Between automated marketing, advanced content creation tools, email campaigns, and paid advertising, keeping a detailed editorial calendar might feel like the last item on your priority list.
But neglecting its contents can cost your business dearly. After all, your editorial calendar is the heart of digital communication between you brand and your audience — it deserves a little TLC.
In a previous post, we discussed how maintaining an editorial calendar helps you stay organized and focused. But developing an editorial calendar is more about reaching targeted goals than it is about recording publishing dates and keywords.
Discover which categories your editorial calendar might be missing.
5 Must-Have Categories for Your Editorial Calendar
When taking inventory of content creation tools at your disposal, start with a review of your editorial calendar’s contents. Incorporate the following categories to “connect the dots” between content creation and conversion rates.
- Target audience. Many businesses have ideal clients they’re pursuing, whether it’s stay-at-home moms or C-suite executives. Specify which member of your audience content is targeting before tracking its success via analytics, and ensure each piece is tailored to them.
- Stage of buyer’s journey. From discovery to commitment, the buyer’s journey is complex. That’s why creating content for each stage is critical to your bottom line. Map your sales funnel and connect content with different stages to optimize results.
- Distribution channels. To get the most from one piece of content, distribution is key. Is your blog being promoted on Facebook? Are you publishing video on Twitter? Using a paid service to disseminate content? Track your efforts to do more of what works and less of what doesn’t.
- Media type. Depending on your audience, publishing content in different formats, like infographics, video, and podcasts, produces better results than traditional blogging. In fact, visual content is consumed and shared more than text media. Record published media types to determine which evokes the best response from your viewers.
- Call to action. While it may seem like an afterthought, adding a call to action to your content is the conduit through which viewers make an informed decision about your brand. If your intended viewer is in the initial phases of your sales funnel, invite them to learn more.Alternatively, an in-depth article about your product may be just what your reader needs to click on a “buy now” link.
Make Your Editorial Calendar Work for You
As much as you might think you’re a lone warrior, efficient content marketing takes a village.
A detailed editorial calendar will guide you through successful campaigns, highlight barriers to success, and keep your content organized — provided you keep open communication of its contents with your team.
Is anything missing from your editorial calendar? What are your content creation struggles? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
