Issue #70

How your editorial calendar keeps your brand image on track

Hi Reader,

I don’t know about you, but I live my daily life by my calendar. Balancing a million projects (slight exaggeration) at once makes my head spin, but at least I know what I must focus on, where I need to be, and when.

If you work in communications at your company or run your own business and manage the marketing, chances are you are guided by a calendar. Even more important is the editorial calendar to keep your media communications in order.

In my case, I manage two separate brands; two businesses in fact, so I need to stay organized. With two websites, two bi-weekly newsletters, separate social media accounts, and of course, the actual products and services with each, you can imagine how careful and systematic my communications need to be.

An editorial calendar has been a timesaver for me for many years, even before I became my own boss. Working in communications and marketing before taught me the value of this calendar. To this day, I refuse to live without it.

Whether you choose to outline your calendar on an Excel spreadsheet, or you have a more intense report documented with multiple departments involved, you know it is your communications lifeline.

But what you may (or may not) realize is how important this handy calendar is to emphasize your brand image. How so?

Take the guesswork out of what to say and how to draft a unique thank you note. My e-book: "23 Ideas for Writing Dynamic Professional letters and Cards: The art of saying thank you and other correspondence" gives complete examples for writing a thank you note after a job interview, a sympathy letter to a colleague, a thank you letter to a nonprofit donor, and more. Available in my Store now. ​Download a FREE preview.​

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About the author:

Johnna Lacey is the CEO and founder of J.M. Lacey Communications, LLC, which focuses on writing and brand storytelling, training, and coaching. Built on empathy and the desire to eliminate frustration for business owners, leaders, and nonprofits, J.M. Lacey Communications seeks ways to simplify what has been unnecessarily complicated using proven systems to achieve results. She is the author of 23 Ideas for Writing Dynamic Professional Letters and Cards: The art of saying thank you and other correspondence.

She can be reached through her website: jmlacey.com or via email: jmlacey@jmlacey.com.

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Further reading: Want more writing tips related to commercial freelancing? Author Peter Bowerman has been publishing The Well-Fed E-PUB since 2002. Check it out here.

Listen: The Profitable Writer podcast, hosted by Kent Sanders, helps you create more impact and income with a writing business. Check it out here.