The Simple System That Turns Content Chaos Into Predictable Results
And Why the Most Successful Input Dealers Plan Their Posts Before They Need Them
It’s January, and you’re motivated. You post three times the first week. Great start! Twice the second week. Still going strong. Once the third week. Then nothing.
Spring hits, planting season kicks in, or your phone won’t stop ringing with concrete orders, and content marketing falls completely off your radar. Three months later, you realize you haven’t posted since February. Your competitors? They’ve been showing up every single week, building relationships with customers you used to serve.
Sound familiar? Here’s the frustrating part: you’re not failing because you don’t care about marketing. You’re failing because you’re trying to create content the same way you’d handle an emergency, reactive, last-minute, and exhausting. But content marketing isn’t an emergency. It’s a system. And once you have the system, everything changes.
In This Guide, You’ll Learn:
– Why planning ahead actually makes content creation easier (not harder)
– How to build a content calendar that works with agriculture’s planting cycles and construction’s building seasons
– The simple batching method that lets you create a month of content in 2 hours
– Seasonal themes for both industries that fill your calendar automatically
– When to plan, when to create, and when to just let it run
– How to keep showing up even when life gets crazy (because it will)
What Is a Content Calendar, Really?
Strip away the fancy terminology and a content calendar is just a plan. It’s deciding ahead of time what you’re going to post, when you’re going to post it, and where it’s going to go.
That’s it. We’re not talking about some complex project management system (unless you want one). A simple spreadsheet works just fine. Even a physical calendar on your office wall works.
The magic isn’t in the tool. It’s in the planning.
Ready to start planning your social media posts? Need help knowing where to start? Click here
Why Planning Actually Makes Your Life Easier
“Wait,” you’re thinking, “planning sounds like MORE work, not less.”
But here’s what happens when you don’t plan:
Monday morning arrives. You know you should post something. You stare at your phone trying to think of what to say. Nothing comes. You get interrupted by a farmer calling about fertilizer or a contractor needing materials for tomorrow’s pour. Before you know it, it’s Thursday and you still haven’t posted. Guilt sets in. You throw together something quick and generic just to check the box. Repeat next week.
Now here’s what happens when you DO plan:
You spend two hours once a month mapping out your content. Every Monday morning, you already know exactly what you’re posting. No decision fatigue. No scrambling. Just execute and move on with your day.
Which approach actually takes less mental energy? Planning wins every time.
Need a buddy to help you plan, we’ve got you! Click here>
Building Your First Content Calendar
Start simple. Here’s how to build a content calendar that actually works:
Step 1: Pick Your Frequency
Be realistic. If you’re starting from scratch, commit to posting twice a week. That’s it. You can always add more later, but consistency beats frequency.
Two posts a week means eight posts a month. That’s manageable.
Step 2: Look at Your Calendar
Agriculture runs on a seasonal schedule. Construction runs on a project calendar. Your content should sync with both. Pull out your real calendar and mark:
Agricultural Calendar:
– Key farming activities in your region (planting, spraying, harvest)
– Fertilizer application windows
– Seed selection timing
– Crop protection application periods
Construction Calendar:
– Spring building season kickoff
– Summer concrete and framing rush
– Fall project completions
– Winter planning and prep
Both Industries:
– Trade shows and industry events
– Product availability windows
– Regulatory deadlines
– Historical weather patterns
– Your business’s busiest and slowest times
These become your content themes for each month.
Pro tip: Repurpose your best content into longer form content like emails or blogs. These are great for making sure you show up when people are asking questions about a topic or product you sell.
Step 3: Theme Your Weeks
This is where it gets easier. Give each week a loose theme based on what’s happening:
March Example:
– Week 1: Pre-planting prep and spring job site readiness
– Week 2: Fertilizer strategies and concrete planning
– Week 3: Seed selection and rebar/foundation work
– Week 4: Equipment calibration and material delivery logistics
Now you’re not starting from scratch each week. You already know the general topic.
Step 4: Fill in Specific Posts
Under each week’s theme, add two specific post ideas. Use this formula:
Post 1: Educational (answer a common question)
Post 2: Behind-the-scenes, customer story, or timely update
Example for “Pre-planting prep AND spring job site readiness” week:
– Post 1 (Ag): “5 Things to Check Before You Start Planting”
– Post 2 (Construction): Behind-the-scenes of your team batching concrete for the season’s first big pour
Step 5: Build a Content Bank
Here’s the secret weapon: create some content ahead of time during slow periods. December’s dead? Batch-create some posts for February and March. Got 30 minutes? Write three educational posts that aren’t time-sensitive.
Stock up during the slow times so you’re not scrambling during the busy times.
Using video marketing is a great way to shake up your social media. Learn more about video marketing here.
The Dual-Industry Content Calendar Template
Here’s a simple framework you can steal that covers both markets:
January-February: Planning season content
– Farm business planning tips and construction project bidding
– Product planning and pre-orders for both industries
– Winter insights and equipment maintenance
– Budget planning for the year ahead
March-April: Spring prep and startup
– Fertility recommendations and concrete planning
– Seed selection and spring material ordering
– Planting tips and job site safety refreshers
– Early-season challenges in both industries
May-June: Active season management
– Crop scouting tips and project management
– In-season applications and quality control on job sites
– Weather monitoring for both industries
– Problem troubleshooting
July-August: Peak season
– Disease and pest management AND heat management for concrete
– Fungicide timing AND summer pour best practices
– Stress management (crops and people!)
– Harvest prep AND fall project planning
September-October: Transition period
– Harvest updates AND project completions
– Fall fertility AND winter prep for construction
– End-of-season analysis for both industries
– Planning for next year
November-December: Off-season
– Year-in-review content for both industries
– Customer appreciation
– Early planning for next season
– Team spotlights and company culture
This isn’t rigid. It’s a starting point that you adapt to your markets.
Making It Stick
The best content calendar is the one you actually use. Here’s how to make it stick:
Schedule time to plan. First Friday of every month, spend 90 minutes planning next month’s content. Put it on your calendar like any other important meeting.
Use scheduling tools. Most social platforms let you schedule posts in advance. Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, they all have this built in. No fancy tools required.
Batch create when possible. Writing eight posts in one sitting is faster than writing one post eight different times.
Leave room for spontaneity. Reserve one post slot per week for timely content, breaking news, weather updates, or customer questions that just came up.
Review what works. Every quarter, look at which posts got engagement and which didn’t. Double down on what works.
Tip from a Pro: Don’t just share links to your website, make sure those links lead somewhere strategic. Every social media post with a website link should point to a landing page that’s designed to convert visitors into customers or leads. A generic homepage or outdated page won’t cut it. Match your landing page to your post’s message, include a clear call-to-action, and remove distractions that might send visitors elsewhere. This simple alignment can dramatically boost your conversion rates.
When Life Happens
You’ll miss posts. It happens. Weather emergencies, equipment breakdowns, rush orders, project delays, it all gets in the way.
Here’s the rule: when you miss a planned post, don’t try to “catch up” by posting three times the next day. Just get back on schedule with your next planned post.
Consistency isn’t perfection. It’s showing up more often than you don’t.
The Bottom Line
A content calendar doesn’t add work to your plate. It removes the constant low-level stress of “I should be posting something.”
With a plan, you know what’s coming. You can prepare. You can batch work during slow times. And most importantly, your customers can count on hearing from you regularly.
That consistency? That’s what builds trust. And trust is what builds long-term customer relationships that weather any market conditions.
Start simple. Pick two days a week. Plan one month ahead. See what happens.
You might be surprised at how much easier this whole content marketing thing gets when you’re not making it up as you go.
Ready to Build a Content Calendar That Actually Works?
At Fastline Marketing Group, we help ag and construction businesses create content plans that work with your schedule, not against it. We’ve built content calendars for dozens of input dealers, and we know exactly what works in your industries.
We can help you:
– Showing up consistently
– Coming up with custom content
– Scheduling social posts with strategy
Ready to get started? Yes, get me started!
Or call (877) 338-1209 to discuss how a content calendar could transform your marketing.
Stop the content chaos. Start showing up consistently.
