planning your fall content calendar
The beginning of August means a new school year is a mere couple of weeks away. (Can you even believe it’s already August?!) While it’s hard to acknowledge the fact that summer even has an end — or that that end is coming nearer — Back to School is looming large. At the risk of spoiling these last sweet summer weeks … it’s time to start thinking about your fall content calendar.
I know, I know…thinking about your fall functions now means wishing away the end of summer in a way. But planning your fall calendar in advance will save you a lot of headaches in the long run—and it can even set you up for an easier summer next year! Because part of planning for this fall is compiling an image library you can use to promote next year’s events. And next year you will be sooo thankful.
But don’t sweat too hard, because it doesn’t have to be painful. Here are a few easy steps to approach your fall content.
Consider Your Events Calendar: Without even thinking about images to represent them, go through your school’s calendar to identify the important events you know are happening. Some are universal to every school, some are unique to your institution. Write them down, highlight them…whatever works for you! This means move in days, welcome events, homecoming, service opportunities…those sorts of things.
Round Out The Picture: Here is where the creativity starts flowing. Think about what makes your campus pop in the fall. We are thinking seasonally now—so just focus on the fall. Are fall sports big on your campus? Do you have great foliage or unique traditions? What makes your campus stand out? Write those all down, too.
Take Stock of Your Stock: Scroll through your current image library to see what you already have that you can use to promote all of those things that you just wrote down. Here’s where you need to be brutally honest about your content library. Images that you have used repeatedly need to be put to rest. Current and prospective students will clock when you are just recycling images. Those photos become white noise that gets scrolled past without any of your message making an impact. So go through and pull the stuff out you have used multiple times. Pare your library down to just the imagery you can still use. Done? Okay, now go through again and make another round of cuts!
Plan Your Shoots: After you have pruned your current image library, now you can see what you have to work with. More importantly—you can visualize where the gaps are. So, plan those shoots now as best you can.
Contact a photographer to schedule event coverage and fall shoots as far in advance as possible to ensure your photographer’s availability. Think about your fall marketing photos now, even though the thought of a sweater or boots is positively suffocating at the moment!
That’s it! Four easy steps to plan your fall content calendar.