Content Calendars and You: Creating Communications Harmony

Content Calendars and YOU! Creating Communications

Harmony

Collaborative notes: po.st/calendars-16NTC

flikr: enerva

http://po.st/calendars-16NTC

Hashtag and Handles#16NTCcalendars

•Laura Norvig, Digital Media Strategist, ETR@LNorvig•James Porter, Assoc. Dir. External Relations, The END Fund@PorterJamesE•Kivi Leroux Miller, Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com@KiviLM

Collab notes: po.st/calendars-16NTC #16NTCcalendars

Plan for Our Time Together

• You: What’s Your Situation?• Kivi: Why Calendars? Cat. Herding.• You: Why You Came – your challenges?• James: Big to Small: Silos and Dogs• Laura: Choosing and Testing a New Tool• All of Us: Breakout Groups: Focus on a topic• All of Us: Report Back


Be Here Now

Collab notes: po.st/calendars-16NTC #16NTCcalendarsPhoto: flikr/sansara

What Type of Org Do You Work At?

• Direct programs or services• Cause / advocacy / policy• Foundation / grant maker• Consultant / vendor• Other


How Big is your Communications Team?

•Solo just me •A few of us 2 – 4•A lot of us


Do You Already Use a Content Calendar?

• Of course• Nah, I just wing it


Kivi’s Overview (she wrote the book, BTW)


Part 3 really goes into depth about how a calendar can help you connect your big picture planning to your day-to-day work, and involve other departments in supporting and understanding your work.

“Every nonprofit communications, marketing, and online engagement staffer should have this book!”

-- Amy Sample Ward

“Kivi did not know I was making this slide.”-- Laura Norvig

Communications Directors

Herd Cats. All. Day. Long.

Your #1 Cat

Herding Tool:An

Editorial Calendar

Beware: Metaphor

Shift Ahead

The editorial calendar is a

communications director’s road map .

. .

Problem: There is no

Google Maps to your

destination.

YOU are mapping outthis road trip!

An editorial calendar can help solve a

lot of problems...

It can eliminate battles over whose turn it is, and prevent staff from stepping all over

each other.

It can provide a soothing calm and a sense of

security.

It can open discussions about updating comm

and mgmt tools.

It can help non-comm staff learn what it really takes to produce great

communications.

It can prompt much needed discussions about

messaging direction.

If nothing else, it can be a

great personal productivity

tool.

The trip might be bumpy, but it’s your job to drive, so grab

the wheel!

1. Take your Blue index card and write:

What is your biggest pain point/challenge in managing your content and editorial process with a content calendar?

2. Please write legibly so Kivi can read these!

Think and Write


Share Pair


cc by –nc –nd 2.0 flikr/franie

Let’s hear a few storiesfrom the road . . .

James PorterBig to Small – More Silos to Fewer

Big to small

A Brief Organizational Overview

• Shared Google Calendar• Basecamp• Salesforce

Content Calendar - Structure

• Shared Google Calendar• Shared Google Spreadsheet

Content Calendar - Structure

• Are you “in the know?”• Messaging, messaging,

messaging

Working cross-functionally

• Integrated team members• Bi-directional information

sharing

Working cross-functionally

• What’s going on?• Too many systems• Separation

Challenges

• Time• Ownership• Planning

Challenges

• Basecamp• Structure

What Worked?

• Structure• Reminders• Meetings??!!!??!!

What Worked?

• Buy-in• Integrated systems• Evaluation• Trial and error

What’s Next?

How Big is Your Org?

•Small 1 - 50•Medium 50 - 200•Large 200+


Help! My Calendar is More Work than My Work

• Don’t let this happen to you

• Leverage the great things about using a calendar and toss the rest

Collab notes: po.st/calendars-16NTC #16NTCcalendarsPhoto: flikr/alancleaver

Spreadsheet Brain – Keeping track of “Meet Us Monday” posts


Oh, Sharepoint …


Voila! Calendar Brain appeased


Signifiers and Organization SchemesDifferent calendars, color codes, tags, or symbols could be used to organize/signify:

•Channels (email/social/blog/enews/print)•Topics•Audiences (donors, volunteers, board, unique demographics)•Departments communicating

(program services, board, volunteer mgr, CEO fundraising, etc.)

Because there are so many different ways to organize, you may need to try some and pivot if they aren’t working. Which type of tracking matters, and to whom?


Trello: Add a Checklist(useful if your social isn’t automated or duties are shared by a team)


Copy a Checklist from one Card to Another



This represents how many items on checklist have been completed – 3 out of 6, 4 out of 6, etc.

Hmm, wouldn’t it be great if I could answer this question quickly by looking it up on a Calendar?


Three types of tools to try if not already1. Social posters (examples: Buffer, Hoot Suite, Co-Schedule)2. Project management (examples: Asana, Trello, Sharepoint)3. Automated connectors (examples: IFTTT, Zapier)


Breakout Groups – Based on Your Challenges• No Time to Plan• Program Staff Won’t Help• No Real Strategy Behind the Content• No Buy-In from Management• Too Many “Priority” Messages• Trouble Creating Great Content


Breakout Groups -- 20 minutes• Designate someone to report back (you get chocolate!)

• Discuss approaches for overcoming the challenge

• Brownie Points: Group reporter adds notes to Collaborative Notes during or after session


Report Back

Collab notes: po.st/calendars-16NTC #16NTCcalendarsGraphic: flikr/Takumi Tsuksaya

Thank You!! Don’t forget to do evaluation: http://po.st/AFt7tb

•Laura Norvig, Digital Media Strategist, ETR@LNorvig•James Porter, Assoc. Dir. External Relations, The END Fund@PorterJamesE•Kivi Leroux Miller, Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com@KiviLM


Content Calendars and You: Creating Communications Harmony

Government & Nonprofit

Transcript of Content Calendars and You: Creating Communications Harmony