A marketing calendar is a critical part of any marketing plan. It is often the first place that you look when you need to see where you have been and where you are going, and it provides a space for you to make notes about upcoming events and activities.

To help you make the most of your marketing calendar, we have compiled some helpful tips on how to create the perfect marketing calendar. From planning out your schedule to entering data, we cover the best way to make your marketing calendar work hard for you.

Marketing Calendar Template

The first step to creating a successful marketing calendar is to set up a template. You will want to use something simple but comprehensive enough to hold all of the important information. To start, you can use Google Sheets or any other data-driven application to build out your template. We would recommend using a tool like HubSpot, which gives you the flexibility to build out your calendar from one central location. This way you ensure that all of your events and activities are listed in one place and can be easily accessed by anyone who needs information about your marketing activities.

By setting up a detailed template, you can ensure that all of the information necessary for planning is available in one place. This reduces the amount of time you need to spend gathering this information, and it also helps you avoid any errors when entering the data. When it comes to marketing, it is always best to be over-prepared rather than under-prepared.

Create A Table Of Contents

Before you start constructing your marketing calendar, you should create a table of contents for your initial draft. You can use this table of contents to track the different aspects of your plan and to ensure that you do not forget about anything important. It is also a great way for you to look back on what you have accomplished thus far and identify areas where you can improve.

We recommend starting with a short list of key points that you will want to cover in your plan. You can use a bullet point format or a simple list of keywords to give your plan some structure and to identify major topics. Once you have your short list, you can start drafting the plan and add more content as you go along. As you work through your plan, you can add additional sections as needed and rework the content as necessary. You should not feel limited by what is in this plan, as you can always add more content as you go along.

Enter Key Performance Indicators

Your marketing plan should include key performance indicators (KPIs) for each area of marketing—likes, traffic, leads, and so on. When you enter these KPIs, you will be able to look back at a specific point in time and determine how you performed relative to the established metrics for that particular area of marketing. For example, if you set a goal of getting 10,000 views on your blog in a month and you entered that as a KPI, you can look back at any point in time to see how many views you had at that point in the month. This is particularly useful for tracking progress and determining whether or not you have met the goal you set for that area of marketing.

The KPIs you set for each area of marketing will determine how successful you are at achieving your goals. You should enter the metrics for at least one area of marketing so that you can track your progress towards reaching your overall goals. If you are just getting started, it is a good idea to pick one area of marketing and set up a target for that area. Once you have had some experience building websites, you can expand your horizons and look at other areas of marketing to set new targets. This way you keep your overall goals in mind while still focusing on small, achievable things. 

Make Sure That Your Plan Is Up-to-date

Your plan should not be static, and you should keep it updated as needed. This is especially important in today’s world of ever-changing trends and emerging technologies. To keep up with all of the changes that are happening in your industry, you will need to constantly rework and refine your plan. For this reason, we recommend drafting a new plan every quarter or every other month.

By regularly updating your plan, you ensure that it stays relevant and up-to-date. You can also use the plan as a reference point for measuring your progress towards meeting your goals. If you are ever uncertain of whether or not you have done something correctly, you can go back to your plan and pinpoint the exact spot where you should have been directed.

Gather Necessary Information

When planning out your marketing calendar, you will need to gather a variety of information about your industry, your product, and the people in your audience. You can use a variety of tools to collect this data, from spreadsheets to datasheets to even simple lists. We would recommend using a tool that can pull information from a variety of sources.

When collecting information for your marketing plan, take time to look at what is available outside of your business. Just because you run a business does not mean that all of the relevant data is available only to you. By taking the time to look at what is available publicly (i.e., through sources like Google), you can ensure that you have the most up-to-date information and that you do not make any critical errors when compiling this data. 

Enter The Dates For Your Plan

Your marketing plan should include dates for when you will execute the different aspects of the plan. This is particularly important for planning out any sort of publicity campaign or social media campaign. Make sure to enter these dates in your plan so that you do not miss a beat when it comes to putting your plan into action.

If you are using the plan as a reference point to track your progress, you will need to be able to look back at a specific point in time and see how you performed on a given date. For example, if you set a December 3rd date for getting a website launched, but you do not have a functional website by then, it would be best to enter December 3rd as the date that you will launch your website. This way you take the pressure off of having the site up by then and you do not feel rushed.

Enter The Detailed Task List

A successful marketing plan should have a detailed task list. This list should include everything from researching keywords to creating social media content. When breaking down your tasks into smaller pieces, it is easier to see how much you have actually accomplished and how much time you have left to complete the project. You should include the estimated amount of time it will take to complete each task.

At the end of each task, you should set a date for when you will complete that task. This way you ensure that you do not skip over any content and that you keep track of what you have accomplished thus far. You should also set a date for reviewing the plan and evaluating your progress. This will help you identify areas where you have performed well and areas where you can improve.

Organize The Plan According To Pre-determined Sections

Your plan should be organized according to pre-determined sections. To create a more logical flow, you can use subheadings or even paragraphs to organize your content.

For example, if your plan is organized according to key performance indicators (KPIs), you can set up one section for each KPI. Then, you can use subheadings or even individual entries to further break down those KPIs. This will help your plan make more sense and it will provide a more logical flow of content.

Avoid The “Fancy” Word

When entering your plan under the guise of “marketing plan,” or some other “fancy” word, make sure that you use the simple, everyday words that people use when speaking.

For example, if you are writing an article for publication and you want to describe your audience, you can use the words “consumer” or “fickle audience” to indicate that your audience is made up of individuals who will change the channel if they do not like what they see. This way, you are writing for the everyday person and you are not using words that may be unfamiliar to someone who is not yet an expert in your industry.

Be Creative

Your plan should not be limited to one particular segment of the population. Make sure to include the members of your audience who are not yet your target audience (or who are just discovering your brand) in your plan. This will ensure that you have covered all of the bases and that you have thought of everything relevant to the industry.