4 Strategic Questions To Ask Yourself Before Creating Your Quarterly Blog Content Plan

Did you know that people who make a specific plan for when and where they will perform a new habit are more likely to follow through?

Sounds pretty obvious, right? Maybe, but this is actually HIGHLY overlooked!

Think about it: how many times have you created a New Year's goal and had great intentions to do something, but you never actually do it?

I’d say that MOST of us have experienced that at least a time or two.

In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear calls this implementation intention and it’s exactly what it sounds like.

It’s the PLAN for HOW you intend to implement a particular habit.

Without a clear, defined plan to act, we rarely do.

One thing I believe to my core is that the key to being consistent with anything in your business is having some sort of plan to help you do it. 

And that’s definitely true when it comes to consistently implementing blogging. 

Anyone can say that they want to publish one blog post per week, but the person who actually does it is the one who has a clear plan for HOW they’re going to do it. 

This is why I created a 4 Step Blog Content Creation Process for business owners to not only start planning their blog content a few weeks in advance, but instead a whole QUARTER in advance. 

Three whole months. 

And while that might sound like overkill, it’s exactly what I do in my business AND with my clients in order to stay on track and always know what content is coming up.

Not only does this plan allow us to stay consistent with blogging, but it also allows you to plan more strategically everywhere else. 

The plan overflows into every area of your business, including your email marketing and even on social media!

All because you start with your blog content plan FIRST. 

But if you’ve never planned content this far in advance, you might wonder how exactly to do this in a way that’s strategic and not random. 

So, I thought I’d share the 4 main questions that I ask myself every quarter to determine which topics make it on the calendar.

4 Strategic Questions To Ask Yourself Before Creating Your Quarterly Blog Content Plan

• What’s happening in my business that quarter?

First, we start with the business! The first thing I want to consider is if I’m launching anything new, wanting to promote something specific, or if I’m simply wanting to nurture my audience through my content.

This question is super important because if you ARE launching something new or promoting something specific, you want to make sure that your blog content accurately reflects that.

For example, in June of 2023, I hosted a Quarterly Blog Content Planning Party where I walked people through my 4 step blog content creation process and then gave them a chance to actually create their plan in real time. 

Since I knew I wanted to promote that workshop, I made sure that my blog content reflected that!

You can also get strategic based on the offers you want to promote that quarter. For example, if you have the goal to sell more strategy calls, think about some topics that you can write about that directly correlate to your strategy calls, so that you can easily pitch your strategy calls through your content. 

If you’re not in a season of launching, selling, or promoting something specific, your blog content for the quarter will likely be more evergreen (meaning it’s not time or date specific) while still providing value and nurturing your audience along the way.

• What’s going on in my life that quarter?

Next, we get personal. This is super important especially if you’re a personal brand and you’re the face of your business. A lot of times when people think of blog content, they think that it always has to be educational, informational, and “businessy.”

But the truth is that your content gets to be whatever you want it to be!

It’s time to ditch the belief that blog posts have to be formal, boring, and education only. 

There is a place for your personality in ALL of your content, but you’ll likely find that there are certain seasons where your blog content leans on the more personal side – and that’s okay!

I believe there can be a perfect mix of the two and failing to include more personal style content could make you miss out on connecting with your audience in a deeper way.

This is why I always encourage EVERYONE (regardless of your industry) to include a personal or lifestyle blog content pillar so that topics of this sort always have a place to live.

This birthday blog post of mine is a perfect example of a more personal post that doesn’t necessarily directly relate to my business, but it DOES fit into my brand!

• What’s going on in the world that quarter?

In my opinion, this question is where your blog content becomes FUN and STRATEGIC!

Step 3 of the 4 Step Blog Content Creation Process is to consider any upcoming industry events, industry trends, holidays, national days, etc. 

This question is important because your audience loves relevancy!

So when you’re able to turn an evergreen topic into something that’s a little more relevant to a specific holiday, event, or season, you’re able to capture attention a little more quickly and draw people into your content easier. 

There’s almost always a way to use what’s going on in the world and tie in your specific business or industry – it just requires some extra thinking and planning. Which is why I encourage you to do this in advance, so you have more time to get creative with how you do it. 

One example of how I’ve done this in the past is by using National Book Lovers Day on August 9th to inspire this blog post – even though the national day was’t directly addressed in the blog post itself, it WAS aligned on social media and in my weekly newsletter!

Additionally, although I couldn’t plan for this ahead of time, I adjusted my blog content calendar to include my take on ChatGPT when it entered the scene and took the Internet by storm. 

• What relevant content topics make the most sense for this season?

Similar to the question above, the last thing I ask myself is what blog topics make the *most* sense for the specific season at hand. 

And the reason I separate this question from the one above is because there won’t always be a holiday, national day, or event that makes sense for me to capitalize on, but there IS almost always a way I can make my blog content more relevant for a specific season.

And when I say season, you can apply that a few ways – 1) the season of your business, 2) the season of your life, or 3) the literal environmental season. 

Here’s a few examples of how I’ve used each of those in my blog content previously:

1. Season of Business

My first business birthday was in September of 2023, so I used that season of business to create reflection style blog content, like this and this, that then led into the grand reveal of my rebrand!

2. Season of Life

As I’m writing this, I’m pregnant with my first baby and will be taking maternity leave April - June in 2024.

With that in mind, I already have a few blog topics planned to reflect this season of life, including How I Prepped For A 3 Month Maternity Leave As A Freelance Blog Writer and Day In The Life Working Mom Edition.

3. Environmental Season

Lastly, there will be times where certain topics make more sense for certain environmental seasons – winter, spring, fall, and summer – or specific months.

For example, at the end of every year, people naturally start setting their sights on goal setting for the new year ahead. 

With this in mind, I shared a few relatable blog topics to capitalize on this season, including A Soloprenuer’s Annual Planning Guide and The Start, Stop, Keep Method For Goal Setting.

Ready to plan your blog content for the quarter?

Overall, there is a way to plan your blog content an entire quarter in advance AND make sure it’s strategic every step of the way.

If you’re ready to start implementing blog content into your business and want to make sure that it’s intentional and not random, there’s a few ways I can help:

➡️ Download the Beginner’s Guide to Blogging For Your Business

In this guide, you’ll learn my tried and true 4 step blog content planning process and be guided along to put the process into action for your business specifically.

➡️ Make a copy of my Quarterly Blog Content Planning Spreadsheet

This spreadsheet template has been designed to help you keep all of your blog topic ideas in one place and plan your content months in advance so you know exactly what to work on next. 

➡️ Watch my Quarterly Blog Content Planning Training

In this free training, you'll learn my signature 4 step blog content planning process, so you can plan ALL of your blog content for the quarter and SAVE time with your content creation in the months ahead.

➡️ Book a 1:1 Blog Content Strategy and Planning Call

In this one hour strategy call, together we will:

• Define your blog content pillars, so that you have clarity on what type of content to create

• Set specific goals for your blog, so you can create content accordingly with your ideal client in mind

• Create an entire quarter’s worth (up to 12) blog topics, so that you have a plan to take immediate action with ease

Here’s to consistently implementing blog content in your business one quarter at a time. 🎉