by Chris Larsen
What is the purpose of an editorial calendar and how can they significantly benefit a business?
As a marketing tool, companies can use an editorial calendar to have a better understanding of each social media outlet in a way that allows them to utilize their full potential. With a structured plan one has the ability to map out media content months in advance which allows flexibility to manage any long-term goals. This can benefit you greatly by making it easier to allocate tasks associated with every aspect of a social media campaign accordingly to make sure they run as smoothly as possible.
According to Beth Levenson there are several benefits from actively incorporating an editorial calendar in a marketing strategy.
Strategic Planning- Following seasonal patterns and consumer trends can significantly benefit the amount of publicity a social media campaign can receive throughout a desired period of time. Planning ahead provides companies with the ability to introduce new products or services that would be well received among consumers. For example Columbia’s Twitter activity provides relevant content for various seasonal trends.
Developing Creativity– A substantial period of time between the thought process of a creative team and the launch of a social media campaign can greatly improve the quality of content that is delivered to consumers. This can make the message more influential among the target market. Creating a meaningful social marketing advertisement has a much higher chance of being well received from the audience.
Consistent posting on social- Adhering to the needs of current consumer is an important aspect of a successful editorial calendar. Companies need to be up-to-date with posting relevant social media content to continue dialogue with current customers. The vast majority of your audience wants to feel relevant by being talked to rather than talked at. Relevant information is what keeps people interested in the ideals of your brand.
Twitter: @ChrisLarsenv33
Great point about the impact that time between the creatives and the submission date can have. With more time to think things out and plan strategy, it is easier to give a thoughtful message to the right consumers.
Thanks for posting this! I was still a little unsure about the importance of a social media calendar. It is obvious that these calendars are essential to successfully planning social media content. They are also excellent for guiding a campaign and assuring that the content does stay on track with the original strategy plan!
Hi Chris,
Great points about posting strategically! I like that you specifically highlighted seasonal patterns as it is something that is extremely important to recognize yet I feel that many companies overlook this. When working with the UO on social media audits, many forgot that you can’t just have a set schedule of weekly posts that stays consistent throughout the year. Things people are interested in in the summer are different than that of the winter and it takes a great social media audit to recognize that. So hopefully people looked over your post and learned something before creating theirs for our final project 🙂
-Alysia
Chris – Your blog post about implementing editorial calendars into a social media strategy could not have come at a better time. My group and I were struggling to figure out how we wanted our plan to work but your blog post answered all of our questions. I think it’s super important that all social media strategies include posts that are creative and unique to the brand.