Last week, I was invited to speak for the Celebrate Society members. This is a membership for people who work in events management which fun fact, I used to work at events. So I was like, Oh yeah, back with my homies. I didn't say that though, cause. Look, as long as you didn't say back with my tribe, then we're okay.
Oh, yes. Yuck. Yuck. So I got to speak about content and how they can create more content and be more consistent with their content, which is the theme of our chat today, really. And that is content consistency, because that was the number one struggle that they were facing. So this was only Quite a small intimate event of like 12 people.
So because of that, I got their names beforehand and actually reached out to everybody and said, all right, what are you struggling with? We've got a small group. I want to tailor this session to really help you and make it more like a coaching session as opposed to just presenting here are the four things that.
Everybody said that they were struggling with number one, pretty much everyone said this, and that was being consistent, consistent with your social media. I'm sure you've heard this too, Claire, from your clients, everybody struggles with this and hands up. I struggle with this too. Yeah. Sometimes life gets in the way and we're not as careful.
consistent as we want to be, or we start to really get into our own heads and doubt our abilities, that's a really, really big one. So that was the very first and most common struggle. The others were around reach and engagement. So wanting more reach, wanting more engagement when they do put up a piece of content knowing what to post or rather not knowing what to post.
What to post. That was a big one. Super, super common. And of course, the final thing that everybody wanted was to actually get clients or customers from the content that they are putting out. So we're going to have a little chat about that today. And the thing is, all of these are connected. Yeah, they are.
They are every single thing. And the good news, I guess, about that is Because they're all connected, if you solve one problem, that's going to have that nice knock on effect and help with those other issues or the other things that you're wanting, such as more reach and engagement, and to actually get customers or clients from your content.
So if we think about Think about this as a whole. And I have a little diagram here. If anyone wants to see it, let us know. Maybe I'll post it up on our socials or something. So you can take a look. Cause I got my geek on and I made a flow chart. Yeah. Well, we could, we could share the screen that way. If anyone's watching this on YouTube.
Now you're putting me on the spot, mate.
All right. There we go. Can you see that? So, Christal, what's, what's the core issue here? As I said before, these things are all interconnected, so you don't know what to post, for example. And so you just post any old random thing. Yeah. And what happens? It doesn't get great reach, it doesn't get great engagement, or because you've posted something random, maybe it does get really great reach and engagement, but it's from the wrong people because you've put up content that is not related to your business, to your niche, to your ideal customers or clients, yeah?
Either scenario, whether you're getting low reach and engagement or you're getting high reach from the wrong people, chances are that content is not going to get your clients. So then you go, Oh, okay. I'm not going to post because quote unquote, it doesn't work. Yeah. And so then you get absolutely no reach and engagement and definitely no clients.
And the kicker is you still don't know what to post. And so this just becomes a really vicious cycle and I get it. Cause when you put a lot of time and energy into content and put it out there, And it doesn't perform as well as you think that it should, it can be really disheartening. And you know, all that work, what did it get me?
That meme, right? It's like, you've put all this effort and energy into it, but you're not getting the results you expect. And typically it comes back to one key thing. And that is knowing what to post. Yeah. So that you're not just putting out any old random content. You're putting out content that is actually aligned with your business goals, with the way that these platforms work, you need to know what works on Instagram, what works on tech top, how to present your ideas in a way that is going to work with the algorithms to get that attention and that reach that we all want, and of course you need to be posting content.
That is aligned with the wants and needs of your customers, clients, audience, whoever's seeing your content. Yeah. It all just has this really unfortunate spiral effect, but we can fix that. And as I said, I think if you can improve your consistency, the rest will follow. And the way to improve that is by knowing what to post.
So why don't you know? What to post most people when they start their business, they're like, okay, I've got my business. I'm going to set up my Instagram account. It all looks pretty. I'm in Canva Designing all of my lovely Graphics and slides. I've got my logo. I've got my brand colors and they go out and they start posting.
But they kind of forgot one really crucial step, and that is to actually create a content strategy and yawn strategy. Like who wants to do that? You just want to get out and start posting. But if you miss this step, and so many people do, don't feel bad about this. This is really, really common. You think you know what you're posting about.
You jump in and you start doing it and you may see some success. But over time, you might be like, Oh, I'm just not getting those results that I want. And that's usually when you have to stop backtrack a little and actually put in place that content marketing strategy and a system to help you actually produce that content and distribute it on an ongoing basis on a consistent basis.
So the number one, while you don't know what to post, say it louder for the people in the back is you don't know who your customer or client are. And don't get me wrong. Women age 30 to 50, that covers a lot of different people, a lot of different personalities interests, values, right? You have to get a lot more specific and granular with that.
And it's definitely a lot easier once you already have some customers or clients, because you can pull on real examples, real data from those people. And you can interview them and ask them questions and get data off of them to measure. Like what really resonated with them and if you're hitting the nail on the head when it comes to what they really care about versus just throwing posts out into the wind and not really having a clue.
That process of identifying your ideal customer or client, whatever you want to call them. And look, having an avatar, I know some people are really against this, but I think it gives you something to start with. Something is better than nothing. Having someone to focus on is better than trying to focus on absolutely everybody.
And as you start posting and getting more of that data in, and you start working with more customers and clients, you're going to be able to really refine that and understand more about their wants and needs. Their needs, their struggles, all the ways that you can uniquely help them. A couple of other reasons why you may be struggling with what to post.
As I touched on just then, data, right? If you're not posting, if you're procrastinating or overthinking it and going, Oh, I don't know what to post. So you post nothing. Well, then you don't have any data to measure what is actually working. So sometimes it's better to put out your MVP post, yeah? Your minimum viable post, we'll call it.
Put something out. You are the subject matter expert when it comes to your business. And your niche put something out there so you can sort of see, okay, yeah, they liked this post, but they weren't so keen on that. Okay. Well, what else can we do? That's like that, that post that is performing well. I think having that data about your audience specifically can be really, really helpful.
There's another thing though, I think we haven't mentioned here is. Your, your brand and your values and such as well, right? How did they play in? Because I mean, we've, we've touched on this several times in different episodes where it's very much, you're making a connection more with faces. And a brand personality versus a business, is that right?
How does that incorporate here too? When we're figuring out what we need to post, we can become really focused on our customer, but remembering also that we are posting for the sake of growing our business. And so we need to get really clear on who we are as a business. What we stand for or what we don't stand for and what we really want to be known for.
Yeah. And brand definitely comes into that. Your personality, your tone, the way that you show up and present yourself over and over again on a consistent basis. Cause consistency isn't just the frequency with which you post. It's also the way that you shop in a consistent manner. So I think if you have that really clear in your mind, Yeah.
This is who I am. This is what I stand for. These are my key messages. These are my beliefs and you can present that time and time again. That really helps when you're coming up with ideas. And of course, it helps your ideal customer or client to understand who you are What you do and how you can uniquely solve their problems or meet a need or a want that they have.
We need that mix of content and different types of content to move people through the customer journey. So when they first come across you and your brand and business, what do people need to know, understand, and believe at that point? Versus when they're actually getting to know you, how are you building that trust with them?
Because who do you buy from people you trust? And we need to position ourselves as the no brainer. solution for whatever want or need that your customer's seeking. And then of course you need that content that yes, it does just sell. Because if you don't ask, you don't get married, right? That's an old Italian proverb.
Apparently. I don't know how to say it in Italian. If anyone does let us know. So by the sounds of it, there's, there's one big thing as well that holds These, these people back, it's the mindset as well, because they obviously have gotten discouraged at some point in this, this roundabout that they've gone through and are continuously going through it.
They get discouraged and they kind of just stop and it becomes that vicious cycle that you don't get the data, you don't get the reach and all that stuff because you think that your stuff is. Poor or crap. And then you get discouraged. So what is it then that you encourage them to do and to think of to get them out of the roundabout, let's get out of that rush, that content.
Sometimes like there are genuine life events that pull you away from posting and that's fine. Absolutely fine. Or you just want to take a break from social media. Again, a hundred percent fine. But don't then sit there going, Oh, I'm not making any sales. If you're not posting. Okay. Yeah. We just need to be really realistic with our expectations and know, okay.
I can take a break, but then I can't expect to come back, slap up a product post and make hundreds of sales. That's just not how it works. So you can absolutely take a break, and then you can come back and you can just start rebuilding, reconnecting with people before going in for that hard sell. When we're talking about mindset, and we've spoken about this before Remind me who said this was this Janine Cummings from Video for Bosses.
She said, something is better than nothing when it comes to posting. And I know that that Todd Collins said when people ask, you know, how many times a day should I post? And he said more than zero. I love those approaches. It doesn't have to be perfect, but if you've done that pre work, if you've got your strategy in place, you're going to find it a whole lot easier.
To come up with the right strategic ideas and the way you present them doesn't have to be perfect. I think that's the lesson here. So the, it's really important about the pre work. And then if you show up on camera and you make a mistake or you're a little bit nervous, that's okay. As long as you are delivering the value in those messages, staying true to the values of your brand, that you are helping your ideal customer and showing up from a place of really wanting to serve them, as opposed to just trying to ram your product down their throat.
I think that's, that's the first thing. If you've got that right, Then just post something. It can be a story. If you find that easy to do. If you prefer to write, lean into that. We've spoken about this before. Really go to your strengths when it comes to content creation. What do you prefer to do? Because if you do more of that, you're going to enjoy it.
And chances are you'll end up getting better results. Because you'll be showing up more consistently. Yeah. I love how you've got on here on, in your, in our notes. Stop focusing on going viral, which I was astonished that, did anybody ask you, how do you go viral? I don't, does that matter? I think I cut them off before they had a chance.
Like they understood. I was like, We're not talking about that. Okay. Because that's not your problem. Yeah. Going viral is not your problem. As I shared the other day, I went viral for something completely unrelated. I've absolutely tanked my TikTok account and have hundreds of the wrong followers right now.
Don't do that. Stick to your niche, post about things that are related to your brand and your business and your audience. Yeah. Don't go completely rogue. But again, don't do that. Because I've gone completely rogue, I'm now not expecting to show up and put up a product post and people will buy from me.
I need to go back and I need to repair the damage that I've done. Before I start posting. So again, it's just about, I think, adjusting your expectations for what content can really get you. And remembering that social media especially is very much. That first step in the process for most people, they're not converting a whole lot off of social media.
What they using social media for is to drive people into their sales funnel where the selling happens. Adjusting that mindset as to what social media can actually do for you is going to stop you feeling discouraged. Quite frankly, because if you put up a post and don't get any sales and you go, Oh, that was a waste of time.
And you stop you're missing out on such an incredible opportunity. Social media is free for the large part. Now, you know, my absolute favorite tip to anybody is to show your face on camera, please, please, please. And actually there was somebody at the event. She was so shy. She was like, Oh, I can't do it.
I've never shown my face on camera immediately after the session, because I just, you know, Pushed her into it a little. She got in her car and she recorded a face to camera story. It was so amazing that she took action immediately after that, and you could hear the nerves in her voice. She was literally shaking, right?
But she messaged me afterwards, and she's like, Oh my goodness, the love that I'm receiving from people, like people are DMing me and saying, Oh my god, that's amazing, like, she's like, Oh, I should have done this sooner. I bet it's a lot easier for her to get on camera again, Since she's, she's just ripped the bandaid off.
Exactly. I messaged her and I said, I'm so proud of you for doing that yesterday. Now do it again today. Just get in there and do it. Okay. Stop overthinking and underdoing. Action creates confidence. Remember you don't get confident and then take the action. You need to do the action first before you get the results and that confidence.
It sounds like that was a really great, almost like fireside chat that you had on Friday. It was so fun. It was so good. And you know, what's good for me is leaving the house. Cause I work from home and I've got young kids, like I feel like I'm always at home. So it was actually really great to get out, have a lovely meal.
Meet all these incredible business owners. And I'm hoping at least some of the things that I said to them resonated. And I hope for those listening at home today, that some of these messages have resonated with you. So get out there today, create some content, stop overthinking it, and just. Start posting.
Cool. All right. Well, that is another Snackbox episode from the Mad Marketing Moms. If you haven't already done so, leave us a review. We love to hear what you love about the podcast so that we know exactly what to produce for you. And also the more positive reviews and feedback we get, the more people that can find our podcasts.
That's it for today and as always, stay mad. Bye bye. Bye.