How To Create A Content Calendar: A Guide 📅

We know how hard it is to keep track of every social media, every newsletter, or even articles you have to get done for the week. Sometimes, there’s so much information that it can get a little overwhelming. That’s why many people, and especially content creators, use content calendars! We use them and we recommend them. Here’s a brief guide to understand content calendars and how to create them.

What Is A Content Calendar?

To go right to the point, a content calendar is a tool used to plan, schedule, and organize content for a specific period of time. It might be similar to a storyboard, but instead of using it on filmmaking, you use it on the content you want to create. It can be used for a variety of purposes, such as planning the content for a website or social media channel, or organizing content for a marketing campaign.

A content calendar can be used to plan out what kind of content you want to produce, when it needs to be published, who will be publishing it, and where it will be published. This makes sure that all your deadlines are met, which ensures that you don’t have to worry about last minute work. It can also help you ensure that your content is consistent and aligns with your overall marketing strategy.

Why Are Content Calendars Important?

Content calendars are important because they help you to be organized and consistent with your social media. Here are a few reasons of why content calendars are important:

Planning

It helps you plan out the content you will create and publish in advance. This can help you ensure that you have a steady stream of content and avoid last-minute scrambles to come up with something to post.

Organization

A content calendar helps you keep track of all the content you are creating and publishing in one place. This can make it easier to see what content you have coming up and what changes should be made.

Consistency

It can help you ensure that your content is consistent and aligns with your overall marketing strategy. You can use it to plan out the topics you will cover, the tone and style of your content, and the frequency of your posts.

Collaboration

A content calendar can help multiple people or teams collaborate on content creation and publishing. It can clearly show who is responsible for what tasks, and when they are due. Team work is wonderful!

Measuring success

It is also a useful tool for measuring the success of your content. By keeping track of your content and the results it generates, you can identify what is and isn’t working, and make adjustments as needed.

A content calendar is a powerful tool for any business or content creator that needs to consistently produce high-quality content. It can help you manage all of your projects from start to finish with ease.

What Should A Content Calendar Include?

A content calendar can include a variety of different pieces of information, depending on your needs and goals. Some common items that might be included in a content calendar are:

The title or topic of the content.
The type of content (e.g., blog post, social media post, email newsletter, video).
The date the content will be published.
The tone or style of the content (e.g., formal, casual, humorous).
The purpose or goal of the content (e.g., to inform, to entertain, etc.).
Keywords or phrases that the content should focus on.
Promotional activity such as advertising and sponsorships
The person responsible for creating the content.
Important calendar dates, such as holidays.
Partnerships with other brands
The person responsible for reviewing and editing the content.
The current status of the content (e.g., draft, scheduled, published).

Depending on your needs, you may want to include additional information in your content calendar. For example, you might want to track the performance of your content (e.g., number of views, shares, or conversions) or add notes about the content or the process of creating it.

How To Create A Content Calendar?

You might be wondering how to create a content calendar. Well, first, start by defining your goals and identifying your target audience. Then, you can decide on the types of content you will create and use your content calendar template to plan out the topics and frequency of your content. Assign tasks and deadlines to team members or to yourself, and make sure that you have a clear understanding of who is responsible for each piece of content. As you create and publish your content, review its performance and adjust your content calendar as needed to better align with your goals. Don’t forget to promote your content once it’s published. Use social media, email marketing, and other channels to get the word out and drive traffic to your content.

Here are some additional tips for creating a content calendar:

Use a template

There are many content calendar templates available online that you can use as a starting point. You can also create your own template using a spreadsheet or project management tool.

Make it visible

Make your content calendar visible to everyone on your team, so everyone can see what’s coming up and plan accordingly.

Be flexible

While it’s important to have a plan, don’t be afraid to make changes if needed. If something comes up that requires you to adjust your content calendar, don’t hesitate to do so.

Plan ahead

Try to plan as far in advance as possible, especially if you need to coordinate content creation with other people or teams. This will give you time to make any necessary changes or adjustments.

Collaborate

Involve others in the content creation process. For example, you might ask team members to suggest ideas for content or ask for feedback on drafts.

Use data

Use analytics and other data to inform your content calendar. For example, if you see that a particular type of content performs well, you might consider creating more of it.

Make it consistent

Aim for consistency in the tone, style, and frequency of your content. This will help you build a loyal audience and establish your brand.

To create a content calendar, you can either use Google Sheets, or you can also use a dedicated calendar tool to keep track of your content.

Apps to create a content calendar

There are many tools and apps that you can use to create a content calendar. Here are a few options:

Sendible: It is a social media management platform that allows businesses and organizations to manage, schedule, and publish content on multiple social media platforms from a single dashboard. It also provides analytics and performance tracking, as well as customer engagement and team collaboration tools.
Asana: Asana is a project management tool that allows you to create and track tasks, projects, and deadlines. You can use it to organize and schedule your content calendar.
Trello: Trello is a visual project management tool that allows you to create and organize tasks and projects using cards and boards. You can use it to create a content calendar by creating a board for each month and adding cards for each piece of content you plan to create.
Hootsuite: Hootsuite is a social media management platform that allows you to schedule and publish content on multiple social media platforms. It also has a built-in content calendar feature that you can use to plan and schedule your content.
CoSchedule: Coschedule is an online calendar and content planner that helps you to plan, organize, and assign content. It is designed to help you work smarter by organizing your content in a way that makes sense for your business. It also helps you stay on top of your deadlines and stay organized.
Notion: Notion is a productivity and organization tool that allows users to create and organize notes, tasks, wikis, and databases. It can be used for a wide range of purposes, including a content calendar.
Loomly: Loomly is a content marketing platform that includes a content calendar feature. It allows businesses and organizations to plan, create, and publish content, as well as promote it across multiple channels.

Now, you have all the info to start creating content calendars and keep everything tidy and organized. If you need royalty free music for your tracks, choose HookSounds. Why? Just listen.