How to create your 2018 video content calendar

Well, the year is coming to a close and to get 2018 off to a great start, you’re going to need to do some preparation and planning. Where better to start your content planning for the year than with video?

As you know, video is one of the most engaging ways of interacting with your audience and a very flexible form of content – you can embed it in your website, create shorter versions for social media, use it for internal or external communications, film events, case studies and testimonials – the list is endless.

Content calendar

The easiest way to plan your video content for the year, making sure that you hit all important dates and holidays both for your customers and your business, is to sit down and create a content calendar.

A content calendar can be as simple as a big sheet of paper with the months marked out, or can be as fancy as your technology allows you to be. If you work as part of a team, using an online calendar probably makes the most sense, so you can all be aware of important dates and upcoming shoots.

Getting started

To create a content calendar – start global and move local. So, look at the year as a whole, from January to December and mark in any events or occasions that you know are upcoming and that you’ll want to create content for or around.

Next, plan how often you want video content. Would monthly videos do? If so make sure you have at least one event or idea to film each month. If you need weekly content, you’ll need to get your thinking cap on – but it will stand to you throughout out the year, when you come to June and find you have a well-worked out plan in place to create content. Future You will thank you immensely.

Get precise

Now is the time to get down to the nitty gritty and mark in your calendar what videos you want shot and for when. Then work backwards from that date to decide when your planning and pre-production for each should start.

Here are some videos you could put in your calendar: client testimonials, a tour of your premises, showcasing a new product. And here are a list of unusual types of corporate videos you can aim for this year, such as ‘A day in the Life’ of your employee or ‘Our Favourite Customers’.

Pre-production

The type of video you’re doing dictates how much planning and pre-production each requires. If you have a yearly AGM that you want to capture, along with interviews with the Keynote speakers or any special attendees, this is going to take much more management and coordination than a video tour of your business or premises for example.

So remember to plan time for organising people or coordinating with premises or any other stakeholders that may be involved, to make sure that all the moving pieces are in place in plenty of time.

You’ve a couple of weeks before 2018 hits – plenty of time to create an amazing video content calendar and get the New Year off to a great start.