How to Make a Content Calendar Using Google Sheets [Step by Step]

The Only Digital Content Calendar Template that Just Works So, you finally want to take your marketing seriously and you decided to make a content calendar for yourself. In the last few years, you have been procrastinating when it comes to showing up online consistently. In fact, you have purchased physical planners and calendars in the past where you had great intentions at the start of the year. However, you ran out of steam after the first 3-4 weeks of using those systems. What you need this time is something that will work for 1-2 years without the need to make another investment every year. While using coloured pens and parchment paper is super exciting and inspirational. You are just looking for something that will get you more visitors, leads and sales because that is what matters the most. If only you can find a simple example or template that you can implement in a matter of hours instead of days or weeks. In this post, you will learn how to make your very own content calendar so that you can get better results from your business marketing efforts. Why Use a Content Calendar for Your Business In case you are new to content calendars, let me spend some time explaining what they are and why you should use them. A content calendar is a sheet, app or place where you can plan, create and schedule content over a specific time period. Many small businesses tend to plan their content over a 90-day or 12-month period. The main reason why small businesses use a digital content calendar is because it helps them to organise their marketing efforts. It also helps them to set goals and to track their performance against these goals. You can think of it like taking a 10,000 foot view of what is happening when it comes to promoting your business. With a content calendar, you have the flexibility to plan and organise content like blog posts and events. As well as social media posts and even podcasts and/or videos. Content Marketing Statistics You Should Know Did you know that 61% of consumers buying decisions are influenced by custom content according to Dragon 360? This means that the more time you spend planning out your content to match your ideal client the higher the chance of a conversion. Content marketing costs 62% less than traditional forms of marketing and it generates 3 times more leads based on stats from Demand Metric. Also, from Demand Metric, 80% of people prefer to learn about a brand through custom content that they find online. 69% of marketers are planning to increase their use of YouTube while 66% of marketers are using Instagram based on a Social Media Examiner report. While 67% of marketers are planning to increase their organic use of the Instagram platform. Social Media Examiner also reported these next two statistics. 86% of marketers surveyed believe that social media increased the exposure for their business. Instagram and Facebook are the top two social media platforms used by marketers with 94% using Facebook ...