If you have ever worked on a traditional newspaper or magazine, high school yearbook or newsletter, then you are very familiar with deadlines for publishing. Newsletter writers follow a publishing schedule year round, and know that they need to have their final drafts into their publisher well in advance of their publish dates. The same concept can be transferred to a content marketing program. If you know the end date of when you will release or publish your content, then you can plan your content writing from that date. But, without a content planning calendar, your efforts may not come to fruition at all, and even if they do, you may not glean all that you can from your content. Here are 5 compelling reasons for implementing a content planning calendar.
1. Publish Content Strategically
One of the most important reasons for having a content planning calendar is that you can publish your content strategically instead of when ideas come to you. Like an old-fashioned editorial calendar in print publishing, a content planning calendar allows you time to strategically plan each “issue” of your content. You can coordinate content to publish at specific times together or in a specific order, maximizing placement in your various publishing outlets.
2. Assign Writing to the Best Writers
Whether you use your own in-house writers or contract writers, you know that each writer has a specific knowledge base and writing style. A planning calendar allows you the time to assign each article to a specific writer who is the best person to write that particular piece. This assignment can depend on the topic niche, audience or style.
3. Maintain a Consistent Presence
With planning time, your content marketing program can maintain a consistent presence where you want to be seen. You have time to request space from online publications to post guest articles, ensure that your content is listed on Google and find the perfect site to post your content. You can also coordinate with your sales team to generate simultaneous contents or awards that enhance your marketing plan.
4. Seasonal Content
Seasonal content works best if published at specific times, well in advance of the season. In order for the content to be written, published and proliferate the web, your metrics studies, content selection and writer choice all have to be completed in order to get the best value for your content. Your company already plans its seasonal buying long before the season. Why should your content planning be any different?
5. Proper Editing
There is nothing more embarrassing than the placement of a huge ad, and finding a misspelling after the fact. Your content needs a good editor to catch those errors before you publish. This is especially true for visual ads, headlines, and sub-headlines. Grammatical and spelling errors take away from your message as many of your prospects will get caught up in the words and lose focus of the message.
Paula A is the mother of two young women in high school and college, and enjoys spending time with her family.
