The Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Content Calendar
Have you felt the need for that proverbial something to give you guidance to handle your blog? I was not too gung-ho about creating a content calendar for my blog till I decided to start one. And, to be honest, that made all the difference in the shaping of my blog. Though it sounds tedious and predictable, if you ask my opinion, I would say that understanding how to create a content calendar is definitely required ~ to up your blogging game and to keep you clear-minded. This will help you come up with blog posts that give meaning and purpose to the content you are posting for your readers.
There are no hard and fast rules on how to create a content calendar. The most important thing you need to keep in mind is that these collected thoughts that are going to be shared, should not be time-consuming and should definitely not leave you drained by the end of it.
You want a system in place that will help you with your postings, i.e. what has to be posted when. You can either create one just for the blog or for all your social media channels. This will help you stay organised when it comes to deciding on what content goes on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc., and the frequency with which these posts need to go live on the web. Usually, if you have a content calendar for your blog, plugging content in for social media should be pretty easy.
Let me break it down into steps, so that it becomes easy to create a content calendar, if you don’t already have one and if you need guidance in making one ~
How to Create a Content Calendar Step 1: On pre-planning your weekly content
It is important to plan your weekly content. E.g. what topics need to be posted on each day of the week. And, if you are planning surprise/special/specific content, designate each day of the week to that specific topic. For instance, fashion bloggers could do something like this: Monday = Shopping collage, Tuesday = Outfit post, Wednesday = Outfit video, Thursday = Round up of your week, Friday = Follow Friday.
Now, when I say ‘weekly content calendar’, I do not mean you have to post on all seven days of the week. That might be tricky, especially if you’re just starting because you might not be able to grab the attention of your readers or make them actually care about what you have to say.
Planning your content for the week is mainly to help you stay organised, in control of your blog postings, and stay on schedule. A gap between postings will help you analyse the performance of your blog plus will help you have an idea about the type of content your readers enjoy. You can also use that schedule as a guideline and alternate between your posts from week to week.
Maybe one week you post on Monday {shopping post}, Wednesday {outfit video}, and Friday {follow Friday} and the next week you post on Tuesday {outfit post} and Thursday {weekly roundup}.
Once you start pre-planning your weekly content, you will see your blog functioning like a well-oiled machine ~ smoothly, consistently, and without any hiccups.
How to Create a Content Calendar Step 2: On weaving content around the magic of festivals and important events
Once your weekly content has been decided upon, you can look at the holidays and special events of the month and have content that flirts with those important days. This will help capture the festivity, mood, and joy of those events and holidays, and connect with a wider audience.
Each calendar month has something or the other that calls for celebrating Valentine’s Day in February, International Women’s Day in March, and so on, and that gives you enough ideas to decide on your content in advance. And, there is always enough of a time span in between these festivals to plan without a whiff of confusion and hurry. Depending on what topic you want to write about, you can create a breakdown.
If you’re a fashion blogger and its getting closer to Valentine’s Day, for example, you have at least 2 weeks’ worth of content between what you want for the occasion, or what you’re getting your loved ones to celebrate the day, or what you’re wearing for Valentine’s Day, etc. The list goes on… Another example is fashion month which happens in February, so you could create content surrounding NY, Paris, Milan, London, etc.
Make sure your blog posts are a good mix of interesting stories, curated articles, personal interactions, brand information {if there is a sale or a new product is being launched}, giving responses to queries, etc.
There are also tools and apps now that make the handling of blog posts organised and methodical, which will help you in getting it sorted out at one glance. Once you are organised you will find blogging to be a fun, fulfilling and pleasurable activity.
How to Create a Content Calendar Step 3: On getting organised with your working clock
At this point, you should be pretty well organised. You’ve got your weekly schedule down and you have content ideas revolving around the important events of the month… Now it’s time to actually create.
My advice would be to ensure you know exactly when you want your posts to go live, and once that is decided, work on it accordingly and give time for its promotion. Staying organised is the keyword here because if go slow on your blog posts due to mismanagement of time, it will mean you will have to start from scratch and then you’re back at square one.
In order to avoid this, you need to decide on the time you want to keep aside for your blog. Different people have different working patterns and I would suggest you find your comfort zone and choose the number of hours you want to put in to create content. Whatever the time you set aside, make sure it brings out the best in you!
If you ask me, I usually like working from 6-11 AM and 7-10 PM {this might differ from person to person}. Whether it is morning, afternoon, or midnight, you just need to find that space and time when you are motivated and productive to concentrate on writing, proofreading, editing, deciding upon the images you intend to share, etc. That way you can stay ahead of the game for the most part.
To conclude: I know blogging seems overwhelming at first and there are so many facets to it all, but a content calendar is the key, I promise. And to be honest, when I look back now, I do not know how I stayed organised and created and managed my blog minus a content calendar. I’d like you to remember that once you have your content calendar sorted, you will see yourself enjoying writing on new topics, and getting connected with brands and readers who will want to be associated with you.
I am curious to know if you have a social media content calendar. If so, let me know the process in the comments below. I would love to hear about it!