How to build a content marketing calendar
I've been struggling with getting back into the swing of things after the holidays, but I know that “I'll just do it next month” isn't the right response. So let's talk about what you can do at any time to generate content for your business: let's talk about how to build a content marketing calendar!
Pick a theme.
Pick a service, product, or topic and talk about it for a month. For example, I'm talking about getting started with your content at any time. I run a test with my themes:
- Is it too broad?
- Is it too specific?
First, I want to make sure it's not too broad of a topic that I'll have a difficult time staying focused. Broad themes force you to run the risk of being tangential and too generic…or force you into creating much more content than you have time for.
Second, I want to make sure it's not too specific that I can't come up with anything to write about. Too specific of themes can pigeon-hole you into too little content, where you're struggling to make correlations that just don't make sense.
Once I solidify my topic, I can write my big content piece: a blog post.
Write a blog post.
I’d love to say that this is “pretty self-explanatory”, but it’s not as easy for many as it is for me! Without getting into the specifics (we have an AH-MAZING course called “Blogging for SEO” in our membership, here are a few goals to strive toward:
- Choose a keyword phrase for your blog post
- Use your keyword phrase in the title, in at least one heading, and in the copy of your blog post (no more than 1-3% of the total text)
- Write a catchy title (Nab our 139 Irresistible Headline Templates below!)
- Write at least 300 words
- Use your keyword phrase in at least one of your post’s image’s ALT tags
(You can also visit our post “6 Small Business Copywriting Tips“!) My main piece of advice is to write in your voice and be sure to use a spellchecker like Grammarly. Otherwise, don’t over-analyze yourself! You’ll fall into the trap of #paralysisbyanalysis.
Create a simple opt-in.
This is definitely not a dealbreaker, but you should consider creating an opt-in for your blog post. Encourage readers to subscribe to your newsletter for a freebie that is related to your topic…and be led down a funnel to a paid product or service. Take our 139 Irresistible Headline Templates, for example. I know that writing click-worthy titles is more difficult for most writers than writing the actual blog post, so I’ve compiled this list for you to download…for free! (And then you can see what my email funnel looks like, too…win, win! )
Create a content calendar.
In A Cup of Content’s membership, I strongly encourage members to create their “big content” before they schedule out their social media. Then, you can create your content based on that blog post and have more opportunities to share said blog post.
Never, under any circumstance, allow your blog posts to be one and done.
Use a method of social media content creation that works best for you. A few recommendations we have include:
- Write all of your posts for the month out in a Google or Word Doc and then copy/paste them into your scheduler.
- Use a project management system like Asana or Trello to create your posts and then copy/paste them into your scheduler.
- Skip #1 and #2 and write and schedule right into your scheduler all at once.
Whatever you do, do NOT skip this step! You don’t have to write a post for every single day of the month. Just to get into the habit, try writing 3 posts a week. That’s just 12 posts a month! After you’ve created the habit, add a post a week. Be sure to always include an image with your posts, too; they garner the best engagement and click-through rates!
Schedule an email/chatbot notification or record a live/static video.
Don’t forget to tell your followers about your new blog post! Go live on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube and tell your following about your new post! Record a video in advance and share it on these platform and LinkedIn. Send an email out to your list about your new post. If you’ve created a chatbot, tell your subscribers about the post, too! Big content should never be one and done!
Final thoughts.
Content might be king, but context is the queen who runs the joint. Only write content that jives with your business and is specific and meaningful. And, most importantly…WRITE. Create content on a regular basis. Engage with your target demographic. Find out what make them tick. Then create even more of that content. I guarantee your business will pick up. And if you need help with more specifics…we have a course for you!
