Spontaneity is great, but when it comes to successfully managing Internet communications, there’s no such thing as winging it. To keep followers and advertisers engaged, there must be a fresh flow of information continually drawing them back for more.
An editorial calendar can help. With so many components of online media to manage, it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Poor planning will cause communication channels to go stagnant, and stress mounts when the business is left scrambling at the last minute to come up with meaningful content. Listing major events is great, but that’s not enough.

By ensuring a steady stream of content to your online community, an editorial calendar will help peak interest and promote continued growth for the future. It can also be a great tool to help plan short and long-term communication goals.

The benefits of having a strong editorial calendar are numerous. Here are a few other reasons to consider implementing one:

1)      Foster collaboration. Because there may be several individuals responsible for updating members of your online community, media managers need to be able to work together to see what tasks have been completed and what is still pending. In addition to helping with this, an editorial calendar can assist team members in delegating responsibilities to close any gaps.

2)      Drive forward thinking. A specific time frame is not necessary, but long-term planning allows extra time needed to properly prepare for special events. Thinking and planning ahead provides the opportunity to build a solid action plan.

3)      Store creative resources. Preparing communications for your online community entails organizing photos, copy and various pieces of related information. An editorial calendar can keep all these in one place. Dependencies can also be scheduled, ensuring that everything is in order when the time comes to publish.

4)      Build themes. An editorial calendar will help with scheduling themes that will appeal to the members of your community. For instance, if you manage communications for an online cooking group, each month could have a holiday themed recipe that your followers come back to try.

If you don’t have an editorial calendar yet, it’s not too late. At Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions we can give you the tools you need to manage your online media. Contact us to get started on your editorial calendar and your organizational goals .