Agile Marketing: Should You Throw Out Your Content Calendar?

When it comes to creating effective content, many of us turn to content calendars – and there’s a good reason for that. Planning often makes our lives easier and allows us to work ahead. I know I breathe a sigh of relief when I know a client and I have things worked out well in advance.

However, there are other options when it comes to marketing and that includes doing things on the fly. And if that thought appeals to you, you might want to consider what’s called agile marketing.

What is Agile Marketing?

Agile marketing takes a more “immediate” approach. For example, in the industry in which I work (financial planning), traditional marketing might look at benchmarks throughout the year (tax planning, life insurance awareness month) and plan content to match.

On the flip side, agile marketing is looking more at what is going on now and responding to it. It’s also carefully watching the analytics you’re getting in “real-time” and writing content accordingly. Agile marketing is an ongoing experiment where you’re constantly evaluating audience satisfaction.

Agile marketing might also mean that you’re writing more content. If you’re seeing immediate interest in something you put out last week, you might dig in and build on it this week (or even daily if you’re that on the ball). With traditional marketing, you’re more likely to adhere to a calendar that makes pivoting a little difficult.

What’s the Right Answer for You?

Does having things planned out make you rest easier at night? Or do you feel energized when you respond to current events with your own thoughts? Do you know you don’t have a lot of time every week to churn out content or do you feel like regular posts are something you can fit into your schedule?

In a perfect world, I think a mix of both traditional and agile marketing would be ideal. It’s always good to have a content strategy for months when you know you’ll be busy, but it’s not a good idea to be so tethered to that schedule that you can’t respond to what’s currently happening or make adjustments when you’re inspired.

Regardless of the path you choose, pay attention to the traffic you’re getting on your website and on your social media accounts. Your audience will always tell you what they like by views and likes!