How To Plan Your Content For A Year
Mapping out your content in advance ensures that no matter how busy things get, you have a proactive plan in place. Yes, additional content needs will arise, but aim to have at least 90 percent mapped out ahead of time. After reading this blog you should have a good idea on how to plan your content for the month, quarter, and even the year.
Audit Last Year’s Content
The first thing you must do is sit down and analyze last year’s content. While your content strategy for 2022 will be unique, there are lessons to be learned from 2021. Pull up or print out your analytics and reports to determine:
When your slowest and busiest times of the year are?
Which content performed best in the last 12 months?
If you have any unused content that you can still use?
Is there any content that you can reuse or edit to use next year?
Determine Where You Will Post Content In 2022
Most businesses cap their social media channels at three. This is often any combination of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Pinterest. The new year is an excellent time to let underperforming channels go and/or test new channels.
It’s ok if you stick with the same social media channels that you utilized last year, but at least take a moment to consider your options. Before you make your final decision, check to see what social media channels your competitors are having success with.
Overall, you will need images, video, graphics, text, and more for your:
Social media
Website
Landing pages
Digital ads
Blogs & articles
Email marketing
Products & packaging
Print marketing
And more!
Assess Your Content Creation And Management Tools
The end of the year is the ideal time to determine if it’s time to upgrade or invest in new content creation software, electronics, or tools. For example, is it time to finally invest in a ring light you’ve had your eye on? Or is there another photo editing, design, or content scheduling tool you would like to test? Below I listed a few of my favorite tools but I have a list of 30 Tools that I absolutely love.
Here are a few of the tools I suggest:
Smartphone—as a professional photographer I have professional photo and video equipment. While you may need to invest in lighting, most of the clients I teach to shoot their own images and videos use their smartphones.
Canva—no need to be a graphic designer with Canva! The tool has thousands of predesigned templates for all your content needs. This includes templates that are sized for your social media posts, banners, and ads. You can also design content from scratch.
Planoly—the majority of your social media posts should be prescheduled at least a week in advance. With Planoly you can preschedule Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter with ease. Yes, you can still post when inspiration strikes, but prescheduling keeps you organized.
Email Marketing Tools—automation is the key to successful digital marketing and FloDesk has you covered. Create email marketing lists, funnels to measure the customer journey, landing pages, and more.
You may require other tools, such as video content software. And yes, you can delegate your content creation if you have the team or the budget.
Strategize
Now it’s time to strategize. Take a look at your business goals for the year to consider how it will impact your content needs.
Factors to consider include:
What type of new market research needs to be performed?
What type of new information can be gathered from last year’s data and analytics?
Are you adding any new products or services this year?
Do you have any new demographics to target?
Will you be updating your website, logo, product labels, or any other rebranding elements?
Establish How Often You Will Post New Content
Now it is time to create a content calendar. If it’s helpful, utilize a ready-made calendar or create your own. The calendar should include:
How often you will post each type of content? For example, one post to Facebook and Instagram per day Monday thru Friday and testing 2 new Instagram ads per month.
What time of day the content will be posted? Each social media has peak times of day to post.
Titles, topics, or the intention for your content. For example, festive photos, ads, and graphics for each holiday and season of the year.
If you have a team, who is responsible for what.
As content is completed, it can be prescheduled or added to your master media list.
Determine What Content Needs To Be Created
Now that you know what type of content is required, it’s time to start creating! I’m a fan of creating content at least 4 to 6 months in advance. For example, when I schedule a photo shoot with a client, I discuss their brand strategy before our session. Then, I shoot all the photos and videos they need for the next 6 months.
The photos and videos are core pieces. Many will be posted as-is, but they will also be added to design templates. For example, adding to a Christmas-themed infographic.
Determine the types of content you will need to create to fulfill the calendar needs above.
Schedule Your Content
As your completed content rolls in, add it to your master media list. Ensure your list is organized so that you don’t forget your intention. Then, set aside an hour or two each week to put the finishing touches on new content and preschedule existing content. Some projects take more time than others, such as creating a new email marketing campaign. So, some weeks you may need to invest a bit more time.
Schedule your social media posts, blog posts, digital ads, and all content at least one week in advance. Even if you are only scheduling one week in advance, always keep the content for the next few months top of mind.
Content marketing is the way to go for modern businesses. Without a steady stream of new content, you won’t remain competitive in today’s digital market. It’s easy to let content creation slip through the cracks, so you must be proactive. If you need help with any of the tips above I have you covered or enroll in the 90 Day Content Planning workshop.