Build a Blog: #4) How to Schedule a Calendar
Written by Maryellen Lazzaro on March 15, 2016
EXTENDED-CARE MARKETING EDITION
You’ve got your target audience, you understand content marketing. Now, you have to blog regularly. Why? Studies have shown that organizations that blog three to five times a month have more traffic than those that don’t. As important as frequency is, however, consistency is even more so. Once your readers become accustomed to a consistent schedule, they will not want to be disappointed.
There is nothing more discouraging—nor, does it reflect well on the organization—than going to a blog and seeing that the last entry was spring of 2014. To avoid that fate, here’s how you can build an editorial calendar that keeps you on track:
• An editorial calendar maps out topics, writers, deadlines and publishing dates. With whatever system works for you, be sure to include those key elements.
• Map out the next three months’ worth of blogging content. You can be flexible and change things up as you continue to brainstorm great entries, but having a three-month plan ensures that you’ll get those entries out reliably.
• Make like an editor and assign stories to key staff members and give them reasonable deadlines. One nursing home we know does an excellent job at this with exercise tips written by their rehab team, food tips by their nutritionists, and so forth.
• Schedule your entries to automatically post at the appropriate times. All blogging templates allow for this function.
• Dedicate one day a month to your blog. This is a good way to review the upcoming calendar, write and/or edit entries and continue to plan the following three months.
> If you need help building a blog or creating an editorial calendar, give Lazzaro Designs a call or shoot us an email.
> Coming soon: Ways you can “bump up” the effectiveness of your blog: writing and design tips, how to use photos and infographics, as well as setting yourself up for an e-marketing campaign.
Posted Under: Blogging, E-Marketing, Extended Care, Social Media, Tips
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