It’s a tale as old as time (digitally, speaking) – a hard-working business owner and content creator extraordinaire, looking to work smarter and not harder…
Ah yes, I’ve heard it time and time again (no pun intended). And the truth? It is possible to minimize your content workload, if you know how to maximize your current assets. Now, I’m not talking about the shiny baubles in your drawer or the wheels parked in your “reserved” spot at the office. No. I’m talking about all of that content you’re cranking out, day in and day out, jumping out of one content meeting and into the next Zoom room, quite literally trying to reinvent the wheel!
This can be so draining on our creative juices, not to mention a complete energy suck.
So instead, try this.
1 Consolidate content planning meetings (and become biz besties with the voice note)
Unless you’re launching a new product, monthly content strategy meetings are more than sufficient. Spend an hour with your team, or whoever supports you with content (even if it's just you!) and nail down one main idea of focus for that month.
This should be a general idea of something you feel expert in and also comfortable talking about – something that’s multi-faceted enough to speak on in a variety of ways. This is also the time to start thinking about where you feel the most confident in showing up to talk about your topic of choice.
Are you a writer? Great on camera? Or is Clubhouse more your “scene?”
In the interim? “Siri, record it!”
2 Figure out where you want to show up
In the social media golden age, it can be downright overwhelming trying to decide, “Instagram? No, Tik Tok. But wait, what about Youtube??”
Some of you may have a solid understanding of who your customer or ideal client is, and millions of kudos to you if you do – that is a huge weight off of the marketing shoulders if you know your person(s).
If you don’t know your target audience yet (like most business owners starting out), that's ok! Take what you do know, and start slow. My advice is to focus on the big 3 – a video or audio platform, a long-form written avenue, and then a social media platform of choice.
That could look something like this:
1. Youtube > 2. Email Newsletters > 3. Instagram or 1. Podcast > 2. Blog > 3. Pinterest
The idea here is to focus first on the platform that would require the most energy to create that first main piece of content – in my example, either a Youtube video or a podcast episode. Then, break that initial finished content piece up into smaller slices, say four weekly emails or a bi-weekly blog. And finally, take that secondary piece of sliced up content, and break it up into even smaller bits, say 2-3 posts each to Instagram or Pinterest.
Bonus tip: Send those audio notes out for transcription! Or, download the Otter app.
3 Map it out
Whether you’re a project management software geek (oh, hey there!), or you go gaga over spreadsheets, mapping out your process is key.
My absolute favorite place to create and maintain content plans is Airtable. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s like a Google sheet on steroids. It’s very user-friendly and a great way to share content across a small team. You can literally house your entire marketing strategy here.
This is a great way to also track your analytics and see what’s working and what’s not, so you can pivot when necessary and refocus energy into a possible new place (hmm, maybe Tik Tok is the way to go after all…)
If you’re still not convinced why repurposing your content is the cat’s pajamas, just think about how much time you’ll save NOT creating new content, and where you could be focusing that creative energy instead. Perhaps creating new offers? New products? Building up partnerships? Or maybe even reinvesting in yourself with additional education.
If you need a content strategy that puts you ahead of your content, be sure to check out copy.edit.design, your one-stop shop for all things content.
About the author: Emily Oberman is a writer, visual designer and founder of copy.edit.design., a creative studio helping content creators amplify their brand visibility through content repurposing strategies, systems & organization. You can follow her on Instagram @copyeditdesign.