A simple guide to content planning for the new year

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A Simple Guide to Content Planning for 2023

The key to successful content creation is having a solid plan. Read on for key content planning tips to utilize in the new year.

Experts believe that 2023 is going to bring some challenges for brands and marketers. Are you ready for a new year of marketing and content creation for your business?

You need to start your content planning now. From writing blog posts to video production, it's time to start brainstorming for the new year.

We're here to talk about some basic content planning advice so you're ready to start the year on a good note. Read on to learn more.

First: Analyze Your Previous Year

When you're getting ready for a brand new year of content creation, you need to take a look back at the previous year. What did you do right? What do you think could use some work?

Look for pieces of content that received the highest engagement. Were they video posts? Were they long-form or short-form posts?

How many of your posts converted?

While you're analyzing the previous year and trying to decide how to plan content for the new year, make note of the best posts and consider ways you can reuse old concepts and ideas with timely and creative updates.

Set New Goals

What do you want to accomplish with your content in the upcoming year? Many brand owners love the idea of pushing out new content, but they don't start with any plans or goals in mind. While this may end up being successful, you'll have far more success with pre-set goals.

Consider your content-related New Year's resolution. What do you aim to do with your content?

Do you want to get more followers? Are you trying to up your conversion rate by a specific percentage? Maybe you're trying to gain new brand partnerships.

Who are you trying to reach with your content in the new year? If your target audience has changed or expanded, you may need to find new strategies to reach new people.

Regardless, write down those goals. You'll be using them when you start to create your content plan.

Break Down Your Content Plan

What does your content calendar for the upcoming year look like? You don't have to have your entire year planned out, but it's helpful to plan the first quarter in advance. How do you plan on breaking it down?

There are several types of content you're going to want to produce. Different brands will have different primary focuses. Some types of content you'll want to consider are:

Newsletters
Written website content (like blog posts)
Short-form video content
Long-form video content
Images and graphics

Using a combination of various types of content is a great way to keep things fresh and reach the widest audience.

Content planning is essential. You don't want to just make things up as you go. It's helpful to have a backlog of content pieces that you can pull from so you always have something new to post.

Brainstorm

Brainstorming is the most fun part of the content creation process. It's where you can start writing down all of your ideas, no matter how outlandish or unrealistic they are. You'll refine them later.

So what should you consider when you're brainstorming?

First, what do you want to create? What ideas inspire you, and how do you want to bring them to life? What do you want to represent your brand?

Next, what do your viewers want to see? Try to consider what themes and images will resonate with them during this time of year.

This is a good time to start using inspiration boards. Gather a collection of images, sounds, colors, and phrases that resonate with you. You'll later put them together to create content that fits your brand.

Content Creation Ideas

We've assembled a few helpful content creation ideas to help you start the new year off with a bang. Consider some of the following for your last posts of the current year and the first posts of the new year.

Brand Profiles

New year, new you. This is a great time to create brand profiles to draw in new potential customers and followers. Your brand profile is your brand's identity, and that identity is what makes your brand memorable.

These brand profiles should showcase what your brand does and what makes it special. Brand profiles incorporate consistent colors, themes, images, and a strong brand "voice" to create a cohesive identity.

The new year is a good time to revamp your brand profile as well if you've been waiting for an opportunity for a big change.

Highlight Reels

Highlight reels are fantastic at the end of the year or at the beginning of the new year. You get to repurpose old content and create something new and interesting with it, as well as show off what a successful year you've had.

What types of things should go into your highlight reels? Common inclusions include:

Product or service launches
Successful campaigns
Brand events

Really, anything that was exciting for your business in the previous year can go into a highlight reel.

New Year's Resolution Content

Who doesn't love a good New Year's resolution? Make resolutions for your brand and share them with your followers through your content.

Resolutions can be for the brand itself, or even for the people who work with you. People love seeing "behind the scenes" content, so asking all of your employees about their New Year's resolutions and creating a video or graphic of the answers is a fun and timely idea.

Current Trends

Never underestimate the importance of content trends on social media. Keep a close eye on popular social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok and see what other creators are doing. Riding the wave of an ongoing trend can give your brand a major boost. This is when you want to pull out your high-quality creative cap. Being seen as a top tear content creator when a trend is going viral can give your brand hockey-stick growth.

Are You Ready for a New Year of Content?

New year, new content. Are you ready for content creation in the upcoming year?

Creating content for your brand is a lot of fun, but content planning isn't easy. Keep these content creation tips in mind as you assemble your content calendar for 2023.

At Lucie Content, we help brands create content that not only moves but helps to humanize a brand. We’ll help you craft the stories that build true brand equity with your customers and then assist you in deploying that message to the right channels. Contact us so we can't start working together on your content plan today.

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