Running a marketing campaign almost always involves simultaneously managing several tasks. One of the most important parts of a successful campaign is timing.

One of the chief difficulties that every marketing department faces is generating content.

It’s why only a few marketers claim that they’re effective content marketers.

Part of the problem is how much content a marketing team needs to create, and the other part is the type of content that needs to be created.

That is where a content calendar comes up.

With a well-designed content calendar, you and your team will be able to plan every aspect of your upcoming content.

If you’ve ever wondered what it is, we’ve got you covered.

What Is a Content Calendar?

A content calendar is a calendar for marketers to use when planning their upcoming content output.

You can check out Hubspot’s content calendar. This calendar outlines your company’s upcoming content strategy, often for the next six months to a year, broken down weekly or daily depending on how much content you produce.

Whether your team is publishing content for a blog, social media, or even an editorial, the content calendar will help you track your team’s content creation workflows and monitor publishing dates.

How To Create a Content Calendar

A content calendar doesn’t have to be complicated. Many marketing teams create it right in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets with various columns and rows covering everything you need from who you’re writing the content for to where you’ll be publishing it. To get started, you’ll first need to answer a few questions:

#1. When is the content due?

#2. When should the content be published?

#3. What type of content is it?

#4. Who is creating the content?

#5. What topic does the content cover?

#6. Who is the content for?

5 Reasons Why You Need To Create a Content Calendar

Whether you have large marketing staff or a team of one, a content calendar is an invaluable tool for your business. Here are the reasons.

1. Goal-Focused Approach

A content calendar keeps you from throwing around content anyhow so that you can take a more focused approach to your marketing.

It does this by forcing you to think about the main topics that relate to your business and your audience.

2. Consistency

It coordinates your marketing efforts, so your business uses one, distinct voice and focuses on pre-approved goals.

To help you stay as consistent as possible, we recommend that you include style guidance within your calendar.

You can create another excel page that talks about branding and information such as photo styles, language, tone, etc. The more consistent your brand, the better.

3. Keep on Track

It’s hard to forget what you write down. If you have a content calendar, there’s no guessing or trying to remember what content is needed that day or where it’s needed.

This will ensure that you create the necessary content that you need every day and that you hit every topic and audience that is necessary for your success.

This can also help you get into a routine of writing content. If you know what you need to do every day, you can be held accountable for the blogs, newsletters, social media, and other content that is a priority.

4. Plan Ahead

A content calendar will keep you from forgetting important dates, seasons, campaigns, and goals.

It’s particularly helpful for helping you gather all the content creation collateral you need for each campaign, at least several weeks if not months in advance.

This will keep you from scrambling around the holidays or right before a new product release because you’ll be prepared.

5. Organized Across Platforms

A content calendar can help ensure that you’re sharing the appropriate content and the right amount of content on every platform.

From blog posts to email newsletters, and social media updates on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, your calendar can cover every platform that’s important to your business.

Summary

Your content calendar can help you use your content to its full potential.

With a calendar, you can quickly plan out exactly when and how it’s shared across your other important platforms, so nothing is missed.

Spend your time and energy creating engaging, valuable content with a purpose rather than wasting it on something futile.

Stand out from the competition by sparking creative ideas. Catch opportunities that would have been missed if you hadn’t planned ahead.

Most importantly, create a strong brand presence, build relationships with your audience, and accomplish your marketing goals.

If you need help creating one, contact LBDIGITAL. Our professional writers have years of experience creating exceptional content and can help you plan out your marketing.

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