Use a Content Writing Calendar to Boost Small Biz Sales
The best way to have success in the online business arena is by planning and implementing a content marketing plan. For people in the content creation business, this is essential to our livelihood. In this article, I’m going to show you how even the most distracted person (me) has run a successful business using a simple tool. The key to my success is the marketing and content calendar I create at the beginning of the year.
You Need a Content Calendar
Business owners who can produce consistent outreach can make their marketing campaigns more successful. Their efforts to produce content are inconsistent. A content calendar would be a good place to start.
A content calendar is the best way to get started with a local business. The plan comprises information to be shared. You are promoting what you know about your business and your niche. Publishing material on a calendar makes it easy to schedule it.
How to Create a Content Calendar for Blogs?
Blogging has become a quick and easy way for entrepreneurs to connect with their public. The creation side and the promotional side are two forces at work in content marketing. Both need to work together for marketing campaigns to be successful.
If you are using your content to drive traffic to your offers online, you will compete for the attention of your audience. The best way to beat the competition is by outperforming them. A content calendar allows you to develop a strategy for creating content, distributing it and promoting it.
Content Calendars Help You Shape Your Strategy
Think of it as a road map. You’re able to lay all the pieces of your strategy on a plan after you’ve researched the specifics of the campaign. It’s easy to forget a part or miss a deadline if you’re not able to track your progress.
Outperforming the competition is one of the most important steps in developing a content strategy. A comparison of our operation with the closest competitors can be conducted by looking at the entire road map. The winning strategy now requires content that outperforms their YouTube videos.
Content Calendars Help to Keep the Team Working Together
Small business owners are competing and with much larger companies for the attention of the same audience. Being successful on the Internet may need a group effort. You may have writers working on articles and video sales scripts while others are creating graphics.
In fact, content calendars are more like project management tools. Every member of the team has access to the same information, whether they are contract workers or employees. The meetings center on recent production or upcoming content based on the calendar.
Calendars Keep the Entire System Working
Now all the boxes can be checked from the start of an idea to its publication and promotion. There can also be a step on the calendar for tracking and updating content. Each person who handles their part of the project can view their contribution with clarity.
For example, your calendar can make sure that you promote the work that has been produced at the right time and on schedule. Creating a piece of content and not promoting it properly is a waste of time and money. Now you’re able to get done to completion in a manner.
When the time comes to track the success of the campaign, the calendar is there to show progress. No more second-guessing, your entire marketing strategy shows up from start to finish.
Choosing The Right Content Calendar for Your Business
Now that we understand the need for an editorial calendar for a marketing campaign, the next step is to decide which one to adopt. Choose from free tools or others with a nominal charge.
Content marketing calendars can be complex or simple. If you have an online business as a solo entrepreneur, you may not need all the fancy bells and whistles to publish your blog every two weeks.
If you’re a business that exists in a highly competitive market, there may be need for a complex system that covers a variety of media publishing each week. Whether your needs are simple or complex, your calendar should contain at least five essential elements.
- Editorial Content
- Media Platforms
- Promotional Outlets
- Performance Tracking
- Concept Dump
Five Essential Components for Your Content Calendar
Let’s start with editorial content. This is where all the research on your target market and your competition boil down to your plan of action. Let’s say that you’ve gone with videos, blog posts and Pinterest content for the next 12 months. This is where all the components of your strategy are mapped out.
Your calendar may show a combination of 48 videos for the year, along with supporting articles and images. The plan may include all the supporting keywords for each video and article with links to existing examples from your competition.
Calendars may outline six months’ worth of content, while others cover the entire year. Depending on how flexible the company needs to be, it will have to adapt to its market. This is true in an era of rapid technological advancements.
Your choice of media platforms will be determined by the content you’re going to produce. With our example above, company blog posts, YouTube videos, and Pinterest images are published once a week. The production may start with a blog post accompanied by a YouTube video. Pinterest images may lead back to both blog posts and videos.
Promotional outlets refer to the places (both online and off-line) where your content is promoted. The promotional section of the calendar may include the following:
- Podcasts
- Facebook advertising
- Email marketing campaigns
- Other social media posts
- Link building strategies.
These should count as events on the calendar. They are important to the process. You may have different team handling each segment of the process. They are all able to coordinate their efforts through the calendar.
Performance tracking occurs periodically. It might be useful to do so every quarter. To improve the process all year long, it’s designed to keep tabs on the process. Each segment of the process is reviewed to decide on adjustments as needed.
Concept dump is basically a place on the calendar where new ideas can be recorded. Recent changes in current events may need a radical change in the campaign. Sometimes it’s a place to record ideas for future campaigns based on new insights into the market.
The Variety of Content Calendars Available to Small Business
As I mentioned earlier, choose a calendar to suit your need. A local business owner may use a Google Calendar to plan their promotional events. Choose an editorial calendar that work with WordPress if that’s your platform. Here is a list of the most popular content calendars available online:
Airtable — Individuals and agencies can use Airtable to organize their content. The free application can manage blogs with basic features. Agencies should use the paid version if they need to manage complex workflows.
Answer The Public — You can discover what people think about different terms by using Answer The Public. It provides content ideas for your team. Keywords can be entered to discover topic ideas.
Asana — Using Asana for project management is a great idea. The application can manage complex projects and tasks at once. Apps can integrate with the software to extend its functionality.
Coschedule — Content management application CoSchedule has a wide range of features. You can manage workflows and tasks for content management. Shared “read-only” calendars can be accessed by team members. Content projects, processes, and teams can be coordinated and managed with the app.
Evernote — Besides serving as a note-taking app, Evernote is also a content management system. Group members can be assigned tasks and audio and PDF files can be attached. You can also search for texts in email, notes, and images using the app’s powerful indexing feature.
Google Calendar — Online scheduling is simple and efficient with Google Calendar. Users can assign tasks and set due dates on the cloud-based app. Information is synced between desktop computers and mobile devices.
Hubspot — Managing the blog team is easy with HubSpot Blog Editorial Calendar Templates. Templates such as this one can manage content for websites and social media profiles. Each template can be customized according to the needs of the user.
Kapost — Managing content teams is easy with Kapost. The application does not feature advanced scheduling features. Even though Kapost is a content management application, its basic features will please most users. With this application, you can align the content strategy with your customers. You can manage small content teams with basic features.
Loomly — You can manage your content tasks effortlessly with Loomly, a highly effective content management tool. The application is equipped with advanced features to simplify workflows. Post ideas can be generated by this app, as well as hashtag suggestions, audience targeting, and advanced analytics.
Monday.Com — Both individuals and agencies can use this task management and scheduling app. You can use the app to assign tasks, track tasks, set priorities, and view the due date and timeline of the assigned tasks. It can be used to manage marketing, CRM, sales, HR, IT, and construction projects.
Semrush.com — Website owners can use this marketing calendar app to analyze and check their sites. Content managers can assign tasks to the calendar app. Users can also see traffic, rankings, social media results, and more from their competitors’ websites.
Socialpilot — The app is billed as the ultimate platform for marketing firms and professionals. Social media and website content management is easy with this application. Social media and website content can be managed. Digital marketing firms will find the tool useful for handling complex group projects.
Sproutsocial — Apps like this can be invaluable for managing large, complex content marketing projects. Several features make it easy for diverse teams to manage content remotely. The app has features like social calendars, review management, and competitor profiles.
Trello — Trello is a suitable choice if you want a content management app with advanced features. You can manage large teams and tasks within the app. They make it easy for individuals to use.
WordPress Editorial Calendar — WordPress website administrators can use the open-source plugin to manage content teams. Authors can edit and publish posts using the free content calendar app. Guests can create and publish drafts that can be viewed and approved by administrators.
Wrike — This app bills itself as work management software. The features are like those of other high-end content marketing systems, and you can customize the system to meet your needs. You can keep track of projects, manage them, and communicate in real time with Wrike.
What Features to Look for in Your Editorial Calendar?
Look for elements that keep the process easy to watch. Avoid calendar apps that become too complicated for your needs. Start by creating an outline of your plan and jot down anything that you may need to support your plan.
If you’re looking to publish a blog once a month, your needs are going to be simple. If your campaign involves media sources and a support team, it will get more complicated.
Should You Go with A Free or Paid Calendar Service?
Most paid services offer free trials, but your priority should be to pick one that meets your needs. A Google calendar may be perfect for your content marketing requirements. Yet, if you are working with employees and vendors, you may need something a little more robust.
Go through the list above and explore their features. Take them for a test drive by plugging in components from your plan. You may find that the free version of an app has all the features you need for now.
Most of the free and paid software options include options for scaling your operation. They will often have a “basic” plan, a “standard” and a “pro” choice. Companies that have a large budget can also opt for enterprise plans. For example, Monday.com has a free choice for individuals.
If you’re going to be working with 10 or more members within your team, contact these companies directly and speak to an agent. You will want to negotiate terms to make the most of your content marketing investment.
Conclusion
Examine each app from the vantage point of your specific needs. Certain apps will lean more toward content research (SproutSocial and Answerthepublic) or content ideas. Any of the content marketing apps will carry out the tasks set for them within the limitations.
Avoid complexity. You can schedule tasks with the Google Calendar if you’re looking for a simple content calendar application. The WordPress Editorial Calendar is also a workable alternative for WordPress users. Content Calendar Tools from HubSpot is a simple content management spreadsheet that helps manage content tasks.
The most important advice I can leave you with about content calendar tools is to use one. Even if you decide to produce your own template using Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, you will be ahead of your competition if they don’t make and execute a content marketing plan.
Special thanks to the software review sections on GetApp, G2 Crowd, SoftwareAdvice, Buffer, Backlinko and Softwaretestinghelp.com that feature almost 40 tools in this category.
