Content marketing is one of the biggest marketing trends for 2015. How to master it? Isn’t all marketing really content marketing? Yes, but to use your content effectively, it’s best to establish some order and direction.

Follow these four basic guidelines and you’ll be off to good start in the new year:

1. Use an array of tactics: Consider all the main content platforms—press releases, email, newsletters, blog posts, social media, and of course your website—and focus on the ones that matter most for your business.
2. Create a publishing schedule you can stick to: The best ideas in the the world remain ideas unless they’re brought to fruition. After you select your main content platforms, decide who will write what and how often, then map it out in a realistic schedule.
3. Develop an editorial calendar: What topics are important to your company and stakeholders? What information do your customers want? Figure out the content categories you need to cover, then make assignments. If your agency isn’t handling this for you, decide on who will write what. Finally, put all this into a calendar form that lists individual topics, authors, deadlines and publication dates.
4. Publish regularly: It’s better to publish less often and be consistent than to start off with grand ambitions and fizzle out.