When it comes to marketing, we all know that we should tell more stories. But it can be difficult to come up with content ideas. In this quick tips episode, Mari-Liis Vaher shares 7 tips to make content creation easier.
Many business owners say that they are struggling with content creation because…
And of course, there are probably even more reasons but it all comes down to not having enough clarity around content creation: who do we want to reach with our content? What types of content should we share and how often? How to repurpose existing content so that content creation wouldn’t become too overwhelming?
Well, for that, the number one suggestion is to get ORGANIZED.
Whatever you choose to do, you need to make a plan for it. Think what would be cost- and time-effective, as well as sustainable. You don’t need to post on every social media channel every day. In fact, you may be even “punished” by social media channels for being too “spammy”. So, I would say that slow & steady wins the race! It’s better to do less but to stay consistent, compared to going crazy for a few weeks and then stopping altogether for a couple months.
Here are 7 tips that help you to make content creation easier:
- Create a content plan every month. Take 2-3 hours every month to plan out your content. Even a simple spreadsheet can be beneficial here: just write down on which channel, when and what you will be posting. If you know for example that you want to post twice a week on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, then add actual dates into your plan with post texts and visuals, so you wouldn’t be tempted to procrastinate. If it’s in your calendar, then it is more likely to become a reality!
- Plan your content from bigger pieces into smaller pieces. Think, is there a focus topic for the upcoming month? For example, a certain holiday is approaching or there are seasonal products that should get more attention. Create one big piece of content around that topic: for example a blog post with 5 key ideas or products, OR even better - a video or a podcast episode explaining the topic. That big piece of content should be placed on your website because you want people to go there. And from that big piece of content you can create smaller pieces of content for various social media channels, all linking back to the bigger piece of content on your website. For example if you created a blog post with 5 reasons to do something, then you already have 5 posts for social media - just highlight one reason at a time.
- Think of all the questions your customers or prospects ask you - for example about the products or application or warranty terms or opening times… Whatever it is, if people are already asking these from you, it is very likely that there are others thinking the same thing! So, keep an open list of questions from which you can draw inspiration. Another option is to use Google and see what people are searching for. Or go to answerthepublic.com to see what people are searching for around your industry.
- Do not reinvent the wheel every month or year. It is totally okay to repurpose a piece of content that you shared a year ago or maybe even a couple of weeks or months ago. People do not see every single thing that you put out. And even if they do, I can promise you that they will not mind being reminded of an important topic.
- Share what your customers are saying about you or what you do on a daily basis with your customers. Ask for recommendations or share case studies. For example, share that you hosted a successful workshop with a client from X industry and the biggest takeaway was X.
- Link content to holidays, such as Father’s Day or the first day of spring or it can be even something silly like the international ice cream day.
- Share behind the scenes of your everyday work. People are curious! Share content about your employees, about your team rituals, about your production process and so on. Things that seem normal and maybe even “boring” for you can be very exciting for those who are not involved in the industry. And when you think of prospects, then showing personality will definitely add credibility!
Just to recap: start by creating a content calendar, create one big piece of content that you can divide into smaller pieces, start answering questions that your prospects are having, repurpose content, share your customer’s stories, link your content to holidays and share what is happening behind the scenes.
PS! If you're looking for a framework to build your content strategy and a simple template for your content plan, then check out our Content Strategy & Content Plan Template.