A content plan is built of layers and here’s quick summary of how to layer up your content plan.
Creating a content plan could sound like a bit of a mission if you like to post on the fly, day to day. Or it might appeal if you have one or more feet in the chaotic hamster wheel camp of content creation… a step towards feeling organised.
How does it sound to you, knowing the content you are going to post in a month. On social media, in your subscriber emails, and in your blogs too. How would you feel if you had it all worked out by the first of the month. I’m going to hazard a guess you’d feel pretty amazing. And I would too.
And that’s why I’ve created The Content Collective. A space to help you get your content done. So that you can stop worrying about what to post and start focusing on the big stuff that makes you money in your business.
You’re here to read about how to layer up a content plan. So here goes.
7 layers of your content plan
My brand is built on simplicity and calm so I’ll refrain from befuddling you and keep things simple. Why, because marketing doesn’t need to be complicated. It is merely a collection of vehicle for you to communicate with your customers.
Start small. Have a go at creating a content plan using this framework for one month with these quick questions:
1. Business plan content
What is in your business plan for the month that your content must address? A sale, a launch maybe? This comes first. At the end of the day your business exists to make money, so start with the key sales messages required to deliver your goals.
2. Key Business & Industry Dates
Are there any key dates for your business or industry? An event that will provide a good content opportunity, a business birthday, an industry wide theme that would impact your content – London Fashion Week for example.
3. Special Awareness Days
Add relevant special awareness days too. Something like Random Acts of Kindness Day, that offers a content opportunity in February each year for every business. You can find out all the special awareness days in my monthly blog.
4. Evergreen Content
Next add in your evergreen content. This is content that you can repeat over and over. The content that never goes out of date (or not for a long time anyway). I for example could revisit content around explaining Content Pillars very regularly. I could also share content around my Instagram Story Highlights Template Kit as that is a digital product in my shop that is available year round.
5. Preparation Content
If it’s a quieter month for your business, low season maybe, what content do you need out there to prep your audience for what is to come? If something new is launching soon, what messages do you need to share to create the need?
6. Core Content
Add your core content. Dip into your content pillars here and work out what are the key topics to communicate for the month, based on what your audience needs.
6.1. Core Content – A series?
As part of your core content, can you create any series content? A series. A regular piece of content that goes out weekly, fortnightly or monthly. I’m thinking of regular spots within weekly newsletters and social media content such as my weekly content draft series. The content draft is something I share every Monday morning, a post or reel that includes 4 or 5 or more content ideas for the week. It’s made life 100x easier as I know what I’m posting every single Monday. @declutterwithemma is also a good example. Emma does a Weekly ‘Items to declutter this week’ piece.
7. The Fun Stuff
Finally, leave room for fun stuff on the top of the cake. Room to deliver spur of the moment content. Fun stuff. Content you love to create. Trending reels. Day to day diary of your day.
Leave lots of room for this content. It’s often where the real connection happens.
No more content chaos
I created The Content Collective after chats with members of my community. So many of you know what you need to be doing with your content, you just struggle to fit it all in amongst the everyday running of your business. It means you either stress about posting and sending content or you’re working on it late at night when everything else is done.
The Content Collective is a space for you to join a small group of business owners to get ahead with your content; brainstorming ideas, writing your plan and making a start on creating your month’s content.
I, Sarah will be on hand to help you shape your content plan and talk through ideas, plus you’ll benefit from the shared expertise of the other attendees.
This is for you if you know where you are going with your content but need the accountability to get it done in a structured space, so that you can spend the rest of your month driving your business.
Make an investment in your business. Plan and create your content routinely with me once a month and spend the rest of the month feeling organised and working on the big stuff.