Content Creation

What is content creation?

blog.hubspot.com says content creation is the process of generating topic ideas that appeal to your buyer persona, creating written or visual content around those ideas, and making that information accessible to your audience as a blog, video, infographic, or other content formats.

Sproutsocial.com says that a social media content creator is an individual who creates and shares content intended to educate or entertain an audience across social media platforms.

So essentially everything is content.

What do you want to be known for?

It’s different for everyone, and figuring that out will help you exponentially!

Vikings saw the ocean as a road to travel and the English saw the ocean as a boundary.

How you see the obstacles that come up will impact how you move forward.

You can either see them as roads and growth or you can see them as boundaries and blame them for holding you back.

Who Are Your People

I think oftentimes we fall into a trap of thinking that WE are our ideal customer, but we aren’t

My ideal lady isn’t broke, she doesn’t think a brush stroke is a cardinal sin and she can’t put colors together.

She needs my help.

Sometimes we also mistake our creative friends as customers, but they aren’t either.

Don’t hate me for saying that!

You have to be able to differentiate your actual potential customers and ladies that you can help from your friends and family.

So we have to think about our content creation for actual buying or reading or following customers/readers/followers.

Pay attention to what your non-creative sisters and friends are doing and asking, and learn from their thought patterns.

What their shopping habits are who they talk about what they use Pinterest for even what shows they’re talking about on HGTV.

I’m telling you this will help you in your content creation because a lot of times, especially if your following is small, it’s your friends and family and your creative friends that are supporting you in the beginning.

Sometimes we try to create for what we think they would like but they aren’t the ones that we are trying to sell to or help with our business.

Sometimes you have to put blinders on and focus.

It was said a lot yesterday, and I’m going to repeat that your business has to be authentically who you are.

If you need to take some time and think about your own style and what you really love to do, take that time.

You can keep creating and posting but be intentional about thinking through what you enjoy and what lights you up.

The goal is not to attract everyone to you but to attract the right people to you.

Do’s and Don’ts

• Don’t copy. It’s definitely OK to draw inspiration from other creatives but never copy.
• Try not to get too much inspiration from others and what they do. Be authentically you
• Don’t rely on just one brand or company.
• Don’t let trends dictate your content creation. They should be observed but know yourself if they don’t go along with your brand don’t do it.
• Don’t overthink your content. Social media posts live and die in hours. Like that one insect.
• Do take some risks
• Do try new things
• Also, stick with what works at the same time
• Do you think ahead to upcoming seasons

There are a lot more do’s and don’ts but we’re going to try to keep this simple and these are the basics

What Goes Where

In my business, everything is centered around my blog. I create content for my blog and that content feeds the other platforms that I lead back to my blog.

When I say blog, that equals website.

Here’s what that might look like.

I know that Christmas is coming so I decide that this Christmas I’m going to focus on a series of handmade gifts.

Make a list of all the things I want to make and then I decide after some research which ideas to keep.

Order any supplies that I need preferably online or reach out to brands.

Film overhead and from another angle and take photos making the project

Take staged photos of the final look.

Write the blog post with detailed steps and photos,

Link to the products that I used with my LTK or my Amazon links.

Make graphics for Pinterest, and thumbnail for YouTube video

Use the repurpose app to reformat the video for the different platforms.

Make an idea pin, a regular pin, pin from my website, post video to YouTube and Facebook.

Schedule a Facebook live for sharing or making a new one.

Draft Instagram posts and reels with the footage.

Share links in stories.

This happens over a reasonable amount of time from start to finish (hopefully)!

Batching Content

You can schedule days to batch content.

Things you can batch.

• Filming
• Idea creation and research
• Photography
• Writing
• Emails
• Captions
• Keyword Search
• Affiliate links
• Graphics

You are not a failure if you don’t get everything done in one day.

If you get it done in one day, it probably isn’t great!

Why Brands Want to Work With You

• Because your engaged audience listens to you
• You are cheaper than ads
• You care about making them (the brand) happy

You do not have to have a large following to start working with brands. He would also be surprised at how eager brands are to work with micro-influencers right now.

If you have an idea for a project that would require a product you don’t currently have or might be out of your budget, I encourage you to reach out to the brand and pitch your idea.

Sometimes you can’t get paid sometimes you get free products depending on many factors , but the worst that can happen is they say no.

You have to disclose a sponsored product when you post about it the first time.

Instagram

Use your content with purpose. Be intentional.

Reels help you grow, because they get shown to a newer audience because Instagram is pushing them in front of people right now that don’t follow you already.

So make them interesting and use captions. Most people watch reels and stories with the sound off

Use carousels for education and information

Use stories to build your community and engage with your followers in a personal way for trust and connection.

Don’t go overboard sharing personal information definitely try to keep it pretty niche specific and if you do share something more personal make sure that it will resonate with your ideal person and elevate the experience they have with you

Use lives to teach and connect because you can see comments and engage immediately it’s a very satisfying communication for your followers and for you

Use posts to connect with your current followers. Give them valuable information every time you post so that they look forward to it

Facebook

I do post on Facebook but I feel like if you are trying to grow you should be doing lives. I use Facebook right now posting-wise to drive traffic to my blog.

Pinterest

Right now if you are creating idea pins often enough you can get invited to the paid program on Pinterest where they pay you to post idea pins

Use Pinterest to drive traffic to your website or blog. There are so many Pinterest templates on Canva that are so good for stopping the scroll.

Use your business name in the description as well for the brand recognition and always link back to wherever you’re trying to drive traffic.

A Pinterest post will last for years it is searchable just like Google and YouTube Pinterest is a search engine and not a social media so make sure that your descriptions are keyword optimized.

Email

Email should be something a little different from your social media. It should contain something special. Something that your audience looks forward to receiving every week. So maybe you save some behind-the-scenes information and photos for her your emails or perhaps you give a very helpful tip every week that people can’t wait for.

Maybe you share an exclusive item you have coming out that you haven’t put on your social media yet.

If I know that you share something exclusive every week before you share it out on social media I want to open that email and be first to know.

Write your emails like you’re writing it to your sister or your best friend it should literally sound like you’re in the same room having a conversation with one person

It’s personal.

Name your weekly email and DO NOT call it a newsletter.

Don’t say “on the blog” or make it the same as your social media posts.

You can’t send a direct Amazon affiliate link in your email.

You don’t want them to stay in the email but lead them to your blog with the link and have your important links in the blog post.

Everything leads to my blog.

This graphic is the same for emails.

Affiliate’s

Use affiliates as organically as possible.

There is LTK, Amazon, and others, but consider asking other small businesses for an affiliate link or discount code for your readers.

As You Learn, Implement

You don’t have to do everything right from day one. You are learning these tools and as you learn more then you can implement the new things but don’t let that keep you from doing the things

Always remember that your audience follows you because they like you

Tools and Apps

Makers and Shakers Links

Tips and Tricks

Just some quick tips

Turn your phone upside down to take interesting photos up close.

Use Pano sideways to take a tall photo. For instance, if you have a tall armoire or a beautiful landscape.

Use screenshots from your videos as content.

Use presets.

Take lots of photos and videos

Content doesn’t have to be complicated. Don’t overthink it.

Show behind the scenes.

Offerings

Products

Ebooks

Courses

Online workshops (I have one coming up)

In-person workshops

Membership