"What type of soil do I need to grow best?"

No one grows in every soil. Maybe one person. Most of us struggle in some and thrive in others. 

(Soil ≈ environment)

I brought this up with someone, and it has me reflecting. Trying to define my ideal soil.

Enjoy this week's letter:

A Micro Idea On Marketing 💡
Chapter 6: Content Calendars

Time to Read: 3:34 minutes
———

Without a content calendar, your content will fail.

Do you believe that? I did when I began in 2017.

I even went as far as planning out a year's worth of content. And while it sort of worked, I always thought there might be a better way.

Then 2020 happened. And all the content planned for the year of COVID-19 likely went out the window. Imagine if you spent hours writing and designing all those posts and then had to throw them away.

That was the first crack in my belief in the importance of content calendars.

Since then, I've been on a journey of figuring out how to balance being proactive with planning out content and being flexible with being spontaneous. If you fail to nail this balance, your content can become stale, irrelevant, and less personal.

In this chapter, I aim to share a better way than the old stale content calendars. With Content Pillars and a Macro Content Piece, you're positioned to be agile and flexible, which is required for successful content planning.

Let's cover the old way of Content Calendars, but first, let's differentiate between Content Calendars and Content Planning:

Content Calendars vs. Content Planning

Content planning is needed for content success. I will die on that hill.

When you fail to plan your content intentionally and creatively, your content will be vanilla. I'm not talking about planning when you will release X content. I mean the planning you've gone through (chapter 3 to now), which focuses on the premise and the audience. I call this your Content Strategy (Plan).

You need that strategy whether you have a content calendar or not. You must spend the time planning if you want your content to succeed.

Yet, you can achieve content success without a direct calendar. You can plan and lay the guardrails while being agile and spontaneous with content creation.

So, what's a content calendar, and why would anyone use it if it's not needed?

What is a Content Calendar?

At its core, a content calendar is a publishing schedule for your content.

Whether it resembles an actual calendar or is simply a list, a calendar focuses more on the "when" than the "what." This usually applies to social media and may include more considerable content assets.

You can also have a calendar that focuses more on the content assets.

This would be called an editorial calendar (which is content planning). As mentioned above, this is critical.

We can agree that the evolution of digital and software like SproutSocial and Buffer, including content calendars, has altered our approach. Before the computer, content or editorial calendars were more focused on higher-level strategic planning, especially for things like:

• Mapping out the overarching themes, topics and stories to cover over some time

• Planning major editorial packages, series or content pieces (series)

• Aligning to seasonal events, marketing campaigns or product launches

• Ensuring a good balance and cadence of content

These legacy editorial calendars served as a big-picture roadmap, with the details of execution and distribution remaining relatively simple for print, TV or radio.

In contrast, modern digital content calendars tend to be much more granular and tactical. This is driven by the sheer volume of content required across multiple marketing channels and the complexity of distributing that content appropriately.

Today's content calendars often include:

• Individual social media posts scheduled for specific dates/times on each platform

• Blog articles with metadata, tags and publishing details

• Email newsletters with subject lines, sender details and layouts

• Content repurposing for things like snippets, teasers, microcontent

We went from being more high-level because we could to a tactical approach that has put blinders on people. They can't pull themselves out of the forest to see the trees. They focus on one-off social posts without seeing the big picture.

The goal of this guide is to help you transition from a tactical to a strategic approach to content. Adopting the new content calendar system is crucial to sustaining this approach.

Pro's of the old way of Content Calendars

None. JK, let's be honest, they had some advantages.

I'll focus on the software enabling content calendar creation (SproutSocial or Buffer).

It saved time for marketers who did other things besides social media and content. They could finally "automate" their social media (aka remove the social from social media). They could schedule a month of content and only look back at social in the next month.

Until recently, it also provided better analytics than most of the native platforms. Now, Meta and LinkedIn have their own "basic" metrics. While the content calendar platform still has more detailed metrics, you can use only native platform metrics if you wish.

Finally, it gave us an illusion of social success. We conflated winning on social with planning out content for months. Rarely are these two related. Many companies and individuals who succeed on social have no content calendar (yet they likely have a content plan). And many who use them religiously can't get traction as they struggle to be "social" on social.

You may be wondering why I listed that as a pro. One of the pros of painkillers is that the pain goes away. But at what cost? Sure, content calendars remove the pain of needing to be spontaneous and the uncertainty of how to do socially well. But there are side effects to this illusion.

Read the full (unedited) essay

Read the full Content Strategy Guide

Three Books / Three Quotes

"Story's gift is the hope that we might not be quite so alone, in this dark bone vault, after all." – Will Stor (The Science of Storytelling: Why Stories Make Us Human and How to Tell Them Better)

Marketing is the same. The goal is to get the reader to connect and resonate. To sink into your messaging, nodding their head.

This is especially true with writing. When you allow yourself to open on the page truly, people will resonate.

The gift is that we feel a connection when others are transparent and reveal things we feel. It's a relief to know others feel a similar way.

You're not alone.

Unless you sell socks, your marketing should strive to speak in a way that others feel that way. They aren't alone because {your company} gets them.

"The magic of story is its ability to connect mind with mind in a manner unrivalled even by love." – Will Stor

And that so happens to lead to money coming in.

//

"Today, it's not enough to simply unplug and spend time thinking. We need to make time to think deeply." – Marc Benioff & Monica Langley (Trailblazer: The Power of Business as the Greatest Platform for Change)

I'd add "daily" to this quote. Whether through meditation, journaling, or sitting in a chair looking outside. We need to slow down frequently and think hard.

For those who follow Christ, this looks like a daily prayer in which you simply listen and allow the silence to lead you.

I met a guy once who told me he would drive home from work without music so he could think. This guy is one of the smartest I know. 

That's when I knew I must make time to think and contemplate. And then move to a place of action.

//

"'The greatest obstacle to discovery is not igorance – it is the illusion of knowledge.' – Daniel J. Boorstin." – Peter Attia, MD (Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity)

The illusion of knowledge destroys so much. Relationships, work, and everything else are ruined because we think we know more than we do.

The only way we can seek a better way is to accept that we may not know it all and may have missed an important turn along the way. 

By acknowledging our limitations (of knowledge), we open ourselves up to growth and progress.

It's an ironic truth I've slowly discovered. Whether in health or at work, I find myself finding new things when I stay curious and humble.

Heard / Saw / Experienced

Time to Read: 1:17 minutes
———

I’ve never been to California before last week.

The furthest west I’ve been is North Dakota until Friday, when my wife and I flew out for a friend’s baby shower. We landed in Los Angeles and stayed in Corona. It’s gorgeous.

But before that, we needed a ride to the airport. And our fabulous Uber driver, Vicky, wouldn’t stop talking. We heard she’s been to 10+ countries and stayed in Puerto Rico for four years. She would ask a question and then answer it herself. Did I say it was 5 a.m.?

Thankfully, that ended quickly, and a sad reality then confronted us—a three-hour delay.

So, we spent a lot of time at the airport, and that experience led to a revelation: I’m lucky.

First, that I can even afford to travel. But from seeing the hundreds of workers there and in every other “dreaded” place. I get to do work I love. I get to look with optimism at my day.

These people come to an airport, which is cool, yet most, besides pilots and attendants, are doing routine tasks that they likely dislike. (Some excel and kudos to them)

That’s a reality for millions. And sadly, it kind of has to be. The system is only conquerable by a handful. This was also present throughout California as we saw people experiencing homelessness while mansions were visible. The system is broken.

I guess being aware of the luxury is the first step. Now, I need to figure out how I can contribute to improving the system…

Back to California.

Driving through the mountains was breathtaking. The sun. The homes and parks. I’m ready to move—seriously.

I loved experiencing a different way of life and people. The community and scenery were different. Driving along the coast and seeing the city from a mountain were some of my top experiences. While short, it proved to be rejuvenating (as all vacation is).

(I’d love to hear your thoughts on this new format)

– Jo (every second counts)