The Advantages of Creating and Maintaining a Content Calendar

Business owners who endeavor to create an online presence that is strong have reported that their largest challenge lies in finding ideas for their content and then finding the time to write and then publish these ideas and posts on a regular basis.  Creating a content calendar that is comprehensive can assist you in overcoming these issues.  When you make a time commitment that is scheduled, you ensure that your content marketing doesn’t fall by the wayside because you just can’t seem to get around to doing it.  Here is a quick peek at a few of the advantages to creating and then maintaining this type of calendar.

1)    Getting your posts published on a regular basis and on time.  Your customers and potential clients will expect it.  Having a structured content calendar for your content will enable you to plan for your content before you need it.  For example, if you will be running a special two months from now, you could publish something related each week leading up to the event.  Social media aggregation platforms are available to help schedule all your posts and do that ahead of time, if you prefer. 

2)    Get the big picture.  Creating a content calendar that can run as little as a month or as long as a year will give you the advantage of having a bird’s eye view of your online content.  This enables you to:

o   Plan for features/topics that will run in a series of posts.

o   Schedule themes for your content based on the time of year, i.e. Christmas, Memorial Day, July 4th, etc.

o   Make sure that your core message is consistent regardless of the topic being discussed.

o   Work with subjects that overlap to ensure there is no duplication

3)   Time to find ideas.  You might get an idea for a post while you are out shopping or even laying in bed at night.  However, when it comes time to write that next post, that brilliant idea is long gone.  Having a content calendar where you can jot these ideas down as they occur to you can allow for those brilliant post ideas to become brilliant reality.

Make it Work

These are just a few of the advantages to having a content calendar.  However, none of these advantages will apply if you don’t stick to it and make it work for you.  Need help?  Call WSI New Media Marketing in Greensboro today!

Employing a Holistic Approach to Your Online Marketing Efforts

Is it better to invest in SEO or social media?  Should you spend your time and money on marketing content or would it be a better decision to focus on making a responsive web site?

Honestly?  All of them.  Creating a business that is successful will involve each of these elements of online marketing. 

SEO works to influence people to visit your site.  Making sure that you have a fantastic blog will build trust with your audience while it also keeps Google happy – as long as the content you publish is interesting and fresh.

Social media is the online equivalent of a meeting hall for your customers.  Beyond that, users are using mobile devices more and more to access social platforms and any other site…including yours.  This means that you will need to have a responsive web site in order to accommodate the user regardless of the device they are using.

Take a Holistic Approach

We all know that when you have a spectacular website, people will keep coming back.  Your site should be engaging, informative and the online home for your business.  It needs to make any and all visitors feel like they are welcome. Here are some of the things that you will need to be sure to include in your online marketing if you want to take a holistic approach to it.

• Create a website that is visually appealing and optimized for the search engines to find it.  It should load quickly, be user-friendly, and important information should always be easy to find.
• Make sure that the content on your site is compelling.  This refers to every piece of content on your site.  Don’t waste time with fillers or fluff.  Use every inch of real estate on your site for content that is relevant and engaging. 
• Understand and utilize the critical parts of a local SEO campaign.  This begins with your site.  It needs Meta tags, title, description, pertinent images and video.  Code it in the latest accepted format, claim and establish your Google+ page.
• Create and maintain a social media presence that is vibrant.  Outline your goals and then post relevant information on social media sites.  Also try to refer them back to your site for additional information.  Begin conversations and track your effectiveness with analytic tools on each site.

Doing all of these things is a great way to take a holistic approach to online marketing.  Need help?  WSI New Media Marketing can assist with your online marketing for 2016.