How to Create a Content Calendar (and Why You Need One)
Content marketing is something that every small business should be investing in. Not only does content marketing help with SEO (search engine optimization), but it’s also a great way to connect with your audience and build up your brand.
But where do you start? Creating content can seem like a daunting task, especially if you’re not used to it. That’s why having a content calendar is so important.
What is a content calendar?
A content calendar is a tool that helps you plan out your content in advance. This can be anything from blog posts to social media content and even email marketing content.
Having a content calendar ensures that you are always ahead of the game, and that you have a consistent stream of content going out to your audience.
Why should small businesses use a content calendar?
There are a few reasons why content calendars are important for small businesses.
#1. A content calendar can help with consistency
Consistency is key when it comes to content marketing. If you’re constantly starting and stopping, it’s going to be hard for your audience to engage with you, and it’s also going to be difficult to maintain organic visibility on search engines and social media platforms.
A content calendar can help you be more consistent with your content, which in turn will help you build a more engaged audience and increase your organic visibility.
#2. A content calendar can help you save time
Content creation can be more difficult and time-consuming than a lot of people think, and that’s especially true for busy small business owners who don’t have an abundance of time in their schedules to sit down and create.
Having a content calendar can help you save time because it allows you to batch content creation. This means that you can sit down and create several pieces of content at once, rather than having to do it piecemeal every time you want to publish something new.
This can be a huge time saver, and it will also help you be more consistent (see above).
Even if you don’t batch content creation, simply choosing content topics ahead of time can be a huge time-saver. Often, figuring out what to write about or what to post is half the battle.
#3. A content calendar can help you stay on track
If you’re trying to accomplish several content-related goals (like increasing organic traffic or growing your social media following), a content calendar can help you stay on track and ensure that you’re taking the necessary steps to achieve those goals.
Again, this comes down to consistency. By having a content calendar, you can make sure that you’re regularly doing things to work toward your goals, like publishing blog posts, promoting your content on social media or sending email newsletters.
Without a content calendar, it’s easy to let content-related goals fall by the wayside, and it can be difficult to get back on track once you’ve fallen behind.
How to build a content calendar for your small business
Step #1. Create your content calendar
There are a few different ways to create a content calendar. You can use a spreadsheet, like Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel, or you can use a dedicated content calendar tool.
No matter which method you choose, there are a few key elements that should be included in your content calendar:
- Content type – The first thing to include in your content calendar is the content type. This will help you keep track of what types of content you’re creating and ensure that you’re including a variety of content types in your overall content strategy.
- Publish date – The publish date is the date that you plan to publish your content. This is important to include so that you can ensure you’re staying on schedule.
- Title – The title should be catchy and descriptive, and it should give readers an idea of what the content is about.
- Description – The description should provide more information about the content and why it’s important for your audience.
- Author – The author is the person who wrote the content (or who is assigned to write it in the future). This is important to include so that you can give credit where it’s due.
- Platform – The platform is the place where you’ll publish your content. This could be your website, blog, email list or social media channels.
- URL – The URL is the web address where your content will be published. This is important to include so you can easily find and share your content once it’s published.
Once you have all of these elements in place, you can start actually filling in your content calendar.
Step #2. Identify your goals
Before you actually start filling in your content calendar, you need to identify your content marketing goals. What are you hoping to achieve with your content?
Are you looking to increase brand awareness? Do you want to drive more traffic to your website? Do you want to grow your social media following? Are you looking to increase leads and customers?
It’s important to have specific, measurable goals for your content so that you can track your progress and determine whether or not your content marketing efforts are successful.
This will help to guide you when creating your content calendar — and your content marketing strategy as a whole.
Step #3. Identify your target audience
The next step is to identify your target audience. Who are you creating content for?
It’s important to understand who your target audience is so that you can create content that appeals to them and meets their needs.
Here are some questions to ask when identifying your target audience:
- What are their demographics? (age, gender, location, etc.)
- What are their interests?
- What are their needs?
- What content do they already engage with?
- Where do they hang out online?
When you know who your audience is and where they spend their time, you can ensure that you’re creating content they want to read, see and watch. This will help you maximize your content marketing success and make the most of your investment.
Step #4. Do keyword research
Keyword research is the process of finding the right keywords to target with your content so that you can rank in search engines and attract more traffic to your website.
Doing keyword research will also help when it comes time to choose topics to write about or focus on in videos.
There are a number of different ways to do keyword research, but one of the easiest is to use Google’s Keyword Planner tool.
To use Keyword Planner, you’ll need to set up a Google Ads account (don’t worry, you don’t have to actually run ads). Once you’ve done that, open Keyword Planner and click “Get started” under “Find new keywords.”
Enter in a few seed keywords (these can be related to your content goals or target audience) and click “Get ideas.”
You’ll then see a list of related keywords, as well as some data on each keyword, like monthly search volume and competition level.
Make a list of the keywords you want to target with your content and keep them handy when it comes time to brainstorm content ideas.
Step #5. Brainstorm content ideas
Now that you’ve done your research, it’s time to start brainstorming content ideas.
To get started, think about the different types of content you could create that would help you achieve your content marketing goals. Here are some content types to consider:
- Blog posts – Having a blog on your website can help you become a thought leader in your field, as well as help you rank organically for relevant keywords.
- Videos – Videos are a great way to engage your audience and promote your brand. You can create videos that show off your products or services or provide helpful tips and advice related to your industry.
- Infographics – Infographics are a visually appealing way to share information with your audience. They’re perfect for sharing data or statistics in an easy-to-digest format.
- Emails – Email content can be used to promote your latest blog post or video, or to share helpful tips with your subscribers.
- Social media posts – Create engaging content for your social media followers, and make sure to use relevant hashtags so that your content is seen by more people.
- Webinars – Hosting a webinar is a great way to build your email list and attract new leads. You can also use webinars to establish yourself as an expert in your field.
- Press releases – If you have newsworthy content to share, a press release can help you generate media coverage and get your brand in front of new audiences.
Now that you know what types of content to create, it’s time to start thinking about what topics to post. Here are a few tips to help you get started:
- Answer FAQs – Base content around the most frequently asked questions related to your products or services.
- Create content for different stages of the buyer’s journey – Awareness, consideration and decision content will all be different. Make sure you create content that speaks to each stage.
- Share industry-related news – Keeping your audience up-to-date on industry news shows that you’re knowledgeable and helps to establish you as a thought leader.
- Include content that’s evergreen – Evergreen content is content that’s relevant all year long and doesn’t go out of date. This type of content can be particularly helpful for small businesses, since it can attract traffic long after it’s been published.
- Offer helpful tips and advice – Share your expertise with your audience by creating helpful content that teaches them something new, helps them solve a problem or otherwise provides value.
Once you have a list of content ideas, it’s time to start creating and publishing content!
Content marketing is a great way to attract new leads and customers, and to build your brand. By creating content that’s relevant to your target audience and publishing it regularly, you can achieve your content marketing goals.
Having a content calendar can help you organize and plan out your content marketing strategy in advance. By taking the time to create a content calendar, you can ensure that your content is timely, relevant and engaging.
However, creating a content calendar is just the first step. To ensure your strategy is working, you need to monitor your performance and measure your results.
The Marketing 360® Content App can help you do just that. Track your keyword rankings, organic page performance, organic traffic and so much more — all from one place.
