So I have been spending hours writing blogs and social media posts. The response? Crickets. CRICKETS, PEOPLE. As in one lonely cricket doing his cricket golf clap in the back of my studio. Throwing cricket shade. Probably eating my emergency trail mix stash when I am not paying attention. I bet he’s the one that keeps hiding the bathroom key too.
I definitely haven’t hit the sweet spot with content development. My initial WanderWeb mission was to help women who are where I was before leaving a stable career unhappy and unwell. Following a path that looked amazing on paper but killing my spirit.
But.
I’ve discovered the customer who I wanted to help so very much isn’t ready for business strategy and web development. Doesn’t even want it. I’m just noise to them. They are at the therapy/life coach stage. I’m not what they need, and I wouldn’t be true to myself if I tried to be. So, in the immortal words of Ross Geller, “PIVOT!!!!”.
the WanderWeb’s ideal client is a busy business owner who is ready to take their business to the next level.
And I know you really well.
You are rocking it with day to day operations. You need to update your business’s digital presence, but more urgent priorities keep you from getting to it. You know you need to take it to the next level but haven’t had a chance to sit down and cut through all the noise to figure out the best way to move forward. You have goals and don’t want to be taken advantage of. And it’s worth it to you for us to free you up to do what they do best- run your business. We’re here for you.
So, over the next few months, I’ll be redefining what content I put forward. And improving efficiency (this makes my geeky heart beat faster). I’ll be providing content that you will be useful in your day to day operations. And also highlight how we can be of service to you.
Right now, the plan is to improve the timesuck that is content creation by batching content in a way that allows efficient use of time. I’ll be looking into automating some processes. I’ll be bringing on some WanderTeam members to help support you better. It’s a super exciting time, and I’ll keep you in the loop along the way. It will be educational at best, humorous at worst.
So, here’s my plan for streamlining content creation. I’m a fan of Amy Porterfield’s podcast Online Marketing Made Easy. As a process improvement specialist, I am all about getting the best result in the most efficient way possible, and Amy rocks it. Here are her steps for saving time by batching your content. Amy suggests setting two hours aside and provided five ways to come up with topic ideas next three month’s blog, vlog, newsletter, and social media content.
Here’s five easy steps to batching your content:
10-minutes: Brain dump topic ideas- throw your perfectionist flag out the window. Don’t edit, worry about grammar, or how messy your document is. Answer: What questions I am asked at networking events? What content would excite or interest my ideal customer? What content do they need right now? How can I support my perfect client in moving in the direction they want to go?
20 minutes: Survey your audience by asking them what they want to learn about (2-5 short questions that will help you uncover topic ideas). Use open-ended questions because your audience’s words could be useful in copy or titles. Or, provide a list of topics and have them pick their top three favorites. If you have a small audience (mine is!), check out a blog or page similar to yours but with a broader audience. See what is resonating with their audience. Alternatively, use social media or blog comments as topics for inspiration.
15 minutes: Review upcoming holidays and activities that will be taking place to select themes for your content. Themes may include Holidays from National Donut Day to Halloween. Alternatively, you could theme for a month using topics to ramp up to an upcoming product. If you decide on a theme, do a brain dump based on the theme.
30 minutes: Review your past content to see what really resonated with your audience. Look at likes and comments. Create content, or even a series of content, around that.
30 minutes: Google it. Type in something your ideal customer would be searching for on Google. Take a look at the top search results- the most searched or clicked on will come up first. Use these topics to create content unique to you. Also, scroll to the bottom of the page and take a look at the “People always ask” area. Use these searches for topics or even content titles. At the very bottom, you will see the “Searches related to” area. This will give you even more topic ideas. Thanks, Google!
Then schedule time over two separate days to batch create and schedule your content for the next three months.
Keep a running list of topics on your phone notes app or a Google Doc. When it’s time for your next content planning session, refer to your running list.
Right now, my process is messy. I write ideas down right when I think of them so I don’t lose them (points to me) and keep an e-mail file of content that I could use for inspiration. I’ve already made this a habit. Now I just need to do something with them.
Wish me luck. And stand by to be dazzled.
