Mini Markethings Issue 13

I outline my entire "batch content" process in this issue plus some reminders of the projects I'm working on with the ladies from The Freelancers Academy

Manisha Dhalani
Nov 10, 2020CommentShare

✨ Highlight of the week:

In Mini Markethings Issue 7, I shared how my mentor advised me to “block” out some “marketing hours”.

I’m back with an update on how that’s going.

I mentioned in that issue that I block out Sundays to batch content for my social media posts.

A few of you came back and asked me what my batching process looks like.

So here’s a breakdown of the things I do for my content assets:

Pre-planning (happened before I started my batch content Sunday)

  • Research what your audience wants

  • Read updates about your industry

  • Prepare content buckets - mine are “quotes”, “hacks”, and “carousels”

  • Prepare templates for each content bucket (I use Canva)

  • Create a preferred layout grid - I use a simple “3 x 3 table” for my Instagram feed on a Microsoft Word document to keep track. You can see the grid type I like on my Instagram feed. I view my table from bottom right to top left - that way it looks exactly like my feed layout.

  • Sign up for an automated post scheduler (I use hootsuite.com)

  • Design and download the content for the “easier” content buckets (at least 30 posts beforehand - I do this for my quotes and hacks. If you see my Instagram feed, my hacks usually have a theme. For instance, before I did the social media content ideas, I did tips for websites)

Batching content

Step 1: Open all the above-mentioned documents/websites

Step 2: If you’re starting your batch content journey for the first time, start with post number one (bottom right). Say my preferred layout is:

quote-carousel-quote

hack-quote-hack

quote-carousel-quote

Therefore, I’ll start with the quote first (bottom left), and then carousel, and then quote again, followed by hack, quote, hack, quote, carousel, quote.

Step 3: My quotes are prepared well ahead of them. So I take one from my folder, add it into Hootsuite, type out the caption, and then schedule.

Note: My Hootsuite account does not automatically post. This is because I like control over my posts and sometimes make last minute changes before I upload (to add any timely information). I also do not type in my hashtags into Hootsuite. I do it manually on Instagram before posting. My Hootsuite basically acts as a reminder.

For the other posts, I already have a notepad of ideas written down, so I just go to Canva and design it accordingly. I post about 5 posts in a week, so I don’t do all every Sunday. Just what’s needed for the next week.

Most of the time my quotes or hacks posts are already done well in advance, so I only need to think of/design my carousel post on Sunday.

That’s it for my Instagram feed.

LinkedIn: my LinkedIn content is mostly repurposed from Instagram. I open my Instagram feed and find two posts from last week that are relatable to my LinkedIn content. I tweak the caption a little and schedule it on Hootsuite. I only post 2 times a week on LinkedIn (for now).

Substack: Throughout the week, I get a lot of marketing newsletters and updates. I add these links to my notepad folder for the highlighted resource part below. For the highlight of the week (what you’re reading now), it’s usually something someone has asked for OR repurposed from either one of my social media posts (depending on how high the engagement and relevancy is for the week).

Post publishing

Nobody has asked me this before but an important factor a lot of us forget about is what to do AFTER we publish our post!

For LinkedIn and Substack, I just check the stats of the post/issue 2-3 days later, just to see what worked and what didn’t.

For Instagram, here’s a list of must-dos I’ve learned from some Insta Gurus:

  • 10-20 minutes before posting: start engaging on your preferred hashtag or people on your timeline (post/stories). Likes, comments, DMs, whatever you see fit for the day.

  • 5 minutes after posting: Moments after adding the post to your feed, share it as a story (on your own profile). If you have a group of people you work with, do ask them to share your story on their profiles too - and if anyone shares your post, then reshare and thank them. Also, please DO NOT just DM people your new post without their permission (I find that very irritating and will not do the same!)

  • 24-48 hours after posting: Check your insights. I find that sometimes I forget to do this only to realise some posts did really well with hashtags. I can then add the same hashtags into my upcoming posts too.

Simple?

No? Still confused?

I may create an IGTV video of how I do my content batching process. If you’re interested in seeing this, do send me an email (hit reply!) or DM me on Instagram.

5 requests or I’m not doing it (I’m camera shy, guys, come on, some encouragement, maybe?).

Highlighted Resource:

Favourite reads from the internet:

Hi! I’m Manisha.

💌 I’m a content writer and marketer specialising in website, blogs and social media content. My portfolio and social media links can be found at www.manishadhalani.com. 

💌 I also run the Mini Marketing Hacks Instagram and this Mini Markethings newsletter to provide bite-sized marketing tips and updates for busy business owners.

💌 Access my vault of FREE marketing resources.

💌 Like this newsletter and want to support my content creation process? Buy me a cuppa, maybe?

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