by Anne Clark | Jul 6, 2024 | Digital Marketing, Online Business Manager, Social Media
Understanding content creation is crucial for businesses aiming to build their brand and engage with their audience. However, the demands of running a business often leave little time for consistently producing engaging material. This article is designed to help you optimise your content creation process across multiple platforms effectively. It delves into strategies, tools, and workflows to streamline your approach.
Strategies for Effective Content Creation
Producing content efficiently requires a systematic approach. Here’s how to do it effectively:
- Batch Content Creation: Allocate dedicated time slots to create multiple pieces of content simultaneously. This focused approach enhances productivity and efficiency.
- Outline for Clarity: Use outlines to organise your thoughts and ensure clear and coherent presentations or writing that are easy to follow.
- Utilise Templates: Employ pre-designed templates for blog posts, social media updates, and videos to maintain consistency, save time, and enhance visual appeal.
- Break it Down: Simplify complex topics into digestible chunks to cater to a broader audience with varying attention spans.
- User-Generated Content: Encourage audience participation and repurpose user-generated content to foster community engagement and reduce the burden of content creation.
Tools & Apps for Streamlining Workflows
Discover essential tools and platforms to simplify your content creation process:
- Canva: Easily create stunning graphics and visual content using Canva’s intuitive design templates and editing tools.
- Buffer: Manage and schedule social media posts across multiple platforms from a single dashboard, streamlining your content distribution strategy.
- Grammarly: Enhance the quality of your written content with real-time grammar and spell-check tools, ensuring accuracy and professionalism.
- Headliner: Transform audio clips into engaging video content with added images and animations, perfect for social media sharing.
- Trello: Organise content ideas, schedules, and collaborations using Trello’s visual project management features to maintain a structured and efficient workflow.
Repurposing Content Across Platforms
Learn effective strategies to extend the reach and lifespan of your content:
- Slide Decks: Convert podcast episodes or blog posts into visually compelling slide presentations for platforms like LinkedIn or SlideShare.
- Snippet Extraction: Extract key quotes, facts, or insights from longer content pieces to create engaging social media posts, email newsletters, or blog excerpts.
- Video to Written Content: Transcribe video content into textual blog posts or articles to enhance SEO and appeal to diverse audience preferences.
- Podcast Highlights: Create short audio snippets paired with striking visuals for impactful social media posts.
- Content Refresh: Regularly update and refresh older content with fresh information, trends, or insights to maintain relevance and attract new readers.
Crafting Your Content Strategy
Wrap up with practical tips on integrating these strategies into a cohesive content strategy aligned with your business goals. Emphasise the importance of audience engagement, consistency, and high-quality content to drive growth and enhance brand visibility.
For time-strapped business owners implementing these strategies and leveraging recommended tools, optimising content creation processes, saving time, and increasing impact across digital channels becomes achievable. This comprehensive ebook equips entrepreneurs with the tools and strategies necessary to maximise their business potential in today’s competitive digital marketplace.
by Anne Clark | Jun 20, 2022 | Business, How To, Social Media
Log into your Canva account, if you haven’t got one, you can set up one up here.
Step 1.
Log into your Canva account
Step 2.
Create a new image (make it the size you need)
Step 3.
Add your content to the first 1 to 5 posts (depending on what you’re repeating)
Step 4.
Once you’ve created your posts, go into Grid View (you will find this icon at the bottom left-hand corner of your Canva desktop screen)
Step 5.
Copy your first set of slides, and paste them in at least 4 times.
Step 6.
Click into Slide 1 again. Choose the page animation button, choose the type of amination you want to use,
Reduce the animation time down to 5 seconds. Apply to all slides.
Step 7.
Go to your Share button (top right-hand corner)
Step 8.
Click on the Download button
Step 9.
Change the file type to gif and then click download.
You have now created your gif file, if you need to make adjustments, simply go back into your Canva file and make any necessary adjustments you want.
by Anne Clark | Jul 31, 2020 | Mailchimp, Social Media, Virtual Assistant
Using the services of a Virtual Assistant is a great way to focus on what you love. You know, as business owners, how quick your day can fly by and you just never seem to have enough time. You find yourself spending so much time doing things for your clients, that you don’t seem to have time to focus on business development.
Working with a Virtual Assistant enables you to get back your time and have the confidence in knowing your various administration tasks/projects are being taken care off, whilst you do the things you love.
Here are some common tasks a virtual assistant can help you get started with. It is important to know that not all virtual assistants offer the same services, so don’t limit yourself to thinking you have to have just 1 virtual assistant.
DAY TO DAY FUNCTIONS:
Assisting you with your ‘To Do’ list.
Preparing correspondence.
Co-ordinate mail outs, both hardcopy or electronic.
Create business forms, templates and ensuring branding is consistent.
Create your stationery requirements such as letterheads, business cards, with compliment slips, flyers and brochures.
Be your sounding board for new ideas, events, products or services.
Managing your emails.
Assist with streamlining your office systems to keep you on track, organised and efficient.
YOUR WEBSITE:
Upload your blogs onto your website.
Source free images for blogs, or create original artwork.
Create pages, graphics and ‘call to action’ buttons.
Manage members.
Source guest bloggers.
YOUR BLOG:
Write your content.
Source or create accompany images.
Upload to your website and add in SEO components.
YOUR CUSTOMERS:
Attend to your customer emails.
Set up ‘canned’ responses for frequently asked questions.
Prepare an online ‘Client Questionnaire’ and review the returned results.
Undertake online research.
MailChimp e-Newsletters | Set up a template, import your list of contacts and create/compile your weekly/monthly/quarterly e-Newsletters.
Manage AWeber and Wishlist memberships, and creating newsletters.
SPECIAL EVENTS:
Create invitations
Promote your special event, workshops & events.
Collate RSVPs
Setting up online ticket buying – Eventbrite / TryBooking
Coordinate with venues, suppliers on your behalf.
Preparing documentation and presentations for event.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Create your editorial calendar of content for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Google+.
Create original branded graphics for your business.
Search for avenues to increase your followers and audience interaction.
Monitor your page and attend to any business private messages.
Create Facebook Ad campaigns.
AND MORE:
Create a PowerPoint presentation.
Create an Excel spreadsheet for a mail-merge mail-out, reports, budgets, etc.
Create and format Manuals and Workbooks.
Format your e-book.
My role is to make your life as stress-free and efficient as possible.
Ready to explore more, contact me today.
by Anne Clark | Jul 30, 2020 | Business, Social Media, Virtual Assistant
One of the most common headaches business owners face is what kind of content to share on social media. Or they are simply finding themselves stress because they’re putting pressure on themselves to come up with new content all the time.
Headache be gone!
When it comes to content, we fail ourselves as business owners. Why? Because we are currently spending 80% of our time creating new content, but only 20% sharing our content. We should be spending 20% creating and 80% sharing (and re-sharing) content.
Here are 5 ways you can utilise previous content you’ve created for your social media.
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Previous content/posts
Keep copies of content and images from previous post and don’t be afraid to reuse them. Very rarely do people go through a business’ content from 2 years ago, therefore if it’s still relevant re-use it. Even content from 6 months ago is reusable, or last week. If you have a series of images you use for people to sign up to your mailing list, then re-use it at least once a week, and more if you’re posting more than once a day.
-
Blog content
Most blogs should have a call to action, which could be signing up to newsletters, booking in discovery calls, purchasing a product etc. Re-share your blogs, especially if relevant. Take snippets of the blog content or write an intro and add a call to action, such as click on the link for more, or you could share the whole blog. If you’re blog was an article of tips, just like this one, copy a tip and tell readers to click on the link for the more tips. Use different images for social media to re-share old blogs (if you’re not comfortable using the same image).
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Expertise Categories
In business, we all have niche areas, and under our niches are categories we specialise in. For example: in my coaching business, I am a coach who specialises in intuition, alignment, boundaries, balance and boundaries. Therefore, I would share content around those 5 areas. As a virtual assistant, I specialise in social media, newsletters, blogging, productivity/systems and online management. Again, I would share expertise content around these areas.
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Testimonials / Feedback
Feedback sells, often when someone is searching for a new product or service, they check out what others have said about it. You might have testimonials on your website, in emails or have had awesome comments on your social media platform, use these to share with your audience. Feedback on your service are big sellers.
-
Hints of things to come
Entice your audience with some of the projects you’re working on, or perhaps the blog you’re writing about this week. Tease them with what is to come. Perhaps if you’re making a new product take a snippet image of it and ask them what they think it is.
It is okay to share and re-share your content. Don’t be afraid to do so.
If you’re making a branded quote for the week’s content, then why not make a whole heap of them for the next couple of weeks or months and save yourself time and effort. This is BULK acting.
Don’t be afraid to pre-plan your content, and then if additional items come up add them in. By pre-planning and scheduling your content it enables you not to feel so panicked that you haven’t posted anything or having come up with content.
If you’re struggling to create the time to manage your social media, then let’s chat about how I can help you manage this. Contact me today.
by Anne Clark | Mar 12, 2020 | Business, How To, Social Media
Creating Facebook lives or videos in a private Facebook group, however you want to repurpose it for elsewhere. Here are some instructions on how to download videos from closed Facebook groups.
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by Anne Clark | Aug 27, 2019 | Business, Social Media
Coming up with content for your social media can feel frustrating, but here are 5 content sources you can utilise to build your social media content.
One of the biggest failing you do in business is spending more time creating than sharing. You should be spending 20% creating and 80% sharing (and re-sharing) content. This is what all the great digital marketers and entrepreneurs are constantly saying.
Here are 5 ways you can utilise previous content you’ve created for your social media.
Previous content/posts
Keep copies of content and images from previous post and don’t be afraid to reuse them. Very rarely do people go through a business’ content from 2 years ago, therefore if it’s still relevant re-use it. Even content from 6 months ago is reusable, or last week. If you have a series of images you use for people to sign up to your mailing list, then re-use it at least once a week, and more if you’re posting more than once a day.
Blog content
Most blogs should have a call to action, which could be signing up to newsletters, booking in discovery calls, purchasing a product etc. Re-share your blogs, if relevant. Take snippets of the blog content or write an intro and add a call to action, such as click on the link for more, or you could share the whole blog. If you’re blog was an article of tips, just like this one, copy a tip and tell readers to click on the link for the more tips. Use different images for social media to re-share old blogs (if you’re not comfortable using the same image).
Expertise Categories
In business, we all have niche areas, and under our niches are categories we specialise in. For example: in my coaching business, I am a coach who specialises in intuition, alignment, boundaries, balance and boundaries. Therefore, I would share content around those 5 areas. As a project manager, I specialise in social media, newsletters, blogging, productivity/systems and online management. Again, I would share expertise content around these areas.
Testimonials / Feedback
Feedback sells, often when someone is searching for a new product or service, they check out what others have said about it. You might have testimonials on your website, in emails or have had awesome comments on your social media platform, use these to share with your audience. Feedback on your service are big sellers.
Hints of things to come
Entice your audience with some of the projects you’re working on, or perhaps the blog you’re writing about this week. Tease them with what is to come. Perhaps if you’re making a new product take a snippet image of it and ask them what they think it is.
It is okay to share and re-share your content. Don’t be afraid to do so.
If you’re making a branded quote for the week’s content, then why not make a whole heap of them for the next couple of weeks or months and save yourself time and effort. This is BULK acting.
Don’t be afraid to pre-plan your content, and then if additional items come up add them in. By pre-planning and scheduling your content it enables you not to feel so panicked that you haven’t posted anything or having come up with content.
If you’re struggling to create the time to manage your social media, then let’s chat about how I can help you manage this. Contact me today.
