There’s no denying that content creation is time-consuming. You have to think of what to post, create a graphic, write a caption, choose hashtags, post the content, and be participating in your audience in the comments–and then do it all again, and again, and again.
While the challenges of social media content creation may feel daunting, indicating up systematically has big benefits for your business. By posting valuable content consistently, you are eligible to 😛 TAGENDGrow your audienceIncrease brand awarenessBuild authority in your industryImprove engagement
If you are looking to achieve any of the benefits listed above, it is worth figuring out a sustainable strategy for saving time planning and the establishment of social media content. The key to achieving this is twofold–planning in advance and batch running content creation.
@stilclassicsMultitasking — A Cautionary Tale
Let’s take a moment to talk about something we all do–multitasking. Multitasking often feels productive because you are doing “all the things”, but in reality, multitasking is one of the least productive things you can do.
It has been estimated that only 2% of the population is actually proficient at multitasking. When you switch from task to task, it actually takes 50% longer to accomplish a undertaking.( John Medina, Brain Rules ).
” Only 2% of the population is actually proficient at multitasking .”
So what are the 98% of us that are not proficient multitaskers supposed to do? The answer–when it comes to social media content creation–is creating a structure and batch running. Below is a process that you can repeat each month to save time planning and creating your social media content.
Content Planning Process
Each month, set aside time to map out your social media content for the following month. By outlining the content topics you want to cover for the entire month, you can look at your content from a higher level and be more strategic about your content design. Plan on spending 1-2 hours each month mapping out your content for the following month.
Plan on spending 1-2 hours each month mapping out your content
Things to include in your content plan 😛 TAGENDNumber of posts. How often do you post( or want to post) each week? Keep in brain that character and consistency are more important than the number of posts. Stick to the following schedule and frequency you can sustain long-term.Goals. What are your overall business goals for the month? How can your content support those goals? Any important dates. Do you have a new product or service launching, or an occurrence? Plug those into your project firstly, so you can fill in supporting content around them.Social media holidays you want to ” celebrate “. Are there relevant social media holidays you want to celebrate on your social platforms? This list has a good roundup of these types of vacations, or you can always research those that are unique to your industry.
With this content roadmap, you can confidently go into the month knowing what content needs to be created each week( more on that later ).
What Types of Social Media Content Should You Create?
One of the biggest challenges when it comes to social media content is knowing what to post. When establishing content for social media, it was essential to to share a variety of types of content. Your content should train, entertain, or sell.
Below are a few examples of businesses balancing content that trains, entertains, and sells.
Bulletproof( @bulletproof)
Bulletproof equilibriums recreation, education, and sales very well in their contents. They highlight their products, share recipes and answer FAQS, and generate funny, relatable GIFs.
Screenshot of Bulletproof& apos; s Instagram profile.
Shopify( @shopify)
Shopify shares inspiring personal narratives of their clients, encourages discussion and engagement by asking questions, and sharing video content with “how” and “why” prompt life-time hacks.
Screenshot of Shopify& apos; s Instagram profile.
Flodesk( @flodesk)
Flodsesk highlights new aspects, shares tips and best practices for email marketing, and promotes participation from their audience by asking” this or that” and” would you rather ?” questions.
Screenshot of Flodesk& apos; s Instagram profile.
Another advantage of planning your content for the entire month is that you can better distribute and project the types of content you will be sharing. Rather than clambering to come up with something to positions and potentially posting too many sales-focused posts or too many funny memes, scheming in advance allows you to be more intentional and strategic with what you post. That ensures you are hitting all the marks structure the know, like, and trust factor with your audience, serving them, and ultimately converting them.
Let’s say you want to share four posts per week. To balance your content forms, you could share two educational posts, one sales-focused post, and one entertaining post each week. As you plan your month of content, you can start to plug in your content notions according to that cadence and flow.
Bonus tip: This step of the process does not need to be high-tech. Simply use a monthly calendar( you can print one at Print-a-Calendar.com if you don’t have one) and grab some sticky mentions and a pen and start jotting down your content topics. This process allows you to move things around as needed to better balance and share your content. Instead, you can plan in digital form on a Google calendar or in software like Asana, Trello, or Cickup. Choose the tool that works best for you so that you are more likely to use it.
When planning content, it is important to remember that content doesn’t have to be overly complicated. Genuinely anything can be content if it is valuable to your principle audience. Share your knowledge, take your audience behind the scenes, introduce your squad, share client testaments or evaluations, answer frequently asked questions. Know that you have insight that your audience craves–they have said that when they chose to follow you.
Streamline Content Creation With Batchworking
Let’s circle back to batch working and how to apply the tactic to content planning.
What Is Batch running?
Batch working is a highly focused, topic-specific form of operating. When batch working, you divide your work into different hours/ periods and places great importance on simply one thing at a time. Batch working can be applied to all areas of your life and work, but here we will focus on how to utilize it for content creation.
The idea is that by focusing on one task at a time, you can get into a flow state which is when your productivity and invention truly flourish. The point outcome is better quality content in less occasion. A win-win!
Step 1: Plan a Month of Content
As outlined above, the first step in planning and creating social media content is to map out the entire month on content.
Assuming you have your monthly content plan and roadmap ready to go, each week you should follow the steps below to streamline the content creation piece of the puzzle.
Photo by @stilclassics.Step 2: Create All Visual Content
With your content roadmap, decide what visuals need to be created for the week. Write a index of everything you need from inventory photos, tradition graphics, videos, Reels, cover images, etc.
Once you have the index, it’s time to start establishing. For custom-built labelled graphics, you can use a tool like Canva. Create( or buy) a library of templates you can easily customize with different content each week. This stops your branding consistent and likewise saves you day as opposed to starting designs from scratch each week.
Photo by Canva.Step 3: Write All Captions
Captions do not have to take a long time to create. By batching captions and following a caption formula, you can quickly write captions that convert your audience. A good caption should include 😛 TAGENDHook: Grab their attention right off the at-bat. Think of the first 7-14 words of your caption like an email subject line. You “re going to have to” stimulate your audience to click” speak more “. Value: Deliver on what you promised in your hooking and share content that educates, entertains, or sells.Call to Act: Tell your audience what you want them to do next( i.e. share, like, remark, click, buy, sign on, label, etc .). Keep your calls to action simple and fun to increase the likelihood that your audience will follow through.
Photo: Luke Southern via UnsplashStep 4: Schedule Posts
Now that you have your visuals and captions, it’s time to schedule your posts distributed according to your content calendar. Using Buffer’s Publishing tool, go to Settings and set your post schedule.
Then navigate to your queue, drag and fell images and copy/ adhesive captions and click “Schedule Post” or” Add to Queue “. Depending on the type of post, your post will either automatically publish at the scheduled time, or you will receive a pushing notification at the scheduled time to post yourself.
Step 5: Add Hashtags( if posting to Instagram)
If you are posting to Instagram, when you schedule your post, you likewise have the option to add up to 30 hashtags to the first note of your post. Buffer’s hashtag manager allows you to save hashtag groups right in the platform. This establishes it easy to choose the privilege hashtag group( s) is in addition to your post. When employed thoughtfully and strategically, hashtags are a great way to extend the reach of your content.
Enjoy The Benefits of Planning& Scheduling Your Content in Advance
Imagine not having to constantly be wondering,” What should I post ?”. As you get into the habit of planning and planning content in advance, you will start to see your efforts pay off. Not only will your content strategy benefit you, but you are able to likewise save yourself period and reduce stress around social media content. Instead of” posting only to post”, borrowing a content batching procedure allows you to create high-quality content when you are in your “content zone” and planned it according to your social media strategy.
When you plan content in advance, your content can better support your overall business goals. If you have a product or service that you want to promote, an occurrence or a company milestone, planning in advance lets you work backward to create strategic social media content that is compatible with those goals.
Finally, by freeing up period and vitality in the content creation process, you allow yourself to expend more time in other areas of your business. That extra hour can be spent building connections and relationships with your social media community, or in other fields of your business like marketings, admin assignments, networking or growing your squad, or even on self-care. Think about what you would spend those extra hours on each month, and use that as motivating for sticking with your new content process.
Social media is a powerful tool for businesses. By planning in advance, you can leverage social media strategically and thoughtfully.
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