Best Practice: Creating a Content Plan

One of our goals in developing this group is to help group owners improve their efficiency in managing their groups. For someone who has never managed a community before, the task can seem overwhelming at first. After all, there is so much you can do with your group members and no end to the amount of content you can publish.

To make the job more manageable and less daunting, a first step is to develop a Content Plan. A Content Plan is your weekly or monthly plan for adding content and driving conversations in your group. Rather than trying to do everything, select those four or five articles you want to publish every month and develop a calendar for placing your content in the group. Then publish these articles with a regularity that your members will come to expect. If time permits, you can always publish more. But, if time is tight, then stick to the plan.

Every group has different goals and objectives and varying access to content and experts. But look at the list below and you may find some ideas you may not have thought of to round out your content plan.

• Post a monthly calendar of upcoming offline events.
  
• Post commentary and pictures from a conference, outing or group event. Do an event recap and ask others to share their experiences and pictures.
  
• Leverage existing content. Have you written short stories or poems, or taken pictures that others would enjoy? Does your organization have existing web content that is still relevant but hasn't been viewed in a while? Do you have video or audio content in your archives that you are really proud of and want to share? Try posting your archived pick of the week and discuss why this content holds special meaning to you or the people who produced it.
  
• Leverage experts to provide views and perspectives that people cant get anywhere else. Authors, radio and television producers, wine experts, company employees, members of your orgnanization that have uniqe knowledge in your subject area. Providing their expertise and answering questions from your audience provide a compelling experience which will bring people back to your group.
  
• Conduct a contest. Engage your members by holding your own contest, best book review, story or shared experience. Let your other members judge the submissions.
  
• Ask your audience a question. Drive conversation in your group by posing a question to members.

Any other suggestions?

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