If there is one thing I know about you, smart, productive, reader, it is that you do your homework. So, I feel safe assuming that by now you have a beautiful, self-hosted blog living on your website. Maybe you have even taken a crack at posting something. The thing about a blog is that because there are truly endless possibilities on the topics you can cover you may find it overwhelming knowing what to write and when.
In October we chatted about why you need a blog and the different possible blogging mediums you can choose from. Last month we talked about how to implement a blog that benefits you and your business. This month, in the final installment of this three-part blogging series, we talk about publishing and how to make it organized, fun and, most importantly, beneficial to your business.
ROADMAP TO SUCCESS: EDITORIAL CALENDAR
An editorial calendar is the secret blogging weapon for all successful bloggers. So what is an editorial calendar? Well, it sounds fancier than it really is. It is simply a calendar with a plan for what you will be posting and when. You can use something as basic as a pocket calendar and a pencil to sketch out your topics of choice or there are tons of great resources out there that help you plan topics, authors (if you have multiple people authoring in your organization), corresponding social media posts, etc.
To get you started I’ve created a basic and 2015 editorial calendar you can download at https://PsychdMarketing.com/resources. Go download it now and I will walk you through how best use it step by step.
HOW TO FILL IN YOUR EDITORIAL CALENDAR
It can be daunting to look at a blank calendar and think you have to fill in the entire year with content ideas but it’s not nearly as painful as you think. Here is the three step process top painlessly plan your content:
Step 1: Fill in monthly themes. The obvious themes would revolve around the observed holidays. For example, if you are in the health and wellness industry, January’s theme could easily be “Sticking With Resolutions.”
Step 2: After you have 12 themes, decide how often you would like to post. Once a month would be the bare minimum for a posting schedule and I strongly recommend once a week blog/vlog posts, if you can commit to it.
Step 3: Fill in post ideas based on your themes and schedule. Post ideas can come from any number of places, but some of the best content you can write comes from your existing clientele. If you’re just starting out, think about some of the questions you see people asking about your industry. Google is a great resource for this. Figure out where those fit within your themes and answer the questions before they ever get asked!
10 Prompts to get post ideas flowing:
- What annoys you most about your industry and how are you combating it?
- What was your biggest business blunder and what did you learn from it?
- What books have been the most powerful in your business/industry journey that could also be helpful to your clients and prospects? Write a review of the book.
- Is there some process your clients and prospects ask you about repeatedly? Create a step-by-step post on how to do it.
- Create a top 10 list.
- Do you have a client success story that you can write a case study about? Case studies are perfect for illustrating your perfect client and the perfect resolution you provide.
- Create a behind-the-scenes post from your business. Clients and prospects love to see the relatable, unpolished, human side of your business.
- Is there someone in your industry or a related industry that could provide valuable information to your readers? Interview them either written or video.
- Is there a big story or controversy in your industry that is impacting your clients? Write an opinion piece about it.
- Write about the biggest “sins” you see committed in your industry. Example: I might write about how I see businesses censoring their views so as not to offend but they are really just jeopardizing attracting their right fit clients by watering down their opinions.
Do not get caught up in planning out the full year of content in one sitting. It is fine to commit to mapping out one month, one quarter or six months in your first sitting. Just be sure to block out time to plan out the remainder in the future.
TAKE ACTION!
Print your editorial calendar and commit to filling in at least one month with a theme and content. Then put a block of time on your calendar to create the content you’ve planned.
Next month we are going to talk about how to kick off 2015 right with a super simple, effective and impactful client survey method.