What is a Content Calendar and Do You Need One?

Content calendar is key to getting and sustaining the attention of your audience in an increasingly competitive digital space. But posting content is quite a bit more involved than you might think. You have to first come up with content ideas that are relevant and valuable to your target audience. You’ve got to decide what types of content will be the most effective, assign the pieces to the various members of your team, and eventually, actually create and post the content.

One of the biggest keys to a successful content marketing strategy is being consistent in your posting. But how can you do that when you’ve got a million other things on your mind? Invest some time into a helpful tool like a content calendar. But what exactly is a content calendar, and do you really need one? 

What is a Content Calendar?

First things first: what is a content calendar? It’s essentially just what it sounds like: a calendar for your content. You might also hear calendars referred to as “editorial calendars.”

(image from https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/business-blog-editorial-calendar-templates)

A content calendar, first and foremost, keeps track of what content is being posted when and on what channel. Your calendar can also help you note which member of your team is responsible for certain duties, such as research, content creation, and posting. If you’ve got any partnerships or promotions coming up, you can keep track of these within your content calendar as well. 

Benefits of a Content Calendar

Content calendars can bring some huge benefits to your business, so even if you’re just getting started with content marketing, it’s worth it to create one. 

Any business owner can agree that organization is key to success. The same goes for your content strategy. You can’t reap the benefits of content marketing if no content is going out to your audience! Having all of your tasks in one convenient place makes sure that everything stays on schedule and actually gets done. If part of a task goes off the rails, you know exactly who to go to for answers.

That note leads us into our next benefit: easier collaboration. Having your entire team clocked into one content calendar helps everyone to stay on the same page. Even beyond your in-house team, you can share your content calendar with potential collaborators or outside partners for those special projects.

Having a content calendar can also help you produce more effective and engaging content for your audience. Since you can see everything at a glance, you can make sure you’re not repeating topics too often or leaving out something that your audience is interested in. Content calendars are also helpful for balancing trending content and evergreen pieces, so you can vary up the type of information you’re providing.

How to Create a Content Calendar

You don’t have to spend a ton of time mapping out your content calendar. Many businesses, especially those just starting out, keep track of their content needs in a simple Google Sheet. Alternatively, you can find tons of content calendar templates across the internet from names like Semrush and Hootsuite.

When you’re creating your content calendar, you’ll want to consider the most important things to know about the content. What type of content is it (blogs? Social media posts? Emails?)? Who is working on which piece of the puzzle? Where and when should it be posted? You can decide which elements are most important to you, but DivvyHQ marks these factors as the core components of a content calendar: 

(image from https://divvyhq.com/content-planning/what-is-a-content-calendar-and-why-should-you-use-one/)

Effective organization can look different for everyone, so take the time to explore the possibilities. For instance, many businesses will color-coordinate their calendars according to the stage of production a certain piece is in. Play around with different organization strategies to see what works best for your company.

Finally, think about how long you want your calendar to span. It’s not uncommon to see content calendars covering a quarter or even six months at a time. These longer spans of time are ideal for keeping you well ahead of schedule and offering plenty of time to cover the topics you want to discuss.  

A small side note: along with your content calendar itself, it’s often helpful to have a “brain dump” of new topics that come to mind. If you’re not ready to create your next calendar yet but you have a great idea, put it in your brain dump. Then, when it’s time to make the next calendar, you’re already one step ahead. 

Get Help with Your Content from WriterArmy

Having a functioning content calendar is just the beginning of a successful content marketing strategy. Not sure where to go from here? You don’t have to figure it out alone. WriterArmy is proud to be one of the most trusted resources for both content marketing and content creation, helping clients from around the world in all the most in-demand verticals.

In addition to helping you create the perfect content calendar for your needs and goals, we can go one step further by creating your content. We work directly with you and do thorough research to understand your company and your field, then our expert team of writers crafts engaging and effective content to increase engagement and conversions. 

If you’re interested in enhancing your content marketing strategy with WriterArmy, reach out today for a free quote.