5thweb Digital

5 Benefits of Using a Content Calendar

The purpose of creating a content calendar is to provide you with some level of organization and highlight when and where to publish content.

A well-crafted content calendar will help you map out content, keep your team on track, and serve as a resource to fall back on during a content audit.

Content calendar serves as a foundation on which to build a solid content strategy. Share on X

Here are some of the benefits of creating a content calendar for your business:

#1: Helps you stay on schedule

Content calendar is your brands to-do list. It highlights the following tasks:

  • The type of content to be published
  • The time/date for each publication
  • Tracking codes (completed, proofread, published etc.)
  •  Author
  •  Channels
  • Call-to-action/ hashtags.
  • Target audience

There are different approaches to creating a content calendar, however, these are some of the major elements to be included.

A concise content calendar helps you map out important details so you’re always on track.

Read also: 8 social media myths that may be hurting your business

#2: Strong focus on your content strategy

According to LinkedIn, 72% of marketers have a content strategy in place, while only 30% have it documented.

Content calendar allows you to stick with the flow of your schedule.

Listing your content in a calendar format makes it easy to verify that you’re covering all your products, customer journey and buyer personas.

95% of shoppers choose a company that provides them with content through every step of their buyer journey.

A proper content calendar allows you to walk your target audience through the buying journey with a healthy mix of promotional and non-promotional content.

To be on your audience’s radar, you need to be consistent with your strategy.

#3: Allows you to plan ahead

Creating a content calendar enables you to chart a desired course for your content marketing efforts.

It helps eliminate errors to a large extent and gives you a big picture perspective. You can easily adjust to new changes or unexpected events.

Planning your content in advance leaves no room for redundancy or duplicate content.

Ultimately, it helps you explore new ideas.

Read also: 6 red flags to avoid in content creation

#4: Keep track of your performance

The best part about creating a content calendar is that it makes content audit easier.

With an editorial calendar, you can keep the following metrics in check:

  •  Top performing content
  • Post with most engagement
  • Best content types (gifs, infographics, videos etc.)
  • Days with poor engagement
  • Channels with most engagement

With these metrics, you can also establish benchmarks for your content and also decide whether to outsource your content or create it in-house.

Measuring the effectiveness and success of your content can help you improve your marketing efforts.

#5: Keep your teams on the same page

According to marketing statistics, 59% of marketers believe they know what kind of content sales team needs them to create. On the other hand, only 35% of sales reps agree with that.

Content calendar helps you tie each piece of content to your business objectives, and aligns your sales and marketing team to that objective.

When your team works in coordination, your business is sure to make profits.

Read also: 7 persuasive words in marketing every copywriter should use

Conclusion

Skipping the vital process of creating a content calendar for your brand can throw your content marketing process in chaos.

With a proper editorial calendar, you can plan how you want your time and resources to be distributed across boards.

Do your research. Find a framework that can help you achieve your business goals.