I promised you an update since I started using an editorial calendar for this blog. Before it was finished, I was already editing it. The process of creating the calendar pointed out some weaknesses in my blog strategy - it was too scattered, too general. By tightening the topic scope for my calendar, I was able to sharpen the focus on my blog. This in turn helped me tremendously in generating quality topic ideas for future posts.
Added bonus: thanks to the calendar, already some topic ideas are sorting themselves into best for tweets or retweets or Facebook posts, either because they don't quite fit into my editorial calendar topics, or they are somewhat duplicative. I don't want all of my feeds to be carbon copies of each other, so this is a good thing.
I find using the calendar more liberating from the perspective that the subject matter is narrowed. Does that seem backwards? Maybe, but consider this: if you tell me I can write about whatever I want, that freedom is deceptive. It often results in paralysis, as there is just too much to choose from. If you find yourself (like me) hitting up the internet just hoping for inspiration to stream by, you could probably do with some structure.
Compare that with another blog I used to maintain. I mentioned previously that I don't use an editorial calendar for that one because the niche is so narrow (junior tennis instruction tips and tricks). I rarely had trouble finding a topic to post, RT or write about, thanks to Google Alerts and my Twitter account for that niche. Also, I knew right away when looking through streams if a topic was right, because that niche is so specific.
photo from here
Think of it like this: Let's say your job is to report on how much traffic passes through a given intersection (the traffic represents the very broad blog topic of 'writing' that may be flowing through your social media feeds). So out you go, clipboard/laptop at the ready. Traffic passes. You start ticking off the cars as they flow by. But some cars have more than one occupant - do you count them as one car or multiple, one per person? Do you count just adults, or kids also? What about buses? Bicycles? Mopeds? There are train tracks parallel to the road. Are trains included? What about the guy who pulled an illegal u-turn and didn't quite go all the way through? The signal malfunctions at 3pm and traffic is redirected from the street you are monitoring to a side street you are not. How does that count?
In this example, the niche is huge. There are too many variables. Your data will be all over the place. No matter how hard you try, your results will be less than optimal because your data collection strategy (in our case, which posts shall we select for sharing/inspiration) is too broad.
Now, re-imagine that scenario when you are tasked to return to the same intersection the following day. But today you are told only to track any female motorcyclists that pass through the intersection. Or maybe only green four-door sedans. Or garbage trucks. The niche has narrowed, making the job infinitely easier, allowing you to provide a higher quality report at the end of the day.
I am really glad we are not standing at an intersection counting cars. But sometimes I feel like I am, watching the 'traffic' flow through in my social media streams. Which ones are right for blog inspiration? The editorial calendar is helping me decide.
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