So, you probably KNOW that you should be planning your social media content.  I’m not breaking any new ground here. 

However, like any good habit, it is hard to get started. 

So how can we make it part of our schedule to plan our social media content? First, let’s talk about why we should so we can get motivated. Then, I’ll share how I do it. 

Content Planning and Cannelloni

I love cannelloni and I don’t want to brag, but I make a pretty decent cannelloni. 

I don’t make it often because it’s time-consuming. There’s getting all the ingredients together, making the filling, stuffing the noodles, doing the sauce, etc. 

Could you imagine if I got everything together, made the filling, stuffed one noodle, threw the rest out and then did the same thing the next day? That would be ridiculous and wasteful. 

But that’s what we do when we do our content on the fly. We get ourselves into “social mode”, think about what we want to post, make the graphics, find the hashtags, write the caption for one post and then stop. 

By doing it a little bit at a time, we’re doing it just enough to hate it, especially if it’s something we struggle with. HOWEVER, if we were to keep going and batch it together, then we’d get in the zone and we can make some actual movement. Exciting, no?

So…there’s the why…now how to do it. 

3 Steps to Content Batching

Here’s what you’re going to do:

1. Book the Time 

Put it in your calendar and seriously set aside the time to do it. For me, I do the upcoming week every Sunday afternoon. Do what works for you. 

2. Start with content pillars

Start with your content pillars and narrow in. What are content pillars? They are broad themes that you can talk about within your business. Pick 3-5 that work for you.

For example: 

1. Me: social media writing, website copy, content strategy, blogging 
2. Health coach: nutrition, diet, exercise, sleep, mental health
3. Sleep consultant: baby sleep, toddler sleep, naps, sleep products

See what I mean? Broad topics. 

3. Decide how to arrange your content

Within those themes, are you going to stick to one theme for the week? Or go between your themes? 

There’s no right or wrong here, there’s pros and cons for each and it depends on what your goals are, so give that some thought. 

Write and Schedule

Now that you know what you’re going to write, it’s just a matter of writing and scheduling. Easy peasy. 

Now if you want some tips on WHAT to write, that’s going to be next week’s article so stay tuned. 

In the meantime though, are you signed up for my newsletter? It’s literally the giant blue box to your right – sign up because I share super awesome goodies in that each and every week.