The best way there is to get your work done without working too hard is to have a plan. I’m not trying to downplay the importance (or the amount) of work you do to keep your agency running. Rather, I want to show you how you can stay organized enough to maintain two of the most important parts of your business: content creation and marketing.
The Consistency Conundrum
I don’t care if you have the best content creators in the world on your team; if you don’t have a consistent, predictable, reliable content delivery strategy in place, it’s not worth much. People these days, particularly on social media, demand a high level of consistency in brand interaction. Many times, it’s the platform itself that decides who is going to see your content.
Being consistent and posting quality content all the time is a great recipe for extending your reach. Conversely, sporadic activity will not show up in as many newsfeeds and your audience will likely stagnate or even disappear over time.
Of course, you want to have the best content strategy possible, but there is that one persnickety thing that keeps getting in the way: time. If you run a busy agency, it probably isn’t feasible for you to source and create all your content in-house. That is why agencies like BeezContent exist: to help liberate more of your time and keep the content flowing. That’s the end of my plug (for now).
Your Content Calendar
Whether you work with a copywriting agency or produce your content in-house, there is only one way you will ever have a chance at keeping things consistent: schedule out everything. What does “everything” involve? I’m glad you asked! For starters, a typical content calendar has these essential elements:
• Content Creation Scheduling
• Blog Content (Commissioning, Writing, and Publishing)
• Social Media Posting
• Email Blasts or Longer Email Sequences (the Former Works Better in Most Travel Niches)
• Social Media Engagement
• Monitoring of All Appropriate Metrics
Let’s have a look at each of these individually.
#1: Creating and Scheduling Content
Whether you choose to go it alone or go through an agency, it is important to know what you need when. A typical content schedule might look something like this:
Week 1:
• 1 Blog Post
• 4 Facebook Posts
• 12 Tweets
• 1 Email about the Blog Post
At that point, you need to decide what kind of deadlines you want to set to ensure that your content gets published on your schedule. I recommend trying to stay at least one week ahead of the game. If you can, start even earlier. It isn’t uncommon for travel agencies to have their content calendars prepared weeks or even months in advance.
#2: Writing Blog Content
There are few types of content that are more important than your blog, so don’t cut corners here. Unless you are 100 percent confident in your own or your staff’s ability to churn out stellar blog content, it is well worth the money you will spend working with professional writers. We understand SEO and implement SEO best practices that help your blog climb the ranks on SERPs.
#3: Posting to Social Media
Your actual posts can be organized and automated, but someone needs to write them first. Add them to your calendar. This is where having lots of time to organize comes in handy. Chances are, you will want that blog post written first, so you can build social media around it. The same holds true for your email blasts.
This is why I say you should work with a single agency or writer for everything, when possible. It will help keep all your messaging in agreement and al your content will have a better sense of flow.
#4: Email
Every time you post a new blog, there should be a corresponding email that links to it. You can (and should) also send longer email sequences about weekend getaways, escaping winter weather, or touting the benefits of off-season travel, just for example. The possibilities are limitless, and a reputable travel content creation company like Beez should also be able to furnish you with other ideas, as well.
#5: Social Engagement
Get on your social channels and join the conversation(s). This is one area that you could enlist an agency for assistance, but I don’t recommend it. Let your followers and prospective clients hear directly from you. Answer their questions quickly and keep the conversation positive, even if someone decides to be critical of you, your services, your content, or anything else. Engage, don’t argue, and represent your agency well.
#6: Metrics
Look at how each blog post performs and take note of the types of posts that get the best engagement. This can help you tremendously in figuring out who is reading your content, and you can keep delivering similar content to appeal to the broadest possible audience.
All social channels and email delivery services also offer a full spectrum of numbers to crunch and analyze. Don’t ignore any of them; they all provide valuable information about your content marketing efforts and the people who are consuming your content.
Analyze and Adjust
As a final note, I just want to offer this bit of advice: Never put your content calendar on autopilot. Market needs change rapidly. What worked six months ago might not work as well now, especially in this business. People have different wants at different times of the year, so keep your messaging timely and in sync with what your numbers tell you about your audience.
Lastly, be prepared to make sweeping changes to your content marketing strategy, if needed, because, eventually, it will be necessary. Don’t get stuck in a rut. Listen to your market and give the people who follow you and consume your content what they want. We’re here to help with that if you need it.
