Every piece of content has a job to do, whether it’s selling your hot new program or encouraging people to join your mailing list. It pays to have a content plan, rather than just waiting for inspiration to strike.
Start with Creating a Content Inventory List
Review all the content you have on your computer, website and other systems you use. Divide each piece of content based on format (video, audio, blog post, email, etc.) and also categorize each piece based on theme or topic. Make note of where each piece is located (blog URL, Vimeo or other private storage service, guest blog URL, etc.). It sounds like a daunting task but you’ll be grateful to have the info in one place when you’re putting your promotion schedule together.
Decide How Much New Content You Can Realistically Produce
Now look at your calendar going forward and think about how much content you can produce realistically.
- Once per week or 5 times a week?
- Can you afford to outsource this content creation?
- Which format(s) will you produce?
- What Calls to Action will you use?
- Do you have products or affiliate products to promote in the Calls to Action?
Remember, your market research will tell you which formats are most popular among your audience so don’t get overwhelmed thinking you need to utilize EVERYTHING. Focus on which format your target client resonates with.
Plan Specific Topics or Themes for Each Week or Month to Include in Your Content Plan
Planning is often easier when all your posts for the month revolve around one theme. Working with a theme also makes choosing offers for your Calls to Action easier. How do you choose a theme? Revisit your market research. What topics does your audience want to know more about? Center that month’s content on that particular topic and continue working forward on your editorial calendar.
Basically, you want to set up a comprehensive editorial calendar which tracks the types of content you’ll produce and the deadline for publishing it. Once you get into this habit of planning, you’ll be able to work further in advance, with reasonable deadlines and less stress because you know exactly what’s coming up and when.
Types of content you can produce:
- Blog posts
- Videos
- eBooks and Short Reports
- Podcasts
- Infographics
Determine a Way to be Consistent with Creating and Publishing All this Content
Can you devote an entire morning or day to writing blog posts or filming videos? Blocking off time in your calendar and producing multiple pieces at once can get you ahead of schedule and give you an incredible sense of accomplishment. If this style works for you, choose your day of the week and focus on content.
If one of the formats you’re using isn’t your strong suit – such as you’re a slow writer or you get tongue-tied on video – is there a way you can outsource some of the work?
Another word on consistency: Do your readers or followers expect your content published on a certain day or time? If so, stick with that consistency. If you have never been consistent, start right now by choosing which days of the week to publish new content.
The worst thing is batching your time to CREATE and then letting it collect dust on your hard drive. Once it’s created, make sure it gets PUBLISHED!
Content creation is about growing your name recognition so more prospects become interested in your services. But think of how many MORE people you could attract if you promoted more than just your blog.
In the Step by Step Guide to Content Promotion you’ll find everything you need to promote your content like a pro and get it seen by your target audience. Get your copy here.
Be creative with your content! Yes, you want it to provide value but make it uniquely yours. You need to stand out in the crowd, not look like a cookie cutter image of every other entrepreneur.
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