It’s a surprise to no one that being consistent on social media is a full-time job. Consistency increases engagement, but that’s easier said than done. Are you struggling to post consistent content to your website or social media platforms? You are not alone. We’re sharing three tips to jumpstart your content (or editorial) calendar.
Define Your Goals
Think of your content calendar as a map. It’s a path, from the beginning of the year to the end, noting exactly what will be posted and where. At Launch, our content calendar is organized by month, with an overarching theme or project. Before we created the calendar, our Marketing and Sales teams determined what goals we wanted to meet by the end of the year. This included industries we wanted to reach and KPIs we wanted to achieve. By defining our goals, we were able to create a monthly calendar with content that touched specific industries and also aligned with what we’re already doing.
Choose Your Channels
Once you’ve defined your goals, it’s time to select your channels. How does most of your audience interact with your business? For Launch, a large percentage of our audience interacts with our Facebook page. It’s important to focus content around that particular platform. Take some time to look over the data for your social media accounts and your website. Perhaps more traffic to your website comes from LinkedIn or Twitter; consistently posting to those platforms will keep your audience engaged. Use this information to provide insight into next year’s goals.
Create a Template
Now that you’ve determined your goals and decided which platforms will see your content, it’s time to pick a template. This doesn’t need to be fancy or overwhelming. The calendar should be editable and viewable to the necessary folks. Launch Media’s content calendar lives in Google Docs, and as a giant version is on a dry erase board in the office. Team members can see what’s coming up during the month and offer suggestions. Your content calendar needs to work for you, wherever it is.
When your goals, channels, and template are in place, you’re ready to start filling in your content. From blog posts to company updates to industry tips, decide your posting frequency and put it in your calendar. Videos are also great content for your website or social media platforms. If you need a brand anthem or social media shareables, our team can assist.