Editorial Calendars for Content Marketing

1. Includes FREE content calendar template

2. Findoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.comFindoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.com INTRODUCTION WHAT ISANEDITORIALCALENDAR? Editorial calendars, or content calendars, let brands like yours plan regular, targeted content updates to reach your audience in the most effective way possible. Editorialcalendarshavelongbeenused inprintjournalism,andthey’reequally essentialaspartofthemodernmarketing mix.We’llshowyouhowtocreateadigital editorialcalendartooptimiseyourcontent deliveryfortheweb,startengagingyour audiencemoreeffectively,andgetquality leadsthatprovideinsightsintowhatyour potentialcustomerswant. With an editorial calendar in place, you can expect: • A higher volume of better leads. • More traffic and improved engagement. • More social shares and interest. • Better brand recognition. • Recognition as a trusted authority. • More conversions and more profit for your business. 2

3. Findoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.comFindoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.com CONTENT MARKETINGANDTHEDIGITALREVOLUTION “Thedigitalrevolutionisfarmore significantthantheinventionofwriting orevenofprinting.”DougEngelbart It’ssoeasytoforgetjusthowmuchthe webhaschangedourlives,nottomention ourjobs. Thecontrolofinformationisnolongerin thehandsofnewspapersandtraditional publishers.Anybrandwithablog canpotentiallyreachareadershipof millions.Andthesocialmediarevolution hasdestroyedallobstaclestodirect communicationwithcustomers. businessneedsbetterleads,moretrafficor widerrecognition. Thealternative:Abandonedblogsthat advertisealackofcommitment.Rushed contentregurgitatedfromothersites. Yourbusiness,leftbehindbycontent- savvycompetition. There are now billions of Internet users worldwide*, and they’re hungry for useful information.They’re hungry for great content. Anycompany,inanyindustry,cantake advantageofthisopportunity.Butbecoming asuccessfulcontentmarketermeans ditchingtheolddigitalnorms. Youneedtotakethetraditionalapproach topublishing,andapplyittothenew. You needastructuredcontentplanthatallows youtopublishasteadystreamofengaging content,andgivesyouthefreedomand focustoadapttobighappeningsand interesttrends. ANYCOMPANY,INANY INDUSTRY,CANTAKE ADVANTAGEOFTHIS OPPORTUNITY.BUTBECOMING ASUCCESSFULCONTENT MARKETERMEANSDITCHING THEOLDDIGITALNORMS. Structuredcontentmarketingisthekeyto digitalmarketingsuccess,whetheryour 3

4. Findoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.comFindoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.com SIXBENEFITSOFCREATINGACONTENTCALENDAR ENSUREASTEADYSTREAM OFPUBLISHEDCONTENTTHAT SUPPORTSYOUR STRATEGY. qualitycontenttargetedtoyouraudience personastobuildandnurtureyouruser base.Becauseuserswhoareinvested inyourbrandaremorelikelytobecome committedcustomers. 1 Yourcontentstrategyneedspurpose. Simplywritingandpublishingwhatever takesyourfancyislikethrowingdarts blindfolded–youmighthitthetargetevery nowandthen,butit’smuchharderto predictwhichthrowswillstrike.Andyou’ll havetroublemeasuringsuccesstoo. GETACLEAR VIEW OFCONTENTFORTHE WEEKS AHEAD 2 Getting the balance of quality and quantity right can be tough.But there’s a bigger and tougher problem to solve – the problem of consistency. Define goals and key performance indicators for your content marketing efforts, just as you would with any other digital marketing campaign.Then use your content calendar to plan and publish a steady stream of content that supports your goal – whether this is lead generation, improved engagement, more traffic, or all of the above. It’sallvery welltopromiseyourselfyou’ll publishtenblogseachmonth,butifyour resourcesarestretchedandyoudon’thavea clearplanofaction,thisisunlikelytohappen. What’smorelikelyisthatyou’llendup publishinga raftofblogsinweekfour,diluting theireffectandthrowingaspannerintothe nurturingprocess. Nomattertheresultsyou’reaimingfor,the roadtosuccessisthesame–produce Puttingacontentcalendartogetherensures youhaveclearvisibilityofupcomingcontent, andwhenitneedstobepublished.This makesit much, mucheasiertoplanyour timeeffectively,soyourcontentiswrittenand publishedattheoptimumtime. Whenisthe‘optimumtime’?Well,thatbrings usontoournextpoint… 4

5. Findoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.comFindoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.com CREATECONTENT PROACTIVELY. COLLABORATEAND BRAINSTORMTOCREATE BETTERCONTENT. 3 4 Big news story? Emerging trend? Special event?These are perfect opportunities to publish some relevant content and benefit from a surge in user interest. RobertWilensky once said:“We’ve all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare.Now,thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true.” But if you miss the boat by even a day or two, it’s likely this wave of interest will have died down, and – to continue the watery metaphors – your content will look like a bit of a wet fish. Humorous though they are,Wilensky’s remarks are not entirely accurate.Digital publishing has given more people more access to a wider range of content than ever before.ButWilensky had a point – when everyone is a publisher, you have to work harder to stand out. A content calendar lets you identify opportunities in advance, and ensure you have some highly relevant content ready to go out when demand is peaking.These opportunities could be as simple as a public holiday, like Halloween, or a key product launch.But by using tools like GoogleTrends, you can identify less obvious opportunities that other publishers might miss. It’s not enough to publish content regularly. You have to publish greatcontent regularly. Awell-designededitorialcalendarcanhelpyou createbettercontent.Getyourcalendarright, anditwillactasmuchmorethanacontent diary–itwillactasaplatformforcollaboration, brainstormingandresourcemanagement. The scope is limitless.But without a clear content plan, chances are you’ll have to publish your content reactively, rather than proactively.In other words, you’ll have to publish your content when the world has stopped listening. Don’t simply copy your competitors.Get every expert in your business involved in generating content ideas.Widen the scope of your expertise.Start producing content that’s worth copying. Collaboratorscouldincludepeoplewho don’tusually workoncontent.It’slikelythat productmanagers,directors,callcentrestaff, salespeopleandtechnicalexpertswouldhave plentytosaythatyourusualcontentcreators (andcompetitors) wouldneverthinkofsaying. 5

6. Findoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.comFindoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.com Ifanexternalagency worksonyourcontent as well,it’simportanttogettheminvolved inideacreation.Makesurethey’reaswell- informedaboutyourproducts,servicesand ethosasyouare,andputtheiroutsiders’ insighttogooduseinbrainstormingsessions. TIE INYOUR SOCIALMEDIA STRATEGY. 5 If a tree falls in a forest,and there’s nobody around to hear it,does it make a sound? If a brand publishes great content, and there’s nobody there to read it, is it worth bothering? shouldmakeeveryefforttomakesureyour contentisreadywhenyourcustomersare readytoreceiveit. Simply publishing content does not constitute a content strategy.To really reap the benefits of your creative content, you’ve got to work hard to let your audience know it’s there. Everycompanyisdifferent,andtheway youusesocialmediawillvarywidely dependingonyouraims,youraudienceand yourindustry.Butintegratingsocialmedia planningwithyoureditorialcalendarisa crucialstepinensuringallyourcontent deliverychannelsarealignedwithyour widerstrategy. Socialmediaisoneofthekeydelivery channelsforcontent.Yoursocialaudience isnotonlyreadytoconsumegreatcontent, theyexpectit.They’rewaitingforthenext greatthingtolandintheirfeed,soyou EVERYCOMPANYIS DIFFERENT,ANDTHEWAYYOU USESOCIALMEDIAWILLVARY WIDELYDEPENDINGONYOUR AIMS,YOURAUDIENCEAND YOURINDUSTRY. 6

7. Findoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.comFindoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.com TRACKCONTENT MARKETINGPROGRESS. 6 Withoutdefininggoalsandplanning delivery,youcan’ttracktheprogressofyour contentmarketingcampaign.Butwitha contentcalendar,everythingyoupublish can–andshould–betracked,reportedon andlearntfrom. By keeping all your planning and reporting in the same place, you can effectively apply learnings to all aspects of your content marketing efforts.This is important because even the smallest consideration – from the time you send an email to the style of blog headlines you use – can vary depending on industry, location and other factors. It makes sense to research and follow best practices, but the only way to truly optimise your content marketing efforts is to test, track, learn and repeat. WITHOUTDEFININGGOALS ANDPLANNINGDELIVERY,YOU CAN’TTRACKTHEPROGRESS OFYOURCAMPAIGN. 7

8. Findoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.comFindoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.com HOW TOMAKEANEDITORIALCALENDAR THE INGREDIENTSOFAGREAT CONTENTCALENDAR 1. A content schedule Date Day Important Blogposts Press eBooks Emails Infographics Website Other Outcomes dates releases content 01/01/2018 Monday JANUARY SALE LAUNCH JANUARY SALE EBOOK JANUARY SALE EMAIL JANUARY SALE LANDING PAGE 02/01/2018 Tuesday BLOG 1 03/01/2018 Wednesday COMPETITION LAUNCH BLOG 2 COMPETITION PRESS RELEASE Media interview with CEO 04/01/2018 Thursday BLOG 3 05/01/2018 Friday INDUSTRY EVENT BLOG 4 Your content schedule is the hub of your content calendar.In fact, it’s the hub of your entire content marketing strategy. This is where you plan content delivery over the coming weeks, or months.It lets you align content marketing activities for the best impact, and plan ahead for key events and trends. The example above is for a B2C retailer, but the content types and layout can be adjusted to suit your own needs and goals. An important aspect of the content schedule is the‘Outcomes’column.The key to a robust content strategy is learning from what worked and what didn’t hit the mark, and applying these learnings to future content. Note outcomes in this column to track which experiments went awry, and which content took off with your audience. 8

9. Findoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.comFindoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.com HOW TOMAKEANEDITORIALCALENDAR 2. A hub for content ideas Topic/Title Content type Suggested by Possible Resources Content goal Persona Keyword Outreach Notes Author target targets targets Funny Hats: The NewTrend Sweeping America Blog post Joe Bloggs Joe Bloggs See blog at funnyhats.com Engagement Suzie Stylish funny hats, weird hats TheAnatomy of a GreatWinter Outfit Infographic Joe Bloggs John Johnson Refer to latest catalogue insert for examples. Social shares Suzie Stylish winter clothing, winter fashion, winter outfit Fashion blogs, social influencers Five Shoe BrandsAdored by the Stars Blog Post Jane Normal Jane Normal N/A Engagement Suzie Stylish celebrity shoes The Definitive Guide to Dog Grooming eBook Jane Normal Joe Bloggs See email. Lead capture Dave Dogsworth dog grooming, dog fashion, canine care Dog grooming websites, social influencers Your content calendar can be much more than a list of dates and actions.It can become a forum for collaboration, brainstorming and resource management. For a successful content strategy, you should encourage everyone who’s engaged with marketing your business to be engaged with content publishing.Foster a collaborative culture, where everybody shares ideas via the content calendar. Contributors don’t necessarily need to write these posts, but their unique set of expertise, skills and opinions will help keep your content offering fresh, varied and unique.And the more contributors you have, the more chance you have of establishing your brand as the industry expert. This section can also help you plan who writes what, and when – as well as SEO keywords, key outreach targets, and more. 9

10. Findoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.comFindoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.com HOWTO MAKE AN EDITORIAL CALENDAR 3. A social plan W/C 01/01/2018 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Important dates January sale starts Big NewYear Competition launch Key product launch Blog content “10 NewYearTrendsYou Don’tWant to Miss” Big NewYear Competition blog Product launch blog Other content Make Big Savings in our January Sale - eBook Tweet 1 9:00AM January sale eBook PromoteTuesday blog post PromoteWednesday blog post Conversational tweet Promote Friday blog post Tweet 2 11:20AM Conversational tweet January sale eBook Conversational tweet PromoteThursday blog post PromoteThursday blog post Tweet 3 2:30 PM January sale eBook Conversational tweet PromoteTuesday blog post PromoteWednesday blog post Promote Friday blog post Tweet 4 7:00 PM Conversational tweet PromoteTuesday blog post PromoteWednesday blog post PromoteThursday blog post Conversational tweet – product launch Facebook 11:00 January sale eBook Tuesday blog post Wednesday blog post Thursday blog post Friday blog post Facebook 18:00 Conversational post Conversational post Promotional post – Big New Year Competition Conversational post Promotional post – Big New Year Competition LinkedIn Promote media interview with CEO Google+ January sale eBook Tuesday blog post Big NewYear Competition Thursday blog post Product launch Most social media management tools include some functionality for scheduling tweets, posts and updates.Even if you make extensive use of these tools, however, it can still be useful to map out your strategy on your content calendar.This provides a central hub for your social media team to work from, ensuring all social activity is aligned with your overall content strategy and goals. for example – or publishing Facebook posts at different times of the day. It’s also important to consider how the content you publish and the messaging you use may vary across social platforms.A fun, light-hearted Facebook update may not work as well on LinkedIn, for example. YOUMAYFINDTHAT TWEETINGMOREOFTEN WORKSFORYOU,FOR EXAMPLE–ORPUBLISHING FACEBOOKPOSTSAT DIFFERENTTIMESOFTHEDAY. As mentioned earlier, your social strategy will be unique to your business.We recommend you use tools and tracking to learn how best to use social media, and build out this section of your content calendar accordingly.You may find that tweeting more often works for you, 10

11. Findoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.comFindoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.com HOWTOMAKEANEDITORIAL CALENDAR 4. A list of contacts and influencers Type Name Expertise TwitterURL Twitter Number of Klout Score Contact Website URL Notes Username Followers Address/URL Influencer Sue Popular Fashion Etc... Etc.. Etc.. Etc... Etc... Etc... Etc... Influencer John Knowsalot Jewellery Etc... Etc... Etc... Etc... Etc... Etc... Etc... Associate Mindy Business Marketing Etc... Etc... Etc... Etc... Etc... Etc... Etc... Blogger Bob Gossip Celebrity Etc... Etc... Etc... Etc... Etc... Etc... Etc... Journalist Tricia Wordsworth Fashion Etc... Etc... Etc... Etc... Etc... Etc... Etc... Outreaching to influencers and leveraging existing contacts is a valuable way to build your brand’s voice, authority and influence. Use your content calendar to maintain a list of crucial contacts, noting important information about them and tracking the progress of your relationship. Again, build this out to suit your own marketing and outreach activities.For example, although Twitter follower counts and Klout scores (https://klout.com/) are good measures of a person’s social influence, you may decide to include other metrics that better suit your business. OUTREACHING TO INFLUENCERS AND LEVERAGING EXISTING CONTACTS IS A VALUABLE WAY TO BUILD YOUR BRAND’S VOICE, AUTHORITY AND INFLUENCE 11

12. Findoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.comFindoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.com HOW TOMAKEANEDITORIALCALENDAR 5. Reporting dashboards Month/Year Monthly Average Averagepages Averagesession Blog Emailtraffic Facebook Twittertraffic Etc… Traffic bouncerate pervisit duration traffic traffic November2017 13,545 50% 3.5 2:02 5,532 Etc… Etc… Etc… Etc… December2017 14,015 48% 3.7 2:10 6,334 Etc… Etc… Etc… Etc… January2018 Your content strategy is nothing if you can’t effectively report on progress and key performance indicators.Building reporting dashboards into your content calendar makes it easy to adjust your strategy based on learnings gleaned from your reports. Your free editorial calendar template includes many more examples of reporting dashboards.Download yours using the link on the following page. The table above is an example of a reporting dashboardformeasuringengagementacross various marketing channels.But you’ll almost certainly need to build in more detailed reporting capabilities than this.You can, and should, report at a much more granular level. For example, by reporting on metrics for individual blog posts and emails, and – if your strategy is focussed on lead generation – by tracking the number of leads gained through separate channels. YOURFREEEDITORIAL CALENDARTEMPLATE INCLUDESMANYMORE EXAMPLESOFREPORTING DASHBOARDS.DOWNLOAD YOURSUSINGTHELINKON THEFOLLOWINGPAGE. With robust reporting in place, you can test the effectiveness of every facet of your content marketing efforts, from the value of blog headlines, to the optimum time to send emails and social media updates. 12

13. Findoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.comFindoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.com WHATNEXT? DOWNLOADYOUR FREEEDITORIAL CALENDARTEMPLATE We’ve put together a free example editorial calendar to get you started.Download yours at: http://clikth.ru/ctm-calendar Now start publishing! WANT HELP WITHYOUR CONTENTSTRATEGY? ClickThrough Marketing has helped dozens of brands get better leads and improve ROI with quality, web-friendly content. Talk to our experts now on 0800 088 7486. http://www.clickthrough-marketing.com/ *As of November 2014- http://www. internetlivestats.com/internet-users/ We’re proud to have some of the industry’s most qualified content marketing, search, social media and conversion experts on our team.And we’ve worked with household names like Dunelm, Peugeot and Halfords Autocentres, as well as enterprising SMEs across a wide range of sectors. Ourcreativecontentmarketinggotus tothefinalsofthefirst-everRARDigital Awards,whilstourfriendly,honestapproach means we’vebuiltupgenuineandtrusting relationshipswithourclients. CLICKTHROUGHMARKETING HASHELPEDDOZENS OFBRANDSGETBETTER LEADSANDIMPROVE ROIWITHQUALITY,WEB- FRIENDLYCONTENT. Wantcontentthatyourcompetitorswouldkill for?Needastrategythatdeliversgreatresults andisfirmlytiedtoyourKPIs? 13

14. Findoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.comFindoutwhatwecandotogrowyourbusiness.Calluson08000887486orvisitclickthrough-marketing.com ABOUT CLICKTHROUGH ; ClickThroughis a digital marketing agency,providing web development, search engine optimisation,pay per click management,conversion optimisation and content marketing services. Proventrackrecordfrom our work with clientsincluding Peugeot, Dunelm, Biffa and HalfordsAutocentres Our peopleall receiveour industry- leading,DigitalAcademytraining Activemembersof the IAB, eConsultancy andSEMPO Thought leaders,givingclients the insidetrackon what matters in search,socialmediaandthe digital marketplace...beforeit happens! ; Since 2004, ClickThroughhas helped several companiesfrom bigbrandsto small start-upsgrowGooglerankings, boostconversions,increasereturn on digitalmarketinginvestment, andstretch Internet marketingbudgetsto getvalue for money. ; ; Weprideourselves on givinghonest advicebasedon the latest digital marketingbestpractices. Our RITEcore values of Results,Innovation, Trustand Excellencedriveeverythingwe do. Whetheryou are thinkingof changing your searchor digitalmarketingagency, or just lookingto improveyour online conversionrate, our team of search conversionexpertscanhelp. ; Find out what we candoto growyour business.Call us on 0800 088 7486 or visit www.clickthrough-marketing.com A provenandtrusted agencysince2004 Creators of BidCops. com- Europe’sleadingfree AdWordsAuditingTool Weare a Top100 Agencyon RecommendedAgencyRegister Wehave publishedseveral bookson digitalmarketing, soldon Amazon ; ; ; 14