It is impossible to even get the idea of a good digital marketing campaign without the presence of a well-structured editorial calendar that serves as a guide for everyone involved. But, a publication calendar is much more than just a table to check publication dates and times.
Although not all of us are very familiar with the concept of a publication calendar itself, the truth is that it is a key tool in everything related to marketing strategies and the positioning of a brand through digital media. When it comes to content to inform and arouse the interest of the public for a good or service through digital media, nothing is random, and the best way to ensure that everything that is published is consistent with the company’s objectives is with an editorial calendar.
Why have a publication calendar?
When we investigate a little more about content marketing strategies through digital media, at some point a fairly direct reference will be made to the content calendar and the influence that this tool has within the campaign.
But what really is an editorial calendar? The answer to this question arises from the very concept of what a calendar is and what its purpose is as a tool for daily use. Adding to it the need that exists within the world of marketing, to have as many resources as possible to keep track of each of the tools that are part of the campaign.
In other words, a publication calendar is basically an organizational table, which serves as a guide to keep track of the type of content that is published and the times when it will be made public. But like most marketing-related concepts, the editorial calendar plays a much deeper role in the whole dynamic of informing consumers about a product than its name suggests.
Although dates and times are a crucial part of the basic structure of any planning calendar, it is a tool designed to empty and update any necessary information. Especially the one related to the material that the brand makes public through digital platforms such as social networks or a website designed specifically for the company.
Whether it’s an editorial calendar for Facebook specifically or a publishing calendar with a much more general structure that includes content for multiple digital platforms; The reality is to guarantee that a content marketing campaign is really efficient, it is necessary to have a tool that allows you to have a base of how, what and when to publish.
The importance of having an editorial calendar
Something basic regarding internet advertising is that despite how spontaneous and minimalist each marketing strategy may seem, everything has to have a reason and a why. For this reason, many specialists point out that the basis of any advertising campaign is the editorial calendar.
Such is the relevance of such an instrument, the use of a publishing calendar has expanded into traditional media marketing campaigns. Well, it is a tool that not only adapts to the specific needs of each company, but is also extremely easy to handle by each one of those involved in the marketing department.
In fact, part of the efficiency that is recognized in the publication calendar stems from the fact that it is a tool that can be interpreted and executed by practically any member of the work team.
But, the technology that has taken the practicality of the editorial calendar, one step further. Providing marketing teams with a wide range of digital platforms and tools that give the user a pretty rough notion of how to design a calendar and even tools that allow you to customize your own calendar template to view and access information the way you want. make it more comfortable for you.
Strategic advantages of a publication calendar
You don’t have to be a marketing expert to learn to recognize all the strategic advantages of incorporating a planning calendar as an organizational tool. Especially when it comes to a territory as unpredictable as the digital market.
When posting original content on the internet, extreme care has to be taken of the type of material and the frequency with which it is posted. Well, in addition to serving as a reinforcement for the brand, this can also greatly influence the general reaction of the public to the content and the type of reactions, direct and indirect, that it generates.
Taking this into consideration, it is not only possible to deduce what role the editorial calendar plays in campaign planning. It also reveals more about the real scope of an editable timeline template that can be shared with every member of the marketing team and instantly updated to keep information flowing within the department.
Now, regarding the benefits of having a structured marketing campaign presented within an editable calendar that can be adapted to the requirements of a company, we have:
Organize the content
A crucial part within the distribution and the very structure of any publication calendar is defined by the need to have a body where team members are allowed to quickly and easily contemplate all the content that is scheduled to go out. in a set period of time. Therefore, having an understanding of how to make a social media calendar and how to present it to team members is a critical aspect of any digital marketing campaign.
Reinforce brand identity
Another function of any publication calendar is to provide the brand with a unique and distinctive way of communicating and being present in the market. This becomes more relevant when talking about how to make a publication schedule on Facebook and other social networks.
Post consistently
Although it is important to clarify that this is not necessarily a synonym of publishing content every day, the idea is to reinforce the presence of the brand and encourage the public to learn more about the goods and services they offer. Therefore, an editorial calendar must be very specific regarding the frequency and type of material that will be published.
Have more control over published content
On the internet you have to capture the attention of visitors, and the best way to do it is to keep precise control of the material through a publication calendar. This guarantees a flow of information and prevents falling into repetitive publications or those that do not provide any value content.
Study the reaction of the public
Having established the type of content and the way it is going to be treated within the editorial calendars, there is a good base to study all the reactions of the viewers. Both from those who form part of the community that has generated the brand, and from those who resort to it sporadically.
Elements that exist within an editorial calendar
Organizing, planning and rethinking strategies are part of everyday life within the marketing department of a company.
And of course, these three factors are reflected throughout the overall design of a posting calendar. In fact, the more specific that tool is, the more likely the campaign will be successful.
If we want to know precisely what a company’s publication calendar is for and how it contributes to the evolution of the campaign, it is necessary to know each and every one of the elements that are part of said instrument.
Knowing and becoming familiar with each of these elements not only gives us a much broader perception of the true value of the editorial team within the marketing department. Also, it helps to define some key aspects within the conception of the brand, such as the type of language used to provide the information and the most appropriate times to publish each content.
Something that must always be kept in mind when talking about a publication calendar is that each of the elements that are part of said instrument are variables that are found within the market. From this follows the fact that an editorial calendar is much more than just a program designed to group information in spaces in a coherent way and adjusted to a schedule pre-established by the company.
Target audiences
When thinking about the organization and general design of a digital marketing campaign, the first thing to be clear about is who the product is aimed at. Therefore, the idea that within the publication calendar of a company serves as a documentary reinforcement for the team is not so far-fetched.
Post Types
There is no worse sin in an online marketing strategy than presenting information to the public mechanically. To attract the attention of users and create a community that is loyal to the product represented by the brand, you need to always have original content at hand and learn how to get the most out of it.
key dates
When talking about key dates within the editorial calendar, this expression is used in the broadest sense of the word. Regional celebrations, specific days within the calendar, holidays and even the most convenient publication times to publish certain types of material, everything must be well specified within the calendar.
Flexibility
Even in activities as timed as marketing, there are unforeseen events or situations that require making adjustments with respect to what is presented within the publication calendar. Therefore, and as in most marketing tools, flexibility is an essential feature within the editorial calendar.
Topics
Already having a clear idea of what the product is like and the qualities it possesses, you can have a good base for the elaboration of topics that can be addressed within the editorial calendar that provide the possibility of presenting the goods or services offered by the company. in a way that appeals to the public.
The best tools to design your own publication calendar
Once the basic structure is known, the way to present the information and the system to prioritize the data that must be displayed within the calendar. It is entirely possible to develop an editorial calendar that really fits the specific needs of the brand.
However, the internet abounds with platforms and software designed to make this job much more automated. Presenting from predetermined templates to develop a totally personalized editorial calendar for social networks to systems that allow changes to be made within it in real time.
Being such a crucial tool within any marketing plan, there are as many options available to create publication calendars as work systems, to keep a precise order of the material that is available and how it will be presented through the different platforms. digital.
Therefore, all this reduces the choice of a software to design the editorial calendar of the brand to a single and punctual question: What would be the tool that best suits the knowledge and needs of the work team?
It doesn’t matter if it’s a tool that makes fully automated changes or a system that has features for real-time content tracking of published content; The most important thing about any publication calendar is that it be easy to use by all the staff responsible for marketing.
Excel
One of the programs par excellence to organize and structure information. Such is its efficiency, that most commercially available programs today to design publication calendars are inspired by its platform; because it is a very intuitive interface that can be mastered in a short time.
Trello
Trello has become one of the most popular software for designing and adjusting an editorial calendar in recent years. When it comes to how to create a social media calendar, Trello’s minimalist design and its ability to delegate specific tasks to each member of the team are a great help in keeping content in check.
Air table
When thinking about creating a publication calendar, most marketing teams are looking for a tool that is easy to use and that allows information to be updated in real time. And those are just two features that have made Airtable one of the most recommended platforms to design and launch an editorial calendar.
Of all the tools and systems that are used within the department in charge of tasks related to marketing and advertising, it is indisputable that a publication calendar is among the first positions of any list. To make a product stand out in the digital market, it is necessary to use as many resources as possible to ensure that everything goes as planned. This is where the editorial calendar really comes into its own; serving as a platform where you can organize, archive, publish and even carefully study each content and see what the reaction of the public is within the platforms on which the material is released.