There can be plenty of hiccups that occur with respect to content creation over the course of the year. From slumps in traffic to knowing what exactly should be written, a lot can occur that will inevitably take the wind out of our sails. There are several ways to anticipate these events and be prepared for when they arise; a content plan for the year can help combine many of these responses into one plan of action. Besides being prepared for what the year may entail, there are plenty of advantages to using this strategy. Below, we’ll discuss the benefits of creating such a plan and what you’ll want to include in it for it to be successful.

The Tangible Benefits

A content creation plan for the year allows creators to stay one step ahead of the game in many ways. While sudden news-worthy events may produce various content opportunities that cannot be planned, you will by and large be aware of what to do in a given month (and new content ideas suddenly appearing isn’t necessarily a bad problem). You’ll also be able to “budget” additional time for various projects such as guest blogging. This will ensure that you never feel unproductive and can keep pinging servers with links and content – if you run out of ideas for your own blog or site. Your custom content plan can also be flexible; leave extra space throughout various periods of the year for new ideas to be inserted if you struggle with filling the entire period.

Plan for Keywords

We have an instinctive habit often of jumping onto every new keyword we find, but this may not be the best overall strategy. Being able to adequately target one or two keywords at a time will produce more value in the end, and a content plan can be created to reflect this. Start out by identifying all of the known keywords you’d like to target in the next twelve months. From here, create segments of time that will revolve around creating content for these keywords. This may be the best way to initially segment a year’s worth of content into smaller, more manageable blocks that can be further refined.

Consider Holidays, Special Events and Seasons

If you’ve been creating content for a while, then you know that there can be rapid variances with respect to interest in specific content throughout the year. By taking into account these shifts – whether they be seasonal interests, holiday interests or special events pertaining to your niche – you can be sure to get the most value out of each piece of content by strategically placing it in your content plan. This way, you’ll be pinging servers at just the right time with just the right content.

Some Free Space Remaining?

After making these considerations, you’ll likely still have some free space in your annual schedule as mentioned prior. It is here that you’ll have wiggle room to get creative and still produce forms of content that come to mind on a whim. We always recommend keeping track of any ideas you have for content throughout the year, even if you already have a solid content plan.