Why You Need a Content Calendar and How to Plan One
When I started freelancing, I noticed a big trend with a lot of my clients: they had no plan. They would have me write emails or blogs, but they struggled to come up with topics, and the content was all over the place. It took me a while to understand why, but eventually, I saw a common theme: they didn’t have a content calendar to plan from.
I’ve made it my mission to change that. 😉 I wanted to see my client’s content and business thrive, and that means having a cohesive content plan that aligns with their goals. So, I’m here to tell you the same thing I tell my clients…
What is a Content Calendar?
A content calendar is pretty much as it sounds. It’s a calendar that maps out your content for the month, quarter, or beyond. What truly makes a content calendar for me, though, is having a goal.
Before I did freelance copywriting, I was an English teacher. When I’d write essays with my students, I’d hammer in the concept that everything goes back to the thesis. And it’s the same way with your content plan.
Everything goes back to your goals. Your blogs. Your emails. Your social media content. Your launches. It should align with your goals. If they don’t, how can you expect to make the strides you envision for your business?
Why Do You Need a Content Calendar?
I started to touch on this already, but the #1 reason you need to plan a content calendar is so you can begin to reach your business goals. Let me give an example. Let’s say you want to make $1000 more each month. There are two ways you could go about it:
You stick to what you’ve always done, which is planning things last minute. Because you’re trying to make money, you are pitching and selling, but things seem half-baked. Your content doesn't support each other. It’s all separate pieces trudging down a different path.
You decide to hone in on one service. You create blogs around why this service is important and why people should invest. You create social posts where you showcase testimonials, examples, and poke at the problem. Everything leads towards the same goal: booking that one service. Customers aren’t confused, and they see the whole picture.
The goal is to get you on Option B. It’s like an assembly line or laying a sidewalk brick by brick. You want every piece of content to work together and support each other.
Content Calendar Planning 101
If you’re ready to start planning your content calendar, where should you begin? Here are a few tips:
#1 Identify Your Goals
First things first, you have to get clear on your goals. I always advise people to plan quarterly goals and then break that down by month.
For example, if your goal is to make $1000 extra dollars, what do you need to accomplish each month to make that happen? Maybe in month one, you need to assess your current marketing. In month two, you want to warm up your audience to an offer. In month three, you want to hard sell this offer.
#2 Reflect and Assess Your Channels
Creating a content calendar shouldn't feel like locking yourself away. If you feel stuck and trapped by your current marketing, it’s time to reassess.
Evaluate how much time and energy you have to give to your goals. Do you need to eliminate a marketing channel? Decrease the amount of content you create? The goal here is make sure that whatever content calendar you create, you can realistically stick to it.
#3 Create a Content Map
Now it’s time to plan! Let’s create a content calendar. Looking at the channels and marketing platforms you have + the goals you have in mind, you will draft content to meet those goals.
Let’s go back to the $1000 goal. In month one, we said we would assess our current marketing. This means I might want to update old blogs as opposed to writing new ones. And I can email my list with a market research survey. I can also work on audience building and list building by updating an old freebie.
For month two, we want to warm up our audience. If I think a VIP day is the best way to get that $1000, I need to write blogs about what VIP days are and why they are important. My emails should promote these blogs, along with testimonials and a case study of someone who has done a VIP Day.
Lastly, month three is a hard sell. Maybe I want to do a launch of the VIP Day. I would write a good chunk of social media and email content just towards selling this offer.
#4 Create a Batching Plan
Now that you have a plan, it’s time to start writing. If you just groaned at that, you are far from alone. 😉 Batching is my favorite way to knock out a lot of content at once, plus it frees up a lot of time down the road. (I’m literally batch-writing this blog right now!)
Personally, I like to set aside two days each month to knock it all out at once, but you make it work how you want to! The key, though, is to carve out time to sit down and write. Put a date on the calendar. Make it a habit.
#5 Put it into Action
After you batch, you can start putting your content into action. Whether you schedule content in advance or manually post it, you’ll find that already having the content ready to go makes it so much easier.
You don't have to worry about whether you’ll be meeting your business goals or whether you can stay on top of it all this month. You already did the hard work.
Interested in creating a 90 Day content plan, but don’t want to go at it alone? With my 90 Day Content Plan service, I’ll do the heavy lifting for you.
We will meet for 90 minutes, so I can get to know your goals and your business. Then, I will map out your entire 90 days for you. I’ll give you all the blog ideas, emails, social media posts, and more to help take you from Point A to Point B.
Hey, I’m Branda! I’m a copywriter and content strategist for female entrepreneurs who want personality-packed, nurture focused copy. Let’s make your copy something people want to read.
Want to work together?
Looking for bold, cheeky copy that will bring you closer to your business goals? Check out my pricing and services!