Buffer’s Content Calendar Template + Collaboration Guide

A content team’s success hinges on robust systems. To streamline efforts in content planning—whether it’s drafting new articles, refreshing outdated ones, optimizing for SEO, or managing social media marketing—having the right tools in place is crucial. Buffer’s content calendar template is just what you need to bring synergy and clarity to your workflow.

In the realm of content marketing, having functional content templates and systems is non-negotiable. They help keep teams organized, simplifying daily tasks significantly.

At Buffer, we are constantly creating and publishing blog posts and social media content while being a fully remote, distributed company. Our marketing team spans multiple time zones, creating a pressing need for an organized system to track what’s being published and when, consolidating all vital information in one space.

That’s where our content calendar comes in.

Buffer’s content team primarily focuses on content creation, maintaining a steady schedule of publishing four articles a week, and mixing fresh content with updates to older posts. We also send out a weekly newsletter and engage daily with multiple social media platforms. Our centralized content calendar, built in Notion, is the linchpin of our operations.

We’ll dive into our collaboration strategies, the setup of our content calendar for both blog and social media, and share our very own content calendar template.

If you’re eager to get your marketing calendar in order, we understand, and that’s why we’re excited to share this template:

Why We Chose a Content Calendar

As our marketing efforts have evolved, so have our collaboration tools and processes. Here’s a look back at how our content team organized our editorial calendar in 2017:

Our old calendar included a mix of content, such as blogs, podcasts, and refreshed articles. Today, our focus remains on a blend of new and updated content, although podcasts no longer feature in our strategy.

How a Calendar Facilitates Consistency

Consistency is a cornerstone of our content strategy. Publishing from Monday to Thursday allows our audience to expect regular, high-value content. With our editorial calendar, we can easily spot gaps and ensure consistency in our posts, helping us achieve our marketing goals.

Optimal Collaboration Format

Different teams have different preferences. While some favor spreadsheets like Google Sheets or Airtable, we find content calendars simplify the visualization of our posts for the upcoming months.

Although our Notion-based content calendar works for us, it might not suit every team. We also rely on Buffer’s Create space for social media post ideas. Explore various free templates to find what works best for your specific needs.

Embracing Flexibility in Tools and Processes

Flexibility is key in our work philosophy, which Notion provides in abundance. We’ve designed our Notion content calendar template to be both minimalistic and powerful. It allows sorting by progress, making it easy to manage and understand.

We continually reassess our processes for improvements, receiving valuable feedback from our community as we share our systems openly. If you have any suggestions for our content calendar template or new ways to use it, we’d love to hear from you in the comments!

The Essential Tools We Leverage

Tools underpin any effective team. Here’s a snapshot of what we use at Buffer for content and social media management:

• Content Management: Ghost
• Content Calendar and Planning: Notion
• Social Media Content Ideas: Buffer’s Create Space
• Social Media Marketing & Scheduling: Buffer
• Blog Drafts: Google Docs
• Graphics: Canva
• Progress Updates: Slack
• SEO Research: Ahrefs
• SEO Optimization: SurferSEO
• Performance Tracking: Mixpanel
• Reporting: Google Sheets
• Project Management: Notion

These tools help us stay organized and efficient, even when adopting and experimenting with new tools occasionally.

How Our Content Calendar Is Set Up

Our Notion-based content calendar blends minimalism with flexibility, making it highly adaptable while remaining simple.

Each blog piece starts in our Notion content calendar database:

Filtered Views

Our default view is the calendar, yet you can explore board views or lists in our content calendar template. Customize your views and filters in Notion according to your needs:

Including Relevant Properties

Notion’s database properties allow detailed and customizable views. From content status to publication dates and author info, our template encompasses all essential properties:

• Status: (Idea, Planned, Working on, Drafted, In Review, Ready to be Scheduled, Scheduled, Published, Paused)
• Author: (Internal or external contributors)
• Channel: (Posting blog)
• Description: (About the post)
• Publish Date:
• Draft Link: (Google doc link)
• URL: (Blog post link)
• Featured: (Checkbox)
• Last Edited By: (Auto-updated)
• Last Edited Time: (Auto-updated)

Balancing essential information with simplicity helps us keep the system updated without consuming too much time.

How To Start Using Our Content Calendar Template

Eager for an organized content calendar? Here are quick steps to set up our Notion template:

1. Duplicate the template: Click on the copy button in the top-right corner of our template. Ensure you have a Notion account.
2. Choose a workspace: Decide where to save the template in Notion.
3. Start Adding Cards: Click “new” to begin planning and customizing your content calendar.

Pro Tips:

• Use Notion filters to customize views.
• Create custom views for each team member.
• Add new properties that fit your team’s needs.
• Attach visual elements or link to external image folders.
• Repurpose this calendar for social media content by adjusting the channel property.

Share this template with anyone looking for an efficient content management system and leave comments on other templates you’d love to see.

Grab Our Content Calendar Template

We hope this guide into our collaborative workflow is insightful. To replicate our success, grab our free content calendar template or share it with a marketing friend.

Let us know in the comments what other templates you’d like to see from us!

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