How to build an editorial calendar for your blog posts

​Make sure your efforts yield maximum exposure and minimum waste
 
Yes, there are some people who sit down daily to tell the world what’s on their minds. But these people who keep a web log (which, when crashed together, forms the origin of the word “blog”) aren’t typically charged with building a specific business. You, on the other hand, are.
 
Should you sit down every day, or week, or month, and try and come up with a brilliant thought-leading/page-turning treatise, praying that writer’s block doesn’t hobble your efforts?
 
No. Of course not. If you’re looking to build your business’ presence via a blog (always a good idea), carve the assignment into manageable chunks. The most effective tool for this task borrows from the world of print. It’s called the editorial calendar.
 
As its name implies, it’s basically a list (month by month, week by week, whatever) which spells out the blogs you’ll be posting throughout the year. Doing it upfront will ease your efforts considerably thereafter. That said, here are some helpful pointers for drawing up one of these yourself:
 
Commit to a given frequency. In other words, be realistic. It would be great to have a new and brilliant post every weekday, but can you really do that… all year long? One of the worst sins you can commit in business blogging is losing steam. Your blog engine (whether it’s WordPress, SquareSpace, Weebly, your own site, etc.) will arrange your blogs chronologically for easier reader navigation. The last thing you want prospects to see is a big fat stream of blog posts that are ages old—followed by sporadic dribs and drabs. Without reading a word, they’ll question your commitment and staying power as a business. So, honestly, set the bar a tad lower than you might expect. Give yourself a cushion. There are varying opinions on this topic, but we believe it’s better to make a difference than to make yourself look weak.
 
Check others’ editorial calendars. This is not as egregious as it may seem. Sure, you can check your desk calendar for upcoming holidays, but how much business would an Arbor Day post attract? Look instead to trade publications in your industry; their advertising departments draw up editorial calendars in advance in order to attract business timed to trade shows, industry events, etc. Their work can help jog your memory. And don’t just look forward. Look backward, too. Read any “year in review” articles for the year that’s just passed; you’ll be sure to find some blog-worthy topics that will repeat this year, too.
 
Be flexible. For all the prep work we’ve described, there will inevitably be a share of pop-up opportunities, too, in the form of breaking news stories you’ll want to comment on immediately as they occur. Mixing those in, as they happen, will make your overall blog feel more spontaneous and less “canned.” Looking at your calendar of topics, it should be easy to see which entries are more generic/less tied to a particular date. These are the ones that can get bumped when it’s time to weigh in on that big story.
 
The following points aren’t so much about your calendar per se, but they can help you nonetheless:
 
Link on. We’re not fans of regurgitated “production” blogs that simply rehash and re-organize tons of pre-existing material, wherein every other word is a hyperlink. Any blog that’s worth your reader’s time will be chock full of original material. But that shouldn’t render links unnecessary. Use them to help your reader: they can point to definitions of unusual terms, reference sources, and so on. And of course, use them to help yourself, too: if any of those target sites can end up sending traffic back your way, so much the better.
 
Be yourself. One of our favorite quotes from John Adams goes like this. He was arguing to Thomas Jefferson why Jefferson should write the Declaration of Independence, instead of Adams himself. He explained: “Reason first: you are a Virginian and a Virginian ought to appear at the head of this business. Reason second: I am obnoxious, suspected, and unpopular. You are very much otherwise. Reason third: You can write ten times better than I can.” How can you beat such candor? The point is: Don’t try to be generic or Wikipedia or even Thomas Jefferson. Let your own opinions and quirks shine through. They define you. And from a practical standpoint, they’ll boost your following.
 
Leverage all channels. Don’t let that brilliantly-crafted blog languish alone on your website. Promote it by every means at your disposal: e-blasts, LinkedIn, Twitter, even in—dare we mention them?—phone conversations!
 
Consider tapping a cost-effective outside resource. Following the above best-practice guidelines will maximize your odds of success. But they require time, effort, and skills which you may not have to spare. Fortunately for you, we have been helping consultancies, ad agencies, and direct clients alike to get the biggest bang for their blog-post bucks for more than 15 years. We can work from your rough notes or start from scratch, replete with all the research and interviews the assignment requires. Best of all, we’re fast, efficient, and surprisingly affordable, given the value we provide. Contact us right now and let’s discuss how we can quickly and easily make that next blog a monster success for you.

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