Create an epic content strategy for your online business

Create an Epic Content Strategy Plan for Your Online Business

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Written By: Michaela

Content creation is never ending when you are running an online business. You have your website, your blog posts, your social media posts, keeping up with facebook groups, ect. The point is unless you have a plan creating this much content it is unsustainable and you will most likely burn out.

So how can you create an epic content strategy plan for your online business so that you can create, create, create and never get burnt out? How would it be if your content creation plan made MORE time for you instead of less?

Content Strategy

Do you have a solid content creation plan in place? Do you wait to start writing your blog posts until it is time for the post to go live? Then friend you need a strategy! Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to get started with a plan that will allow you to create content consistently and quickly.

What am I trying to accomplish?
Who am I trying to attract with my content?
What problems am I trying to solve?
What do I really love talking & writing about?

Once you have your goals and your why figured out start evaluating what is working and what isn’t working in your strategy. Change things that aren’t working for you or producing results and celebrate the things that are.

Never Run Out of Content Ideas

It is incredibly difficult to be a content creation machine unless you have a plan for coming up with killer post ideas. Generate a never-ending list of ideas with a few simple steps.

BRAIN DUMP. Start by writing everything that is in your head down. Get it all out. Don’t worry if it isn’t business related just get it all out.
START A LIST. Ask yourself what you like to write about? Take it further by writing out the answers to some additional questions like:
- What do my readers/followers want to know before or after this bit of info.
- What topics are related to this topic?
- Look at other articles in the industry and ask if you have anything you can add on the subject.
ORGANIZE. Take your list and organize it into categories. Look for trends and overarching patterns to your ideas. These lend themselves to create more ideas and blog or e-course series content.
LET IT GO. Ditch the ideas that aren’t fun and effortless to write about it’s ok to let some stuff go to get to the good stuff.

I keep my running list of content ideas in my Evernote so I can quickly add any new ideas when inspiration hits rather than trying to remember later or starting a new list every time I have an idea because I can’t find my notebook or paper with the latest ideas.

Stretch Your Content Further

A huge mistake I made when first starting to create content felt like every platform needed to be different. Each post needed to be a complete whole picture of whatever it was I was trying to share and that once the content was out there I couldn’t use it again anywhere else. I working incredibly hard just to create content for my business.

Here are 3 ideas to stretch the content of one blog post into a whole week’s worth of content.

Pull out the key ideas and create separate social media tip posts on Twitter
Create a mini post from the key ideas and post to your Facebook page
Expand the post and create an email newsletter series

DON’T be afraid to post the same content in different places because your followers will not always see all your content on every platform. And if they do they won’t care because they love the information you are sharing.
DO rewrite the post in the style of the platform that you are publishing to.

Consistency

I’ve chosen to write content for the following week on Wednesday the week before. This gives me time to write the content, then edit it and create visuals even if I get pinched for time. Through a lot of trial and error, I’ve found it is what works best for me. That way I’m prepared for the following week before the weekend and can let my brain recharge for a couple of days before diving back into client work.

Once you get yourself into a routine content creation will become easier over time as you turn it into a habit. No longer will you struggle to sit down and write or put it off until the last minute.

When you start your new routine sit down for your routine do what feels right. Do not force yourself to sit staring at your computer because it will just frustrate you more. Set a timer on your phone for 25 minutes and start writing about your blog topic or social media post topic. Don’t censor yourself just write get it all out and then at the end of the 25 minutes go back and edit. Organize the post and fill in any missing points.
Give yourself plenty of lead time to create your content so you have time to schedule your posts consistently. Posting consistently & on consistent topics builds trust between you and potential clients. It also helps people know what to expect from you.

Create an Editorial Calendar

4 Benefits of an editorial calendar:<

Plan Ahead. You’ll be able to plan your content around holidays or things that are important to your ideal clients.
Brainstorm. You can quickly brainstorm huge chunks of content at once rather than trying to come up with new ideas as you need them.
Consistency. Having your plan in place allows you to create the content ahead of time and stay on schedule rather than trying to write the night before.
Reduce your stress. Planning always will reduce your stress because you don’t have to force yourself to work under pressure or risk missing a deadline.

I always benefit from seeing everything laid out in front of me especially when it comes time to post and I can just quickly glance at my calendars to know exactly when something should be scheduled.