Combining Google Sheets and ContentCal for content success

Google Sheets is probably the most used tool in a content marketers tool kit. Love them or hate them, it’s unlikely you’ll spend much time in marketing without having to look at a spreadsheet at some point.

Two of the most favored uses are in creating a social media strategy and the resulting content plan that falls off the back of that.

Here are a couple of examples:

Google Sheets-based content strategy

Google Sheets-based content calendar

Spreadsheet limitations

As you can see in the first example, Google Sheets serves a purpose when it comes creating a list of activities, with a clear breakdown (for example, content theme, topic and pilar), and the ability to organise and prioritize this activity.

In this content strategy example, a spreadsheet format works well as the activity is at a high-level and is easy to filter based on priority.

It’s when an additional level of detail is needed, that challenges arise.

Take the spreadsheet-based content calendar example above. The amount of manual work that will take to administer and update it on a regular basis is quite substantial.

There is also no way to see the detail behind the content, as spreadsheets aren't designed for large amounts of text or images.

When dealing with lots of copy, a spreadsheet is not really the best management tool.

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Google Sheets in comparison to ContentCal

Do you even need a spreadsheet we need to use a spreadsheet if using ContentCal?

It makes a lot of sense to use ContentCal for content planning, but there is still often a requirement earlier on in the process, to use a Google Sheets-based spreadsheet.

Connecting ContentCal and Google Sheets

To create an efficient workflow, it’s essential to integrate as many of your tools as you possibly can. So, if you are creating a strategy on Google Sheets and managing planning on ContentCal, you can connect these two tools together for maximum results and a streamlined process.

Enter: Zapier

Zapier is the third-party solution we use to allow our customers to connect ContentCal with over 3,000 other applications in a matter of minutes - with no code.

How to connect ContentCal and Google Sheets

This video walks through the steps needed to connect ContentCal and Google Sheets. In under 5 minutes you’ll have an efficient content marketing workflow from your spreadsheet-based strategy, all the way through to your ContentCal-based execution and publishing of that strategy.

If you have any questions on this integration, please contact support@contentcal.co