Content marketing will be more profitable if you organize your content in a calendar.
You can more easily identify trends when you know where, what, and when you publish (and what format).
It’s also easier to give your audience what they want and less of what will be ignored.
The heart of the content organization is your content calendar.
You can avoid making ad-hoc posts or missing deadlines.
There are many different content calendars, tools, and styles.
This article will help you narrow down your options and select the best content calendar to suit your business.
I will be sharing links and tips about some of the most reliable content calendars that I currently use or have used in the past.
I only recommend the products that I use myself and find to be easy to use, as well as good value for money.
Let’s first examine how a calendar of content differs from an editorial one, why they are useful, and what you should consider when selecting the best one for your company.
What is a calendar of content?
A content calendar lists the content that will be published on a particular day or week.
This is different from an editorial calendar or plan, which focuses on themes of content for a particular month, quarter, or year.
Your editorial calendar may tell you, for example, that the theme of December is (not surprisingly) Christmas.
The editorial calendar provides ideas for blog posts, videos, social media posts, and promotional campaigns that are relevant to the theme.
The content calendar will tell you when these pieces of content are actually published.
What are the benefits?
It is easier to identify content gaps when you visualize your content in a calendar.
You can see, for example, if your blog post is published, when it will be shared, and on which channels.
To avoid your content looking “samey,” you can make sure that you cover a variety of topics.
By diversifying your content, you can keep your channels fresh and attractive.
It would be best if you considered both the topic you are covering (how-tos and behind-the-scenes) as well as the format you will use to deliver them (graphics and photos, articles, videos, emails, etc.).
It is easier to reuse a piece of content if you change the way you present it.
People consume information in different ways.
Video may be more engaging for some sections of your audience, while others prefer an image with a caption.
Overwhelm: How to overcome it
Finding the time to create content for your business and then push it into the world is a daunting task.
Schedule your content to eliminate the guesswork.
You have already planned and thought carefully about what and when you will send out.
Find your perfect content style
It’s now time to talk about your needs.
There are many different styles of calendars to choose from. How can you be sure that you’re investing your time, effort, and budget in the right one?
Before you commit, consider the following.
Channels and volume of content.
Automatic or manual publishing.
Content and channel volume
Content calendars can be designed for companies with busy, complex publishing schedules.
The first thing to consider is how much content and how many channels you are pushing.
Calendaring digital marketing content usually includes:
Social media posts (for every channel you are active on).
Blog articles (content on your website and guest posts on other sites).
The content calendar of a company can become very busy.
You need to find a system that will meet your requirements and make everything look neat.
Who needs access to the Internet?
Will this be the only document that you access? Will a designer or copywriter be required to view it? What about a virtual assistant or an online business manager? You’ll need a collaborative option if you’re counting on others to meet your deadlines.
Visualizing your channels
The majority of content calendars are proud to offer systems with a clean, simple design. It will make life easier. You’ll have to decide if you want all your content from each channel on one calendar or separately.
Organizing assets
You can choose to include links, images, text, calls-to-action, etc., in your content calendar. Team members can get everything they need by simply looking at the content for the day. No extra file sharing is required.
No fee or charge
You can choose from a variety of free and paid content calendars. The more you spend, the more features you get. Considerations here include:
A) Do You Have the Budget for a Fee-Based Content Calendar?
A) Do you require any special features?
Manual or auto-publishing
Some content calendars have more intelligence than others. Smart content calendars can automatically publish your uploaded content and integrate it with other content marketing tools. Once you have scheduled the content, the device will handle the rest.
As with all technologies, there will be occasional glitches. If you’re not comfortable with the idea of taking that risk, manual publishing is a better choice.
