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Want to know what the ultimate monthly content planning process is? If you are creating content for your business then you need to be planning your content in advance, rather than winging it. How far in advance you decide to plan is up to you. However, the sweet spot for most solopreneurs and small business owners is a month, which is why I’m focusing on a monthly content planning process in this blog post. Keep on reading to find out what the ultimate monthly content planning process is.
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THE ULTIMATE MONTHLY CONTENT PLANNING PROCESS
Step 1: Review and reflect on the last month
Before you create a content plan for the month ahead you should review the last month. And if you are someone who is super organised and wants to create your monthly content plan during the month before then just review the last 4-6 weeks at the point you are making the plan.
So many business owners plan their content only looking forward, but if you want to create the most effective monthly content plan possible then you need to be reviewing your previous content.
By reviewing your previous content you are able to learn what works and what doesn’t. This can then inform your future content decisions.
I always recommend a review and reflect process, which means you review (look at the quantitative data) and then reflect (add your qualitative and anecdotal thoughts). This is so important because numbers only tell part of the picture.
From a quantitative perspective, you can review:
- Website analytics: Number of visits to the site as a whole and any specific pages you want to monitor
- Email analytics: Subscribers, downloads of lead magnets, clicks
- Social media analytics: Followers, engagement
- Long-form content analytics: Podcast downloads, total hours of video watched, length of time on blog posts
- Lead Generation: Number of forms filled in or calls booked
Then from a qualitative perspective, you can reflect on:
- What worked this month
- What didn’t work this month
- Content that specifically led to enquiries or sales
- Any content you specifically liked or disliked making
Step 2: Set your focus for the month
If you want to make your life easier then you should set a clear focus for the month. If you have a number of services then you might decide to specifically focus on selling one service for the whole month.
Another approach is to have a theme for the month that is central to your business, and services, Through the month you can explore different angles of that theme and then mention the most relevant service for that angle.
If the thought of having one focus for the month freaks you out then this is where planning even further ahead will help. I run Strategy Days where I help business owners plan for 3-12 months ahead. This means the focus of the month is already decided and you can rest assured and focus on X for a whole month because you know there is a bigger plan in place and through the next months you’ll create content on everything you want to create content about.
| WANT HELP CREATING EFFECTIVE CONTENT PLANS FOR YOUR BUSINESS
A good content plan needs to combine a number of different elements. I specialise in creating one-person marketing strategies and plans that can be delivered by the business owner or a VA. I’m a Chartered Marketer, have over a decade of marketing experience and I’m a solopreneur that does all of my marketing myself. That means you’ll get a content plans that is created combining best-practice, and tried-and-tested marketing techniques, but with a real understanding of what is possible for one person. If you are ready to take the marketing of your business to the next level and get a personalised and integrated content plan created get in touch. |
Step 3: Start your monthly content calendar
A key part of the monthly content planning process is creating your monthly content calendar, which is also referred to as a monthly editorial calendar. This is what will have the outline of all of your content for the month.
To get started you’ll need to have a monthly calendar and the first thing you need to do is add in any key dates. These can be key dates from an external perspective (holidays, seasonal events etc). You can read more about creating seasonal content here. Or it can be ey dates from an internal perspective (your holidays, launch dates etc). Having these all plotted in first will mean that as you plan the content for your business you can make sure there are no clashes with what your content is actually about or with you being able to make the content. Also, being aware of key dates now it might inspire you when thinking about what to create over the month.
If you don’t already have a monthly content calendar then you learn about how to create your own by downloading my content marketing plan workbook.
Step 4: Brainstorm content ideas
You’ve got your focus for the month and you are aware of what else is happening in the month so it is time to start brainstorming content ideas.
Lots of people like to do a mind map or a brain dump where you get all of your ideas down. Think of everything to do with your focus and get it down onto paper. Then afterwards you can go back through and select which ideas you want to go forward with.
Step 5: Finalising your monthly content calendar
Now that you’ve got lots of ideas for the month you can go back to your monthly content calendar and start choosing the ideas you want to move forward with and deciding when you’ll publish them across the month.
The easiest way to start plotting for the whole month is by focusing on your core content first. If you create a weekly piece of core content (a blog post, a podcast episode,a YouTube video or a newsletter) then you just need to choose find 4 to 5 different angles on your focus and that is the whole month done.
Once you’ve done that you can then add in the other pieces of content. To keep things simple you can use the focus of your core content as the theme for the week. Then you just have to apply the theme to the formats you use. For example, if you are posting on Instagram it might be that on a weekly basis, you post 5 times and the formats are 1x Reel, 2x Carousels,1x Photograph and 1x Live video. So on your monthly content calendar, you’d write the format and the focus.
Step 6: Planning when you’ll create the content
At this stage, the monthly content planning process is technically over, but if you want to ensure that the plan happens then you need to plan when you’ll create the content.
One of the advantages of planning your content a month at a time is you are able to see the true scale of how much content you need to create.
Firstly, go through your content and highlight anything that is created and published simultaneously (aka live). For these pieces of content, you need to block them out in your calendar or diary so nothing else gets booked in.
Then, for everything else you can decide when you’ll create the content. Planning in advance makes it easier for you to batch create content, which is a time-effective way of working. But you’ll have some options. You might decide to create your content a week at a time so you have the focus and then create everything for the week. Or you might decide to batch based on the format. For example, you might make multiple videos back-to-back.
Both ways work so decide what makes sense for you and then in your calendar set aside clear blocks of time for content creation and what you’ll create in that block. This should ensure that you are able to create the content set out in the plan.
That’s it! You now know the ultimate monthly content planning process.
If until now you’ve been winging your content or planning just a week in advance then moving to a monthly content planning process might be a bit of a shock to your system. However, when you get into the habit of having a monthly content planning process your business will see the benefits. Reviewing your previous content will ensure that the performance of your content continues to improve. And then by planning in advance you’ll be able to ensure there is a strong alignment between your content and what you are trying to sell. And of course, by planning in advance you can create in a much more time-effiecent way.
I hope this blog post has inspired you to embrace a monthly content planning process.
Let me know in the comments what your biggest takeaway is.
| GET A PERSONALISED CONTENT STRATEGY CREATED IN JUST ONE DAY
Before creating a content plan you should have a content strategy, which is why I offer Content Strategy Days. In just one day I’ll help you to create a content strategy for your business, and then a content plan for the upcoming months (usually 3 months but depending on the volume of content). To find out more about my Strategy Days click here. To discuss your specific needs and book a Content Strategy Day fill in my contact form here or book a call here. Know that just having a plan isn’t enough? If you want ongoing training, support and accountability then I have ongoing mentoring programmes. For more information check out my services here. |
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