7 Ways to Manage Content Calendars to Align With Market Trends

In the fast-paced world of content creation, staying ahead of market trends is crucial. We’ve gathered insights from content managers and CEOs on their strategies for managing content calendars. From “Chalk and Block With 90-Day Cycles” to “Blend Monthly Themes With Weekly Trends,” discover seven expert methods to keep your content strategy aligned with the ever-changing market.

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Chalk and Block With 90-Day Cycles

I chalk and block calendars on 90-day cycles, in terms of blog releases, social media, reputation management, and marketing analytics, and then align my content calendar with a mix of internal and external inputs. The process involves feedback from sales huddles and customer conversations, and keyword research using inspiration from Exploding Topics, Later, and PAA (People Also Ask). These help me determine ways to drive channel performance on the basis of frequency, engagement, relevancy, and reliability.

Namratha Mohanakrishnan, Content Manager, EasyEcom

Utilize Data-Driven Social Listening

One specific way I manage content calendars to align with market trends is by using data-driven insights from social listening tools. By continuously monitoring conversations and trends across social media platforms, I can identify emerging topics and adjust our content strategy accordingly. This approach ensures that our content remains relevant and resonates with our audience, effectively driving engagement and brand loyalty.

Additionally, I regularly collaborate with my team to review our analytics and performance metrics. We hold bi-weekly strategy meetings to discuss what’s working and what needs improvement. This process allows us to stay agile and responsive to market shifts, ensuring our content not only aligns with current trends but also anticipates future ones.

Dinesh Agarwal, Founder, CEO, RecurPost

Build Flexibility Into Content Plans

I build flexibility into every content plan I write. Evergreen content is important, particularly for SEO, but I always leave wiggle room for topical stories and trends that I couldn’t have predicted. 

My top tip is: don’t plan too far in advance because it limits your ability to react. Stick to six-month plans instead of 12-month plans. Things change quickly, and I would argue that if you plan too far out, your plan will be out of date by the time you reach the second half of it. 

There’s nothing stopping you from adding things to the calendar in light pencil if you’re certain they won’t change, but be prepared to shuffle things around if something happens that takes priority. Let’s face it: not one of us could have predicted COVID-19 before it happened!

Mel Healy, Head of Content, Marketing Labs

Monitor Trends for Rapid Content Production

At TrackingMore, we ensure that the content we publish on our website aligns with market trends and offers value to our target audience throughout the year. To achieve this, we consistently monitor trends in the e-commerce, logistics, and supply-chain industries to understand what type of content is in demand and how it fits our audience.

The insights we gain from this process are shared with the rest of our content marketing team to help with further brainstorming on how to move forward as a brand. We maintain a flexible content calendar that can easily accommodate new content trends. We also have a rapid content-production system that ensures we can produce and publish content as quickly as possible to leverage time-bound trends our audience is interested in.

Clooney Wang, CEO, TrackingMore

Maintain a Dynamic, Responsive Calendar

Flexibility is key in managing content calendars to align with market trends. One effective strategy involves maintaining a dynamic approach to scheduling. Rather than rigidly adhering to predefined plans, we prioritize responsiveness to emerging trends and consumer insights. We actively listen to our athletes and audience across platforms to understand what resonates most and what they want to see more of. This approach not only enhances our ability to stay relevant but also fosters a deeper connection with our audience by delivering timely and meaningful content.

In executing this strategy, we empower a trusted team who understands our brand, voice, and purpose of helping others, and is well-versed in sensitivity. This team is responsible for making swift, informed decisions regarding our external communications, minimizing the need for extensive review processes. By entrusting knowledgeable individuals with these responsibilities, we ensure our content remains authentic and aligned with our audience’s expectations.

Furthermore, while we adapt to current trends, we also recognize the value of creating our own unique content. This allows us to have fun with relevant trends but also makes us the conversation starters rather than merely being reactors. By strategically choosing which trends to embrace and when to innovate with original content, we maintain a competitive edge and sustain long-term engagement with our community.

Joy Shure, Content, Social, Copywriting and Loyalty Manager, Skratch Labs

Integrate Trend Analysis Into Planning

We manage content calendars to align with market trends by conducting regular trend analysis and integrating those insights into our planning process. We utilize tools like Google Trends, social listening platforms, SEO research, and industry reports to stay updated on emerging trends and topics. By scheduling regular brainstorming sessions, our team evaluates these trends and identifies relevant themes to incorporate into our content.

We also maintain flexibility within our content calendar to adapt to any sudden market shifts or viral topics. This approach allows us to create timely, resonant content that speaks to our audience’s current interests. Additionally, we collaborate with our analytics team to monitor the performance of trend-based content, enabling us to refine our strategy continuously.

Deepti Chopra, Senior Brand Manager, Sekure Payment Experts

Blend Monthly Themes With Weekly Trends

Mix monthly themes with weekly focuses on new trends. We start by setting a monthly theme or service for the month. Then, we break it down into weekly segments, adapting our content to highlight emerging trends that our audience loves. This way, we ensure our content is always relevant and engaging.

Diane Howard, RN and Founder, Esthetic Finesse

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