Running a business blog is nothing like running a hobby blog. With a casual blog, you can post whenever and whatever you want. It doesn’t matter if you write two reviews in a row or publish posts months apart.
But when you run a business blog, you need a plan, a strategy. This thing is supposed to earn you money, after all. And the best tool to help you create and maintain that plan?
A content calendar.
With this handy organization system, you can publish relevant posts on a precise schedule and never miss a deadline again. Sound amazing? Then, keep reading because this post covers everything you need to know about content calendars.
But why should you listen to me? Because I’m a content writer with first-hand knowledge about content calendars. I use them for every blog I write for (including this one).
What is a content calendar?
A content calendar, or editorial calendar, is a schedule covering information about your past, present, and future content. It generally takes the form of a spreadsheet or calendar shared by everyone on your marketing team.
You can use it for all kinds of content. While this post focuses on blog content calendars, you can also use them for:
Social media posts
Content updates
E-books and white papers
Videos
And any other content your company publishes
Why do you need a content calendar?
Now, we come to the real question. Why do you need one of these? Can’t you do without?
No, you can’t. And here’s why (beyond because I said you need one).
It keeps you organized
Are you struggling to get posts out on time? Is everyone on your team on the same page about your blog? Do you even know what you’re publishing next month?
A content calendar solves all that confusion. With a glance, everyone can see what’s being published, when, where, and by whom. You can plan out content weeks or months in advance to stay ahead of deadlines and concerned bosses.
It keeps you consistent
Consistency is important with a business blog. You need to publish new content regularly, or you can’t establish yourself as an authority in your niche. On top of that, you can’t repeat content too often, and you have to find your perfect publishing frequency.
A content calendar helps you stay consistent with your efforts, whether publishing a post weekly or alternating content types between reviews and case studies. That consistency leads to happy customers and more sales.
It gives you a big-picture view
In the day-to-day grind of creating content, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. Are your efforts paying off? Are you adjusting your strategy to align with what’s working or what’s popular?
A content calendar helps you track all of that. It also allows your bosses to see your efforts at work. They can see the results of your efforts and how the blog contributes to overall sales and SEO.
It helps you align with the rest of your team
Do you have a big product launch coming up you need content for? Did you remember to create a post about Valentine’s Day or the Super Bowl? These things can sneak up on us, leaving us rushing to create quality content at the last minute.
A content calendar prevents that last-minute scramble. Because you can plan months in advance, you can collaborate with team members about marketing pushes, holiday sales, and other events to align your content.
What does a content calendar include?
Now that we’ve looked at what a content calendar is and why it’s essential, let’s talk about what it includes.
Remember, you customize your content calendar to your and your team's needs. These are some basics, but you should use what works best for you.
Content title. This allows you to look through your content calendar and quickly locate the post you want.
Content category. Is it a review? A topical post? A case study? Including this in your calendar helps ensure you don’t repeat post types too frequently.
Publish date. Write what date the content goes live so you can get it prepared and scheduled well ahead of time.
Due date. Including the date you need the post by to get it edited and scheduled keeps everyone on track. This is especially important if you have multiple writers creating content for you.
Writer. Who’s going to write the post? If it’s just you, you don’t need to include this, but again, it’s helpful if you work with a team of writers.
SEO keywords. To make sure you don’t target the same keywords over and over, include them on the calendar to keep track of.
Content length. If you want to vary the length of content you produce, write down how long each post should be.
Featured image URL. You don’t want to end up using repeat stock photos or graphics. Include the URLs here to see what ones you’ve already used.
Post URL. Finally, it’s helpful to link straight to the post in your content calendar so you can quickly locate it to review and update.
A content calendar is a must-have in any content marketer’s toolkit. If you don’t have one yet, it’s time to set one up.
If you’re a B2C company looking to improve your blog, I’d love to work with you! Fill out this form to set up a free discovery call and take your first steps to getting awesome content.
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