An editorial calendar is an important business tool that seems straightforward, but actually contains a depth of complexity that many small businesses fail to consider.
For example, performance of current live content – traffic, click-throughs, conversion and so on – must necessarily have a large impact on future content, or else your company may be wasting money and effort on “dud” contributions and promotions.
In the same vein, if your version of brand storytelling is getting lost in the weeds, it may simply be the fault of unfocused content marketing, and not so much the actual content of your articles, blogs and posts. Is your editorial calendar earning its proverbial keep? Here’s how to find out.
Support, Not Cannibalization
If you release articles that are essentially “unique copies” of the same subject – word-for-word originals expressing the same concepts – be sure that you’re not releasing them the same time on different platforms, and keep the submissions to a single given platform as varied as possible.
The idea is to think of posting more as a hit in volleyball than one in baseball – you’re not aiming for the bleachers, you’re attempting upward momentum that can be juggled and maintained.
Stagger your posting times and ensure you’re not covering the same ideas on the same platform twice; for added success, go a step further and make after-post checking a ritual.
If, for example, a competitor posted a similar take hours earlier, you could end with ideas that look embarrassingly plagiarized.
Interlink to Build Your Network
Your content pieces should all fall into place on a large puzzle – each fitting neatly beside other pieces until a single cohesive impression is formed.
Don’t be hesitant to link to past articles you’ve written that expand on your concept, and encourage readers to view and use resources such as free e-books or guides on your website.
Your readers should not only feel empowered by the piece they’re currently glancing over, they should feel invited to investigate more articles within your network, thus preventing site bounce.
Mix Up Your Formats
Content marketing experts agree: not all venues or formats work for all brand storytelling and messages. As industry-leading poll creation specialists on the Qzzr team noted in 2015’s Content Marketing Conference, sometimes an unusual format is the best way of breaking through the “noise” of marketing.
Even if you’re working with a small or nonexistent video budget or a lack of design time, you can still spin a traditional article into something different, such as a “Top 10” list, an infographic or even a viral quiz with free or discounted software.
If you skillfully appeal to your customer’s hunger for novelty in their content consumption, your SERPS rankings will rise accordingly.
Still uncertain about how to create the perfect editorial calendar for your content creation campaign? Come learn new can’t-miss techniques from content marketing experts at 2016’s Content Marketing Conference, slated for May 17th – 19th at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Not only will some of the most talented names in the business be on hand to offer expert guidance, you’ll be able to “talk shop” with hundreds of fellow business owners, comparing notes and forming strategies along the way.