How do you create a content calendar and what tools do you use?

I never start a content development project unless I know exactly what needle the outcomes are supposed to move. If you know that then you don't have to develop success metrics - they're built in.

While it is true that it is critical to always have the end in mind when you are working on a content calendar, often the events, days, calendar points that emerge from the proces of just starting can help you define what your key success metrics might be. Don't discount the impact of working through what is coming up and how campaigns might integrate with each other and with effective amplification points in the future.

An additional layer to goals -- it's not just about your content goals, but also, your company goals, and even your department goals. How can content become an integral part of your company's growth? Where else can your content team assist the organization in showcasing success?

First, keep your goal in mind. What are you trying to achieve with that content calendar? Second, know your audience so you can choose the right platform for your content strategy and determine the type of content they prefer or engage with. Check your followers profile page and see the pages they like or engage with. Do they engage more with reels or visuals? Are they interested in similar pages, or are they more into other types of niches? This is important to tailor your content effectively. Finally, think KPIs. How do you intend to measure the success of your strategy? This depends on your goal. Include your KPIs in your captions or visuals, such as a CTA or a lead magnet, to guide your audience to the desired action. Tools : Asana

I start with a general outline which becomes more detailed as it develops. New website content might be my 1st numbered topic, followed by bullets of content needing to be written & uploaded- ie recent testimonials, new staff bios/headshots. I'll insert Blogs as a subsection, w/ content titles/dates, stock photos to choose, etc listed as task bullets underneath. Next section: Emails/Newsletters, w/ subject titles, target demographics, AB testing details, to name a few bullet ideas. Same process for SM platforms. For subjects/dates still undecided, I leave a ______. After more brainstorming, I slowly fill the blanks. Once outline is organized, editorial calendar is like crossing finish line. The dang outline is all the endurance training!

During the content audit, identify what you’re going to keep, what needs updating, and what should be deleted. For content in the “delete” category: if you have other related content that is more useful to you audience, use redirects to point the URLs to the alternate page. The audit is also a good time to determine how often you will review specific content (e.g., review and update a staff directory twice a year). Incorporate this cadence into your content calendar.

When it comes to generating content ideas, keeping the buyer's journey in mind is crucial. You need to analyze whether you want to create content for potential customers who are not yet in the funnel or for those who are already considering your product/service. This is because the topics you develop for each group will differ dramatically. Therefore, it's always recommended to analyze the intent of the keywords and develop topics accordingly. One effective way to start building content is by using the SILO/content clustering approach. This approach can provide you with a solid understanding of how and where to start creating content for your target audience.

Go straight to your customers and understand what they're asking in sales and support calls. Use tools like Gong and Fathom to get sales call recordings. Pair them with tools like Letterdrop to extract marketing insights across all your calls for what content to create.

Agree that understanding your customers and going back to sales calls can be a great way to brainstorm ideas. But other avenues to consider include: 1. Trade publications your buyers follow 2. Industry SMEs or influencers 3. Newsletter that you may have subscribed to 4. Emails you get 5. Looking at what's performed in the past and thinking about follow up content

Probably the best way to schedule your content is to first experiment with distribution over a set period of time. This will give you insights into when your content is being engaged the most. Then use those insights to recalibrate your publishing schedule to align when it will get the most engagement.

In addition to content, also evaluate timing. For your social media posts and emails, for example, look for patterns of when your content gets the most engagement. Is there a day of the week or time of day when you see more comments on social media? What about when more people are opening your emails and clicking on the links within them? Adjust your email send and social media posting schedule accordingly.

Too many professionals are averse to deleting obsolete content. Get over it. You're the only one that still wants it. If your users don't value it then you shouldn't.

in my experience, evaluating performance is not always done enough - understanding your audience and what they feel is valuable and helpful is important information. observed/anecdotal metrics is just as helpful as formal analytics. it's been helpful for me to plan for content that better resonates with my audiences.

Update all content as necessary. If you have incoming links to a page, overwrite the file with the updated information. Take this tip on board for those old pages that are performing well but still need updating. In other words, keep the file name the same while making any changes.