Using social media to market your business is a no-brainer.
Platforms like Instagram and LinkedIn are free, effective and easy to use but (and it’s a big but) coming up with fresh, engaging and persuasive content can be an uphill struggle for busy business owners.
Regular posting is vital to social media success but how can you be consistent without becoming overwhelmed, neglecting other areas of your business or burning out?
Here are 3 tips to help you write stress-free social media posts.
Tip 1: Focus on your audience
Think about where your ideal clients are hanging out. Is it Facebook or Twitter? Wherever they are, you need to be there too, so choose one or two platforms that you can be consistent on. Don’t attempt to post on every platform as it’s hugely time-consuming (and virtually impossible) to do well.
Be specific about who you’re talking to and don’t try to appeal to everyone. If you’re not sure what your audience wants or needs then ask them.
Use conversational language to engage with your followers and write in a tone of voice that is authentic to you and your brand. If you’re naturally funny and friendly then don’t write in a stuffy or formal style, for example.
To convert a follower into a buyer you should aim to tell a story, take them on a journey and make a connection by showing your brand personality and values. Make your posts easy and quick to read by using short sentences, short paragraphs and emojis to break up your copy.
And use the AIDA method to structure your captions:
Attention – your hook, use the first line to compel them to read on
Interest – get them interested with your next sentence
Desire – write to address their desires and how they want to feel
Action – get them to take action, ask a question to prompt a response or direct them to your blog
Tip 2: Get organised
Posting on social media without a plan is a recipe for failure but – thank goodness – there’s a simple way to take the headache out of what to post, save valuable time and reduce stress.
Let me introduce you to the content calendar.
A social media content calendar doesn’t need to be fancy – a simple spreadsheet with the days of the month and the social media platforms you want to post to will do the trick.
Decide how often you want to post and don’t feel you have to show up every day. Post three times a week on the grid, four times a week in stories and take weekends off if you want to. Decide how many times a week you can post and stick to it.
Brainstorm content ideas straight into your calendar weeks before you need to post to get ahead, banish overwhelm and avoid irregular or panic posting. Think about what you want your content to achieve, what your audience wants to know and set content pillars that align with your business goals.
Here are four examples of content pillars that you can tailor to your business: Educate – share tips, tricks, how-tos, expertise or bust myths. Inform and educate your audience and show off your knowledge. Build relationships and loyalty and encourage sharing of your content. Promote – share client feedback in a testimonial, review or case study, answer frequently asked questions or promote your products or services. Showcase your strengths.
Connect – share a funny story or something that didn’t go to plan, an introduction or a reintroduction post, behind the scenes, Q&A or ask for your audience’s opinion. Make a connection.
Inspire – tell a story of how you overcame a difficult situation or share an inspirational quote and explain what it means to you to inspire your audience.
Once you’ve set your content pillars, create a variety of content to achieve those aims – focusing on helpful content rather than promotional posts. Create your content in batches to stay focused and achieve more in the time you have.
Consistently post quality, engaging content week in, week out and your audience will think of you when they need your product or service.
Tip 3: Plan ahead
When life gets busy, a social media scheduling tool is your best friend.
Upload your captions, images or Canva graphics straight into a tool like Later, Planoly or Hootsuite to schedule and publish your posts automatically to any platform whenever you want.
Pre-schedule posts regularly to create a consistent flow of helpful content that your followers look forward to. Try to be online before and after you post (as often as possible) to engage with your audience.
To save more time, create evergreen content that can be planned into your content calendar whenever you’re too busy to create new posts. This type of timeless content can be posted and repurposed again and again.
Create a content ideas folder in Instagram or Facebook (or in your smartphone’s notes) where you can save posts or ideas that inspire you to create valuable content for your audience and refer to it when you create your content calendar.
Have a library of brand images to hand that you can dip into whenever you need them. If you can’t invest in professional photography, ask a friend (or use a tripod, your smartphone and a remote control) to take photographs of yourself, your products or services and your workplace. You’ll be amazed how much time you save by having quality brand images at your fingertips when you create your content.
Over to you
If you focus on your audience, get organised and plan ahead it’s easy to get the most out of social media without the stress.
If you’d like my help to create a social media content calendar or you need guidance on writing for social media, get in touch. I’d love to help.
Further reading
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