When you are creating social media content, the one thing you must do before writing anything is clarify your messaging.
You need to make sure you are completely clear on:
- What you want to achieve in your business
- How your social media will support that
- What you want to achieve on social media
- Who you want to be working with
- How you are going to help them
Showing up every day is one step towards growing your audience, building engagement and making more sales.
But if your messaging isn't clear, you are going to get no return on the time and energy you have invested in creating your content.
Too many people post as they go, sharing whatever is on their mind at the time, without aiming for a clear goal.
They are rushed into posting, distracted by the kids that are trying to get their attention, or they are so busy they forget to post at all.
As a result, their messaging is confused, followers don't ever learn what it is they actually do and, as a result, never feel comfortable to spend money with them.
Planning your content ahead of time not only ensures you are being visible consistently, but it ensures your messaging is consistent too.
How being consistent on social media helped me
18 months ago, UK lockdown was in full swing and we were all doing the home-school/home-working juggle.
I had just found out that my maternity allowance was to be cut short and was rushing back to find some work.
As a freelance social media manager, I'd always been good at creating content and growing engagement for my clients...
But had never been quite so good at sharing my own story online, at least not consistently.
I loved being on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and posted most days, whatever I was feeling or thinking on the day.
The trouble is, especially when the kids were home 24/7, I often forgot or didn't have the time to post - which meant my timeline would be blank for days or weeks at a time.
So, when the pandemic provided a bit of down time for me to start planning my business, I started planning my social media too.
What were the results of content planning?
- A larger audience
- More bookings
- Happier kids who get to spend time with a less stressed mummy
My Facebook group and Instagram feed are now things I'm really proud of.
My audience and engagement are growing (400 to almost 4k followers on Insta!), but - most importantly - my connections with fellow mums in business are too.
How can content planning help you?
I've learned so many lessons in my years as a social media manager and running my own business, that's why I'm so keen to help others get their social media sorted: because I know it can make a difference to them in so many ways.
So, whenever I work with clients now, I make sure that the first thing we do is clarify three things:
Business goals and how your social media can support them
Ideal client, what they're doing what they want from you on social media
And number one product, the one thing that you're going to promote that will help them.
Since sorting all of those, other elements of my business have become easier, I have to change what I'm doing, but the overall message has been really consistent.
For example, what do I want to invest in? What should I be spending my time on? How should I organise my time?
Of all the other things that are holding me back in business, social media is definitely not one of them any more, it's actually helping me grow.
Can social media alone grow my business?
Now that I have got my social media up and running, there are other things I want to work on to continue my business growth.
Things I finally have time for now I'm in a better place with my content!
For example, the jobs I find hardest to undertake are making sales, business accounting and staying confident.
Luckily, I am involved in a very exciting collaboration later this month, which will help me conquer all those things and much, much more: The Creative Career Summit.
Social media is covered, of course, by yours truly!
I will be talking about how to plan your content for the whole of 2022, so you too can feel the benefits that I have over the last year and a half.
We will focus on:
Answering the questions I asked at the beginning of this blog
Clarifying your business goals
Picking themes to support those throughout the year
And using those to create a content plan that goes all the way up to December 2022
Other topics that will be covered by 11 brilliant business women during the summit are:
Carly Murphy: How to manifest your dreams to turn your dreams into reality
Carol Barwick: Creative self-care - How the arts can raise your confidence and inspire creativity
Fiona Green: Writing copy that converts so that you can sign up more clients
Kerry Bayliss: Learn how to create a basic Wix.com website to create your own unique online space
Leah Crowfoot: Business Accounting basics so you can be in control of your business finances
Mandy Nicholson: Importance of understanding identity so you can clearly position yourself on the market
Jo Jenkins: How to use all the features on Instagram in the creative industry
Nicola Hughes: Giving yourself creative space to enable you to increase your capacity to run your business
Steph Eaton: Juggling your creative business around your family to reduce the overwhelm
Dani Smith: Getting organised in business so that you can save time and be more productive
Dani Smith: Steps to consistent sales masterclass
Dani Smith: How to use all the Facebook features for your creative business
You can access all of this amazing content in one place, on the Thursday 25th November, LIVE all day with life-time access to replays available.
This will help you learn in many areas of business, discover some new, amazing business coaches and creative business owners, with some freebies along the way too!
AND, it's just £20 for your ticket!
If you aren't able to attend on the day, don't worry, the videos will be available as replays until you are ready to watch them.
The timing for this is perfect because it will help you get ready for 2022.
Join us to face some of those business fears that have been holding you back in recent months.
To tackle the problems you, like me, have been putting to the bottom of your to-do list because you don't have the energy for them now.
Take advantage of expert advice that you might not have been able to access before and get your business off to a head start for the new year.
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