Your 3-Part Content Marketing Calendar for Your Online Product Business (Free Template)
So, you want a free marketing calendar template that will let you plan your social media, email marketing, and web content all in one place, but none of them are made with jewelry designers in mind…
I’ve got you covered, m’dear!
My years in the jewelry industry have taught me that there are 3 parts to any content marketing plan that every jewelry designer needs: web content, email marketing, and social media.
That means on top of managing the demands of designing and creating jewelry, you also have to keep track of all your social media accounts, email marketing sequences, and web content schedules – plus everything else it takes to run an online business.
It’s all too much!
So, you sit down to finally map it all out and create a social media calendar, but staring at a blank spreadsheet just makes you feel more overwhelmed than you already are.
And don’t even get me started on all the free marketing calendar templates out there… They all have too much detail, or not enough, or they aren’t quite the right fit for your brand.
I’ve been there. Here’s the thing…
…scheduling your social media posts and other content marketing on a calendar is a total game changer for managing your business.
But there’s so much potential for posting content online, what should you be focusing on to maximize your success online?
My years in the jewelry industry have taught me that there are 3 parts to any content marketing plan that every jewelry designer needs: web content, email marketing, and social media.
I created a free content marketing calendar template that incorporates these three key things so you can plan with confidence knowing your strategy is tried and true.
I’ll drop the link to that free calendar template in a minute, but first, let’s break down the essentials of your content marketing strategy…
Filter All Your Content Through Know, Like, and Trust
We can’t talk about content marketing without talking about know, like, and trust (KLT). The idea is any content that isn’t directly promoting something should be centered on building KLT with your audience.
People might love looking at your jewelry, but chances are they won’t feel comfortable taking out their wallets and making an order unless they feel connected to your brand on a deeper level. KLT content is centered around nurturing this connection for a mutually beneficial customer-brand relationship.
It’s also helpful to think about KLT when you’re trying to come up with new marketing ideas. Having a clear goal behind the content you create will give you some much-needed clarity and direction during the process.
Know Content
Know content is the most basic of the three. It’s any media that introduces you, your team, and your brand to the audience and lets them learn more about what you do.
Examples of know content could be…
- The story behind why you started your jewelry brand.
- Your core values as a brand and business owner.
- Behind-the-scenes insight into your process.
- …and any type of content that gives people a glimpse into who you are and what you stand for as a jewelry brand.
It might feel redundant to regularly post know content, but keep in mind that there will always be new people exploring your brand who haven’t had a chance to get to know you yet. And for your customers who already have, it serves as a fun refresher.
Like Content
The goal of like content is simply to build an affinity with your audience, and it’s probably the most fun to create. You’re not trying to explicitly sell people anything, you’re trying to entertain them or benefit them in some way.
Examples of like content could be…
- Stories from your life.
- Lighthearted memes, videos, or jokes.
- Tips and lifehacks related to your brand or products.
- …and anything that adds value, keeps people engaged, and shows off your personality.
Think of this as your opportunity to let yourself shine through in the content you create. Show your audience that there’s a person behind the brand for them to connect with.
Trust Content
Finally, trust content aims to strengthen your audience’s confidence in your brand and products. It basically demonstrates that your brand is legit and you’re willing to go the extra mile for your customers.
Examples of trust content could be…
- Customer testimonials and reviews.
- Good PR and media features.
- Endorsements from influencers and ambassadors.
- …and any other “social proof” that positions you as a trustworthy and knowledgeable figure in the industry.
Social proof is a powerful marketing resource, so think about ways you can sprinkle it throughout different kinds of content you utilize in your 3-part marketing plan.
Part 1: Web Content
Let’s start with the broadest part of your content marketing strategy: web content. Technically, any content you post on the internet qualifies as web content, but for the purpose of this 3-part content marketing calendar approach, we’ll be focusing on blogging and video.
Blogging
When you first started your jewelry business, you probably didn’t think much about becoming a blogger. Or maybe you did, and in that case, you’re already way ahead of where I was when I first started out!
Take a second to open a new tab and visit your favorite jewelry brand’s website. Chances are, they have a blog.
Blogging for your jewelry business is an excellent way to curate content that provides value to your dream client while also promoting your products. It can be used to build know, like, and trust with your audience in a way that also establishes you as an expert in your field.
Plus, having a blog is fundamental to driving more traffic to your website.
In your blog posts, you can use the keywords that your dream clients are searching for, making your website more likely to pop up in search engine results.
The trick to writing successful blog posts is to come from a place of service. Write about things you know your audience will want to read, then incorporate details about your brand and products that are relevant to the information you’re sharing.
Videos
Any video that directly or indirectly promotes a brand is considered video marketing, and it tends to be more engaging than text-based or photo-based content.
It’s become non-negotiable for brands who want to stay ahead of the noise and connect with their audience online to get comfortable filming videos regularly. There’s so much potential here, so don’t be afraid to get creative with it.
Video content can range from promotional videos to interviews with you or your team, to holiday greetings. Use video all throughout your content marketing strategy, as it engages different senses than written content and can reach an entirely different audience.
Part 2: Email Marketing
So many business owners don’t send enough emails or skip email marketing altogether because of the assumption that it’s old-fashioned.
Here’s the truth, m’dear: if you’re not sending regular emails, you’re basically leaving money on the table.
Email marketing plays a very important role in building relationships and staying connected with your dream clients, eventually leading to more sales.
List Building
Building your email list should always be a top priority if you want to succeed as a jewelry designer online.
It’s a big topic, and I’ve already recorded a detailed episode of Thrive by Design on how to build an email list for your jewelry e-commerce business.
Basically, the best thing you can do to build up your email list is to incorporate multiple opt-ins on your website and use lead magnets to incentivize people to join.
The idea behind a lead magnet is simple: you create a piece of content that adds value to your audience, for instance, a quiz, downloadable resource, or e-book. You offer this piece of content to your audience for free in exchange for their email address.
It’s the ultimate way to build your email list without cheapening your brand by offering too many discounts.
Consistent Weekly Emails
You should be emailing your list once a week at the bare minimum. This might sound like a lot, but trust me, it isn’t.
However, that doesn’t mean you should be spamming your list with hard-hitting sales emails. While I do highly encourage you to use your email marketing campaigns to sell, you should be doing it through the lens of know, like, and trust.
Also, keep in mind that your emails should be image-focused. Beautiful photos of your jewelry accompanied by minimal text and a compelling call to action is all you really need to get people to click through and browse your website.
And driving traffic to your website is the ultimate goal of email marketing.
I’ve talked about email marketing extensively, and there are tons of free resources on the Flourish & Thrive Academy website for you to check out. But let’s move on to the final part of your 3-part content marketing strategy…
Part 3: Social Media
Your social media presence is likely to be what defines your brand in the minds of your audience. It’s vital to curate your social media in a way that raised brand awareness, builds your following, and drives traffic back to your website.
Each platform has its own rules and algorithms – no two are the same. While there are numerous platforms to choose from, let’s focus on the big three for product-based businesses: Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.
As a photo-sharing platform, Instagram is incredibly visual and perfect for getting more eyes on your products.
It’s always expanding with useful features like stories, Instagram Reels, IGTV, and live video streams that give you plenty of ways to keep your brand top of mind for your audience.
It’s gonna be important to plan out your posts to ensure the algorithm favors your account and people remain engaged with your content.
This means it’s a good idea to throw in a promotional post every 4 to 6 posts, rather than trying to sell on every single one of them. Dedicate the rest of your posts to building that KLT factor.
Facebook is well-known as a place to stay in touch with family and friends. But the key to using it for your jewelry business is to create a Facebook business page. This opens the door to tons of useful features that allow you to link back to your website, create an online shop, and collect user reviews.
Your content strategy here should reflect what you are creating on other platforms and find a balance between promotional posts and posts that entertain, educate, or inspire.
Pinterest posts come up all the time in Google image searches. That’s what makes it so valuable as a business owner selling physical products of any kind. It’s essentially a visual search engine that, when done right, drives traffic to your website and boosts online sales.
It’s important to be an active user on Pinterest. The platform allows you to create boards and pin other people’s content in addition to yours. There’s no magic ratio, but you should try to post as much of your own content as possible and fill in the gaps with repins.
For a deep dive into how to use the platform to grow your jewelry business, listen to the enlightening interview I did with Pinterest expert Andrea Li on how to use Pinterest to get more traffic to your site, grow your audience, and make more sales.
Repurpose Content for Multiple Platforms
Whew! I just dumped a lot of information on you.
It might feel overwhelming, but remember that any one piece of content you create can be repurposed for your other platforms. In fact, I highly recommend doing so. It makes content creation a breeze.
When you sit down to work on developing content, blogging is a great place to start. One lengthy blog post can be repurposed into shorter videos, social media posts, and email marketing in 100 different ways.
There’s no need to reinvent the wheel, m’dear!
Our 3-Part Content Marketing Calendar to Schedule Your Social Media, Emails, and Web Content All In One Spreadsheet
As promised, here is that template I was raving about earlier. It’s completely free to use, and designed so you can customize it to suit your exact business needs.
Download our FREE 3-Part Content Marketing Calendar.
I hope you love it.
