to plan their content far ahead of time with specific goals in mind. Anyone who produces content on a regular basis should model their own planning on what a magazine editor does, and the calendar template is extremely helpful in creating a solid, executable strategy. It can be the cornerstone for your planning, giving you a structured location to funnel all your ideas, plans, and goals into one place. Think of all this like a puzzle, a content marketing puzzle: Your content marketing strategy is the big finished picture, and the editorial calendar will help you put all the pieces together in order to get where you want to be (hopefully, a masterpiece work of content marketing art!). Here are our recommendations on how to start planning now for an effective 2013 by using the calendar template, available for free download . 1. Reflect Before you start piecing together your puzzle, you must know what worked or didn't work previously. Ask yourself these questions: The Past Now that you know where you've been, think about where you want to be. Decide where you envision your company within a year, and use this as a guide as you are filling out your editorial calendar. The Future Where do you see your business in a year? What type of clients do you want to gain? What type of work/services do you want to be doing? Do you have new audiences you want to reach? 2. Brainstorm This is the fun part! Get