It is possible that creating, planning, and implementing a ‘solid content plan’ is a little daunting for many businesses or website owners.

And that isn’t surprising, as many people’s understanding of content marketing only scratches the surface of what it really is – and what it can do for your online presence, rankings, and overall SEO.

But what does a true content plan look like? How do you start it, maintain it and schedule it? These are just a few of the questions our superstar content team will answer in our latest blog post.

Have additional questions? Need clarification or extra tips and tricks? Check out our previous blog posts about a wide range of subjects, or you can always comment, message, or call us for more information.

We would love to help you create the perfect content plan for your business.

Who knows, you might even enjoy it.

What is a Content Plan?

A content plan is fairly basic when you look at the terms used. At its most basic, it is a tool you can use to layout and plan your content.

See? Pretty much just like it sounds.

But, here’s the tricky part – your content isn’t just the great written word. It is anything, any media, that you create for your company.

Pictures, blogging, on-page content, landing pages, social media posts, downloadable content, even videos! All of this should be planned and will, therefore, fall into your content plan for the year (or the quarter – which is often a more manageable timeframe to work within).

JSL Marketing uses quarters for our content plans, meaning we make four content plans a year. One for January through March, April through June, July through September, and finally, October through December.

This is the ideal amount of time for your content plan to run, as it is manageable in smaller chunks and can be adjusted fairly easily based on changing business needs or seasons.

Essentially, your content plan should be a part of your marketing plan and it should show your clients or customer base who you are, what you are doing, and what you know.

Content is king in recent years – so make sure your king deserves the crown.

Create Your Content Plan

Creating a content plan starts with a template or some form of visual organization.

You can use a grid, a chart, or even simple, evenly spaced lines. As long as your content plan is easily understood and able to be followed, then the aesthetic design is up to you.

Here is an example of a simple content plan format.

Let’s pretend it’s for a Yoga Studio in Topeka, Kansas, called Toga Yoga.

	January	February	March
Newsletter	New Year, New Yoga Classes with Toga Yoga
Blog 1	New Year Resolution Yoga Classes with Toga Yoga
Blog 2	Beat the Winter Blues with Hot Yoga in Topeka
Video Topic	Toga Yoga: Relaxed Home Yoga Routine
Content Additions	*Update schedule & class information for 2019
Facebook	Posts about new yoga classes in the new year, healthy resolution help, hot yoga classes, home yoga routine & link newsletter, blogs & video
Twitter
LinkedIn
eBook	The Best Yoga Style for You | Toga Yoga
Infographic	The Benefits of Yoga in Topeka | Toga Yoga

 

The above chart is easy to make, easy to understand, and easy to follow – three key factors when making a plan that involves many moving pieces or different team members.

Now, of course, I didn’t fill in February or March. But you would simply repeat the process for each month and make sure there was some continuity, without being repetitive and while keeping your keywords and their frequency in mind.

Additionally, you might not make eBooks or infographics for your company. Maybe you don’t post to Twitter but do on Instagram. Or maybe you have emails instead of newsletters. That is all fine, the above is merely an example.

One more difference between a true content plan and my example above is that all content plans need to be rooted in research, all the way down to the keywords you choose to try rank for.

Can you guess what some of my make-believe keywords were?

• Toga Yoga, Yoga Classes, Yoga in Topeka, Home Yoga Routine, Best Yoga Style, and again, Yoga in Topeka

Now, I didn’t actually do the SEO research for this made-up company and made-up content plan. But you can see the reasoning and see the train of thought I was having for this particular company.

• They have a local market, so some localized keywords would help get them faster movement on Google.
• Their keywords are things that individuals looking for those services would easily type and search for.
• Their name is a keyword, as we want people to easily find them if searching for them directly
• There is a semi-theme throughout the first quarter – new year, winter, etc.

The exception to the themes mentioned above would be the video, infographic, and eBook. This is because they are more timeless and can be pushed or promoted for the remainder of the year and don’t have to be tied to any singular season as much.

When & Where to Publish

So now you understand what a content plan is. You understand the basics of how to make one, and you know you need to do the research before you put any other pieces in place.

But what do you do now that you have all your ducks in a row?

Research some more, of course!

Did you know there are specific times of the day, and days of the week, that have better open rates for emails? Or did you know that certain social media platforms cater to certain crowds and demographics?

If you did, then great job! You are ready to start publishing your content with confidence. But if you didn’t, perhaps you should consider who you are writing to, how they receive their information, and when.

Making a buyer persona can help here as well, as it can give you a (fictional) customer to try to understand and research.

Check out these helpful hints about social media platforms, content, written voice, and more!

Can JSL Marketing & Web Design Help Your Content Plan Be a Success?

If the research, planning, charting, writing, and implementation of a content plan seems a little over your head, or simply too time-consuming, then you are in luck.

Our content marketing team loves to research, plan, create and write. But what we love even more is seeing your business succeed.

Give us a call today, leave a comment, or message us directly to learn more about how we can help your business thrive in 2019, and how we can make your content king.

We can’t wait to hear from you!