If you are barely staying ahead of your content marketing strategy and posting content at the last minute, you aren’t doing your eCommerce business any favors. Sure, sometimes a digital marketer will get a brilliant idea on the fly, but let’s be honest—well-developed ideas have more strategy behind them.
In 2017, mediocre content is no longer going to cut it. That’s why we’re going to give you some of our best tips to help you finally organize your content calendar and come out on top this year.
Tip #1: Consolidate When Possible
Most eCommerce merchants are crunched for time. You know what takes up even more of your precious time? Trying to manage separate calendars for your social media, blog posts, emails, and using different tools for each type of content.
That’s where a master content calendar comes into play. Instead of scrambling for ideas every month, you can have everything scheduled out over all your various content channels. Once you get your plan in place, there are quality marketing automation platforms available to help set you up for your success.
Tip #2: Stuck on Content Ideas? Repurpose Old Content
Do you have content that did really well in 2016, but the information is slightly outdated? Use this opportunity to update it and present it to a new audience. Let’s say that you are an online retail store specializing in outdoor active gear and you had a blog post titled “10 Ideal Jackets for Powder Season.” Now that 2016 has come and gone, you can make a new post with updated tactics for the new year and add it to your content calendar.
Tip #3: Determine How Often You Will Post
Knowing how often you will post content on your blog and social media allows you to map out your content schedule far in advance. It’s also a good way to identify the best times to post on certain platforms and adjust your strategy according to your findings. Just be sure that you are consistently publishing amazing content once you commit to your schedule!
Tip #4: Have a Method for Last-Minute Changes
Like we said, coming up with ideas at the last minute isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes, these spur-of-the-moment ideas are the ones that end up being the most effective. The key is to have a method in place for adding in these last-minute ideas to your content calendar and make sure that everyone else on your team is aware of it. This way, everyone is on the same page and your most creative ideas have a chance to shine.
Tip #5: Use Your Calendar to Identify Marketing Opportunities
The great thing about having an organized content calendar is that it can open the door to new opportunities. For example, you can look months ahead in your content calendar and notice marketing opportunities that you otherwise wouldn’t have noticed.
Maybe it’s an opportunity to promote a blog post through your Facebook account or a chance to insert a relevant infographic into an email newsletter. Now that things are organized, you can focus on making content that is 10 times better than the competition.
Tip #6: Consider Your Marketing Goals
You hopefully know your audience well by now and have a good idea of what kinds of content they like. Now, fill your content calendar with content that not only resonates with them but that will also help you achieve your eCommerce marketing goals.
It’s great when your audience loves your content, but this doesn’t count for much if it doesn’t push you toward your end goals. For example, if you’re looking to boost sales, try to tastefully feature products in your content linked to your product pages. Looking to increase site traffic from your social media channels? Make your content engaging and include a link with every post.
Tip #7: Have Regular Content Planning Meetings
Churning out high-quality content consistently is tough work. That’s why everyone—from your blog editors to your content managers—needs to be part of regular content planning meetings. This ensures that everyone knows what is currently on your content calendar and how this content will be implemented. It can also be a great brainstorming session for new and exciting content ideas. If you’re on a marketing team of one, loop members of other areas of your business in on occasion to gain a different perspective on what content your customers want to consume.
Tip #8: Remember, Nothing Is Set in Stone
As you organize your content calendar, remember that trends can come and go quickly. Even if you’re excited about the content you have planned, it may need to take a backseat to content that is timely and relevant to your audience. Similarly, a scheduled social media post may need to be removed if a recent incident in the news makes it seem insensitive. Having a content calendar can help you maximize your content marketing efforts, but it still requires some flexibility!
About Springbot
Springbot delivers an eCommerce marketing platform to small and medium businesses on BigCommerce, Magento, and Shopify to combines the power of marketing automation and marketing analytics. We integrate and make simple the data, content, and multi-channel marketing tools (social, online, email, etc.) you need to drive more traffic, conversions, and revenue.
