If you want to get organised before developing content for your business blog, or in readiness for a freelance copywriter to populate your blog on your behalf, you need to create a Content Plan. Here’s how.
You may have heard the term Content Plan before and wondered exactly what it entails. It really isn’t anything complicated or difficult, it is simply a list of topics you want to cover in your business blog and an idea of when you want to cover them. These plans can be used for scheduling material for other social media channels as well, but this does get a little more complicated because of the speed of change, trending topics and the need for reactive posts in the wider social ether. So, for now, we will remain focused on creating a plan for your business blog.
First things first, what shall I write about?
I would suggest as a first step, making a list of topics you want to talk about on your blog. Some ideas that you could include, or that may inspire you:
Once you have your list of topics, draw up a table in Excel or your chosen platform, with months or weeks listed down the left-hand side. You can also use a hardcopy or online calendar but be careful not to lose sight of your blog post plan amongst everything else that may be on the same calendar platform. It needs to be easy to read at a glance.
Timing is everything
The timeline you include in your planning will depend on how many blog posts you feel it is realistic to produce for your business, whether that be one a month, two a week, or something in the middle. Fill out your timeline for the next 3-6 months, again depending on frequency. If you are aiming for two blogs a week, planning three months ahead is probably enough. But if you are only doing one blog a month, for example, aim to plan six or even twelve months ahead. Now go through your list of topics and populate your plan. Some posts may be time relevant – for example if they relate to an event or product launch – while others can be posted anytime.
A well-balanced blog
Once you have populated your plan, you need to look over it, to make sure it is well-balanced. You want to make sure that you don’t have three behind-the-scenes posts back-to-back, or you haven’t put all your more technical articles upfront and left all the softer issues for later. Try and make sure for example you have one technical advice blog post, followed by a step-by-step guide, followed by a more personal entry, followed by an introduction to a product or service. It is not easy to achieve this when you hit creative mode and start writing, so planning is important.
Once you have created your Content Plan, you can start writing, or hand it over to a freelance copywriter to start writing on your behalf. Be aware that the plan needs to be flexible. Things change, new things come up, product launches get delayed, your clients ask new questions that you think would be useful to share sooner rather than later. Whatever changes arise, try and keep your plan up to date, or ask your copywriter to update it regularly for you. It is such a useful tool to have in your armory for a quick glance at topics you have covered, topics you have yet to cover, gaps in the content you’re providing your audience, and how well you are progressing your blog in general.
Get cracking with your Content Plan today and you will be well on your way to a well-balanced, well-populated business blog in no time!
Writer of smart, engaging copy for businesses that understand the importance of great copy, but struggle to find the time to give it the attention it needs. I offer a proactive approach to deliver fresh content.
You need to load content from reCAPTCHA to submit the form. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More Information