How much time are you spending creating content for your social media? Let’s face it – if you’re here, it’s probably more than you need to spend. And that time could be much better spent loving on your kiddos, eating nachos, and watching Grace & Frankie. Social media can be a massive productivity suck – and so much of that is due to staring at that blinking curser, then scurrying down the bunny hole of comparison, and THEN racking our brain for something fresh and original. Take a deep breath. Content creation is about to get a whole lot easier! There are two types of content. There’s polished, professional content that you create in advance, and there’s content that’s produced when you simply document what’s happening. Use a mix of the two to keep it fresh, interesting, and so much easier on yourself. Don’t feel like you have to show up on every single platform every single day! The key to social media success is to create a schedule that is sustainable for you.

We want to keep it light and easy, or social media is going to suck the life right out of our business – which is the opposite of what it’s supposed to do.

Nail one platform, then expand your efforts. Not sure where to focus? Sign up for our toolbox! Now that we have that out of the way, here is the exact system that we use to have a library of content ideas at our fingertips all the time.

Step 1 – Establish your intention

What’s your goal for this month? It can be as simple as getting more engagement on your posts, building up to a product launch next month, or selling a particular product / service. The problem / solution / result surrounding your goal is your theme for the month. There are three categories of content within you can create within that theme.

1 Value

A lot of people misinterpret “providing value” as giving away free stuff. You don’t need to discount your products & services – providing value simply means being helpful! What information can you give away without expecting anything in return? Give your followers a reason to look forward to your posts and stick around!

Value does not mean “50% off sale all day every day” – it means “I see you, I hear you, and I’m here to help you.”

2 Get Personal

The amount of engagement (and sales) we got when we started showing up – janky bangs and all – in our stories was phenomenal.

It IS terrifying, but the more you do it the easier it gets.

Think of any brand that you enjoy following – I can pretty much guarantee you that they’re “human” and show the personality behind their brand. Showcasing your personality is how you’re going to get people to know, like, and trust you. That’s what makes it sticky!

3 Promotional

You want to use social media to guide people into those sales, but you don’t want to be salesy on social. I’m with you – it can be tough! I promise that if you do it right, you’re not being annoying. Simply take people on a journey from where they are now, to where they want to be… and your product or service is the bridge between them. After you’ve put all of that effort into building rapport with your audience (in Steps 1+2) they’re much happier and more confident in making that purchase.

Step 2 – Organize your ideas

We use Asana to organize all of our ideas. I always have my ear to the ground and jot them down when I’m chatting with clients, listening to podcasts, and having little lightbulb moments throughout my day. The longer I do this, the bigger my library gets – and it’s a gold mine. (Note that the categories align with Step 1 – Value, Personal, and Promotional)

Step 3 – Outline your schedule

I print out a generic calendar from Google Images to jot down my posting schedule. It’s not the prettiest, but it works! I have my goals written down from Step 1, they’re organized in my Asana from Step 2, and now I just have to scribble in the headlines. From there, it’s super easy to build out the content! Here’s a post on how to write quickly and well. And that’s it! Showing up just because you feel like you “should” is what makes social media so hard. Showing up with intention is not only going to make it easier and quicker, but you’ll also see better results!

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Sometimes you’re just too dang busy bringing home the bacon to sink hours upon hours into your social media. Meet our handy dandy marketing toolbox!