Thinking about how you can batch content for your social media this year? If so – GO YOU because content batching is one of THE most effective ways you can create content for your small business, saving you so much time, energy, and even helping you create content FASTER than before.
Right here, I’m going to break down my top 6 tips to help you batch content so you can get rid of the overwhelm and create content easier and more effectively than ever before.
So let’s jump in!
WHAT EXACTLY IS CONTENT BATCHING?
Let’s start with the basics before we jump into the juicy details of HOW to batch content for your social media.
If you’re spending up to an hour (or more – eek!) planning and creating post-by-post for your social media, I’m here to tell you there IS a more efficient way of doing things.
I can hear your audible *sighs* of relief from here!
It’s called ‘content batching’. Rather than writing a caption from scratch for Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn every time you’re ready to post, or whipping out the camera to film one single reel or story, content batching is a productivity method where you write bulk content in one sitting… *already* having the inspiration and structure you need right in front of you so you can move from piece to piece of content with so. much. ease!
So to content batch? There are a few things you need. Let’s cover them all.
WHY IS IT SO USEFUL?
There are SO many reasons why it’s important to content batch. But the one that will, without fail, have me sitting down at my computer every week? It saves me literally hours. Yeeapp, not a typo… hours!
By dedicating time to planning out your week of content, you’re not distractedly flicking between tasks and instead have devoted time to solely focus on the job at hand. This in turn leads to better, more thought-out, cohesive content that is going to hit your target audience better than on-the-fly, rushed content would.
PLUS once your posts start rolling out in real-time you can analyse how the content is actually performing. Batching and scheduling your content put you ahead of the game, so you’ll have the time up your sleeve to gauge the reaction and tweak your content to increase engagement.
The *best* part of all this? Saying goodbye to social media stress.
INTRODUCING MY 6 TIPS FOR BATCHING CONTENT.
TIP 1. Time Block!
Start with blocking out a set number of hours in your work calendar that you can afford to focus on planning out your content. Having this time set aside guarantees that you MAKE time to ultimately save you time. Read that again.
Think about what works best for your brain and workflow. Is it 2 hours per week? 4 hours per fortnight? Or maybe 1 whole content creation day per month?
Maybe splitting up your batching sessions works better for your creativity? If this is the case, try splitting up your batching sessions and scheduling an hour for writing captions and an hour later in the week for creating your videos/graphics.
Everyone’s process is different. I find that 2 hours per week is generally what works best for me and my clients.
TIP 2. Get clear on your content topics before anything else!
So you’ve got your content time blocks, but before you start creating a single thing, it’s time to get your STRATEGIC ideas down instead. If you didn’t see my previous post all about the *exact* 5-step plan I use to create strategic content for my retainer clients to get them seen, loved and selling, then catch up with that first and then come right back here…
TIP 3. Find many content types in one go.
For example, are you looking for a meme for your business for the ‘Entertain’ pillar?
*seriously go and check out that previous blog I mentioned!*
Instead of looking for just one, find as many as you can in one sitting while you are already researching the sites or inspiration where these typically live.
If you’re writing ‘Educate’ content, about a topic, product or service, do it all in one go.
You’ll find that once you get started and hit a flow, it’s easier to write 4 captions about a topic at once, rather than breaking this up across 4 different weeks.
Trust me, your future self will thank you.
TIP 4. Shoot or Design your creative in a number of different ways.
Remember when I said, “create content once and use it 3 times”? The same logic applies to photography and graphics in your business!
Found a template you love? Don’t just use it once! Can you tweak the colours, fonts or imagery to use that a number of times later in the cycle? Can that carousel you created for your Instagram post also be resized for an Instagram story? Make the most out of the time you spend into finding and creating graphics you love by making small tweaks, resizing and/or recycling.
Tip 5. Use templates to get you started and save time!
DESIGN TEMPLATES:
I’m not a graphic designer and so I KNOW how time-consuming and complex it can be to search for and create graphics from scratch. Let’s be real, ain’t nobody got time for that!
That’s where design templates come in. Canva already has thousands of prebuilt, customisable templates available for use. Just switch up the colours to match your branding, whack in your logo, fonts and photos, and Bob’s your uncle! No need to reinvent the wheel.
CONTENT TEMPLATES:
So, we know I’m not a designer. But what I AM is a passionate wordsmith and marketing expert with bags of experience – as well as a busy as heck small business owner myself, which means I KNOW how time-consuming creating your own content can be.
This is why I created the Content Busting Bundle giving you access to thirty done-for-you social media posts and email marketing scripts that you can use over and over again… instantly! All following that powerful 5 pillar strategy I mentioned in that previous blog post.
If you’re saying “I don’t have time for social media” or “I never know what to share to cut through” then the Content Busting Bundle is the solution for you.
Suitable for a product or service-based business these templates can become the entire foundation to help you create unique content in seconds for your business.
CHECK OUT THE CONTENT BUSTING BUNDLE HERE TO SAVE TIME AND SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR CAPTION + EMAIL STRUGGLES.
TIP 6. Use a scheduling tool
My last tip? Is to use a scheduling tool to take the stress out of getting your content posted! This is a huge step to staying consistent.
There are so many different platforms to choose from the tools built right into the platform like Canva Pro Content Planner or to using third-party tools like Later and Planoly.
BONUS TIP: Look for a scheduling tool that allows you to preview your scheduled posts in your feed. This will let you keep your future posts consistent with your branding and visually look fab-u-lous. It’s also handy to be able to see all your scheduled posts in a calendar to keep yourself organised and know which days you’ll be posting. I personally bit the bullet and paid for Canva Pro for Char White Writes - remember what I said before? Let’s not reinvent the wheel!
THE BOTTOM LINE...
Annnd that’s all friends! You now have the top 6 steps – plus where to find a powerful plan for content strategy – at the tips of your fingers to making batch content for your small business a dream.
As they say, practice makes perfect, and you’ll soon start to develop your own process suited to your workflow. By following these tips and tricks and you’ll be batching content like a marketing pro!
Until next time,
Char x
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