do you want your readers to do after they’ve read your content? Include a call to action so you can track how effective your content is at converting readers into customers or leads.
Your content calendar should be a living document that you update regularly. As your business goals change, so should your content calendar. And as you create new pieces of content, be sure to add them to your calendar so you can track your progress and ensure your content is working towards your goals.
Promoting Your Content
Once you’ve created your content, it’s time to promote it. There are a few different ways to promote your content, including:
Social media: Share your content on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. And if you are using a social media account, you even have a social media calendar to help you out!
This will include content that is being created, and published as well as any changes made to the content calendar. This will help you keep track of your content marketing strategy so you can make necessary changes along the way.
Your website: Include a blog on your website and share your articles there. You can also use an email marketing tool to send your articles to your mailing list.
Content syndication: Submit your articles to content syndication sites like Medium and LinkedIn Pulse. This will help you reach a larger audience and build authority in your industry.
Email: Send an email to your list with a link to your latest article.
Paid ads: Boost your content with paid ads on Google or social media platforms.
PR: Get your content featured on popular websites and blogs in your industry.
There are a few different ways to promote your content. Choose the ones that make sense for your business and goals.
Tracking Your Results
Once you’ve created your content calendar, it’s important to track your results. This will help you measure your progress and make necessary adjustments to your strategy.
To track your results, you should keep an eye on:
- Your traffic numbers: This will define how many people are reading your content.
- Your engagement numbers: This will show you how people are interacting with your content. Are they sharing it? Commenting on it?
- Your conversion numbers: This will tell you how effective your content is at converting readers into leads or customers.
By tracking these key metrics, you’ll be able to see what’s working and what’s not.
Tools To Help You Track Your Results
There are a few different tools you can use to track your content marketing results, including:
Google Analytics: This free tool can help you track your website traffic and see where your readers are coming from.
BuzzSumo: This paid tool allows you to see how popular your content is and who’s sharing it.
Hootsuite Insights: This paid tool gives you detailed insights into your social media performance.
Clarabridge: This paid tool helps you track and analyze customer sentiment.
No matter what tools you use, tracking your results is essential to the success of your content marketing strategy.
Making Adjustments
As you track your results, you may find that you need to make some adjustments to your content calendar.
For example, if you’re not getting as much traffic as you want, you may need to promote your content more. Or if your engagement numbers are low, you may need to rethink your content topics.
Making adjustments to your content calendar is a normal part of the content marketing process. By tracking your results and making necessary changes, you can ensure that your content marketing strategy is on track.
Conclusion
A content marketing calendar is a valuable tool for any online marketer. It will help you plan, create, and publish your content in an organized way. It will also help you track your progress and measure your results.
If you’re serious about content marketing, then you need a content marketing calendar. Use the tips in this guide to create a content calendar that will help you achieve your marketing goals. And if you need help getting started, you can hire an agency to do your work and they will have a content marketing calendar for you.
You can always take some time off your very own calendar to drop us a call. Talk to our subject experts today at 12 channels and get the help you need with content marketing.
