Thursday, August 21, 2014

Communications Tip: EDITORIAL CALENDAR - You need one!

The best advice as you head into the new year is to create a calendar of upcoming events, news and important information you need to share. This is critical in keeping track of all that important stuff you want to get the word out about!

Create an editorial calendar that outlines both the types of posts that you would like to see on your website, blog or social media channels (video, text, photo), and the post topics.

Make sure you've got at least two months of content covered at any given time, and that there is clear delineation of responsibilities, including someone who is actively maintaining the calendar. And don't be surprised when the topic pipeline changes, because it inevitably does. 

Don't forget to share!!! Make sure to loop in with departments and district office (like the SBISD Communications Department) to ensure you're hard work is being covered, shared and enjoyed.

Turning Readers into Viewers

Some of us may have the luxury of a video-savvy person on staff — but many do not yet. Not having a dedicated video pro doesn't mean you can't post videos, which are a great way to engage an audience. Videos tells a story in a way that text often cannot match.

Steve Garfield, author of Get Seen: Online Video Secrets and the first-ever video blogger, explains that video is easier than ever to capture. Any smartphone will do as a start. For example, capture a video on an iPhone, pull it into the iMovie app to trim the clips and layer in photos and sound, upload it to YouTube directly from the app and embed it in a blog post. Keep it short and sweet — 30 to 60 seconds at most. Garfield also recommends the Kodak Playfull, a simple camera with built-in editing and sharing features.

The best advice here is to be ready to experiment.  Content can be casual, and captured video can be real, authentic and less-than-perfect. Organizations are made of people, after all, and all of these same characteristics apply. Pick your device and take it with you and encourage your campus community members to capture video and share!

Something to think about...