How 1 Trello with 5 lists helps us listen and plan better content

Content planning is an essential part of the content creation process. It involves the development of a strategy that outlines the goals and objectives of an organization’s content, as well as the target audience and distribution channels.

‌But perhaps most importantly, it involves listening.

‌Listening to the needs and preferences of users, as well as the perspectives of other stakeholders within the organization.

‌One tool that can help facilitate this process is Trello. In this article, we’ll explore how setting up a Trello board with just 5 lists can help teams listen and plan better content.

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Setting up the Trello board

Let’s start by setting up the Trello board. To create the “Voice your ideas” board, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Trello homepage and click “Create a new board.”
2. Name the board “Voice your ideas” and click “Create.”
3. Invite all stakeholders to the board by clicking on the “Invite” button on the right-hand side of the screen and entering their email addresses.
4. Now that the board is created and stakeholders are invited, it’s time to set up the 5 lists. These lists are:

4.1 Ideas

4.2 Open to discussions

4.3 Possible outcomes

4.4 Approved

4.5 Completed

How to use each list?

The “Ideas” list is where stakeholders can suggest individual ideas for content. These ideas can be added as cards on the list, with each card representing a different idea.

‌The “Open to discussions” list is where the content team can move ideas that are ready to be discussed and refined. To keep things focused, it might be helpful to set a limit on the number of ideas that can be on this list at any given time.

‌For example, you could have a rule that only allows for a maximum of 5 ideas in the “Open to discussions” list at a time.

‌The “Possible outcomes” list is where the content team can propose new content ideas based on the discussions that have taken place. These ideas can be added as new cards on the list.

‌The “Approved” list is where ideas that have been fully vetted and approved for implementation can be moved.

‌Once the content team has juiced out all possible outcomes from an idea, it can be moved to the “Completed” list.

Benefits of using a Trello board for content planning

Using a Trello board for content planning has 3 main benefits:

1. It promotes improved collaboration and communication among stakeholders. All members of the team can see the progress of an idea as it moves through the different lists, providing transparency into the content planning process.
2. The Trello board allows for the organization and prioritization of ideas. Stakeholders can see which ideas are being actively considered and which ones have already been completed, helping to ensure that the team stays on track.
3. The Trello board provides visibility into the content planning process. By seeing the progress of an idea from the “Ideas” list all the way through to the “Completed” list, stakeholders can get a sense of what content is being planned and when it is likely to be published.

Tips for Success

To ensure that your Trello board is being used effectively, consider implementing the following tips:

1. Set a limit on the number of ideas in the “Open to discussions” list. This will help to keep the focus on a select few ideas at a time.
2. Encourage stakeholders to be active participants in the content planning process. This could involve assigning specific ideas to stakeholders for review, or asking for feedback on proposed content ideas.
3. Regularly review and update the Trello board to ensure that it is being used consistently and effectively. This might involve reviewing the list of ideas and moving any that are no longer relevant to the “Completed” list or adding new stakeholders to the board.

Examples of successful content planning using a Trello board

There are many organizations that have successfully used this Trello board for content planning. We use it with all our clients.

‌One such example is a software development firm.

They set up the Trello board with the 5 lists outlined above and invited all members of their sales team to collaborate.

‌The team found that using the Trello board helped to streamline their content planning process, as they were able to see the progress of an idea at a glance. They were also able to prioritize ideas more effectively, as they were able to see which ideas were in the “Open to discussions” list and which ones were further along in the process.

Another example is a marketing firm.

They used the Trello board to plan the content for a new product launch. By inviting stakeholders from different departments to the board, they were able to get a range of perspectives on the content that should be created.

‌The team found that using the Trello board allowed them to be more agile in their content planning process. They were able to quickly move ideas through the different lists and adjust their plans as needed, resulting in a successful product launch.

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Frequently asked questions

Can the Trello board be customized to fit the specific needs of the organization?

Yes, the Trello board can be customized to fit the specific needs of the organization. This might involve adding additional lists or changing the names of the lists to better reflect the needs of the team.

Can the Trello board be integrated with other tools and systems that the organization uses?

Yes, Trello can be integrated with a variety of other tools and systems. For example, it can be integrated with project management tools like Asana or JIRA, or with communication tools like Slack.

How do you ensure that the Trello board is being used consistently and effectively?

There are a few ways to ensure that the Trello board is being used consistently and effectively:

1. Set clear guidelines for how the Trello board should be used. This might involve outlining the purpose of each list and the process for moving ideas through the lists.
2. Encourage active participation from all stakeholders. This might involve assigning specific ideas to stakeholders for review or asking for feedback on proposed content ideas.
3. Regularly review and update the Trello board to ensure that it is being used consistently. This might involve removing ideas that are no longer relevant or adding new stakeholders to the board.

‌In conclusion, using the Trello board “Voice your ideas” with 5 lists can be an effective tool for listening and planning better content.

‌By providing a clear and organized structure for the content planning process, teams can collaborate more effectively and create content that meets the needs of users and serves the goals of the organization.

‌So, if you want to improve your content planning process, consider setting up this Trello board and seeing how it can benefit your team.