Content calendars exist for one reason: to keep things organized. Your content calendars are a critical part of your overall marketing plan. Furthermore, over half of marketers note that their strategies are most effective when they have a detailed and comprehensive marketing plan to follow.

For me, content calendars serve as the backbone of my entire content marketing strategy. I want to be able to look at my calendar and immediately see a big picture overview of what I’m currently doing, what deadlines are coming up, and what my priorities are. A content calendar must contain all important information from all of my campaigns.

The great thing about content calendars is how easy they are to tailor to your needs. As much as I’d love to tell you exactly how you can create a comprehensive tracking grid for all your initiatives, no two businesses are exactly alike. With this in mind, I’d like to focus instead on what steps to take to create a customized content calendar for your own needs—particularly as they pertain to building your online community.

1. Start With Your Objectives

Before anything else, map out your goals. Identifying your objectives makes it easier for you to understand what specific elements you should be keeping an eye on. For example, if your goals include building awareness about your brand, then making sure you have an established presence across multiple online channels is a priority and should be added to your content calendar. If an objective includes building your company messaging, then draft posts should be part of your grid as well.

Keep your goals in mind and let them guide you when you start drafting your grid.

2. Posting Frequency Should Always Be A Priority

Consistency is a big factor for success for any content marketer. If you’re looking to build your online audience, ensuring that you’re able to post regularly and consistently across all your chosen platforms is a priority. Make sure that details such as target posting dates are added to your grid so you can easily see if you’re able to maintain your schedule.

3. Take Note of Relevant Occasions and Dates

Depending on your niche and your audience there will be certain dates where your brand or service will be more relevant. Learn how to leverage these occasions for maximum online engagement. Take note of these dates by doing advance research and make a concerted push to be more visible online on these specific occasions.

4. Use Keywords and Key Phrases to Your Advantage

No matter what kind of content you’re producing—be it for your blog, a guest post, a tweet, a status update, or an Instagram post—you want to fully maximize its potential to get picked up by search engines. Do this by using keywords and key phrases. To keep track of what’s effective and what’s not, be sure to note in your grid words and phrases that you’ve used.

There you have it—hope my answer helps. If you have any questions, please feel free to send me a message via Leadspanda. I’ll do my best to answer them.