Start and manage your editorial calendar

Goal: Establishing an editorial calendar to oversee the team’s content marketing endeavors.

Desired Outcome: The achievement of a robust editorial calendar ensures seamless publication of content across various channels without the need for last-minute decision-making, leading to increased efficiency and cohesion within the team.

Prerequisites or requirements:

• Proficiency in crafting and employing marketing personas, representing the typical target audience.
• Implementation of a keyword strategy.

Importance: Implementing a content calendar streamlines the team’s efforts, saving time and ensuring alignment with content-related objectives throughout the year. It fosters clarity and direction for all team members, from SEO specialists to digital marketing strategists.

Location: Utilizing Google Sheets and Trello, a web-based project management tool.

Timing: Implementation occurs upon the decision to eliminate uncertainty in content marketing endeavors. Establishing and maintaining an editorial calendar is an ongoing process, allowing for continuous refinement and incorporation of new ideas.

Responsible Parties: The responsibility falls upon yourself, your content manager, or a hired digital marketing agency.

Environment Setup:

1. Create an account on Trello.com. The platform offers free usage, with premium options available starting from less than $9.99/month.
2. Assemble your team and ideate collectively to ensure an enjoyable and effective process.

Creating and Managing the Content Calendar:

1. Generate a Google Sheet and input relevant details such as publish date, due date, author, topic/title, content, etc.
2. Populate the Brainstorming sheet with a plethora of ideas, accessible to the entire team familiar with your brand, business goals, and target audience personas.
3. Upon approval in the Brainstorming sheet, transfer the idea to the Daily Sheet and fill in the necessary information.
4. Update the “Scheduled?” column accordingly when moving an idea from Brainstorming to Daily, along with specifying the publish date.
5. Populate the Daily View sheet with selected ideas from the Brainstorming sheet, adhering to the provided guidelines for each column.

Managing the Content Creation Process:

1. Utilize a project management tool like Trello to efficiently oversee the content creation process.
2. Log in to your Trello account and duplicate the provided Editorial Calendar Template board.
3. Add cards to each column corresponding to your editorial calendar and required tasks.
4. Assign tasks to team members by selecting the card and assigning members.
5. Employ labels on cards to categorize tasks based on content type or channel.
6. Utilize Trello’s comment feature to communicate with team members effectively.
7. Set due dates for each task to maintain workflow efficiency.
8. Adjust card positions as tasks progress through different stages of completion.
9. Utilize columns such as To Do, WIP, In Review, Published, and Not Doing to organize and track the content creation process effectively.

Following the provided steps and recommendations will significantly enhance organization and efficiency within your team, facilitating the creation of high-quality content. Despite the initial time investment required, the benefits of implementing an editorial calendar and managing content creation processes effectively will be invaluable.