Plan, plan, plan! Whip up fool-proof content in no time

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

What does your business plan have to do with your content plan, anyway? Everything!

Running a business warrants immense focus, goal setting, challenges, problem-solving, deadlines, reassessing results and the pressure of success — and without a business plan, you’re not likely to get very far or it will be a massive struggle.

It is the same with your content. If you dive into it without a strategy, chances are you will drown in a sea of words, landing pages, websites, social media, videos, podcasts and blogs!

So I’d love to help you create an incredible content plan that will support your business mission and vision.

Step 1: Your 12-month content plan

It’s easier than you think. Take a look at what the next 12 months look like for your business in terms of your vision, products, services, goals and direction. You probably have all of that spelt out already.

For instance, are you launching any new products, do you want to start a membership or create a course, maybe it’s writing a book or starting a podcast. Now, think about what kind of content you will create to give your business and the products and services you are creating a wow edge.

DID YOU KNOW: The CMI says content is one of the most effective ways to promote a business. Almost half of all marketers plan to use content to reach their customers.

Step 2: Your 3-month plan

According to Marketing Profs and the CMI, 63% of businesses don’t have a documented content strategy.

When you have a clear idea of what your year looks like, you are better placed to spend some time strengthening your quarterly plans. Having every relevant idea or campaign marked on your content plan gives you enough time to execute it without feeling rushed and confused.

So, what do the next three months look like for your business, content-wise? Here are a few pointers I think could help you figure that out:

• The products and services that you are offering is for your community, so every step of the way you plan your content, always ask yourself: Is my content plan in line with what my community or target audience would like to hear or get from me?
• Take a good long look to make sure everything you have planned for the next few months fits the bill. Does your content, events, and offerings make sense with the current climate? Do you need to add anything new for your community?
• Get the content ready. Believe me when I say you will be thankful to have most of it ready and in place well in advance. Once your three-month plan is done and you know exactly what you are doing and what content collateral you need, get in and create it.
• Is your content still relevant for the next three months? Hershey’s latest ad campaigns that showed people handing out Hershey bars with hugs and handshakes, was told off for being insensitive given the current pandemic and social-distancing practices. They realised that their content wasn’t suitable and decided to temporarily edit the video to be more sensitive and empathetic. You should edit your content, campaigns and emails too.

Step 3: Your monthly plan

A lot can happen in a day, a week or a month. Just like the current global pandemic and shutdown, we can never really see anything coming until it actually washes over us. But it could easily affect your business and the content you are putting out.

When you regularly assess your plan, I recommend looking at it with fresh eyed every month, it gives you another opportunity to make sure you get the results you envisioned. As you get carried away with the writing, the excitement to stand out and be different — it is helpful to remind yourself every month to always come back to your bigger vision, goals and values.

A few key elements to think about:

• Is your message clear, in line with your mission and values, and most importantly, relevant to the current climate (regardless of the pandemic)?
• What worked well or didn’t work for you and your business? How can you move on from these challenges and do better?
• Are you offering any value to your followers? What is it? What more can you do to help and cater to them?
• Do you have any words, phrases or messages that are worth looking into?