The Secret to Designing a Content Calendar

Visualising how your content quota is going to be used in the forthcoming months is the best method of knowing what is being used and when it will appear. The process of designing a content calendar is crafted, visual expression of order. Like the seasons, life is ordered. If order dictates design, it’s going to be dynamic – and durable.

Your content calendar should reflect buyer intentions. You know what the most searched-for terms are on your site and you would have created a keyword order that goes hand-in-glove with that. This is one of the most valuable secrets to designing a calendar:

• The content must mirror the order inherent in your life. This order will prevent you from being overly repetitive (or seemingly so) and will also keep the subject matter fresh and inspirational.

Tips for putting together a content calendar

Reflect your marketing know-how

From the very word go, your content calendar reflects your digital marketing knowledge. Marketing uses analytics to discover who, what, when and why. If you’re in tune with your data, you’ll produce content that is meaningful and constructive on a continual basis.

Content is the most important thing when it comes to a digital marketing strategy. If you’re not applying your focus to that, you are going to get nowhere in your search rankings.

You must test the content to ensure you’re on the right track. Is the content funny, surprising, exciting, moving? Don’t let it be like the piles of mindless stuff which you can find anywhere online. It’s got to be different to keep audiences reading.

Love the writing, love the brand

Your content calendar is your treasure, your spring in your step, your lifeblood. Your content writer should be in seventh heaven when tackling subjects that you have provided for in the calendar. And, likewise, your audience should love you for content that moves them or is witty. If they do that, it means they are going to love your brand.

Getting feedback from your audience, analytics aside, is the best way forward. Word of mouth – as we all know – is the most effective form of marketing. It generates the most sustainable form of return on investment. Use it to your advantage when generating the content calendar for your website.

What article goes where is important

Your content calendar should also contain aspects of how you are going to promote your content, such as when:

• E-mail shots will go off,
• How you will be sharing content on social media, and
• What platforms you’ll be using to promote your brand on social media.

Syndicate your content to various sites like BizSugar, StumbleUpon, Delicious, Outbrain and Reddit. In terms of extending your reach, these sites provide phenomenal ROI. For example, statistics show that Outbrain reaches approximately 550 million users online and serves these people 200 million recommendations – in terms of content – per month. The great thing about this platform, as well, is that it allows you to see how users are engaging with your content.

Get in touch with the Digital School of Marketing

So, you want to have the content calendar that cracks the success code? The Digital School of Marketing will provide all you’ll ever need to make this possible with their Digital Copywriting and Content Marketing Course. With this DSM qualification under your belt, you’ll be well versed in the art and science of how to make online copy fly! Read more here.