Nowadays, there’s a lot of content that needs creating if you want your business to keep up. And to be frank, if you don’t map it all out, you’ll drive yourself insane.
A decisive plan will turn you into the virtual powerhouse you were born to be, without having to call out the men with the straight jackets to hand. This guide will give you everything you need to create, furnish + refine a content calendar that works for you and your biz Click & Tweet! .
Consistent content creation is a key element of any business strategy. Whether you’re a professional creative, a success coach or a virtual assistant, providing your audience with a steady flow of quality content will keep them coming back for more.
And that’s what we want. For people to come back to our sites.
Fun fact – did you know that the probability of selling to an existing reader is 60-70%, compared to 5-20% with a new visitor?
I can count on one hand the number of blogs that I’m truly loyal to. But there IS something them each of them have in common:
- they are filled with relevant, well-crafted content
- they’re pleasing to the eye
- their output is so regular I could set my watch to it (if I could wear one without it getting covered in paint)
Content Calendar Coursemap
Everything you could ever need to know about designing, creating + filling your content calendar.
The internet is flooded with online entrepreneurs – that’s the beauty of the age we live in, we can all make a go of it. But customers are picky. They will go to those people they consider trustworthy – the ones that are visibly consistent, and aren’t about to disappear with their money.
Reliability doesn’t make you boring, it makes you trustworthy Click & Tweet! .
If you’ve started a business and are yet to plant a flag in your own little corner of the internet, these resources will help you understand the benefits of setting up a blog + how to get it going.
You’ll learn about all the ways a blog can raise your profile, feed into your marketing strategy and expand your reach.
- Blogging 101: So you want to start a blog?
- Blog or Bust: Why your small business needs a blog
- 10 reasons your business needs a blog now!
- Want to know how blogging for business makes you more money?
- 10 tips for blogging with soul
- Why blog? The benefits of blogging for business and marketing
- 50 things to make me read your blog
- How blogging for business changes lives
The life of an online entrepreneur is a freaking busy one. When you’re entirely responsible for finding work, developing products, maintaining client relationships and every other thing that needs doing. You don’t have all the time in the world to focus on content creation.
You’ll discover that developing a content calendar will streamline your blogging, and help make you much more productive Click & Tweet! .
- 10 blogging tips for busy women
- How to be a super productive blogger
- How to blog faster without compromising quality
- Organization for creative entrepreneurs
- How wildly successful bloggers ignite their productivity
BONUS – How does a content calendar help?
- Planning your content – a good idea?
- Use a content calendar to grow your blog and business
- Use a content calendar to unleash creativity
- Establish yourself as an expert by blogging
Switching up the types of content you share helps keep your readers interested and engaged. There is no limit to what you can create.
Figure out the different media you can incorporate into your content calendar (+ the tools to get you there). Brush up on the blog post formats that will help charm your readers into coming back to you.
- 21 types of content we all crave
- The definitive guide to visual content
- The ultimate list of blog post ideas
- Erica Voll talks tips for video blogging
- 51 types of blog posts to help you grow your reach
- 7 creative content ideas for your ecommerce site
Getting started is always the trickiest step. Here you’ll discover exactly what your content plan should contain and learn about all the different tools (either online or otherwise) to help you get yours going.
Remember this is all about crafting a system that works for you, so play around a little.
- Download a free template for your content calendar
- Crush your content marketing with an editorial calendar
- Everything you should include in your blog planner
- Manage your content creation like a girl boss
- Use Evernote to create your calendar (or try this method)
- A love note to co-schedule, editorial calendar + social media scheduler
- Use Google calendar as your content planner
- DIY post-it blog calendar
- Printable blog planners
Your unique ideas are the most valuable part of your business. There are endless techniques to help you come up with great stuff to populate your content calendar – here are a some to get you going:
- Need blogging inspiration? Here’s a playlist to pump you up!
- Content quickies: sex up your blog in 10 mins or less
- 5 idea ignition shortcuts for storytelling + content creation
- A brilliant brainstorming trick that every blogger should know
- The secret to a gazillion blog post ideas
- Create great content in 15 minutes a day
- 14 superb places to find fresh blog topics
- A simple method to come up with original content
- Use Google for blog ideas
- Supercharge your content with this freebie
- Create 118 blog post ideas in one day!
- 5 on and offline ways to generate post ideas
- Blog brainstorming: 20 ways to find your best content
- 11 creative ideas to fill your editorial calendar
BONUS – Blog prompts to get you going
- 50 blog post titles to play with (and 50 more)
- 20 things to write about when you’re totally stuck
- 50 no-fluff content rich blog post ideas
- 27 blog topics you can’t wait to write about
- 70+ ideas for any blog’s editorial calendar
- 52 blog post ideas for creative entrepreneurs
In the online world, quality is undoubtedly more important that quantity. One well-crafted piece of evergreen content will FAR outlive a dozen fluff pieces Click & Tweet! . Here are a few tips to help you weave words (and revamp your visuals) in a way nobody will forget:
- 5 ways to beat writer’s blog
- The formula for the perfect headline
- How to write blogs, the deconstructed way
- 10 common blog writing mistakes
- The blogger’s workout plan
- 8 ways to create original imagery
- Make your images pop with photo props
- Write the perfect blog post
- 5 innovative ways to create better blog posts (that get shared, pinned and loved!)
We’ve already talked about evergreen posts – those pieces of content that can be shared, essentially, forever. Re-purposing these gems to reach new audiences will keep your content working for you with minimal effort.
- So you’ve got a blog. Now what?
- Daily, weekly + monthly business tasks for bloggers
- 23 ways to promote posts and increase your blog traffic
- 20 killer content re-purposing ideas your VA can handle right now
- Quick ways to extend the lifespan of your blog posts
- 15 places to promote your blog posts
- What to do after you’ve finished your blog post
- 11 ways to re-purpose blog content into new media
BONUS – Review + Refine
- How to creatively boost your content calendar
- Use Google Analytics to better understand your business and blog
I know what you’re thinking…”that a helluva lot to read!”, but please don’t feel overwhelmed. My plan was to round up absolutely everything you need to sort out your content calendar – but feel free to dip in as and when you need it. Feel free to bookmark this page and swing by whenever you need a refresh OR grab the PDF version here (for free, obvs).
Content Calendar Coursemap
Everything you could ever need to know about designing, creating + filling your content calendar.
Thank you so much for including my post!
Thanks so much for including links to Elle & Company in your roundup, Daire!