Using Trello To Manage Your Editorial Calendar

Whether you're an individual blogger or part of a team of writers, staying on top of every task is one of the most difficult aspects of content marketing.
No matter how big you are, a project management tool will prove invaluable.
Our personal recommendation is Trello -- we use it extensively at MobiLoud.
Trello allows you to visualise all aspects of your content plan, while also acting as a central hub for all your content marketing efforts.
Today we look at how Trello can help you by taking a look at some of its best features.

Everyone in One Place

One of Trello's main features is that it allows your whole team to work together from one convenient location.
Membership is completely free, though you will have to sign up for an account -- sign up is easy and should take no more than a couple of minutes.
Once you've signed up you can create a board for your team. Every board is private, so you will have to invite team members for them to gain access.

Visual Content Map

Trello makes it easy to visualise the different aspects of your content plan.
You can create categories for each stage of content production -- for example, post ideas, in progress, pending review and published articles.
You then create cards for a particular article or task. These cards can be placed under all the different headings you created. Pretty soon you'll have an overview of where all your articles are in the production process.
When the status of an article changes, you simply drag and drop the card into another section. Easy.

Effective Communication

If you use email to communicate, it can be difficult to keep track of every suggestion for each article idea -- this is especially true if you produce a lot of content. Sometimes great suggestions fall through the cracks, simply because of the sheer volume of competing information being thrown at you daily.
With Trello, every person with access to your board can write notes on each card, meaning all ideas for a particular post are kept together under one convenient heading -- you can even add attachments to each post.
This makes it an effective way for team members to communicate, and a great way to reduce your dependence on email. Because each message directly relates to a certain card, it's also a proven way to keep everyone on task.

Organisation

Trello makes it easy for you to organise your content output, beyond just dragging each card to a different phase of the production cycle.
You are able to colour co-ordinate each card, meaning all tasks of a certain nature can be easily identified. For more complex tasks, Trello allows you to create a checklist, allowing you to check off each part of the task as they are done. We all know how easy it is to forget certain things; the checklist acts as a reminder, ensuring each task is completed in its entirety.

Manage Your Team

If you work in an editorial capacity, Trello makes it easy for you to manage your team effectively.
You are able to assign specific team members to a particular task by adding members of your board to different cards. Whenever a comment is made on a card, every person assigned to it receives a notification. This allows everyone to stay on top of everything related to their assigned tasks.
You are also able to set deadlines for a given task. As the deadline approaches, a timely reminder is sent to all relevant people. This is perfect for people who handle numerous tasks at any given time.

Wrapping Up

For a free tool, Trello comes with a number of great features that all content marketers would benefit from -- At MobiLoud, we love it!
Have you used Trello, or any other project management tools? Share your experiences in the comments section below!