A content calendar can be a helpful tool for any creator! Here are a few reasons you should make one.
You’re passionate about what you do, and that probably makes you excited to share everything you’ve learned and how it can help your clients reach their goals. That’s why it can be easy to get lost in your ideas and the actual process of bringing them to life. At the same time, there are a few tools that the most efficient and effective content creators use to stay on top of their tasks, flesh out their ideas, and ensure their content is being delivered in a consistent, timely manner.
One of those tools is a content calendar, which is a map or timeline for editorials, videos, social media posts, radio shows and more. And while it might sound more procedural than practical, it can help you align your vision and send the same message through all your marketing channels. Here are a few reasons you should make a content calendar to help you track ideas and hit your deadlines.
- Organization
Staying organized is one of the most important things you can do as a content creator. It can help you stay in line with your plan, saving you from some of the panic that comes with building out all of your great ideas. With the right content calendar, you won’t have to wonder if you’ve already addressed certain points, if that editorial you’re writing is going to be ready for the next holiday, or if it’s been way too long since your last post. You’ll always know and have a plan for the future. It can also help your clients or audience know what to expect from your communication channels. For example, if you have a weekly show, your calendar can help you stick to a plan to create and publish that show so your audience knows when they can expect to hear more from you.
- Preparation
Preparing your content calendar is like rehearsal or practice. You can’t succeed at the big show or the big game without it. Of course, preparation also goes hand-in-hand with organization, as simply knowing every step in the process of creating your content can eliminate stress for everyone involved. Whether it’s the project manager or producer assigning tasks and maintaining reasonable deadlines or the creators and developers who need ample time to put together something they feel proud to share with the rest of the world, the content calendar can always prepare you for what’s to come. Content creation also gets easier when you fall into a bit of a routine. Everyone will have a routine within their own role, but a clear workflow with realistic timeframes for the entire team can be the key to overcoming obstacles and leaving yourself enough time should you encounter any problems.
- Consistency
Your schedule is packed, and the same goes for your clients and the members of your audience. Additionally, other obligations come up, making it difficult for even the most dedicated content creators to stay consistent. That’s where your content calendar comes in, ideally allowing you to carve out the time to work on building your library while placing your ideas at the forefront of your mind. It can also help you stay consistent within the content itself, whether that be in the messaging, the structure, the titles or any other factor that leaves your signature on your content. This also helps your audience, as they’ll start to recognize your voice and your brand. In fact, those you’ve made an impact on may come back, as they’ll know when you might publish something new, and better yet, who they can call if they have questions about it.
- Idea Generation
One of the worst feelings in the world is forgetting that great idea that just popped into your head while you were driving down the road. Simply getting those thoughts down on paper can be a great way to make sure you don’t miss out on your next big hit. In fact, determining how often you want to post a blog, social media post, podcast or video can be advantageous for generating ideas all by itself. It can help you pace out your content in a thoughtful way, or you might be looking at your plan for the near future and come across a brand-new, relevant idea for your audience. Brainstorming can and should also be a collaborative process, meaning that your entire creative team can jump in and offer ideas that place all of your thoughts in one centralized place and keep you from scrambling for a last-minute topic.
- Flexibility
There’s some peace of mind that comes with knowing a plan is in place. It means that you don’t have to worry or improvise when it matters most, and you always have something to fall back on. At the same time, if you’re a content creator, you’re a creative thinker. You shouldn’t always be held to strict guidelines; you should be able to think outside the box and adapt if you see a better way. That’s exactly how following a content plan works. If you need it, that’s great. If you follow it closely, that’s even better. But you can also come up with ideas on the fly, especially if they suit your goals better. Maybe a major world event causes you to pivot, or maybe you’re getting the same questions over and over from your audience. Talk about what’s most pressing or what you’re most excited about in the moment! You’ll always be able to come back to that plan.
At Quantum, we help our advisors create meaningful content that drives audiences to engage. If you have any questions about how you can start planning more consistent and effective content on your website, social media outlets, video platforms and more, give us a call today at 800.440.1088!
As a copywriter, he writes content for blog posts, videos, newsletters and more to help our advisors connect with their clients and stay in front of prospects.
