Transcript
For the content planning, as the word actually says, you plan your content. And there are two ways to go about it. You can actually strategically plan your content because you have a product launch and you have to build up to it or you have an invitation to a seminar or an event. There’s strategic planning around let’s say holidays or specific dates that you have all year long, so you can provide offers around those. Let’s say St. Valentine’s Day or Christmas. So, you know those dates are coming, so you can have little promotions around those dates, so you prepare the content, let’s say: a Christmas calendar. And then there are more spontaneous daily messages you can share because of current situations, or because of just an inspiration you had, or because of a trending topic, and you want to also use the momentum of that topic – at that specific moment. So, you have to react actually to what’s going on in the world.
Both types of content should be used, so both types of content should leave room for one another. From my experience, it makes sense to have some backup content – because you might be sick one day, you might be just not in a good mood one day, or just don’t have time because there’s something unexpected – and then you have pressure because you didn’t share any contents. So, just prepare some stuff two weeks in advance. Maybe if you can, even two months in advance. And Obviously, it’s a process; it’s a learning curve. But try to work your way up to planning your content.
Obviously, you decide just on your schedule; like can you actually handle a weekly posting or biweekly posting. It ideally, it would be daily, but most of the people don’t start with daily. So, just make sure you show up as often as you can, but then commit to a schedule because your community actually expects to be nourished. They want to hear from you on a regular basis. And if you let’s say post once a week, then make sure you really do. Because; otherwise, they’re just somehow disappointed then that’s not a good feeling. You want to create other feelings, right? You want them to commit to you, but then you have to be the first person who commits. Meaning, even if no one likes, even if no one comments you show up because they will, they will catch up with you.
Because it’s called social media: it’s about being social and about interacting with them. So, just ask them questions and then Obviously, reply to their answers. It’s about building a connection; getting emotionally involved somehow. And in order to make people commit, you have to share something personal, or maybe even something on a regular basis. So, if someone actually gives you their precious time and pays attention to what you have to share and say; well then acknowledge it and at least reply, right? You don’t have to reply instantly, but make sure you find a time during the week to reply to all the answers and feedbacks. And also, don’t just wait for people to come and find you out of nowhere. Go to other people’s profiles and interact with them as well because that’s how it works. It’s not because it’s social media that actually the behavior should change 180 degrees to the real life. Right? If I talk to my neighbor, I expect him to answer me, right? It would be weird to just have him stare at me and not say anything. So, just keep it natural on social media as well.
Using templates even for social media saves time and it ensures that your branding is on point every time, and there’s recognition. So, instead of reinventing the wheel every time, just create one to three templates that actually show the uniqueness of your personal brand. Have specific colors, specific font, and use this on a regular basis. Now, where do we find those templates? You can create them yourself or you go to canva.com, they have a variety of choices. You can also go to unsplash.com to find a license-free picture. Or you go to graphic designers. There are a bunch of people out there; they sell templates and you can buy them for not that expensive. You can also go to fiverr.com and create intro or a little template. There are people actually, it’s like an auction: you pay a certain amount, you give a brief out there and people all over the world will auction and hand you their graphic design. And the winner gets a prize, which is then the money you actually auctioned or traded the image for. So, there’s several ways to actually create your template, but make sure you have one.
My tip for female entrepreneurs to share their content is actually always make sure why do you share this particular content at this particular time: Is it tied to your offers, is it tied to your core message? Why should someone be interested in this? Usually, when you write, you write from your own perspective; you need to turn that around and read it from the customers’ eyes – from the customers’ view. Meaning what’s actually the value, what does the other person gain from reading this? Because if they give you the attention, then make sure they have an output somehow. Sometimes it’s just humor; sometimes it’s learning. Whatever it is, just make sure there’s a benefit in reading or viewing your content. Then obviously, if you are a personal brand: it’s an extension of yourself – of your personality, and if you get negative feedback or critique, try to emotionally distance yourself from that or ask yourself at least who gave me negative feedback? Is it a valuable critique? Then learn from it.
Take it, take it as actually an opportunity to grow from it. But if it’s just a dislike because someone had a bad day, then just dismiss it because it will happen. And the thing is, as you grow as a personal brand, obviously, your audience will grow, and obviously, negative feedback will grow as well. But it’s just part of the game and it’s nothing personal. So, get a thicker skin and it will happen naturally. The first negative feedbacks may hurt, but the second one is like yeah, I saw that already, Right? So, it’s just part of the game. So that would be my advice. If you go out there and share your content, make sure that you decide which types of personal stories you actually want to share. You don’t have to share your whole life. And actually, people don’t care about your whole life. It has to be tied to your actual business. Why this particular story is relevant for your customer and your product.
