Do you want to revitalize your content, or just get better at posting your content on time? After you have gone through strategizing your next steps, it is time to implement your ideas. Search engines reward blogs that are updating consistently. However, when you are busy running a business, trying to find time to schedule your next blog post can be placed at the end of your priority list and stack up quickly. The simplest method for keeping scheduling on task is to use an editorial calendar.
Basics
In my opinion, the fancier, or expensive, the editorial calendar is not always the better. Your calendar will be more effective if you use familiar tools. Whether you prefer to see your life on paper, or you have a deep understanding of Excel, use what is comfortable for your daily business. Here are some free options for you to choose if you just want to get started.
Paper Calendar
If you are a visual person, downloadable editorial calendars or planners are for you. Before planning out a month of posts, it is a good practice to step back and see the layout physically. These calendars are free, and relatively simple to update. Even if you use online tools, printing out a calendar and mapping out content is a good way to brainstorm your strategy. Just make sure you find a way to communicate the schedule with the rest of your team.
Excel
One of my managers had a deep emotional connection to Excel. They planned their kid’s birthdays, made grocery lists, and budgeted all in Excel spreadsheets multiple tabs long. If this sounds like a kindred spirit, you can always use an Excel calendar template to schedule your content releases. If you do not have a similar connection to this tool, there are simpler methods to creating a custom calendar.
Google Calendar
If you are already using Google Apps as a part of your business, then scheduling posts in Google Calendar is for you. For updating and editing blog posts, use Google Drive with your team and connect the attachment to the calendar where you assign blog posts. Unless you are using multiple types of content and you use a large team, Google Calendar is all you need and it’s free. For advanced integration, you can try Zapier to connect your google calendar to Asana (see below).
Editorial Calendars For Teams
Do you like everything in one place? If you are not interested in copying everything over to WordPress, or if you want your calendar to be in the same view as other projects, you may need to use an online tool that has more power than Google.
WordPress Editorial Calendar
If you are getting into blogging, WordPress is a great place to start. Use the Editorial Calendar Plugin to schedule blog posts and manage new ideas. This simple plugin is free and comes with a large selection of tutorials.
Asana
Personally, I have used Asana as an Editorial Calendar, Project Management, and overall life organization tool. It is simple to integrate content and you can have reoccurring tasks for scheduling. Asana has easy to follow tutorials and is free up to 15 members.
Basecamp
This is better used as a project management tool than an editorial calendar, but if you are already using it to manage other projects, it can have multiple uses. Basecamp allows you to see how well you are scheduling and can help to integrate with the rest of your commitments. Community forums and customer service are great for learning how to manage tasks. It costs $20 per month for unlimited users and 10 active projects.