Content Planning Made Easy
Content planning can be a real struggle for any individual or business with limited time on their hands, but it doesn’t have to be ;) In my last blog, I talked about building a strong social media strategy to set your business up for success before even getting started. Today we’re going to talk about the follow through - content planning.
Why Can Content Planning Be so Chaotic?
Just like with everything else on social media, content is ever evolving. There’s new trends, new technology, and so much more everyday. There’s a constant pressure to continue being unique with everything you contribute through your socials. However, it doesn’t have to be that way.
Just like yourself, your audience is looking for valuable content! It doesn’t have to be fancy or unique, it just has to speak to your audience’s needs. So in this post, we’re going to break it down, step-by-step, on how to structure your content planning to stay organized and on track. I’m also going too offer some FREE tools to help you get started on the right track ;)
Step 1 - Prep
The first step to content planning is to prep for planning your content. This involves a few different things, but the better you get at your social media efforts, the easier (and faster) this step will be.
Start with answering 4 main questions:
Why are you on social media?
What audience are you trying to reach?
Where do they hangout? (What platforms?)
How frequently are you going to post?
Answering these questions each time will help you set a strong foundation for moving forward to planning your content. Answering these questions ensures you’re creating content for your audience and that resonates with your brand.
Step 2 - Plan
Step 2 involves actually planning your content themes and topics, and scheduling out how you will post them. This is typically where content planning starts to get a bit chaotic if yo don’t have a clear process to follow. But no worries, it’s simpler than you think ;)
To get started planning out your content, you must determine what your content pillars and topics are. Content pillars (or buckets as some call them) are overall themes that create the foundation for your content.
For professionals or businesses in the home industry, there are a number of content pillars that could fit your brand! Here’s some examples:
A realtor could focus on themes like seller tips, personal achievements (new listings, closings, etc.), and community events
Interior Designer pillars could bee behind-the-scenes content, favorite brands/products, and finished projects
Architects could have themes such as project updates, day-in the-life, and industry news
By having these content pillars (or themes), it makes it easy to have an idea of what you’ll be posting each day. To come up with your own, consider these 4 things:
Business Goals
As always, it’s important to make sure your goals on social media align with your actual business objectives. For example, imagine your business objective was to increase sales. To turn this into a goal for social media, you might aim to focus your content on your products/services and how they can solve your audience’s pain points.
Target Audience
Nothing is worse than having a huge following that doesn’t lead to conversions. This is why you need to focus on your target audience and what their pain points are so you can be sure you’re attracting the right people.
Analytics
If you’ve been on socials for some time, you’ll have some idea from your analytics tools about what types of content is working, and what isn’t. The idea is to review and adapt. If you see something isn’t working, try something new, and vice versa.
Brand Purpose
Last but not least, your brand purpose is a huge part of considering what you content pillars will be. Remaining consistent across platforms helps build a sense of credibility in your brand and encourages trust from your audience. To do this, make sure your social media efforts stay in line with your brand’s mission, values, and identity.
The next part of planning your content is actually scheduling it out on your calendar. This is where it can be a bit chaotic, and I definitely recommend using a scheduling tool of some sorts. I personally use Notion for everything management and processes, however tools like Asana, Later, Hootsuite, etc. all get the job done just as well :)
If you're interested in my Notion Content Calendar, check out the link to the template here.
The goal is to take your content pillars and add them to your calendar, taking into account any events, holidays, etc. tat might be going on that month. Next, you’ll add your topic for each day that fits in with your content pillar. Feel free to jot down any notes or ideas you have so as not to forget later.
P.S. I sometimes even find content ideas from instagram to play off of and add a link to it in my notes!
The last step in the planning phase is to plan your grid. For more visual people, this is extremely helpful in determining how your content will look once posted. Once you have a visual, you might realize you have too much of one topic, topics might be too close together, etc. As helpful as this might be for some, for others it might not. So do what works for you!
Step 3 - Write
Here’s one of the less glamorous parts of getting content planned and scheduled (at least to me): Writing. And as much as we don’t want it to be, it’s actually really important to make sure your writing is effective.
To get started, I always look at my content board. Same as saving instagram posts as potential visual content ideas, I also keep a board designated to ideas on content topics. It looks like this:
Not so glamorous, but it gets the job done at being a home for me to dump my topic ideas into. Anytime I have an idea, my audience reveals a new pain point to me, or a I see something that inspires me, I write it down to use at a later date.
Then, I get started writing my captions. Like I mentioned earlier, this is an extremely important piece of your content, and there’s some key things you need to think about while you’re writing.
Add Value
Not only do things like trending videos and sounds matter, but pain points do as well. Knowing what your audience is struggling with and helping provide the solution will gain their interest and keep them coming back for more valuable information.
Make the First Line Count
Part of getting your audience to view your content is getting them to stop amidst their endless scroll. And how do we do this? With a hook! But not just an ordinary hook. On socials, the first line is the most important. This is because after that, the caption has to be extended. That’s why it’s important to create a hook that’s short and to the point, but still catches your audience’s attention.
Write Like a Human
In the world of AI, it’s getting easier and easier for the internet (and humans) to tell the difference between something written by a human vs. a robot. Anything too scripted or overly-promotional is a turn-off for your audience. To avoid this, try writing like your true authentic self, how you would speak to a friend.
Include a CTA
To up the chances of your content being engaging and shareable, include a CTA or a question that encourages your audience to interact. Bonus points if you include a link in bio that allows them to take thee desired action.
Use Hashtags
Hashtags can be used to increase your content’s visibility on socials. By including hashtags relevant to your content in your captions, you’re making it easier for users interested in different themes or topics to find you.
By keeping these points in mind while you write, you set yourself up for SEO success!
Step 4 - Create
Now it’s time for what I deem as the fun part ;) Creating and gathering visuals for your content is the best part, if you ask me, because of the unique and creative touch you get to put on each piece.
There are a number of different types of visuals you can use as a business in the home industry. Here’s the different types:
Product/Service Visuals
These are some of the easiest visuals to come up with in the home industry. This can include photos of homes you have listed if you’re a realtor, or pictures of a site visit if you’re an architect. Anything in your everyday life you find interesting or relevant, take a snap! You never know when those photos will come in handy ;)
Branded Photoshoots
These types of visuals require a bit more preparation, but can be used time and time again for different types of content. Branded photoshoots should embody the vibe of your business. Whether it’s fun and personable, or serious and professional, get into it!
Graphics
This is a type of visual that works great with larger value-add posts. For example, realtors could use graphics to share market updates, that way they have the caption to add their personal insights on the information. Or, for interior designers, you might share product collages that show your style skills so that you can utilize your caption to explain why these products work well together.
There are a number of options to choose from in each type of visual, it’s up to you to choose what you think fits best for each piece of content! Don’t be afraid to get creative, that’s what it’s all about ;)
P.S. If you struggle with creating graphics for your brand and are looking for a little assistance, click the link below to stay tuned on when my Canva Course for the Home Industry comes out :)
Step 5 - Schedule
This is the home stretch! Now that everything is planned out and ready to go, it’s time to get it all scheduled.
I use Meta Business Suite to schedule all of my content, as my only two platforms I use are Facebook and Instagram. However, you’ll want to utilize a platform that works best for you and the platforms that you’re on.
Platforms like Later and SproutSocial are also great platforms that make planning and scheduling content a breeze, and also gives you much more in-depth insights at your content, your competitors, and what’s trending.
As you schedule your content, you may find some pieces need to be tweaked according to platform, due to outside conflicts, etc. And that’s okay! Just because it’s already scheduled doesn’t mean it’s permanent. Remember, you can tweak as you go ;)
Now that you’ve officially finished your content planning, you can st back and focus on the more important things for your business. Just remember these key things to keep up with even though your content is automated:
Engagement & Community Building
Make sure as your content is going live that you’re keeping up with your audience. Regularly interacting on socials by responding to comments, messages, and mentions builds community in your brand.
Analytics & Measurement
Keep up with your social media performance across the platforms you’re on. Tracking metrics like engagement rates, reach, clicks, conversions, and follower growth will help you understand what types of content is working and which isn’t. Once you figure out what works, adapt.
This method of content planning will help save you time and resources on your social media efforts for your home industry business, and will make staying consistent a breeze.
If you’re looking for more tips and resources on marketing for your home industry business, click the link below and sign up for our newsletter!
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