{"id":1601,"date":"2020-09-04T08:00:20","date_gmt":"2020-09-04T08:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/?p=1601"},"modified":"2022-02-17T18:56:28","modified_gmt":"2022-02-17T18:56:28","slug":"email-planning-calendar-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/email-planning-calendar-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Email Planning Calendar Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>It\u2019s the beginning of a new year.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019re excited about all the opportunities the year will bring, you\u2019re planning all that new business coming your way, right?<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote is-style-default\" style=\"border-color:#0693e3\"><blockquote><p>And then 2020 happens. And it just keeps happening. And now it&#8217;s the fifteenth week of August, the thirteenth month of quarantine, and people are talking about canceling 2021.<br><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>So clearly you\u2019ve spent a lot of time thinking about your emails and developing an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/regex-seo-guide-to-marketing-part-4-email-marketing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">effective email campaign<\/a>, right?\u00a0<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No?&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You didn\u2019t spend the summer coming up with an elaborate, yet clearly communicated series of emails telling all your loyal customers about that new summer deal? Wow.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Talk about a wasted quarantine. All that time locked up inside, and you\u2019re out here just taking care of your health and doing your best to support your local community by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/improving-work-from-home-during-covid-19\/\">social distancing<\/a> while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/significance-of-seo-during-pandemics-recessions-and-downturns\/\">trying to keep your business afloat<\/a>?<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I get it, I get it. Don\u2019t worry, I always thought homework was kind of a sham, too. I guess we\u2019ll let you copy our work, but just this once, alright?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Make Email Planning Easy With a Calendar<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A while back, we talked about why <a href=\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/regex-seo-guide-to-marketing-part-4-email-marketing\/\">email marketing is still an important strategy<\/a> for just about any kind of company.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Basically the consistent appeal to an audience that\u2019s already interested in your brand is a great way to communicate not only new deals and promotions and changes, but it fosters a sense of consistency and regularity. A refresher on the benefits of a good email campaign:<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Consistent access to an audience that already expressed interest in your brand.<\/li><li>Direct communication for changes, promotions, or important news.<\/li><li>Room for creative or engaging content that might not fit your other channels.<\/li><li>A great medium for multi-stage campaigns over longer periods of time.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>As you might have guessed, consistency and regularity are in short supply this year. So companies that can take advantage of a solid email strategy might manage to maintain that front-of-mind appeal that brings value to just about any marketing strategy in the first place.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, email campaigns and planning can be difficult to remember when the world is flip flopping all over the place. Hell, sometimes they\u2019re difficult to manage even when things are perfectly stable.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why we suggest using an email planning calendar to automate the brainstorming part of any <strong>ongoing<\/strong> or <strong>seasonal email campaigns<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>How A Calendar Works<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Look, I\u2019m gonna be honest, we\u2019re not reinventing the wheel here.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a calendar.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You open little doors, there\u2019s chocolate inside, every month is 25 days. It\u2019s, like, really religious, and honestly, I\u2019m starting to think I have the wrong calendar sitting in front of me.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"892\" height=\"377\" src=\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/father-christmas-1149928_1920-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1608\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/father-christmas-1149928_1920-1.jpg 892w, https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/father-christmas-1149928_1920-1-300x127.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/father-christmas-1149928_1920-1-768x325.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/father-christmas-1149928_1920-1-710x300.jpg 710w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 892px) 100vw, 892px\" \/><figcaption>The elevator music in my head is now just grainy Christmas music<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But for real, an Email Planning Calendar is a lot like a regular calendar dressed up and turned into a more useful marketing tool. It usually comes equipped with all the standard calendar items \u2014 all the standard date and holiday reminders along with a 12-month layout.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Email Planning and Marketing portion comes from all the added commentary and marketing tips included with each month. For example, let\u2019s take a look at both sections in our Regex SEO calendar for 2020:<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"776\" src=\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screenshot-21-1024x776.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1610\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screenshot-21-1024x776.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screenshot-21-300x227.png 300w, https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screenshot-21-768x582.png 768w, https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screenshot-21-396x300.png 396w, https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screenshot-21-120x90.png 120w, https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screenshot-21.png 1064w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2>The Dates Part<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This part looks like most calendars.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ve got dates, holiday markers, reminders for daily, weekly, or monthly events, and plenty of room to write in little personal notes or whatever else.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You know, \u2018pay bills\u2019 on the 3rd, \u2018band practice\u2019 on the 12th, a series of ominous red X\u2019s leading up to the 27th, which is circled in lipstick. Typical calendar stuff.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s also a great way to highlight periods of time where your email campaigns are effective so you can keep an eye on different segments or aspects of your campaigns. And I mean highlight in the literal sense.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Take a marker and draw a bright yellow box around whatever campaign you\u2019ve got going on at the moment. Here\u2019s why.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3><strong>Visualization Helps Organization<\/strong><br><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It sounds simple, but a lot of people overlook the power of a visual aid in organizing and generating quality email marketing campaigns. As with all marketing, time is a major factor.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both duration and timing.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4>Duration<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Highlighting or marking your email campaign on the calendar can help you remember how long a promotional campaign is in effect, which in turn gives you a more visual understanding of the start and end dates.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you see a big two week block hanging out on your desk all throughout May, it\u2019ll be at the front of your mind. You\u2019re going to remember that promotion is active, and you can adjust your new ideas, campaigns, or email sendouts to account for that.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s also good if you\u2019re involved in any kind of sales or customer service, because you\u2019ve got an easy reference point for any customer or client that calls in with questions.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4>Timing<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Timing is the next big benefit of this visual component. Basically, if you see that same big block sitting on your desk, you\u2019ll also be more aware of surrounding events and how to account for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking personally, I\u2019m terrible at remembering holidays and dates. But if I look up and see a massive pink rectangle around the week before Mother\u2019s Day, I\u2019m probably going to remember Mother\u2019s day, right?<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond the practical value of being more aware of your duration and timing, this kind of organization can spur more creative solutions and future campaigns.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Look for spaces where holidays are close together, or find new ways to make use of gaps between promotions by visualizing how to fill that space.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"799\" src=\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screenshot-22-1-1024x799.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1613\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screenshot-22-1-1024x799.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screenshot-22-1-300x234.png 300w, https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screenshot-22-1-768x599.png 768w, https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screenshot-22-1-384x300.png 384w, https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screenshot-22-1.png 1107w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2>The Guide Part<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The other half of our calendar is the collection of tips, guides, and commentary on email best practices that you can find at the beginning of each month.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This part is, unsurprisingly, also fairly self-explanatory.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We started out by making these calendars for ourselves, and since we do a lot of email marketing for our clients, we started putting in useful information and reminders for email campaign techniques.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Initially, it was fairly simple stuff \u2014 remember to proof template sendouts in case they don\u2019t copy over well, periodic reminders to clear out emails in order to reduce clutter in the inbox, things like that.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"742\" height=\"676\" src=\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screenshot-27.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1615\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screenshot-27.png 742w, https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screenshot-27-300x273.png 300w, https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screenshot-27-329x300.png 329w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 742px) 100vw, 742px\" \/><figcaption>Pictured: tips, tricks, and three bright colors<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>After a while, we added more and more information. Kind of like sticking a bunch of sticky notes all over the calendar until eventually we ended up with what you see here.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, as we build more and more campaigns for clients, we research and learn and grow. As we learn more useful techniques or find good information, we\u2019ll add it to a kind of \u2018calendar pool\u2019 so we can organize the next year without having to think about it.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3><strong>So Why a Calendar?<\/strong><br><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If we spent all this time building email marketing campaigns and learning this information, why bother collecting the information like this?<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\" style=\"border-color:#0693e3\"><blockquote><p>It\u2019s easy to look at a ton of sticky notes and think, \u2018why did I need this?\u2019 or \u2018this isn\u2019t even my handwriting\u2019 or \u2018maybe I should just tattoo this to my body at this point\u2019. But a calendar seems more practical, and I don\u2019t really need my boss&#8217;s phone number tattooed across my forearm.<br><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The real answer is that it\u2019s a useful way to organize all of our relevant reminders in one convenient location.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If we sit down at the end or beginning of each year and write out a micro version of how we intend to run campaigns throughout the next year, we\u2019re significantly more prepared to follow through or address unexpected changes.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4>Pre-planning<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Planning ahead of time is just good business. Plan for success \u2014 using specific dates and timelines \u2014 and you\u2019ll put yourself in a much better position to adapt or follow through once those goals are met or change.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Giving yourself this time to sit down and actually look at what space is available is a great way to avoid stress or feeling overwhelmed as time marches forward.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4>Static or Dynamic Tips<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Adding new tips or reviewing old advice on an annual basis is kind of like a self-improvement opportunity.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of the advice we give for email campaigns in 2020 might be exactly the same as advice we gave ourselves years ago. For example, cleaning out your inbox regularly is a pretty evergreen bit of advice.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But if we look at a piece of advice from 2015 and think \u2018Well that\u2019s not true anymore,\u2019 we can strike it from our collection of tips. In doing so, obviously we take it off the calendar, but we also get that moment of realization that our old knowledge is no longer relevant, which means we can improve and update how we handle building campaigns now and in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Putting Our Calendar To Good Use<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screenshot-26.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1617\" width=\"625\" height=\"898\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screenshot-26.png 628w, https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screenshot-26-209x300.png 209w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><figcaption>November: 1 of 12 delicious flavors to be found in our calendar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Basically, a calendar is the perfect way to set up your email planning for the year because it forces you to engage with an incredibly visual version of your timelines.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So we packed a calendar with reminders and tips and mini-guides on sending out good emails, that way we&#8217;re way less likely to trip up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve seen a lot of success using this method in our own offices, so we decided to save you the hassle of making your own calendar and just share ours with you!<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can download our 2020 Email Planning Calendar right here! Steal our ideas, mark it up with your own pens and highlighters, or just enjoy the occasional fun facts we\u2019ve worked into each month\u2019s Email Planning breakdown.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button aligncenter is-style-squared\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link\" href=\"#calendarModalButton\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DOWNLOAD THE CALENDAR<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s the beginning of a new year. You\u2019re excited about all the opportunities the year will bring, you\u2019re planning all [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8,5,7,1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v15.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Email Planning Calendar Guide - Regex SEO Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/email-planning-calendar-guide\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Email Planning Calendar Guide - Regex SEO Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It\u2019s the beginning of a new year. You\u2019re excited about all the opportunities the year will bring, you\u2019re planning all [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/email-planning-calendar-guide\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Regex SEO Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-09-04T08:00:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-02-17T18:56:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/father-christmas-1149928_1920-1.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\">\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Matthew Mapes\">\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\">\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\">\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Regex SEO Blog\",\"description\":\"Your SEO, SEM and SMM Information Source\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/email-planning-calendar-guide\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/father-christmas-1149928_1920-1.jpg\",\"width\":892,\"height\":377},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/email-planning-calendar-guide\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/email-planning-calendar-guide\/\",\"name\":\"Email Planning Calendar Guide - Regex SEO Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/email-planning-calendar-guide\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-09-04T08:00:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-02-17T18:56:28+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/3b46bac622e0dfff10dab2f8286861fc\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/email-planning-calendar-guide\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/3b46bac622e0dfff10dab2f8286861fc\",\"name\":\"Matthew Mapes\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/105036462_402663344026985_4204226118480411709_n-150x150.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Matthew Mapes\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1601"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1601"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1601\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2802,"href":"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1601\/revisions\/2802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.regexseo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}