Whether you’re reading this at the start of a new year or in the middle of July, if you’re in a strategy/planning phase for your content and marketing you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed.
Does this cycle feel familiar? An idea pops into your head that you’re excited to share with your audience…you get the basic outline for it filled out…you start thinking about the ways you could share it - blog, email, Reel, TikTok, LinkedIn newsletter…you slowly close your laptop and decide to come back to the idea later…the idea never sees the light of day…AAAAND repeat!
This image might as well be the hanging kitten poster of us entrepreneurs. Especially, those of us with small to non-existent teams!
The good news is we can help cut down on this cycle with a few steps. As they say, luck is what happens when preparedness meets opportunity. So instead of waiting for luck to strike with our content, let’s get prepared for it.
Identify 2 Public Places
Where is it most important for you to show up? This is in addition to email marketing.
Instead of throwing spaghetti at a wall do an audit.
Where are places that you are connecting with your ideal client?
If it’s a lot of places you may need to re-evaluate if you’re being specific enough with your ideal audience. Additionally, consider if you’re seeing conversion in all of these places.
Where do those places intersect with mediums you enjoy showing up on? For instance, if your ideal audience is both on TikTok and LinkedIn, but you HATE showing up on video then focus your energy on LinkedIn.
Identify what’s required to show up effectively + Within Your bandwidth
Now that you have your 2 places in addition to email where you will focus on showing up, you need to plan out what it would look like to be effective on those platforms.
You might know you need to show up on IG and LOVE commenting on other's posts when you’re feeling up to it, but if you’re not producing Reels and following up your likes and comments in DM’s then you’re more than likely not going to see a lot of success there.
What type of content do you need to produce, and how often? Be specific here. However, be wary of comparing yourself to the top performers on those platforms. Just because TikTok influencer X produces multiple videos a day does not mean that’s your metric for success. What you are concerned about is what it takes for the platform to find your content valuable and consistent enough to push it to your ideal person. Is your video only getting 100 views? That's ok if it's getting engagement from an audience who you serve.
Next, what can you (and, if you have one, your team) realistically handle between the planning, producing, and scheduling of each item? This process may look like deciding you need to produce 7 Reels a week on IG, 5 - 6 story slides/video a day, and following up in DM’s with those engaging in your content. However, since you don’t have a team (but you do have scheduling software like Later, Planoly, or Buffer) you are going to plan on 3 - 4 Reels a week, 4 - 5 Story slides/video, and being in your DM’s. Once you have the resources to hire help or get more efficient at it yourself you can increase to meet the original goals you have for the platform.
Map The Plan
Now you have a plan!! But where will the plan live in a way that you can actually stick to it? No a sticky note on your desk saying “Reels” is not going to cut it.
One option I love is using a project management tool like Asana. Even as a solopreneur this has proven pivotal to tracking and executing plans and projects.
This can look like mapping out the process to complete your strategy each month. Scheduling which days you’ll film, which days you’ll write, which days you’ll schedule etc.
Now here’s the really awesome part! Those sparks of ideas and creativity you get? Use those! I have a whole section in my Asana for ideas. When a blog pops into my head, I find the “Blog Idea” section, create a task for that idea, and then let the creative juices flow as I write down all of my ideas for it. Then when it comes time to actually complete my writing task for the week or month I already have ideas and sometimes outlines to start from - making the whole process a lot less tedious.
Commit To Showing Up
Now you have this plan in place that focuses on where you need to be with the resources you have on hand. However, it’s not going to get you anywhere if you refuse to show up even when it takes a push. Having this plan and process in place should make it easier to show up in those times, but not guaranteed. So what can you do to make it even easier on yourself?
Do the parts you like the least in your highest energy time. Do you know you don’t love filming AND that middle of the month is the busiest with due dates and responsibilities at home? Well then don’t schedule filming for then!
Different places can make all the difference! I love my home office whether it’s for calls, client work, or planning things out - I get a lot done there. But when I tell you my brain shuts off if I try to do extensive writing there…
So when I know I have writing tasks due, I purposely plan to be at a coffee shop or co-working place. I turn into a prolific writer ready to write the next great American novel or at least a pretty good blog. What spaces do you work best in for which tasks?
Finally, are there tasks you could offload now? Maybe at the end of the day writing captions is really draining for you, additionally, it takes you hours to write them. Even if you’re not ready to hire someone to handle your social media this specific task is something you could outsource to someone who can do it faster and with more joy. Saving you time and energy to focus on the parts of showing up that you do enjoy!
If you’re looking for help on how to connect your content strategy to your email marketing strategy, schedule a discovery call!