Building a Blog Content Calendar in Five Easy Steps

Blogging may seem very easy at times, especially when great topic ideas are coming thick and fast. Writers may actually feel as if their blog posts are writing themselves. However, there comes a time when thinking of great and relevant things to write about is not easy, which is when having a blog content calendar will help. A blog posting calendar is, in many ways, a great solution to writer’s block, a common problem that all bloggers are likely to experience every now and then.

However, knowing that a blog content calendar is important, and actually creating one, are two different things. Anyone who has ever been tasked with planning out their team’s  content probably knows how daunting the task may seem.

By following the steps outlined in this article, developing a great blog posting calendar is very easy. The first step, though, is to know what a blog content calendar is and how it can benefit content writers.

blog content calendar

What Is a Blog Content Calendar?

A blog content calendar (also called an editorial calendar) is a tool used by writers to help plan, schedule, and organize their content most effectively. It helps teams of bloggers to stay on track while keeping an eye on future projects. Your blog content planer can help you plan out your blog post ideas.

There are many ways to create a blog posting calendar. The best one for you depends on which platform you are comfortable with, and the resources that are available to you. Some of the common methods include:

  • Making use of basic spreadsheets available on either Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel
  • Using a content calendar app
  • Creating a calendar on a project management platform
  • Drawing up a physical blog content calendar
  • Downloading a ready-made content calendar template
  • Using a blog content calendar template

blogging content calendar

Four Benefits of Having an Editorial Calendar

While creating a blog content planner is not the most difficult thing to do, it can be time-consuming. (Especially when doing it for a big content marketing team with a busy schedule.) It is for this reason and the resources that may need to be allocated, that some writers question the need to devote their time and energy to creating a blog posting calendar. However, every blogger needs an editorial calendar. It can help you meet your blogging goals. There are clear benefits to having an editorial calendar, such as:

Best Way To Remain Organized

A lot of great writers are guilty of coming up with great blog topics, only to misplace them or forget what they were due to their busy schedules. Writing down ideas for your next blog post in random places just does not cut it anymore. In such a competitive industry, one cannot afford to misplace a good idea.

One great way to remain organized and prevent losing valuable topics is by having a dedicated place to write down future blog ideas.

Maintaining a separate blog posting calendar helps to keep everything clear and easy to access. It is best to keep it separate from the rest of the organizational planning for your business.

Provides Great Topics at a Glance

When all the monthly topics are laid out neatly and clearly, it is easy to see how well-balanced the topics are. It is easy to make changes and adjust on the fly when you use a content calendar.

Sometimes, writers can be so focused on particular topics that they leave big holes in important discussions not covered in their blogs. A blogging calendar prevents that by providing writers with a bigger picture view of their entire topic schedule.

Helps Writers Stay Consistent and Relevant

When writers plan out their topics in advance, they can do so with a clear mind. This allows them to focus on subjects that are trending and addressing issues relevant to their readers.

If a content planner takes the time to try and predict what issues readers will find interesting in the coming weeks, the results can be very beneficial. It helps a marketing team to stay ahead of the curve.

Sitting down and trying to come up with topics to write about at a particular moment is a sure way for bloggers to miss some important issues and end up producing content that seems very repetitive. A blog content planner can keep all of your blog writers on the same page and make sure they know their next due date.

A Great Tool for Content Marketing

Content marketers are obsessed with generating great traffic, and one tool for achieving this is by producing good content. Planning work in advance helps writers identify niche areas that have the potential to attract the sort of organic traffic that marketers thrive on.

Another great strategy is to use the traffic from the previous month’s blogs to target the topics that readers are most interested in. This creates a list of topics guaranteed to keep readers interested for the rest of the month.

how to create a blog content calendar

Five Steps To Better Content Planning

Many strategies can be employed to create an effective blog content calendar. The following steps will make the process easy:

Download a Good Content Calendar Template

There are a variety of methods to use when creating a blog posting calendar, some of which we discussed above. However, most of them require the writer to have some type of experience in creating similar calendars otherwise they risk missing important information.

Using a content calendar template means the only thing necessary is to have the relevant topics ready to be inserted into the ready-made schedule. Most templates are quite user-friendly. You can find a blog content planner template online. With a bit of training, all team members should be ready to use them in no time.

Keyword Research Is Important

All relevant and high-ranking content has one thing in common, which is the great use of keywords. It is important to do keyword research for SEO. Google uses keywords to direct searchers to specific search results, and the better the use of the right phrases, the more traffic a blog is likely to generate.

High-ranking topics are developed around specific keywords that prevent the writers from straying away from the issue that is of importance to their target audience. This is why having a list of all the keywords that will be covered in the month is a great way to remain one step ahead of all competitors.

It is important to have keywords that address the important marketing goals of the organization. An example is looking at the different stages of a consumer’s journey, from when they become aware of a brand, consider buying their products or services, and finally make the decision to do business.

A good set of keywords should apply to consumers at all these stages. This keeps them interested, and ready to take the next step until a sale can finally be completed.

what is a blog content calendar

Brainstorm Some Relevant Content Ideas

It can be hard writing blog posts and coming up with topics, especially if you already have a lot of existing content. Some content ideas may occur to writers while they are on the go or busy with another project. We recommend that you set aside some time to brainstorm ideas among team members that might appeal to your target audience. Then, you can include all of these content ideas in your editorial calendar.

Getting input from members of different departments, such as marketing, sales, and customer support, will ensure that the coming month will have blog post topics that address all issues of importance to the readers.

Team members can be encouraged to make it a habit to write down ideas whenever they think of them. This way, they have them ready for inclusion in the blog content planner during brainstorming sessions.

Schedule Blog Topics for the Month

Topics can be scheduled a month in advance, especially for holidays, giving writers time to prepare or make changes when needed. This also allows topics to be assigned to specific writers according to their strengths. This ensures that each idea is covered by the best person for the job.

Laying out all the monthly topics will also allow for the creation of a realistic schedule. Deadlines can be met more easily if the writers are not over-scheduled. (Or, if they have no work to do at all.)

Monthly scheduling also provides a good opportunity to put more emphasis on the topics that are likely to be relevant for that month.

In December, for example, writers can focus on writing more issues around great ideas for Christmas gifts. All other topics that are not likely to be high on the agenda for most readers can be moved. You can also use your calendar to plan out your social media posts.

Stick To the Schedule!

Writing everything down clearly and neatly is not helpful if team members can’t stick to the schedule. A good blog content calendar should have all the deadlines clearly visible for each assignment. This way, everyone knows the publish date for each blog post.

Looking at the month ahead, you will have time to adjust deadlines to go around holidays or other dates. Consistency is a big part of developing domain authority on search engines. And consistency starts with being able to meet deadlines.

blogging calendar template

Create a Blog Content Calendar with SEO Design Chicago

A blog content planner can go a long way towards helping you create valuable content, increasing blog traffic, and your overall blogging success. The first couple of months of creating an editorial content calendar may be a bit challenging. However, it gets easier with repetition, especially when the benefits are clear. Using a good content calendar template is one way to reduce the burden of creating a great blog posting calendar for the entire team. When you work with the blog writing team at SEO Design Chicago, we create a blog content calendar for you. We can also help you create a blog content strategy and help you with the overall content creation process.

FAQ:

  • What is a blog content calendar?
  • What are the benefits of a blog content calendar?
  • How do I set up a blog content calendar?
  • Do I need a blog content calendar?
  • How do I plan out and organize my blog content?

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