Editorial calendars have always had an important place in social media. But now that companies are morphing into social businesses and more people within the organization are getting involved with social media, editorial calendars have become an absolute necessity.

More social media outreach contributors means more deadlines and consequently more opportunities for dropping the ball. An editorial calendar will assist you in keeping your content marketing on track and on time by:

• Keeping you on schedule when things are busy. When the daily grind of business starts to swallow up your time, your editorial calendar is there to remind you of what needs to get done so it doesn’t get put off.
• Holding other contributors accountable. What is expected of them with regards to content and deadlines is there in black and white. So, if they miss a date, the calendar is there to remind them of the date that was agreed to.
• Discovering other opportunities for creating content. For example, you may have a trade show coming up. This gives you time to outline the type of content you want created to promote the event before, during and after. It also allows you to contact the appropriate contributors for creating this content.

So what should you include on your editorial calendar? There are many more, depending on your specific company, but here are some ideas to consider:

• Events that will take place throughout the month
• Other marketing activities including: email newsletters, product launches, trade shows, blogs, etc.
• Social media publishing schedule
• Content contributors and due dates
• Time to create next month’s calendar

The format you choose for your editorial calendar is really up to you and how your company communicates internally. Just be sure that all contributors receive the calendar each month and have time to respond with any conflicts. Easy right?

Now it’s your turn, what tips do you have about using editorial calendars?