How to create your content
If you love creating stuff, this is probably the funnest part of content marketing (yes, funnest isn’t technically a word but sometimes you just have to break the rules).
Before you get to the fun though, make sure you’ve got your content strategy and content plan in place. If you haven’t done that yet, check out our previous articles on Creating Your Content Strategically and Building Your Content Plan.
Now, let's get started
The most important thing
When it comes to how to create your content, the most important thing you need to do is allocate time and commit to it. Whether that be once a day, week or month, make sure you have the time blocked out in your calendar regularly. And commit to it.
Personally, I have Sunday afternoon’s blocked out – it works for me. A weekday might work for you. Monthly might work for you – or even daily. The key is to find out what works for you and set aside that time to create. Weekly works for me because I’ve planned the topics three months ahead. So, I know what content I’m going to create each week and I sit down and just do it.
I have a client who creates their content quarterly. They spend a weekend doing it. Then they’re set for the next quarter.
The point is, there is no hard and fast rule; work out what works for you and block that time out to get creating.
Create a process
Yes, a process really doesn’t sound like the funnest thing in the world. However it certainly speeds up how much time you can spend creating your content – especially if you suffer from “ooh, shiny thing” syndrome (like me).
It’s the creating part that I find the funnest and shiniest when producing content.
Having a process means that my brain gets focused on the funnest and shiniest things and the creative juices flow.
Here’s a process I follow to create a blog, that then get’s turned into social media posts and included in the Starfish Marketing monthly newsletter, Mission Starfish (sign up for it here).
Step 1 – “Write your blog”
- 1Refer to your content plan to see what topic/s you will be “writing” about.
- 2Think about the topic and write down three to six bullet points that you want to discuss in your content.
- 3Use a transcribing app and talk on each of those bullet points. I simply use the voice-to-text option on my phone and record onto notes. I’m assuming that you are comfortable talking about your chosen topics, so you won't really need a script. You know your stuff, so simply start talking about those topics. Hint: talk like you’re explaining the topic to a friend.You may be more comfortable simply writing and expanding on your bullet points. If this works for you, then get writing and create your content that way.It's even better if you feel comfortable videoing yourself talking on your topics. More and more people are watching and engaging with video online, refer to one of our early blogs on Five Reasons to Use Video In Your Marketing. Video is definitely the way to go if you can.
- 4Finesse your final transcription. Add an introduction, headings, summary and call to action.
- 5Source images that align with the content of your blog and pepper them throughout your blog content.
- 6Then, when you’re happy with the content and the images, add it all to your website (I’m assuming you have a blog page). You should be able to publish immediately or schedule your blog to publish at a later date.
By recording – whether by voice, video or writing – you can have fun and let your creative juices flow. And it doesn’t matter if you stuff up, or get distracted by shiny things because you can finesse your content before you publish it.
Step 2 – Turn your blog into social media
- 1Refer back to your content plan to see what social media platforms you want to share your content on.
- 2Check what are your main ideas and main points you are highlighting in your blog. Your original bullet points should help with this, or the headings you have used in your blog.
- 3Turn those main ideas and points into stand-alone social media posts for your various platforms. Don’t forget you can use the images in your blog for your social media for consistency. Hint: For social media like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn etc Canva is a great resource.
- 4Schedule your posts for the next week, month etc. There are a number of great social media marketing management and analytics tools available out there. These can help you schedule your posts, track engagement and (importantly) measure your results. Examples include Hootsuite, Buffer, Later, and MeetEdgar.I use a mix of tools: MissingLettr to convert blog content into, up to, 12 months of social media posts across LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Later for more tailored Instagram and Facebook posts. And simply Facebook scheduling for standalone, non-blog related posts.Remember – you don’t need to schedule a post for every day if your content is of value and engaging. If you’re unsure about how to maximise your social media, here’s seven steps that may help.
Step 3 – Add your blog to your newsletter
The final step in my process is to add the blog to the Starfish Marketing monthly newsletter. We use MailChimp and set up an introduction to the topic in the newsletter and a link button through to website.
In the first week of each month, our newsletter goes out with all the previous month’s blog content.
Why include the blog content in our newsletter? Because not all of our audience checks our blog or sees our social media. So, this way, they're not missing out.
Try it
So, that’s my three-step process to creating content. Give it a go and see if it works for you. You may find a different process that works for you. The important thing is to find out what works, commit and dedicate the time to that process and get creative. Oh, and make sure you’re having fun while you’re creating – sometimes those shiny things can be very inspiring!
Remember
When creating your content, remember that you don't really need to post content every day. If your content is of value, one blog a week, about three social media posts a week and a newsletter is enough for a month’s worth of content.
And, you could probably get away with one blog a month if it is jam packed full of valuable information that you can turn into a month’s worth of social media.
Maximise your time, get your week, month, quarter content created and scheduled. And then relax, knowing your marketing is happening.
Creating your content can be challenging.
If you are not comfortable creating your own content, there are plenty of marketers who do this every day of the week as a paid service
(shameless self-plug – Starfish Marketing for instance).
Think about the time it takes you to create content. Would you be better spending your time on the core aspect of your business? Perhaps you might be better off outsourcing your social media content creation.
If this is the case, book in for a no-obligation chat to see if we can provide a solution that suits you.
