Friday, March 25, 2016

Creating an Editorial Calendar: The Foundation of Your Content Marketing Strategy



Why You Need an Editorial Calendar

On the surface, an editorial calendar is a calendar that outlines the specific due dates for all important content launches well into the future. It's a wonderful, visual way to see where you stand and what you need to do in terms of your short-term and long-term goals.

Underneath, however, it's an invaluable resource to start putting better content out into the world immediately. Think of it like a daily planner - each day you know what type of content is going to be launching, who is going to be writing it, what important details are going to be included, and more. It's an opportunity to take this resource and bend it to your existing workflow. Instead of laying down guidelines for your team and forcing them to adjust the way they like to work to meet this new tool, the tool itself is inherently malleable by design. 

An editorial calendar is also a great way to plan for the entire process of content creation from start to finish. Everything from idea conception to publishing is all handled through one centralized point of access, not only giving you all of the benefits of firm project management but also helping with communication. Everybody can be on the same page at the same time (no pun intended) because all they have to do is check the calendar to see where they've been, where they are, and where they're supposed to be going next. It doesn't get much easier than that. 

Forming the Backbone of Your Future Content Planning




Friday, March 18, 2016

Tips for Getting Maximum Mileage Out of Your Marketing Content

Too many marketers look at the content they're creating as "one and done." You spend a huge amount of money designing the right print mailer, send it to all of the relevant people on your list, and then never think about it again, right?


The truth of the matter is that this content is still high-quality because you wouldn't have sent it out into the world if it wasn't. It's a shame to write it off so quickly, especially when you can use just a few, simple techniques to increase its overall return on investment beyond what you originally thought was possible. If you want to guarantee that you're getting maximum mileage out of your marketing content, there are a few, key tips that you're definitely going to want to keep in mind.

Repurpose Whatever You Can

Creating a piece of high-quality, original content from scratch is not only expensive but time-consuming. This isn't exactly a secret, but it is a problem that marketers are creating for themselves more often than not by insisting that every last piece of information going out into the world has to be wholly original from the top down.

The fact of the matter is that it doesn't - sometimes repurposing a piece of older content is a great way to not only get maximum mileage out of those materials, but it can also help fill gaps in your editorial strategy and more.


Redistribution: Using Changes to Your Advantage



While many people think of content marketing as "disposable," it absolutely does not have to be that way. A good piece of content is a good piece of content - period. By carefully practicing techniques like redistribution and repurposing, you can stretch the value of that content as far as it will go, and get as many miles out of it as you can.

Tuesday, March 15, 2016


A few months ago, Mark Zuckerberg treated his staff to a movie night. The film...Pixar's Inside Out. The Facebook staff watched in confused amazement wondering who these emotions were and more importantly, where is the big, blue and white like-button thumb? A few individuals voiced what everyone else was thinking...wouldn't it be swell if Facebook allowed people to have more than one possible emotional reaction to the things they see and read?





We are all well aware of the reality that it's just not realistic that you're going to "like" every post that makes it into your feed because sooner or later the content will be about some atrocity that's being committed that you want to stop. So, instead of liking the post, you, like most people, just keep scrolling. It's not that the post was not engaging, it's just that people don't want to "like" the content. With the new reactions, people can express sadness or anger at the content of the post, letting them know that it was read and stirred some emotion. The upside for your business is that you can post more meaningful content about issues that are important to them and not worry about losing points for attention because all of the reactions count as "likes" on your page.



Friday, March 11, 2016

Time Management for Entrepreneurs: Stop Killing Time and Start Investing Time

"The way we measure productivity is flawed. People checking their BlackBerry over dinner is not the measure of productivity." - Timothy Ferriss

At the end of each day, do you take stock of what you've done and feel as though you were constantly busy, but you can't for the life of you figure out how your time was spent? As days turn into weeks and weeks into months...we often feel exhausted, but with no real accomplishments to show for our efforts.

The problem is, most people see time as an infinite resource. They approach life like they're driving down the street and miss a Starbucks, but happy in their knowledge that there's another one a mile down the road. Likewise, we always think "tomorrow is another day" and promise ourselves we'll keep track of our time and use it wisely then. This mindset is the best way to never accomplish what you want in life.

When we think of money, though, our mindset is a bit different. Our society encourages us to work hard when you're young and invest your money so that when you retire and no longer make money, you'll have that nest egg to spend. If you invest in your time, though, really spectacular things can happen.

Understand your productivity cycles.

Ernest Hemingway wrote in the morning because that was his most creative time of the day. Former Prime Minister Winston Churchill, on the other hand, reportedly didn't get out of bed before 11:00 am, preferring to work late into the night. Having a solid understanding and respect for when you are at your most productive will enable you to reserve your most important work for when you're at your mental best.

Make a list of the most important things you want to accomplish.

Making a list of the things you need to accomplish can help us overcome what's called the Zeigarnik Effect. No, it's not a mosquito-borne virus. You've experienced the Zeigarnik Effect on those nights you can't sleep because you're endlessly trying to remember everything you need to do and keep it organized in your mind. This happens during the day as well, when you're trying to concentrate on the task at hand, but your mind is still whirring in the background keeping your list organized. Give your brain a break and write it all down. Take a few minutes to prioritize those items for better efficiency.

Do the most important things first each day.

By doing the most important things first, you can always be assured that something important is done each day. Night owls, fret not, you can still save the most brain-intensive or creativity-intensive items for those 2:00 am writing sessions, just make sure that if something absolutely needs to be done in the morning, it gets done.

Don't discount small blocks of time.

As a society, we've taken to killing time on our phones during those periods of time when standing in line, or commuting on a bus or train. Time is too valuable to kill! Instead of checking Facebook while waiting for your coffee, identify things on your list that take up small amounts of time and get those done while you're waiting instead.

Finally, schedule in some down time for yourself. Nothing kills productivity more than a burned-out mind. Take a look at how you're spending your time and see how you can better spend it using these easy tips.