# The standing calendar The calendar is what makes this a content operation rather than a one-off campaign. It survives between sessions. Extend it; do not rebuild it. --- ## Where it lives Keep the working record as `content-calendar.md` in the working folder, and put a `Home:` line at the top of that file recording where the owner views the calendar: `artifact` (default), `notion: `, or `trello: `. That line is how the choice survives between sessions — on every run, read it first and update that home, never a second one. If the file has no `Home:` line, the home is the artifact. If the `Home:` line names Notion or Trello but the connector is not available this run, keep the file current, deliver the artifact view, and say the named home was skipped and why — do not clear the line. If HubSpot is connected, the staged queue is the system of record for anything already scheduled, and the calendar covers everything still in draft. On every run, open the existing calendar first and show three things before proposing anything new: ``` Published since last run: 6 posts (Jun 2 – Jun 24) Still scheduled: 4 posts (through Jul 6) Gap starting: Jul 7 — nothing drafted ``` Owners judge this skill on whether the gap is shrinking. --- ## Row format One row per post. The `Path` column is load-bearing — it decides whether the row ever touches Canva. | Date | Channel | Path | Theme | Asset type | Angle | Status | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Jul 8 | Instagram feed | Canva (social) | Summer tune-ups | Square post | "before the first 95-degree day" | draft | | Jul 8 | Facebook | Repurpose of Jul 8 IG | 1200×630 crop | same | reuse | draft | | Jul 11 | Email | Text-only | Service plan renewal | Email body | "your plan renews Aug 1" | draft | | Jul 15 | LinkedIn | Canva (social) | Commercial work | Square post | "six buildings, one plan" | scheduled | Tag every email row `Text-only` before presenting. Tag repurposed rows against the asset they come from so nobody regenerates a design that already exists. --- ## Cadence Pick a cadence the owner can actually sustain and hold it. Three good posts a week beats fourteen mediocre ones followed by a three-month silence, which is the pattern almost every owner arrives with. | Business shape | Workable starting cadence | |---|---| | Solo owner, no marketing help | 2 posts a week, 1 email a month | | Owner plus an office manager | 3–4 posts a week, 1 email every two weeks | | Has someone on marketing | 5 posts a week, weekly email | Default the horizon to 30 days. Extend to 60 or 90 only when the owner has a dated reason — a seasonal push, a launch, a trade show. Flag conflicts before presenting: two posts the same day for the same product, a promotional post landing on a holiday, a sale post after the sale ends. --- ## Theme mix A calendar that is all promotion stops working. Aim roughly for: | Share | Type | Example for an HVAC business | |---|---|---| | 40% | Useful — teaches something | "What that rattling noise usually means" | | 30% | Proof — real work, real customers | Finished install, before and after | | 20% | Offer — the actual ask | "Tune-up slots for July are open" | | 10% | People — who the owner is | New tech joining the crew | The proof rows are the ones owners underuse and the ones that perform. Ask for job photos. --- ## Repurposing matrix One approved design feeds several placements. Resize the approved asset rather than generating a new one — it costs a fraction of the quota and keeps the campaign visually consistent. | Source asset | Repurposes into | Size | Caption change | |---|---|---|---| | Square feed post 1080×1080 | Story / Reels cover | 1080×1920 | Shorter, one line, add a sticker prompt | | Square feed post | Facebook feed | 1200×630 | Same message, drop hashtags to 2 | | Square feed post | LinkedIn | 1200×627 | Reframe to the business outcome, no hashtags | | Square feed post | Newsletter block | 600×400 | Becomes a section header, no CTA of its own | | Carousel slide 1 | Standalone feed post | 1080×1080 | Self-contained; cannot assume slides 2+ | What travels: the photo, the brand treatment, the core claim. What does not: caption length, hashtag count, and the register. LinkedIn copy that reads like an Instagram caption is the tell that a post was pasted across channels. --- ## Extending the horizon When the owner asks for "more," extend from the existing themes rather than inventing a new content strategy. Look at what performed, keep the shape of it, and change the subject. If the analytics are not connected, ask which posts they liked; that is a real signal and costs one question.