How to Batch Content and Free Up Time

Do you find yourself wanting to post on social, but never have time, or when you do have time it's a last-minute scramble to get it done and dusted? We get it. 

When running a business, there's a never-ending to-do list and social can often be pushed to the bottom. But, social isn't something you want to catch yourself slacking on. With 92.8% of Kiwis on social media and 64% of Kiwis listing social media as the new way they find out about a new brand or business, you don't want to be caught out with an inactive profile. So, if you're struggling to find the time in your day, this is where batching content comes in.

What is batching content?

Batching content is dividing up similar tasks into 'batches' and working on them in a dedicated period of time. In the case of social, this could be setting a couple of hours aside for ideation, then churning out a month's worth of graphics, copy or scheduling that month's worth of content in an afternoon.

Why Should You Batch Your Content?

There are a couple of reasons to batch content, among them:

• Save on time
  By batching content, you focus all your energy and brainpower on one task, rather than fitting it in where possible or jumping between tasks.
• Be consistent with posting 
  Consistency is key to building an engaged audience online, not to mention showing you're active. With many consumers checking a business's social accounts before going on to purchase, posting indicates you're operating and ready for business.
• Reduce Stress
  Having a stockpile of content ready to go can take the pressure off, as well as allow you to plan more strategically rather than react. 

Batching lets you work smarter (and not harder), not to mention saves time and energy for you to reinvest in other areas of your business!

How Can You Batch Content?

Ready to start? We've put together a bit of a system to get you started and break up monthly content into bite-sized chunks.

Step 1: Content Calendar 

Maybe you already have one, maybe you don't, regardless a content calendar is the first port of call when it comes to batching. A calendar will help you map out your strategy for weeks (or even months) in advance, as well as give you a birds-eye view of your activity.

When it comes to creating a calendar, the world is your oyster. Choose the platform of your choice, start from scratch or use a template to get you started. Whatever angle you go for, make sure it works for you! 

Step 2: Brainstorming & Ideation

Now you have a calendar, it's time to fill it up. We've broken step 2 into two parts, brainstorming and ideation. 

Brainstorm

Set some time aside to brainstorm all your content ideas in one hit. Use this time to get any ideas you have onto pen and paper, research industry trends, and competitor activity, and identify fun social trends relevant to your business. 

Ideation

Now it's time to get your ideas onto your calendar, choose a posting cadence that works for you and your audience and populate your calendar. 

Step 3: Creating Content

The order you do this is really up to you, personally, we find it easy to start with visuals and write after. But, if you have short (or long) videos in your content strategy, you might want to do a writing session first to script out your videos. 

Imagery and Videos

Depending on what kind of visuals you're using, we recommend finding a few templates you can alternate between. Not only does this streamline the creative process, but it creates consistent branding. And if video editing isn't your strength, check out our blog on editing for some tips. 

Writing

Take time to crank out the words for your social posts, video scripts, etc. If you find yourself in need of some creative inspiration, consider using AI to get you through any creative ruts. To get started, check out our latest blog on AI and how you can use it for your business. 

Step 4: Schedule

Once you're happy with your social content, it's time to put it out into the world. We recommend a 'set and forget' approach, where you schedule a month's worth of posts out in advance. Most social platforms allow you to schedule content in advance for specific dates and times, but you can also look at tools like Later.com and Agorapulse that allow you to post to multiple platforms at one time. 

And you're done! By working in focused batches, you can free up without having to sacrifice posting on social.

Looking for more ways to free up time? We can help you get set up with Thryv, a do-it-all business software designed to help you make business easy. To find out more book a callback with a Marketing Expert today!