I want to acknolwedge right out of the gate that law school didn't have an elective called “creating a content calendar”.
But that's OK, because what law school lacked in your marketing education, we can help with.
And this one is both extremely simple, and extremely useful.
So what's a content calendar, and why do you want one?
The Biggest Time-Waster in your Firm's Content Production
Most of the time the thing that impacts your marketing efforts the most isn't writing, it isn't research, and it isn't finding nice artwork or polishing a headline.
It's thinking of what to write in the first place.
And the fact that we haven't done that process correctly means we inevitably end up picking topics on the fly. The result? Poor topic selection.
So how can we both select better topics and avoid the time spent sitting around trying to think of something to write about?
Easy – with a content calendar.
What is a Content Calendar?
Well it's a calendar… of content.
More specifically, this is where you take a little time (with a cuppa – I recommend coffee but you could get away with tea if you're that way inclined) to set out in advance what you're going to be writing about over the next few weeks.
Sure – you could do it for a whole year (and we have a free series showing you how here) but that might sound too big and hairy for you right now.
So just aim for a few weeks or a month or two.
So if your publication schedule is fortnightly, then perhaps you can come up with 4 topics – that's two months.
Think of it! A sixth of your year's worth of content has just been planned.
What's more, because you understand your audience/clients really well, you know those topics will be relevant and interesting to your potential clients. You also know that your content strategy doesn't depend on a new case, a legislative amendment or something important happening in the world around you.
What does a Content Calendar Look Like?
There are all sorts of fancy pieces of software you can use for a content calendar, but honestly try this: a pen and some paper.
Or if you're all about digital, then a simple table or spreadsheet.
And if you want it to be really useful, then don't just set out your proposed articles – set out what you'll do with them too. So you might have a plan and some allocated dates for:
- publicationArticle/topic headline with a brief summary of the gist;
- sharing on social media channels;
- emailing out to your database.
That way everyone knows what's happening and when.
It's About Efficiency
Other than just loathing the process, the biggest reason most lawyers don't get around to their marketing properly is because they feel like they don't have the time.
By taking simple steps like producing a content calendar you can make your overall process more efficient, save yourself that time, and ultimately generate more meaningful marketing activities.
So give it a crack!
