Hey First name / babe, Ever heard the saying “Content is king?” Well… let's just say they weren't wrong 🙃 We know running a business, a passion project, or even being an influencer in 2022 means content, content, and MORE content. We continue to see how content creation on social platforms is easily one of the best marketing tools to grow your audience. But as we all know, content is ever-changing. The formats, types, and trends can cause your head to spin real quick if you don't have a consistent plan to create your own content. I remember when I first started my VA business in 2019, creating content for social media was the last thing on my to-do list. I honestly didn't make content creation (even on Instagram) a priority until last year 👀 And although I did get by perfectly fine without making it a priority, I've seen how consistent content has been HUGE for growing my audience and nurturing them to purchase. Yesterday I posted this on my Instagram story… 👇 |
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Subsequently, my DMs were flooded with messages like, “👏👏👏," “LFG,” and also… “This is great and all, but IDK where to start.” And let me just be the first to say, I GET IT… Running a business is hard enough – add content creation to the mix and it's just a whole shit show. I'm not perfect at it, and I'll be the first to say it has taken years, education, and trial and error to find a way to create content that works and feels good to me AND doesn't make me want to throw in the towel trying to keep up. But I will also say, it won't work for you unless you try. I thought it would only be fitting, from one entrepreneur to another, to share some of my favorite tips for content planning & creation that I've acquired along the way: HOT TAKES FOR CONTENT PLANNING LIKE A PRO - Figure out WTF you're supposed to talk to about
The #1 reason I hear entrepreneur's say they don't content plan is, “I just don't know what to post??”
I get it – posting the same tutorial and sales pitch day in and day out is boring AF, and TBH your audience has already heard that. So how can we get them to hear what we do, creatively, without saying the same thing over and over again?
First things first, figure out your content/brand pillars – these aren't just your services or your ‘expertise.’ These could also be your brand values, topics you educate on, or values you yourself hold as a human. I typically consult my consulting clients to find 4-6 content pillars they can work off of.
For example, mine are: Dubsado, client experience, CEO confidence, VA growth, and systems. A few of these are related to my actual services (obvi), but others relate to my superpowers in every fact of my business and things that are important to my journey.
This gives me 5 “buckets” to pull from every time I go to create content. Best of all, I can work these around my offers and what I'm launching during that quarter – keeping these on a rotating basis means my content never gets boring.
- Make a plan, and stick to it!!!
I know, I know… it sounds so TYPICAL, but it's true 😬 I used to always say, “I just can't batch content. I don't have enough time, creativity, etc, etc, etc.” But honestly, that was just me holding myself back with lame excuses.
Because you know what's JUST as stressful as batch content creation? Trying to think of posts on the fly – especially when life gets busy and you don't have the time… it's a recipe for your content strategy to take a backseat.
This took me some serious time and thought to figure out the best process for me, but as of now I've been batch content planning for the past 4 months or so. I'll schedule a FULL day of work once a month to do nothing that day but content create.
I start by idea dumping or pulling ideas from my idea bank and putting them on a table/content calendar I created in ClickUp (being sure to have a sweet cadence and flow through my pillars and upcoming launches). Then I plan each post down to the: caption, graphic/video/post, what platform its on, and any supporting notes (like reels audio, hashtags, etc).
Once I have that entire month mapped out, I switch into creation mode: recording every reel, creating graphics, etc. Then I plug those babies into a scheduling app (I love Plann or Panoly), and I'm freakin' SET.
The point is – however and whenever you decide to create and plan, STICK TO IT. The more consistent you are, the easier it will get. Before you know it, you'll be wondering if you're basically a social media manager 🤓
- Follow the trends
Trends exist for a reason; people like them and inevitably, your content is going to get pushed with that trend. Whether it be trending audio, video ideas, or viral memes to make your own, UTILIZE THEM.
Obviously every piece of content you create shouldn't be a trend, but mixing in trending content can be SUPER beneficial to your content plan to hop on that virality train.
Remember that screenshot above? The audio I used was hot, HOT, so I took that and put my own spin on it (aka: back to my content pillars) and within hours that post was sitting at 18k views and 400+ likes. 🤯
Is every one of those views a potential customer? No. But did I get more eyes and followers on my business who MAY be potential customers in the future? Abso-fucking-lutely.
- Stay true to you
And lastly, a word to the wise, stay true to you. Yes, online content exists behind a computer screen but you can bet your bottom your followers will notice when you're forcing something or posting things that aren't true to you or your brand.
I'm not saying follow the trends just for the sake, I'm saying put your OWN spin on trends, show up authentically, and make your content scream with your own flavor.
It seems hard at first, but like anything, the more you put your creative-content hat on, the easier it will be to spot a trend or post and put your own spin on it
And P.S… #4 goes for anything in life (or biz). Just stick to being you because there's only one of you out there 💚
*** And in case you read all of these and said, “This is great and all Taylor, but I still need help,” or “I'm happy just delegating this…” I've got a few experts for you: Lightly Social– My dear friend, Jess, who actually walked me through a major break through in my own content creation journey offers a membership, 1:1 intensives, and a social media course for the entrepreneur at any level and budget looking to up their social media game. Hayle Creative Co– If you're ready to hand off your social media/content to the experts, Shelby + team have got you covered. I couldn't recommend this team enough! Mila Holmes– This girl is a genius when it comes to social media marketing. She takes 1:1 clients and offers a ton of insight to performing on social media on her own platforms. |
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RECENTLY ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB 👀 |
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Show yourself some love today, First name / babe. |
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