A content calendar is a tool used by organizations to plan and execute their content strategy. This includes any textual or graphic content you intend to post on your website, email, social media, or print. Hence, content is planned and scheduled for publication at a later date on the content calendar.

• Using a content calendar will greatly minimize the time spent on posting
• A compelling title is an important component of a content calendar since it helps you differentiate one article from another.
• Consider undertaking extensive keyword research to find the ideal titles for your target demographic.

Why should you use a content calendar?

A content calendar can be used regularly to consistently and strategically plan and post articles on your networks. By and large, the management tool is a great way to save time and be more efficient as an organization. It takes a lot of cognitive work to be creative. Hence, a calendar tool allows you to focus your creative energy on planning and developing interesting content for your audience.

Also, using a content calendar will greatly minimize the time spent on posting. For the most part, consistently posting content is one of the most effective strategies to increase engagement and create trust among your readers. Your organization’s ability to share news and information promptly is a great way to make your website(s) and social media page(s) trustworthy sources of information.

What should your content calendar include?

Content calendars are often in spreadsheet format, allowing you to lay out the specifics of each content piece. We recommend including the following information in your non-profit’s content calendar:

a. Title

A compelling title is an important component of a content calendar since it helps you differentiate one article from another. Also, drafting the title allows you to evaluate its acceptability before publication.

Essentially, a tab should be created for the main topic. This could be a content pillar. By and large, this focus will encourage the team to choose a theme and a niche for a specific content campaign.

Create original titles centered on specific keywords to enable your organization to rank highly on searches. In addition, consider undertaking extensive keyword research to find the ideal titles for your target demographic.

b. Designated author

Secondly, it is best to organize writing, editing, publishing, and image production on your calendar. This easy step clarifies processes, roles, and deadlines. It also makes each member of your team accountable.

Furthermore, you should designate an author and owner for each piece of content. The author is the person who creates the content, whereas the owner is the person who is responsible for it. Oftentimes, they are frequently, but not always, the same person.

c. Project status

A decent content calendar should also allow you or your team to categorize content with tags or colors based on its category. If you need to publish a certain number of content pieces in a month, you can utilize tags to identify ready-to-publish items. Also, you may want to employ category tags to identify which content you can simply combine.

d. Publication date 

Without a set publication date, it’s easy to overlook important content marketing events. However, setting this goal allows you to post content that corresponds to your audience’s online behaviors. For the most part, in social media marketing initiatives, timing is everything. Declaring a hard deadline makes it easier to identify whether a specific activity is on track to be completed on time or requires additional attention.

e. Status update

A status update should be included in a content or social media calendar to keep your team members informed of the status of each specific assignment. Primarily, the status update informs whether a task has been started, is in progress, or has been completed. This allows team members to make informed decisions about the workflow and their contributions.

Likewise, the use of different colors for manual or system highlighting of the status update and other line items can help add clarity. Color coding is one great way to identify different sections of the content calendar, improving overall content management.

You might also use the following headings:

f. Special dates and anniversaries:

Highlighting key events throughout the year and publishing content around those dates is a sensible strategy to plan your content more effectively. Black Friday, holidays, and product launches are examples of major events.

Conclusion

Planning is essential for developing a long-term, successful content strategy for your nonprofit. By planning ahead of time what type of content you want to publish each month, you can set realistic timelines, ensuring your social media posts and web content support your overall organizational strategy. A content calendar also helps your organization not to miss out on crucial opportunities to engage your audience.

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