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3 Reasons Why Your Business Needs a Content Plan

Growing up, my mother’s favorite saying was a quote by John J. Beckley,

“People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan.”

She’d say it while we were up late packing or finishing up a big project in school. Now I say it to the clients I work with. I don’t know a single entrepreneur that starts their business with the intention to fail. Nor do I know anyone who sets up a social media profile intending to ignore it for the next 4 months, or anyone who likes their business to run in a whirl of stress and emergencies. We all intend to plan. We all intend to start early, plan ahead, and be prepared. But the reality is we do not. Here’s a statistic to prove it.

Only 37% of businesses have a content plan. That means a whopping 63% do not. 63% of businesses have no idea what they’re going to say or when they’re going to say it. My guess is you started your own business so that you didn’t have to be a part of that 63%. You planned on starting your business so you could control your time and what you were putting out into the world. However, if you’re like most businesses, somehow you’ve found yourself in a state of stress and emergencies. Deadlines are both the days things are due and the days you start the actual project. You don’t have the focus or time to see 3 months ahead of you, heck, you can’t even see an hour ahead of you at this point. Work has piled up so much you feel like you’re barely treading water and there’s no end in sight. So why in the world would you stop amidst the storm to make a “plan”?

Here’s 3 reasons why you should:

1. Your customers are watching — You know all of that stress and confusion you’ve been feeling on a daily basis? Well your customers can feel it too. They see it in your inconsistent posting schedule, your last minute live videos, and haphazard giveaways. What is the #1 way to develop consumer trust online? CONSISTENCY. Chances are if you’re flying by the seat of your pants, there isn’t an overhead bin to place that consistency in and it will go right out the window for the sake of survival.
2. You’ll progress towards your goal — What if every single thing you did in a day could bring you closer to your goals? Treading water is one thing and swimming towards a destination is another. If you are spending less time putting out fires and more time doing the things that matter, it means you’re making strides towards your goal. A content plan means identifying those important actions and integrating them into your daily routine.
3. It will actually save you time — Sounds counterintuitive doesn’t it? Most people don’t make a content plan because they believe they don’t have the time to stop the stress they’re currently experiencing to “make a plan.” Nope, ignoring the stress sounds like more stress. So how does this help again? If you take a moment to stop and get back to the basics, it means you will identify what’s truly important and what’s not. You’ll then be able to automate what you can so you spend less time responding to “emergencies” and more time being creative in your business.

What is a content plan?

So what is a content plan anyways? It’s basically what you’re going to say as well as how and when you’re going to say it. A content plan is your business strategy for the upcoming week, month, and year. It is what will determine if you spend next year rolling in your millions or working as a barista at your local coffee shop. This content plan encompasses every aspect of your business from email marketing to sales to social media and blog posts. Taking a step back and looking at your content in terms of strategy allows you to construct genuine and focused messages that your customers will easily understand.

Here are 3 basic steps to constructing your very own content plan:

1. Go back to your WHY — Take the time to reflect on why you started your business in the first place. It’s easy to get side-tracked and confused in the hustle and bustle of it all. Never forget why you started and what you intended to do before the insanity set in. This is where you’re trying to go.
2. Break down the basics — Now that you know where you’re going, break down the basic steps to getting there. These can be as simple as meetings with your team, being active on social media, or growing your email list.

If this still seems too daunting to identify and prioritize, hire an expert. Getting an outside opinion on simplifying your business is often the best thing you can do. It removes the emotion of it all and allows you to see your priorities in a simplified and unintimidating way. I personally specialize in crafting the perfect social media strategies for my clients. These tell you what, when and where to post and coordinate with your other marketing efforts so you don’t have to worry about consistency across the board.

3. Make it automatic — Now that you know what you need to do, take a look at how you can automate the process so you don’t have to sweat the small stuff. This means creating a content calendar and using a scheduling platform. You can write and schedule all of your emails, blog posts, and social media content in advance so when it comes time to post, it automatically goes out on time and in order. This is a great way to get a month ahead on your business. If you already have all of your posts written and scheduled for this month, you can move onto next month’s content so you have more time to think about what you’re going to say and engage with your customers. Here is a list of some of my favorite social media scheduling tools:

1. Planoly — Allows you to curate your Instagram feed and posts automatically for you.
2. Hootsuite — Great for all your social media platforms and super simple to use!
3. Buffer — An advanced alternative to Hootsuite that will give you detailed analytics if you need them.

Get Back in the Driver’s Seat

Driving your business without a content plan is like an infinite shared Uber ride to the airport: You know where you want to go and when you need to get there but you’re making so many stops along the way that your stress levels are through the roof. A content plan puts you back in the driver’s seat so you control who you do or don’t pick up along the way and gets you there in time to make your flight.

If you’re currently running your business without a plan, take the time to stop and reassess. Reflect on why you started your business in the first place and the steps you need to take to get back on track. Taking one day to step back and reprioritize will help that stress melt away and get you back to your inspiration zone.

Remember “people don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan.” Don’t be “people.” Be the badass entrepreneur you always intended to become.

Life Should be a Genuine Conversation!

I connect passionate entrepreneurs to their most valuable customers. My work as a Copywriter and Social Media Manager showcases the true integrity of your brand to generate organic followers who are passionate about your products and services.

Take a look at my website to get going on your genuine adventure!