How To Manage Content With An Editorial Calendar

Trying to manage a blog, email list, and social media accounts without a clear plan is just asking for a headache. By creating an editorial calendar to guide you as you go, you can produce better content and manage it without stress.

Choose Your Topics

Start by brainstorming a list of topics you know your potential clients are interested in. Check your website statistics to see which topics get the most attention and think of ways to expand on those. Do some keyword research with one of the many tools out there to find out what your target market is searching for online. Browse other sites in your industry for inspiration. While you’re gathering ideas, consider which formats you want to use for which topics. Some might work well with text alone, while others are better suited to video.

Organize Your Calendar

Once you have a pool of topics, decide when you’re going publish on each channel and fill in a topic for each “time slot.” Try choosing a theme for each month related to what your potential clients are most interested in at that time of year. For instance, if they’re in planning mode in winter, they might be interested in learning about new construction methods and materials. Picking a theme for certain days of the week, such as construction law on Mondays or sustainability issues on Wednesdays, also helps you decide what to publish when.

Schedule Your Production Process

While some of your online content might be blog posts you can write off the top of your head, other content will require work done in advance. You might need to gather data, interview outside experts, take photos, create graphics or edit videos. Your editorial calendar can keep you on schedule for each step so your content is ready on time. Look back through your calendar and note what steps will be necessary to create each piece of content, then add those steps to your calendar.