EXPRESS YOURSELF
Building a content strategy
feat. @lauriseirl, @deepica, @kali.ledger, @presidentkennedy, @plantkween, @carolinagelen
You have something to say. But how do you deliver it? That’s where content strategy comes in. Here, we discuss tips to help you find the right blend of content and stay organized, so you can keep up without losing your vision.
Break content into categories and decide how they mix best.
Pick the metrics that fit your goals and test against them.
Scale by translating your content across different formats.
Plan ahead, but stay flexible and have extra content ready.
What is your content mix?
[@deepica] I like to break down my content strategy into three different categories. I have entrepreneurial related content, family content and beauty related content. I genuinely enjoy doing the entrepreneurial content, but I know my audience loves the family content. So I try to do a mixture and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but I think what I've realized is I still have to keep some things true to how I got started. And I think the split is usually about like an 80/20, like, stick to the things that you know people like. And then 20%, experiment here and there and see what sticks.
[@plantkween] I tend to use images or photos and videos in a carousel if I wanna capture a particular moment or multiple moments. If I wanna have, like, a little entertaining moment paired with some music and some cute visuals, then Reels is a beautiful short form way to capture the attention. And then, when it comes to IG Video, if there's something more episodic or long form, where I want folks to really just sit down with me and learn something new, whether it's about me or my green girls, then I rely on that surface.
[@presidentkennedy] Showing up authentically is a strategy. It's not a performance, you know what I mean? Don't get it twisted, but being honest about not knowing everything and about being new to the game and about just showing up as myself and, listen, I can give you what I got when I have it. That is a strategy in itself.
Where do you start?
[@kali.ledger] I try to not lose sight of why I'm creating. That helps me kind of get new and fresh ideas. And that also leads me to forget that I'm actually just working.
[@plantkween] Really just think about what you wanna share, what is the moment you want to capture and experiment with those different surfaces to share your story.
How do you plan your content?
[@deepika] I plan no more than two weeks ahead because, at the same time, there's so many things happening in real time that I wanna make sure that I incorporate.
[@kali.ledger] When I plan out my week, I like to have shoot, planning and editing days. That means I dedicate a long period of time to one task, which really helps me focus. So I like to plan ahead as far as I can. And I always try to have something saved up in my drafts, just in case I want some time off.
[@carolinagelen] Every single Sunday, I sit down, I write on my whiteboard things I wanna film that week, things I wanna post that week, things I wanna edit that week. And it's been making my week so much more organized and so much, like, I can keep up with stuff because I don't have to think about, "Oh, what am I posting tomorrow?" Or, "Oh, what am I filming tomorrow?"
What insights do you look at?
[@deepika] As I've gotten more sophisticated, I have been looking deeper into the analytics to see how many shares have been happening. To me, the most important thing right now is shareability.
[@carolinagelen] First of all, the comments. Your community will be brutally honest with you and tell you if that post is great or if that video is the worst video they've ever seen. Another thing I like to look at is shares and saves.
[@lauriseirl] I'm in a position where I'm trying to grow my page right now. For growth, I'm really looking at shares because shares immediately increase my visibility. If I can make something with shares in mind, with the intent to have the girl next door share her story and have all of her friends see it and have them see it, that's gonna increase my chance of getting new followers, whereas a brand, you know, is already huge. They might wanna focus on saves. They might wanna give the people who are already following them some added value to put in their saved thing, to look back at, as a reference or a tip or something of that nature.
[@presidentkennedy] We are in the evolution of growth. And so, you know, I'm showing up as that. And with that, you understand that businesses will evolve. Your relationships with brands will evolve. You're gonna figure it out as you go. Make sure you're being honest with yourself and take your time.