How to Plan Your 2015 Content Calendar for Manufacturing

As the end of 2014 approaches, it’s time to start mapping out your content strategy for 2015. I know first-hand that it is difficult to plan when you are also trying to wrap up the year. Before you know it, it’s National Manufacturing Day (more on that, below) and you are scrambling to get some tweets together. So, allow me to share some of my ideas for manufacturing content marketing in 2015, so that you are not stuck trying to catch up.

Side note: Even though this article is focused on manufacturing, planning a content strategy is important no matter what industry you are in. The ideas below can be applied to any industry.

Manufacturing Day: A 2015 No-Brainer

10/2/2015 - Mark your calendars now (no, really, go mark your calendar). This is low-hanging fruit when it comes to planning - a whole day dedicated to manufacturing, what more could you ask for!? What’s great about Manufacturing Day is that it is not only an opportunity for online content creation, but also a perfect day to hold an on-site event at your facility. Events such as facility tours, workshops, and presentations are held all over the country on this day. Holding both an on-site event and creating buzz about it via content on your blog and social media channels will make for an awesome campaign and will also help to create brand awareness among your local community.

Buyer Persona Research

Who is your target buyer? Knowing this is an important first step to any content marketing campaign. It not only helps you determine what to write about, but also what channels you should use to share your information. As you are planning your 2015 content calendar, think about your buyer persona and what they might be doing in 2015. Are there any national conventions that they may attend? These days, many conventions have their own Twitter account and hashtag. Plan to publish targeted blog posts during this time and capitalize on the fact that the topic is already generating online buzz.

Guest Blogging: Get Started Early

Since you are already sitting down and creating your content plan, you might as well plan out a few guest blogs - both in terms of you writing for others, and other industry leaders writing for you. Identify people who would like to have guest blog for you and include reminders in your calendar for when to begin reaching out to them. A good place to start if you are looking for ideas is to look through the names of people who are speaking at industry conventions. If you can schedule the timing of your published content around their presentation, it may be an easy sell. 

If you can at least get some planning going around the three campaigns above, you’ll be well on your way to a successful content strategy in 2015.

What are your manufacturing content initiatives in 2015? I’d love to hear your ideas and plans in the comments below!

For another blog post with tips about online marketing for the manufacturing industry, check out:
How Inbound Marketing Works for Manufacturing

Image credit: Rover 200 Framing Line by Spencer Cooper via Creative Commons License Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0