With Thanksgiving around the corner, content creation may be one of the last things on your mind. However, bringing content to a halt is not the solution. Your website, blog, business, or career in content needs consistent input for success. As a business owner, you may be inclined to think your writer is unavailable during the holidays. In reality, you’d be surprised to learn how much work can be accomplished while waiting on the turkey to roast or the cake to bake. This does not mean you must work intensely on holidays. Instead, it means your content should not be placed on the backburner. Check out some of the ways to encourage content creation during the holidays.
Mobility Does Not Equal Immediate Answers.
Nearly everyone has a smartphone, but this assumption cannot become your only belief during the holidays. Your writer may not have an internet-capable device, or you may unable to review submitted work for a specific time allotment. Regardless, you need to think about the amount of time required to read, review, and answer your questions or concerns. While modernity may seem like the epitome of connectivity, assume your recipient or writer cannot answer immediately.
Spread Work Out Over Holiday Breaks.
What event is more stressful: ordering a surplus of content in advance or lagging behind in content delivery? Both of these decisions are stressful and represent an increased burden to your business. Speak openly with your writer about your content requirements throughout the holidays. Remember that a lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on the writer’s part. By planning things out, even when the holidays seem like you should avoid content, is going to be the most beneficial to your company.
Keep Notes on the Go.
If you rarely provide your writers with the opportunity to pitch an idea for your content, this tip will not apply to you. If you like to provide extra direction in the topic of your content, be on the lookout for ideas and inspiration. Write notes in a small pad or on your phone while traveling. This will help you stay focused when going through the woods and over the river.
Take Advantage of Internet-Marketing for the Holidays.
It’s no secret that Black Friday is believed to be the busiest shopping day of the year. However, recent years have led to the creation of a new shopping day, cyber Monday. Millions of consumers will be scouring the Internet for the latest deals and steals. As a result, your website could see a surge in traffic. Make sure to incorporate holiday-shopping keywords into your online content. This means you will need to continue ordering content throughout the holidays, and a steady of stream of content is a positive mark for search engine ranking.
Create and Stick to a Content Creation Schedule.
If you have updated your website every week, your followers will be looking for updates throughout the holidays. When you do not continue to update your site, you run the risk of losing repeat customers and facing lower new customer acquisition rates. Plan your content creation schedule before the holidays arrive, and make sure your content will be deliverable before planned publication dates. This eliminates the concern over when you need content by addressing it before you need it. Naturally, thinking in advance brings up another point; what’s holding up your writer?
Why Your Writer May Run Behind.
You have expectations for when content should be finished. However, things go wrong. Winter weather may knock power to portions of the country, and your writer may be living on an affected area. Also, emergencies happen, and you need to consider all of the things that could go wrong after ordering your content. How do you cope with this unforeseen problem?
Recall our earlier conversation about planning ahead. If you wait until the day before you need content, the writer’s risk for running behind is very high. Yet, ordering content in advance can avoid this problem entirely. If your writer does fall behind, you have a few extra days before you need to publish the content. As a rule of thumb, always order content at least one week plus time of completion prior to when you need the content to be published.
For example, you want to publish a piece of content by December 3rd, and you plan on giving the writer 48 hours to complete the piece. You should order the content On November 24th. This includes 48 hours to complete the piece and an additional 168 hours to buffer any potential problems in the delivery of your content. Essentially, you are planning on something happening to delay your content.
As the holidays draw near, you may be tempted to delay your content needs. Managing content creation can be simpler by employing these five tactics. Yet, you must understand two key things in the writer-client world. Writers will always be here, and some will be working on the holidays. Other business owners will be ordering content as well. Can you afford to let your competition pull ahead due to your decision to put off content creation throughout the holidays?
Jaso
n V shares his home with an African Grey, a Quaker Parrot, and a miniature-Yorkie. He believes words paint a unique picture in the mind that no electronic device can accomplish.
