How to Create a Content Plan for your Blog
Stuck with the content to put out for your readers?
According to Wikipedia, there are times in every writer’s career where he/she experiences a creative slowdown, popularly known as writer’s block or blogger's block. If you are a blogger, you must be familiar with the days when you just don’t know what to do even when the ideas are fresh in your head.
At this point, writing becomes a chore, rather than a passion that should be nourished from the deep. According to a study conducted by contentmarketinginstitute.com, almost 60% of companies with a well-written content plan are more likely to be successful in their marketing efforts. There are times when writers think the creative slowdown is from “writer's block ” but in reality, it is just a lack of a well-thought-out content plan.
Hence, in this article, you will learn what a good content plan does for your blog growth and also how you can build a content plan that works. I know you will love this, so let's dive right in.
A well-defined content plan is what separates great blogs from others. A content plan if executed properly will reduce your costs exponentially and help you deliver with the limited resources. This will not only help you to be organized but will also save your time and money. So, let’s move forward and find out the reasons why you need a content plan for your blog?
How a content calendar will help you grow your blog
1. Keeps you organized
In every area of our life, we require some form of balance, similarly for your blog, this balance is of utmost importance. When your blog ideas are scattered across various platforms like Trello, Evernote, Google Docs, and your notebooks. Achieving the control you need may be out of place, and this is where a content plan comes in. When you use a content plan your blog ideas stay in the right place.
Having a content plan will put every phase of your writing in place. You will also be able to track your deadlines, stay in touch with your topics and every bit of your writing.
2. Helps you stay consistent
Patience is a rare commodity on the internet, with tons of blog posts coming out every day, getting a loyal spectrum of readers will require a certain dose of consistency.
With a content plan for your blog, you will escape this hurdle and stay at the top of your game. This way you can put up content regularly and keep your readers transfixed for your upcoming content. You get a good engagement rate for your content and your business, isn’t this what you want?
3. Helps you identify what works
With a blog calendar, you would not be dropping random content on your blog, your entire blog is mapped out and set to win. What this implies is that you will be able to analyze what works and what does not and when you invest more energy in what works, you will rack in the sales and recognition you deserve. You can easily map out the content that works and tweak your plan to include more content in the same lines.
With a content plan, you will be able to know the post your readers love the most, they will comment and share it, include this in your plan. You cannot track this progress effectively if you don't have a blog plan.
Now that you know what a calendar does for your blog growth, let’s dive in to show you how to build a working content plan.
How to create a content calendar/plan
1. Define your goal
An age-long adage that fit’s appropriately here "if you have four hours to chop down a tree, you stand a great chance of winning if you take one or two of those hours to sharpen up your ax" the success or your content plan and calendar, will depend on the depth of your goals.
In writing your goals here, you have to be specific, find your WHY. Why are you writing this particular piece of content? A good goal will be to target a specific audience with a particular piece of content or help them resolve an issue. With a definitive goal, you will be able to measure your success and find ways to win.
Your WHY is very important, and the stronger your WHY, the better your results will be. So get you why sorted and get started!
2. Finding the right ideas and keywords
Writing a content piece which no one reads is pointless, your content should resonate with your audience. Now the big question that arises is how to find awesome ideas for your content?
I discussed this question with Nicole, content head www.SMTPServers.co. She had a rather different answer than what I was expecting, she suggested looking up at your regional Amazon site to know which type of ebooks, marketing books, content works the best, and use the reviews to know what your customers want.
“A search on Amazon will show you the content your customers are paying for, let's say 18,000 people have bought a particular Ebook on diabetes. Viewing the topics covered in the eBook will give you an insight into why the customers are buying this product & what kind of content you can produce to cater to their needs.”
What about writing a blog post on these topics? You will surely hit your gold.
In addition to Amazon, you can also search on Udemy, Linkedin Learning, or any other learning platforms where you get a detailed insight into the top courses in your niche, that the majority of people are paying for. Plan your content along the same lines and you will surely get the traction you are looking for. Reddit and Google trends are also excellent places to find some ideas like pictures, blogs and infographic ideas. Now that we have highlighted where to get your content ideas from, let’s move on to the next big thing - keyword research.
Content strategist Clara Hogan stated on the Themisle blog, "Keyword research is a great way to come up with new ideas and opportunities for your content, but SEO should not drive your entire content strategy”
You can start by checking out the top-selling eBooks/books with maximum positive reviews and the keywords they are targeting on Amazon. Then you can search for some similar keywords on google’s keyword planner, Ahrefs, Semrush, etc. try to find the keywords with high volumes and low competition. You can also check out the e-courses platforms or do competitor keyword research using the above-mentioned tools.
3. Create a blog content calendar
With all the arsenals now at your disposal, you are set to win. Websites and mobile apps like Trello, Google Sheets, and others can help you put together your content plan. But remember to use only one application to store the complete information. If your data is scattered among various applications the purpose of creating a content plan will be dissolved.
Ensure you have everything mapped out. Start with little nibbles through weekly, monthly plans and then move on to taking bigger bites with quarterly, half-yearly, and yearly plans.
4. Write Amazing content
All of the above-mentioned steps will amount to naught if your content doesn't match your preparation. So invest heavily in your content, they should be well-written with proper grammar and punctuation.
Back your writing with research. It projects you as authentic and one to be trusted. While you have all of these packed together, ensure your blogs have a mix of media. Images are what keeps readers glued to your blog post, and if you can, mix this up with other visuals, such as gif, and short videos it will be amazing.
There is no limit to the amount of media you can insert into your content, just don't overdo it, but remember not to underdo it as well. Find the balance and stick with it.
So What's left?
Format your contents, yes, you have to choose the right format for your blog, that is visually enticing and conveys your message in a subtle way. You are a professional, and how you format your blog posts, will seal your stamp as a professional.
Conclusion
A content plan helps you get organized and hit the bull’s eye. Hope you enjoyed the content. Hasta la vista!!
What did I miss?
Is there anything else you have added in your content plan that has worked wonders for you and I haven’t covered it in my list? Feel free to drop it in the comment box and we will get this post updated.
Featured image by Cathryn Lavery on Unsplash