Creating an Editorial Calendar

One of the best ways to plan for content in the coming year is to establish a schedule for information you will need to publish or update. This will enable you to:

• Keep content current and relevant
  
• Organize resources based on constituent needs
  
• Consolidate requests
  
• Coordinate with marketing more efficiently
  
• Instill healthy competition among your constituents and internal clients
  

Often people believe they cannot create an editorial calendar because it’s difficult to predict what requests will arise. The best way to look ahead is to look back and speak with your constituents. Probe around these topics:

• Does your organization participate or organize trade shows, provide training or seminars, present industry forums or other types of events?
  
• Is there a planned product/service/new feature launch?
  
• Are there any impending regulatory or industry changes?
  
• What key marketing initiatives are planned for the year?
  
• Are their awards that your organization recognizes or sponsor?
  
• Are you in an industry that is cyclical?
  

An editorial calendar can actually provide more nimbleness by allowing you to make resource changes and accommodate unplanned projects. You will have a list of content fillers and stretchers to work with. By the end of the year your editorial calendar will be established for the following year and all you need to do is update it.

Next: The yin-yang of business objectives


Copyright© 2009 Lule Dine All Rights Reserved.

Content Hygiene

There are some straight-forward considerations to keep in mind when developing content. The idea is to provided succinct information and offer a call to action that is always current and relevant. Be clear on the purpose of the content and integrate it with other marketing activity. Each page should be treated as an initial point of entry to your web site.

The practices below should be embedded every time you approach content and then they will become second nature:

Title: The title sets the expectation of what the visitor will be reading.

Image: If you include an image have it support your message and what you are trying to convey. 

Meta tags: If you want the page properly indexed in both internal and external search engines place key word meta tags and a good meta description. Also if you don’t start here you are wasting any money going towards search engine optimization programs.

Text: Keep it simple, short and professional. Leave clever references to your marketing activities. Do use subheadings and bullets. If the copy requires scrolling please break it up into several pages and allow the user to decide how far they wish to drill down. You can always make the full text available in a .pdf or the printable view.

Related links: Always include links to relevant information within the site. You will be doing the user a favor by aggregating all the possible dispersed content and cross selling your offerings. Be diligent and provide meaningful and relevant links.

Call to action: Have a goal of what you expect a user to do. For example, go to the next stage of information along the selling cycle, purchase a product/service or make a call.

Next: Creating an editorial calendar for content.


Copyright© 2009 Lule Dine All Rights Reserved.