Content creation can be time-consuming and overwhelming. You have to think about what to say, create graphics, audio or video, write the content, promote it, and engage with your audience—and then do it all over again. When really all you want to do is get more business for your offering! In today’s Tech News Tuesday episode we’re talking about how to save time in your digital marketing efforts while still getting results.
One of the biggest obstacles to getting a return on your marketing efforts that we hear from our clients is finding the time to do this stuff. Today we’re going to give you our top five strategies for saving time while still getting results for your efforts.
Separate Your Planning and Execution
Don’t try to think of what to create when you start that social post or email marketing message. Develop a well-thought out plan first, then create the content. So how do you create a plan?
- Think about who you are trying to attract. All of your marketing should be geared to what this person needs and wants.
- What seasonal or other events are happening in your business? For example, you might have a new product coming or you know that back to school is a big driver for your business.
- Decide how often you are going to post and on what platforms. You may blog one time per month and do email marketing two times per month.
- Plan out topics for each month that align with your business goals, ideal client, and the seasonal items you’ve identified. See if you can plan out your content three months at a time.
- When it comes time to execute, you will know what to do. If someone on your staff or an outside resource will do this for you, you will know what to tell them to do.
Batch Out Your Content
The planning, the writing, social media graphics, creating your emails and posts can all be batched. Task-switching takes a lot of time so grouping similar tasks together in batches saves you time. Create templates for everything so that you create a consistent brand image and make content creation quicker.
For example, if you do a weekly email, write them all for each month at one time, then schedule them for the same day and time each week.
Take advantage of the scheduling features of the tools you are using – whether it is blog posts, emails or social media. There are built in scheduling tools as well as there are some third-party platforms like Buffer or Later that make it really easy.
Reuse Your Content
You have content! As you talk to your customers and prospects, you provide, answer their questions, tell them stories. That is the same content that your prospective customers are looking for! Maybe you’ve created some guides or processes for your clients or to send to people who want to do business with you. Why not make this same content available to your wider audience? Content creation doesn’t have to be hard when you are repurposing what you are already doing on a day-to-day basis.
You can also reuse your content across multiple channels. Stop treating your website, email marketing, and social media as independent silos. That one blog post per month you’re going to write can be content for one of your newsletters and snippets for multiple social media posts! Videos or podcasts you record can be added to YouTube, your podcast platform, and your website. They can also be the focus of an email and uploaded directly in whole or part to various social media platforms.
And don’t forget about that great article you wrote in 2017. Is it still current? Update it so your audience knows it is still valid and relevant to their concerns. When was the last time you posted it on social media? If you don’t have a library of content, now is the time to start building one.
Focus on Quality Over Quantity
It’s not about how much you create, but that you create the right content for the right people. Knowing your audience and their problems and desires helps you identify the content that will bring them to you naturally. Instead of random acts of marketing, focus on strategic content that is core to your business, but not currently part of your online presence.
Review your current content and website and remove anything that is outdated, missing, or what is not central to the business you want. Identify what’s missing and add that to your content plan.
Get it On a Calendar
It’s important that you find time to spend working on your business and not just in your business. Schedule a couple of time slots a month to just work on marketing and have set dates when your content will be published. A blog the second Thursday of every month, and an email the first and third Wednesday of the month, for example.
Content creation doesn’t have to be an overwhelming task. Get into the marketing habit with repeatable processes and templates for creating your content while using what you already are creating. Stick to the schedule and the appointments you set for yourself. Time and time again we find that it is consistency that builds traction that leads to more clients, better leads and more revenue.
If you want to learn more, get our guide What to Post When You Don’t Know What to Post.
Links in this episode: How To Find The Right Social Media Marketing Mix
