You’ll want to grab a pen & paper or open up your notes app for this one. I am coming to you today with a really good content strategy for 2021 and I want you to be able to take and implement this strategy right away!
I want to help you create an easy routine for your content creation that you can look to every time you want to create content.
When you sit down to create, you’ll be able to know who you’re creating content for, what you’ll be writing about, and have no confusion.
Let’s be smart about your content strategy and not waste any time this year! So, here are 4 steps for a successful content strategy in 2021.
Identify Your Instagram Goals
When it comes to content strategy, the most important thing to do first is identifying and writing down your goals on Instagram. These goals can also include your business goals, such as income, but it is very important to be specific about your Instagram goals.
I have had many people tell me that they don’t worry about specifically identifying their goals because they “just want to grow”, but it’s important to go deeper than that! Do you want to convert followers into clients? Do you want to grow your brand awareness? Or maybe you’re an influencer and your goal is to just grow your following and get engagement?
Every one has different goals depending on their business. In general, if you are a service provider, you want one of your goals to be converting followers into clients. Whatever your goals might be, write them down.
Try to decide on 2-3 goals, to keep things achievable and manageable.
Know Who Your Ideal Audience Is
No matter what your goals are, you need to have followers to help you reach those goals. Your ideal audience become your followers.
When determining who your ideal audience is, it is important to be very specific and strategic. It is common for people who start their business, to be really excited about their new business and be ready to serve people but skip this step!
If you don’t know who your ideal audience is, then you will end up missing out on a lot of inspiration for your content. If you don’t know who you serve, then you won’t know who you are writing to, who you are doing LIVEs to, or who you are doing Instagram stories for. So, write down who your ideal audience is!
Maybe your ideal audience is moms who need to lose the baby weight. If you’re an influencer, maybe your ideal audience is wellness or food brands. If you’re a food blogger, maybe you want to work with restaurants or food companies?
Your audience is never going to be anybody and everybody. There are more than a billion people on Instagram so it’s important to know your audience otherwise you’ll be writing content to no one. Since the beginning of 2020, the accounts that have had the most growth are the ones that are super niched.
Be very specific with who your ideal audience is.
Where Is Your Content Being Shared?
In terms of the Instagram platform, where is your content going? For example, the Instagram Feed, Stories, IGTV, Instagram Reels.
For me, my number one location for my content is in my feed – it’s kind of like my business card for brands and people who want to work with me to grow their Instagram!
The second place that my content is shared is in my Stories. I get a lot of engagement on my Stories and that is where I connect best with my followers.
The capabilities that IGTV brings are amazing! With the option to go live and connect with your audience to share your content, I recommend going LIVE once and seeing how you like it! If your field is highly saturated with information that your audience needs before they make their final decision, then IGTV is good for presenting that information and answering your follower’s questions.
I have seen many business owners do different types of IGTV videos to provide information, such as a Q&A for their products, Benefits of a new product, etc.
Now, Reels. I have an upcoming training on how to use Reels for your business in the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned for that. I will provide you with a training and a short E-book for you to keep forever and reference anytime!
The most important things to decide are where your content is going on Instagram and how often are you going to show up. Don’t try to do everything at once. Whatever location your content is being shared to on Instagram, write it down, set an alarm so you don’t forget to share, and show up consistently!
Create A Content Bucket
It is very important to know what kind of content you will be sharing with your audience. For example, if you sell a product you won’t be sharing selling posts all the time. You will be providing information, entertaining, sharing your story, inspiration, quotes, etc.
Sales are very important (OBVIOUSLY) but should not be the only thing in your content. Creating your content from those few content buckets allows for your content to reach people and appeal to them.
Here are a few examples of content buckets: IGTV info LIVES, Inspiration/quotes, working-with-brands posts. I recommend deciding on just three or four content blocks to use when creating your content. Anything more than that is too much information and it will confuse your audience. You don’t need to be everything for everybody. Focus on three to four content buckets, write them down, and stick to them!
If you have four content blocks, share each of them once a week and now you have content for four posts! It is important to also refer back to your content buckets and make sure you are fulfilling your audience’s needs. Ask yourself, “Is this what my audience needs to hear today?”
Implementing these 4 tips when you’re planning your content for 2021 will help you be successful on Instagram and set you up to be able to serve your clients well!
Do you feel ready to create a successful content strategy for this year??
I am here cheering you on!
Love, Monica