5 Steps To Create The Perfect Content Calendar

There is a single primary concern that comes up time and again for content strategists and business owners, and that is — how do we continuously create and provide interesting, engaging, and relevant content to potential and current customers?

There are many ways to approach answering this question, but the one I am going to focus on today is the content calendar. A content calendar provides a roadmap and cadence for all the content you want to set in motion and is essentially the glue that holds everything together.

Creating a content calendar can be a tedious and daunting task, but there are reasons why this type of calendar isn't just another ball to juggle but rather a very important piece that should be included in your overall marketing strategy.

Why You Should Spend Time On A Content Calendar

If your business has any type of product and you want to get the word out about it — you need content for that job. Content can be anything from a blog post to an image, video, or even a tweet. Content is what helps you get your message in front of people who might be interested in what you have to say, and it's also how you keep the conversation going with current customers.

If you spend time building out a content calendar, you are awarded one single location that holds all of your content ideas together. The content calendar can show you what you have coming up, what needs to be created, and when it needs to go out. This way, you're never scrambling at the last minute trying to come up with something new or relevant to share.

And perhaps most importantly, a content calendar ensures that your content is working together cohesively towards common business goals — rather than just being a bunch of disconnected pieces floating around aimlessly.

Get Started With Your Content Calendar

Creating your own content calendar may seem like a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be complicated. In fact, there are only a few key steps you need to follow in order to get started.

If you are starting your content calendar from scratch, here's an overview of the steps I follow when building out content clients for any of my clients:

Pick Your Content Format

The first step is to decide on the format of your content calendar. This will likely be dictated by the type of content you plan on sharing and where you will be sharing it. For example, if you primarily share a minimal amount of blog posts and images on social media, then a Google Calendar or Excel spreadsheet might be a good option for you.

However, if you need something more robust that can handle different types of content and track things like performance metrics, then a tool like Storychief of Hootsuite might be a better fit. These platforms can help create the content and post it based on your own timeline.

Choose Your Content Channels

The next step is to choose which channels you will be using to share your content. Will you be sharing on social media? On your blog? In an email newsletter? All of the above? Once you know where you'll be sharing, you can start to plan out what kind of content will go where.

For example, if you're planning on sharing blog posts on LinkedIn, then you'll want to make sure those posts are optimized for the specific channel they'll be appearing on. That means using the right image sizes, hashtags, and calls to action. Your LinkedIn content and your Twitter content might be about the same topic, but how they are depicted and formatted is completely different.

Plan Your Content Topics

Now it's time to start brainstorming content ideas! If you're not sure what kinds of things to write about, a good place to start is by thinking about the questions your customers are always asking you. You can also look at popular blog posts or perform keyword research within your industry for inspiration. Once you have a list of potential topics, it's time to start mapping them out on your calendar.

One thing to keep in mind as you're planning is the idea of evergreen content. Evergreen content is the kind of content that is always relevant and doesn't go out of style. For example, a post about "How to Choose the Perfect Domain Name for Your Business" would be considered evergreen because it's something that people are always going to need help with.

On the other hand, a post like "The Top 13 SEO Tips for 2022" would not be considered evergreen because it will only be relevant for a short period of time. Once 2023 is over, that post will no longer be useful or interesting to most people.

As you're planning your topics, try to mix things up and include a mix of both evergreen and non-evergreen content. That way, you can keep your calendar feeling fresh and relevant without having to start from scratch every single month.

Set Publishing Dates and Deadlines

Once you have your topics mapped out, it's time to start setting publishing dates and deadlines. This is where things can get a little bit tricky because you need to find a balance between being too far in advance and too last-minute.

If you're too far in advance, then you run the risk of your content becoming outdated before it even goes live. But if you're too last-minute, then you won't be able to promote your content properly or take advantage of any seasonal opportunities.

A good rule of thumb is to set your publication date at least a week in advance and your deadline at least a day or two in advance. That way, you have some wiggle room in case something comes up, but you're still able to promote and optimize your content before it goes live.

Assign Tasks and Owners

The last step is to assign tasks and owners for each piece of content. This is essential because it will help you keep track of who is responsible for what and make sure that everything gets done on time.

For each piece of content, you should decide who will be writing it, designing it, editing it, promoting it, etc. Once you have all those roles assigned, add them to your calendar, so everyone knows when their deadlines are.

Pick A Software Program To Help

Luckily you don't have to rely on a pen and paper to assign all of your pieces of content. You can, and should, use a software program to help assign, task and follow up on each piece of your content. Using a project management platform like Hive is an excellent way to build out, execute and follow up on your content calendar.

With Hive, you can create a board for each month of content and assign tasks to specific team members. You can also add deadlines, notes, and attachments so everyone knows what they need to do and when it needs to be done.

Hive also has an excellent automation feature, so if you have any reoccurring content, you can create those tasks and let them run on auto pilot, so you won't have to worry about setting them up every single time.

By using a software platform like Hive and by following the time five steps above, you should be well on your way to creating a comprehensive and effective content calendar. Just remember to be flexible, and don't be afraid to make changes if something isn't working. The most important thing is that you find a system that works for you and your team.