How To Create An Efficient All-In-One Editorial Calendar

All-In-One Editorial Calendar

An all-in-one editorial calendar (also known as a content calendar) can be a game changer for businesses looking to streamline their content creation, marketing, and management processes.

It can help businesses save time,  increase efficiency, and improve overall content quality.

With an all-in-one editorial calendar, businesses can easily visualize their content strategy and ensure their content aligns with their overall marketing goals. This can help ensure consistency across all channels and prevent duplicate or overlapping content.

Additionally, an all-in-one editorial calendar can help businesses stay on top of important dates and events, such as holidays or product launches, and ensure they have timely and relevant content prepared. This can help businesses capitalize on opportunities and stay ahead of their competitors.

Finally, an all-in-one editorial calendar can provide valuable insights into content performance and help businesses track their progress over time. Businesses can optimize their content strategy and make data-driven decisions to improve their marketing efforts by analyzing data on engagement, traffic, and conversion rates.

This post is part of a cluster posts series related to “Content Strategy: The Practical Guide For Brand Owners.

Contents ...

To find a special gift waiting for you on this page, click the button below to take a peek, before you read on … 

What is an all-in-one editorial calendar? What does it look like?

An all-in-one editorial calendar is a tool that enables content creators, marketers, and managers to plan, organize, and track their content across multiple channels in a single place. It allows teams to collaborate, schedule content, and measure performance, ensuring a streamlined and effective content strategy.

1. What is an all-in-one editorial calendar useful for?

An all-in-one editorial calendar is a centralized tool businesses can use to plan, organize, and manage their content creation, marketing, and activities.

It typically includes features such as a calendar view of upcoming content, assigning tasks and deadlines to team members, and integrations with other tools such as social media platforms and content management systems.

An all-in-one editorial calendar can help businesses streamline their content workflows, ensure consistency across channels, and optimize their content strategy for maximum impact.

By providing a clear overview of all content activities, an all-in-one editorial calendar can help businesses identify gaps and opportunities in their content strategy and make data-driven decisions to improve their overall marketing efforts.

2. How does an all-in-one editorial calendar boost efficiency?

An all-in-one editorial calendar for content creation, content marketing, and content management can boost efficiency in several ways:

  • Centralized platform: An all-in-one editorial calendar provides a centralized platform for all content-related activities. This can help streamline workflows and reduce the time and effort required to manage content across different channels.
  • Collaboration: The ability to assign tasks and deadlines to team members within the editorial calendar can facilitate collaboration and communication, ensuring everyone is on the same page and working towards the same goals.
  • Planning and organization: An all-in-one editorial calendar enables businesses to plan and organize their content strategy in advance, which can help save time and avoid last-minute scrambling to create content.
  • Automation: Many all-in-one editorial calendars offer integrations with other tools, such as social media platforms and content management systems, which can help automate certain tasks and reduce manual effort.
  • Performance tracking: An all-in-one editorial calendar can provide valuable insights into content performance, which can help businesses optimize their content strategy and improve their overall marketing efforts over time.

3. What does a good all-in-one editorial calendar look like?

Creating your own All-In-One Editorial Calendar in Excel or any spreadsheet app is pretty easy. Take a look at the one below that is similar to the one I use:

Sample Editorial Calendar

4. What does my all-in-one editorial calendar reflect?

Here are some simple processes I follow on my all-in-one editorial calendar shown above:

  • Set separate blocks of time for the three main content-related activities: Content creation, content marketing, and content management form my three main blocks to be tackled daily. I need to do my creative work in the mornings, so I have set it up on top of my day, while content management gets the tail end of the day. This matches my bio-rhythm.
  • Within each block of time, I jot down the activities to be done: There may be some chosen content types I want to create at a specific frequency … like blog posts twice a week or social posts thrice a week (for some selected channels) or less frequently (for other media), YouTube videos once a week. I color code each channel or activity type and schedule the times/days when I will do this content creation. I make notes on possible titles/topics to cover for each channel.
  • Every day, I set my priorities for the work to be done: I follow some simple prioritization methods. Just “1” for the most critical tasks, “2” for lower priority jobs, and “3” for the least priority items. This way, I can focus energy on what’s most important to finish in case the day doesn’t go according to plan.
  • What if I miss the plans on a particular day? I either shift the whole timetable forward, leaving that day empty … or I reschedule each task on that day to other slightly lighter days. There’s no fixed rule, and I cut myself some slack. If I’m less rigid, I get more done.
  • What if I’m part of a team and need to sync my calendar with others? I let the team leader plan the team calendar first on these principles. Team members like me can then pick up what they must do and put it in the appropriate spaces and priorities on their calendars. If market exigencies or other reasons demand the whole team to change their calendars, I wait again till the team leader adjusts the team calendar and redo my individual calendar to match.

5. Experts' quotes on the value of editorial calendars

If you love quotes from people who matter, here are a few about editorial calendars that get to the point succinctly:

Michael Brenner

"The key to successful content marketing is consistency, and an editorial calendar is the tool that helps you achieve it. By planning out your content in advance, you can ensure that you have a steady flow of high-quality content that resonates with your audience."

Heidi Cohen

"An editorial calendar is not just a schedule of content topics and dates. It's a tool that helps you organize your thoughts, focus your strategy, and measure your success. By using an editorial calendar, you can take your content marketing to the next level and achieve your business objectives."

The 8-step calendaring process for your content strategy

Here is my list of an 8-step intelligent calendaring process that can include content creation, content marketing, and content management tasks. It saves a lot of time and labor to club all content-related jobs together in one hold-all calendar to get a panoramic view of our content strategy in action.
8 Steps To Create An All-In-One Content Calendar
(Please use this infographic with credits intact.) 

1. Decide the timeframe you want to plan content for

What is the best timeframe for content calendar phasing?

The best timeframe for content calendar phasing can vary depending on your business, industry, and audience. A common approach is to plan content on a quarterly basis, with a more detailed plan for the upcoming month or two.

Planning content on a quarterly basis allows you to align your content with your overall business goals and adjust your strategy based on the results you see over a more extended period.

But, planning on a quarterly basis can also make it difficult to pivot quickly if you need to respond to a sudden change or opportunity.

To balance these considerations, you may want to create a more detailed plan for the upcoming month or two, with specific topics, deadlines, and promotion plans. This can help ensure that you are staying on track and publishing content consistently while still allowing for some flexibility.

What are the points to note when planning timeframes?

  • Consider the length of your sales cycle: If your sales cycle is longer, you may need to plan content further in advance to ensure that your content aligns with your sales goals and provides value to your prospects at every stage of the buying process.
  • Keep your audience in mind: Consider the seasonality of your business and the needs and interests of your audience. For example, if you are a retailer, you may need to plan content around major holidays or events relevant to your target audience.
  • Allow for flexibility: While having a plan is important, it’s also essential to allow for flexibility. Leave room in your content calendar for unexpected events, changes in priorities, and opportunities that arise. This will help you stay agile and adapt to changes in your business or industry.

Learn how to plan out your content in advance... video!

In this video below from Ultimate Creative, there are good tricks to planning your content in advance. You need to know that to fill in your calendar for your set timeframe.

2. Choose a calendar format that works best for you

What are the content calendar formats available to choose from?

There are several content calendar formats depending on your team’s needs and preferences. Here are a few common formats:

  • Spreadsheet: A spreadsheet is a simple and flexible option that can be customized to meet your needs. You can create a calendar in Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel, including columns for topics, authors, deadlines, and distribution channels.
  • Project management tools: Project management tools like Trello, Asana, and Basecamp can be used to create a content calendar that includes tasks, due dates, and team assignments. These tools also allow you to collaborate and communicate with team members in real-time.
  • Content management systems: If you use a content management system (CMS) like WordPress or HubSpot, you can use the built-in editorial calendar feature to plan and schedule your content.
  • Paper planner: For those who prefer a physical format, a paper planner can be used to plan content. You can use a planner designed specifically for content planning or customize a regular planner with your content categories and deadlines.

What are the three best editorial calendar tools available?

  • CoSchedule: CoSchedule is a popular content marketing platform with an editorial calendar, social media scheduling, and other features for managing your content workflow. The calendar is fully customizable, and you can easily drag and drop content to reschedule as needed.
  • Trello: Trello is a project management tool that can create an editorial calendar. Trello’s card-based system is a flexible way to manage content, with the ability to attach files, add checklists, and assign due dates. Trello also offers a range of power-ups that can be added to boards for additional functionality.
  • Asana: Asana is a project management tool that can be used to create an editorial calendar. Asana’s task-based system is a powerful way to manage content, with the ability to assign tasks to team members, add due dates, and create subtasks. Asana also includes collaboration features like comments and status updates to keep everyone on the same page.

How to use Asana as an editorial calendar ... video!

For all you Asana fans out there, here’s a great video from Latasha James on how to use your favorite tool Asana as an editorial/content calendar. Enjoy watching, but also do implement!

3. List important dates that may impact your content

What kinds of important dates must content calendars plan for?

Several types of important dates may impact your content creation and distribution. Product launches are a key date to consider, as they often require promotional content to generate interest and sales.

Holidays are other vital dates to consider, as they can provide opportunities to create seasonal content that resonates with your audience. For example, you may want to create unique content around festive dates if you run a food blog. Other important dates may include major cultural events in your city or country

Industry events like conferences or trade shows can also provide opportunities to create content that showcases your expertise and attracts new customers.

Important dates in your company’s history, such as an anniversary or milestone achievement. By incorporating these dates into your content calendar, you can ensure that your content remains timely, relevant, and engaging for your audience.

How should content calendaring change for important dates?

  • Plan in advance: When it comes to important dates like holidays, product launches, or industry events, it’s important to plan your content well in advance. This allows you to create high-quality content that aligns with the event and engages your audience.
  • Be timely: For some critical dates, like cultural events or breaking news, your content must be timely. This means monitoring the news cycle and social media trends to identify opportunities to create timely content that resonates with your audience.
  • Customize content: When planning for important dates, it’s essential to customize your content to fit the occasion. For example, you may want to create holiday-themed content or content that speaks directly to attendees of a particular industry event. This helps your content feel more relevant and engaging to your audience.

There's a nifty plugin called the Events Calendar ... video!

You have to watch this special video from the makers of the Events Calendar Plugin for WordPress – because this plugin helps plan all the steps involved in managing events. You can use this just for events or adapt its method for your all-in-one editorial calendar.

4. Brainstorm content ideas aligning with your strategy

How to pack your editorial calendar with content ideas?

To pack your editorial calendar with content ideas, you can conduct keyword research to identify relevant topics and use website analytics to see which content types resonate with your audience.

Look for ways to repurpose existing content into new formats, schedule regular brainstorming sessions with your team, and stay up-to-date with industry news and trends to identify opportunities for timely content.

You can also survey your audience or ask for feedback to understand their pain points and interests and create content that addresses their needs.

You can also look to your competitors and industry leaders for inspiration and ideas while putting your unique spin on the content.

How to ensure your content ideas are bang on strategy?

  • Review your content strategy: Before brainstorming, review your content strategy and goals. This will help ensure your content ideas align with your larger business objectives.
  • Use a framework: Use a framework to guide your brainstorming, including critical categories of topics or themes that align with your content strategy. This can help ensure your ideas are focused and aligned with your larger content goals. 
  • Set parameters: Set guide rails for your brainstorming session to ensure your ideas align with your content strategy. For example, you may want to focus on a specific theme or topic, or you may want to ensure that your ideas align with your buyer personas or brand voice.

How to include 10X content ideas instead of 10% ideas ... video!

In this video episode, Garrett Moon and Nathan Ellering of CoSchedule explain how to ideate for more 10X versus 10% content ideas. This is the same philosophy and process they follow to scale their business, and it’s one you can implement within your organization, too.

To find a special gift waiting for you on this page, click the button below to take a peek, before you read on … 

5. Assign the topics and deadlines to your team members

What's the best way to assign content tasks to a team?

When assigning content creation, content marketing, or content management tasks to team members, it’s essential to establish clear deadlines and expectations for each task and ensure that each team member understands their responsibilities.

Regular check-ins and progress updates can help ensure everyone is on the same page and that the project is progressing as planned.

It can also be helpful to establish a clear process for reviewing and approving content before it is published. This can help ensure the content is high-quality, aligns with your content strategy, and meets your brand standards.

Discussions with your team for feedback and ideas can also help ensure everyone feels engaged and invested in the project, leading to better collaboration and more successful outcomes.

How to include content outsourcing on a content calendar?

  • Determine the scope of work: Decide which tasks you will be outsourcing and to whom. This can include writing blog posts, creating graphics, or producing videos. When deciding on whom to outsource to, consider screening freelancers based on their quality of work, experience, and ability to meet deadlines.
  • Set deadlines: Establish clear deadlines for outsourced tasks and ensure they align with your content calendar. Make sure to build in time for reviews and revisions, as well as time for any potential delays that may arise.
  • Communicate clearly: Communicate your expectations and requirements clearly to the outsourced team. Provide guidance on your brand voice, messaging, and content strategy to ensure the outsourced content aligns with your overall goals. Additionally, establish a system for reviewing and approving outsourced content before it is published, and provide constructive feedback to help the freelancers improve and produce high-quality work.

Understand the scheduling challenges of freelancers ... video!

If your content tasks include working with freelancers, you must hear their side of the story. Freelancers like Deya (who has published this video) may have times when they are loaded with work and cannot sync their calendars perfectly with yours. It helps to know how they manage themselves so you can be accommodative and get the best out of them.

6. Pencil in all content promotion and distribution tasks

How best to calendarize content promotion and distribution tasks?

To calendarize content promotion and distribution tasks, you can start by identifying the channels you will use to distribute your content, such as social media, email, or paid advertising.

Once you have identified your channels, you can create a separate calendar or schedule for each channel, outlining the specific promotion and distribution tasks that must be completed.

This may include tasks like creating social media posts, scheduling email campaigns, or setting up paid ad campaigns. Make sure to set clear deadlines for each task and build in time for reviewing and approving content.

Additionally, make sure to track the performance of each channel and adjust your promotional strategy as needed to ensure that you are reaching your audience effectively.

How to oversee automated content promotion or distribution?

  • Set a regular cadence: Set a regular schedule for monitoring your automated promotions. This could be daily, weekly, or monthly, depending on the frequency of your promotions and the volume of data you need to review. This helps you schedule your monitoring activities.
  • Use a checklist: Use a checklist or template to ensure that you are reviewing all scheduled tasks for each automated promotion or distribution method. This can help ensure consistency in your monitoring and not missing any critical misalignments.
  • Schedule adjustments: Based on your monitoring results, schedule separate times to adjust your automated promotions to optimize your strategy. Set clear deadlines for these adjustments and build in time for reviews and approvals.

Ramp up massively with well-timed content distribution ... video!

The Moz Whiteboard Friday is always a source of big ideas. Here Ross Simmonds reveals how to ramp up distribution so that your content resources — blog posts, videos, whitepapers, or more — reach the right people on the right channel at the right time. Proper scheduling is the key.

7. Monitor and adjust your editorial calendar regularly

How often should you review your editorial calendar?

The frequency with which you should review your editorial calendar depends on the complexity and scale of your content marketing strategy. Generally, it’s a good practice to review your editorial calendar at least once a month to ensure your content aligns with your content strategy and goals.

This review should include assessing upcoming content topics, deadlines, and promotion plans. However, it’s essential to remain flexible and adjust your calendar to respond to changing business needs or unexpected events.

Additionally, it’s a good idea to schedule regular check-ins with your team to review progress and provide feedback on the content. This can help ensure your content is on track and your team is aligned with your overall content strategy.

Furthermore, regular review and refinement can help you stay ahead of the curve regarding emerging trends, audience interests, and competitive landscape, giving you a competitive advantage in your industry.

What is the best process for adjusting an editorial calendar?

  • Evaluate your content goals: Start by evaluating your content goals and ensuring that your editorial calendar aligns with these objectives. Determine if any changes need to be made to your content topics or formats to support your goals better.
  • Reallocate resources: Assess your team’s workload and determine if any resources need reallocation to support adjustments to your editorial calendar. This may include shifting team members between projects or hiring additional freelancers or agencies to support your content needs.
  • Communicate changes: Clearly communicate any changes to your editorial calendar to your team, stakeholders, and audience. Provide details on the changes, the rationale behind them, and the impact they will have on upcoming content. Make sure that all stakeholders are on board and understand the new plan.

Making calendar space to refresh old content ... video!

In this video tutorial by Ahrefs, you’ll learn how to rewrite and republish blog posts to get more organic traffic fast. The reasons for refreshing old content are explained fully here. The question, then, is whether there is room on your editorial calendar to fit in the regular refreshment of old posts. When you review your editorial content, think of this angle. 

8. Include schedules for analyzing content performance

How often do we need periodic content performance analysis?

Periodic content performance analysis is an essential part of any content marketing strategy, and the analysis frequency will depend on your business’s specific needs.

Generally, conducting a content performance analysis monthly or quarterly is a good practice. This analysis should include an assessment of your content metrics, such as traffic, engagement, and conversion rates.

Additionally, you may want to conduct a more in-depth analysis of specific campaigns or content formats to determine what works well and what could be improved.

By conducting periodic content performance analysis, you can ensure that your content is effective, relevant, and engaging and that it is meeting the needs of your audience and supporting your business goals.

How much time to schedule for content performance analysis?

  • Scope: Consider the scope of your content marketing efforts and the content volume you produce. If you have a large content volume, you may need to allocate more time for analysis. Additionally, if you conduct a more in-depth analysis or look at specific campaigns, you may need to allocate more time for this work.
  • Resources: Consider the resources you have available to conduct the analysis. This may include internal team members, external agencies or consultants, and analytics tools. Make sure you allocate enough time for all necessary team members to review and analyze the data, and consider using automation or other tools to streamline the process where possible.
  • Review and follow-up: Allow time for review and follow-up after completing the analysis. This may include scheduling a team meeting to discuss the findings and develop action plans for improving your content strategy based on the insights you have gained. By allowing time for review and follow-up, you can ensure that the analysis is meaningful and actionable and that your team is aligned on the next steps.

Cut time and focus on 5 content performance metrics ... video!

Once you start delving into content performance metrics, you will never notice the time flying by. Many vanity metrics make no difference to your business other than wasting your calendar time. Just focus on these five metrics that Matthew Royse lists in this video. They are the only ones that matter to growth and are worth spending quality time over.

To find a special gift waiting for you on this page, click the button below to take a peek, before you read on … 

FAQs and their answers on the value of editorial calendars

Some of the most commonly asked questions on editorial calendars are listed below … with their quick answers. These are good extra angles from which to understand and use editorial calendars to boost your productivity with content creation, marketing and management.

1. Editorial calendar vs. content calendar: what's the difference?

An editorial calendar typically maps out the overall content strategy, including themes, topics, and deadlines for publishing various types of content, such as blog posts, videos, or social media updates. On the other hand, a content calendar is more granular and focuses on the specifics of each piece of content, such as its format, keywords, and promotion strategy. 

2. How can an editorial calendar help writer's block?

When faced with writer’s block, writers can turn to their editorial calendar to find inspiration in pre-planned topics, themes, and deadlines. Additionally, having a clear plan for upcoming content can help writers prioritize their work and break down larger projects into smaller, more manageable tasks. This can help alleviate the stress and pressure that can contribute to writer’s block.

3. Do we need separate marketing and editorial calendars?

While separate marketing and editorial calendars can be beneficial, there is also a strong case for combining them. By integrating both calendars, businesses can create a more holistic approach to content marketing, where content creation and promotion are considered together. This can help ensure that the content is aligned with the overall marketing strategy and that promotional efforts are coordinated with content publication.

4. What's the trick to successfully following an editorial calendar?

The key to successfully following an editorial calendar is to establish a routine and prioritize consistency. This involves setting aside dedicated time for content creation, marketing, and management, adhering to deadlines, and regularly reviewing and updating the calendar as needed. Additionally, it is important to be flexible and adaptable, as unexpected events or changes in the market may require adjustments to the calendar.

5. What mistakes to avoid on an editorial calendar?

One mistake to avoid when using an editorial calendar is failing to align the content with the overall marketing strategy to meet business goals and audience needs. Another mistake is not including enough variety in the content types or topics, which can lead to a lack of engagement and interest from the audience. Finally, not leaving enough time for the content creation, marketing, and management can lead to rushed, low-quality content, haphazard promotion, and tangled management systems.

Pro tips to take away in summary ...

1. An all-in-one editorial calendar is a tool for businesses to streamline content creation, marketing, and management processes. By providing a centralized platform, it saves time, increases efficiency, and improves overall content quality. 

2. The all-in-one editorial calendar helps businesses stay on top of important dates and events such as holidays and product launches. With timely and relevant content prepared, businesses can capitalize on opportunities and stay ahead of competitors.

3. By analyzing data on engagement, traffic, and conversion rates, the all-in-one editorial calendar provides valuable insights into content performance. These insights enable businesses to optimize their content strategy and make data-driven decisions to improve their marketing efforts.

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