Has your company been foregoing content marketing because of the time associated with it? If you’re quietly nodding your head in shame right now, then you might want to read on. Content marketing isn’t as time consuming as one might think; in fact, I’m going to share a few tips for how you can make it easier and more efficient! The secret is called a “Content Marketing Calendar.”
A content marketing calendar helps you plan out what kind of content you’ll be posting (ie: blog post, article, tweet), where you’ll be posting it (ie: company blog, local news site, Google+), and when you’ll be posting it (ie: Friday, October 25th). With a calendar by your side, you’ll never miss a tweet or a blog post ever again…and you’ll keep your audience engaged year round. Check out a few more of my content marketing calendar tips below!
Step #1: Think Ahead
After all, the entire point of a calendar is to plan in advance. However, many businesses use content marketing calendar as just a way to know that they’ll be posting one blog post every Friday and one tweet every Tuesday. I guess this is technically planning ahead, but in reality, you’re not planning for real life situations.
Instead, get a calendar and start thinking about upcoming holidays. Plan ahead for a big 4th of July celebration on your company’s Facebook page or plan an interesting anniversary blog post reviewing everything your company has done in the past year. These types of content take time to put together and thinking about it months in advance will help you keep stress low and productivity high.
Step #2: Shake Things Up
I’ve seen one too many content marketing calendars that just say “Monday: Post to Facebook. Tuesday: Post to Google+. Wednesday: Source guest blog post.” This is all fine and dandy but I guarantee that not only will you get bored of doing the same thing every week, but your audience will get bored, too. To ensure everyone stays awake and in the game, don’t be afraid to shake things up.
For instance, many companies want to put on a Facebook promotion or a contest but they’re not sure where to start. But if you put that item on the calendar for five or six months out, you’ll have all the tools you need to kick off a rocking promotion come contest time. A few other ways you can add in some variety to your content marketing is to explore new platforms, revisit old favorite posts, and to always leave room for whatever is happening in the moment…which brings us to our third step.
Step #3: Stay Relevant
Content marketing calendars are an excellent way for companies to keep track of what they’re posting, when they’re posting, and where they’re posting. But don’t think that means that your calendar is law, forever and always. In fact, sticking to your calendar means you will miss out on hot topics, relevant stories, and whatever is happening in this very moment. Content marketing is just as much about quality as it is about thinking on your feet. Therefore, you have to be willing to change the game plan.
Take into account one of my favorite marketing examples from the past year, one I have no doubt mentioned many times on this blog and to our clients. During the Super Bowl XLVII blackout, Oreo was flexible enough to tweet a highly relevant picture that went viral almost as quickly as they created it. The tweet read, “Power out? No problem,” and was followed by a picture that said “You can still dunk in the dark.”
Your content marketing should be just as flexible and quick as Oreo’s was, even if you don’t have a team of graphic designers and social media masterminds to help you out. As long as you keep your finger on the pulse, you’ll have plenty of relevant fodder for you blog, Facebook, or what have you.
Content marketing might not be so hard after all! If you’re interested in learning more, check out our Copywriting and Social Media pages and give us a call to see what kind of content marketing strategies we can think up for your business!
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