One of the topics I keep coming back to this year is consistency. I’ve talked about it a couple of times already this year. In fact, just last week I said that I believe consistency is one of the core things that make a business owner successful.
If you struggle with being consistent, one of the best things you can do for yourself and your business is to streamline your processes so they take less time and are easier to get done. When you’re just getting started doing that, social media is the number one place I recommend streamlining.
This week on the blog I’m excited to have Ingrid from Atelier21 Co sharing her two secret weapons to making social media marketing a breeze. These two things are going to help you streamline and get more consistent so you can see social media help grow your business without having to spend so much time on it!
One topic, maximum reach
I am all about efficiency these days, and I don’t even have kids yet! But my businesses are like my babies and trying to be everywhere gets overwhelming if you don’t have a plan. But then what happens to people like me who don’t have a super organized brain? We need an easy plan to make the most out of our time.
Believe me, I’ve tried batching days, the Pomodoro method, and even getting multiple sticky notes/todo lists with the “day priorities”. But I’ve boiled it down to the two most effective things you need to make your marketing efforts on social media feel less like a never-ending race and more of a planned out strategic funnel that will make your audience keep all eyes on you.
The best thing about these 2 things? They are a “set it once” kinda deal. Ready to learn my secrets?
Your secret weapon one: templates
Yep. Templates! Pretty and polished graphics are a must. I don’t know about you but Pinterest is my Google now, and every time I’m searching for something there is always new content. So what I find must feel relevant and polished to put my trust in it and actually click.
I actually have the awesome Sugar Pinterest templates (from none other than Coded Creative) which came in both a Photoshop file and Canva file, and even though I’m a professional designer I use both versions for efficiency reasons:
- I have the PSD files for when I’m already working in Photoshop.
- The Canva version is perfect for when I am pressed for time.
So the first thing you want to do is get yourself a set of branded templates that you can customize to your colors and fonts into. Have them ready to go so you can just plug in your images and words. Seriously, this may seem “too simple”, but most of us overcomplicate things.
Your secret weapon two: cohesive images
Speaking of images… My second secret to making sure my brand gets embedded in my audience’s mind: branded images. These ideally will be created just for you, but picking a stock set that has your brand’s color palette tones is going to make it easy to just plug-and-play into your template.
And why did I say “set”? Because if you pick a bundle of images that carry the same tones and aesthetics then your marketing pieces will really look cohesive. Cohesive means professional, and professional stands out from the crowd.
You always want to be personable and memorable, so bonus brownie points if the images have props for your profession or things you’d enjoy in the day to day.
Content gets old fast, so I suggest you keep an eye out for bundles every 2-3 months so you can get fresh images at least every quarter. And if you can, try to look for sources that provide multiple images per set. Not just 3 or 5, but a well-rounded set so you can have even more variety to pick from.
Keep brand awareness easy
If you want to grow your brand, you have to be top of mind for your audience, always. Getting noticed in a sea of content doesn’t have to be hard, you just have to keep your secret weapons handy and make yourself look cohesive and polished.
I know we always try to tell others not to judge a book by its cover but unfortunately in the online world we all judge by first impressions, and that will determine how much trust and time we invest in other businesses and brands.
Bonus!
One little piece of advice for when you have your graphics and images all ready to go?
Schedule them!!
You don’t have to take time out of your schedule to go in and manually post them, you can use something like Later or Planoly and plug in your images for your social platforms!
I personally schedule Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook at the same time, using at least 4 different graphics (which were a breeze with the templates and my bundle of images) right after I create them so I know those are taken care of and I don’t even have to think about them! Marketing on auto? Yes, please!
It’s all about making your social media marketing easier on yourself and keeping your audience interested.
Do you want to spend an hour looking for the right images for your promos, and then have to design (or pick a design) every single time you need to promote a new blog post? Or would you rather focus on making awesome content and easily get your pinnable graphics and images ready to put out to the world?
I see you nodding, and I am glad you agree with me because I am all about efficiency! Sometimes we need to hear it from real people behind real small businesses, and I am here sharing my method with you because I hope it can give you back some good hours back into your life.
Get to know Ingrid + Atelier21 Co
I’m Ingrid, the photographer and creative director behind Atelier21 Co. where I help solopreneurs build brands that stand out in their industry with professional and polished photography. I help small businesses, like you, grow and increase profit through images that captivate your ideal audience, growing trust and brand awareness.
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