5 Mistakes to Avoid When Planning Your Content Calendar

Content marketing has become a major focus for marketers, and it's easy to see why. With information overload we are experiencing, it's a lot more difficult to grab your users’ attention to sell your products and services. There are so many other competitors, across multiple platforms out there who are doing the same thing, and they are all trying to attract the same people. So how do you get your potential customers' attention?

One way is by using content marketing- or producing relevant content that your target audience wants to read, watch, or listen to on a regular basis. But while it can be tempting to just start creating any content in order to fill up your calendar with posts, this might not be the best strategy for success. Oftentimes, at @Script Consultants we come across clients wanting to take replicate content of other brands. While it may be ok to take inspiration from your competition, it is never advisable to follow someone else’s blueprint.

What is a content calendar and why is it important?

Most often brands do not realise that their blog is a lead-gen tool. The success of your blog depends on how much traffic you are able to generate. One big factor in generating traffic is the content you publish. You can have amazing content, but if it's not visible, then it won't help your SEO rankings or increase your blog's visibility in search engines. That's why it's important to get into the habit of planning out what content will be published on your blog - and when.

Your content calendar is your plan for what you’ll publish and when - it tells you what to post, when to post, and how often. Planning your content calendar is not an easy task. It's important to plan ahead in order to get the most out of your content marketing strategy.

But as we all know, even the best-laid plans sometimes fail. There are some mistakes people often make when deciding what to post. These mistakes related to planning your content calendar can drive away readership and revenue.

So, before you head into the wild blue yonder and start scheduling posts, here are five mistakes to avoid:

1.???Not taking time to think about what type of content will work well for your audience

Most often in my experience, clients confuse ‘trendy’ with being something their target audience will search for. Therefore, it can be difficult to know what content will resonate with your target audience or what publishing frequency will work best for your company.

You're cranking out posts - great content, by the way - and you find yourself posting an article that nobody in your target segment wants to read –for instance a relocation company writing a blog about “5 Tourist Spots You Should Not Miss in Xxx”. While this topic may be fabulous for a travel website, it is not an ideal fit for the audience of a relocation company. It will be no surprise if the company realises that their posts are not really reaching the people they wanted them to reach in the first place.?

So, take some time to think about what kind of content is going to work well for your audience. This will help you create content that is more engaging and successful.

2.???Scheduling too much content at once

It's tempting to want to publish all your content at once, but don't try to do too much too soon. Timing is as important as the content itself to gain traffic and traction. Try scheduling one post per day for the first week and then build up from there. Posting more than one or two times a day can annoy your followers, which is the opposite of what you're trying to do!

3.???Not paying attention to the timing of events in your industry

As your brand does not work in isolation, your content calendar should be a reflection of social context too. It's important to be aware of key dates in your industry, and important celebrations or anniversaries. You need to know when the holidays are, when major conferences are happening, and when other events will be happening that could affect your business.

Knowing these dates ahead of time will allow you to strategically plan around them. You will know what types of content to post, how often to post it, and where you should spend your marketing budget.

Planning around key dates in your industry will ensure that you stay on top of all the relevant topics for your industry and furthermore, grow your audience by using content tailored specifically for them over time. For example, if you are a baking brand, it may be worthwhile to celebrate and share about the history of baking.

4.???Trying to be “too cool” or “too funny”

The goal of your content should be to share knowledge and information with your audience, while subtly drawing attention to your products and services. However, as a business, you also want to come across as approachable and friendly. If you're too cool or too funny, it might feel like you're talking down to them - which may turn them off.

Try pairing your content with a photo that adds a familiar element or tone. Audio-visual content and info-graphics will help humanise your brand and make people more likely to read your post in the first place!

5.???Forgetting that you need a mix of different types of content

Content can take many forms, so it’s important to plan accordingly. You might need to post more than just blog posts or tweets—you might need videos, infographics, or pictures.

The goal is to create engaging content that resonates with your audience. Make sure you have a mix of different types of content in your calendar for the best results.?

If you need help in planning an effective content marketing plan, reach out to me today!