How to Create a Simple (But Strong) Social Media Strategy

Jan 17

Keeping up with all the different social media platforms out there is a lot, I know. But the key to seeing real social media success — aka more followers, more eyes on your offers, bringing in more income — is consistency.

I'm not talking about posting every single day. Heck no. Who has time for that?! I'm talking about getting consistent in the value of your content, your posting schedule, and within your brand messaging.

If you're anything like me, your mind runs a thousand miles per minute with a ton of seemingly-awesome ideas that you cannot wait to implement. The ideas are truly endless around here, even when it comes to thinking about how I will show up online.

The problem with this (I like to call it shiny object syndrome) is that it freezes us into either overanalyzing everything or spreads us too thin to show up and make a true impact.

When it comes to social media, the one simple rule that keeps me from overload? Keep it simple!

But that can be much easier than it sounds, especially if you've got a lot on your plate right now. I get it. Changing up processes or the way you think about systems in business is work itself. However, to get to a place of consistency, you need a little flexibility for a short time to make it work.

Here's how I keep my content simple enough to keep up with.

Pick One Platform

It can seem counterintuitive to say that — to see better social media success, get more followers, or get more leads to your website — you have to show up in fewer places. But you're better off doing one thing with all you've got than running yourself dry and posting half-hearted content in tons of different places.

Think about what message that's sending your audience. If you consistently push low-quality content, no matter what platform it's on, people may start to wonder if the work experience they will get with you is half-hearted too.

Save yourself the stress and sleepless nights and just stick to one thing.

Right now, that's mainly YouTube for me. I use Instagram as an added layer to repurpose my content, but I've spent years nailing down my flow for YouTube content creation to make that happen.

Create the Right Content

Create content that your audience actually wants to see. I know, DUH! But take this seriously! Dig into what people are commenting, liking, reposting, sharing, etc.

If you're just creating the content you want to see, your channel will not grow.

I'd love to dive more into YouTube analytics and do more videos that solely focus on that, but it's not something my audience wants to see right now.

And before you get too disappointed, know that you can still add bits and pieces of content that you're itching to talk about in your other videos. I don't completely shy away from talking about YouTube analytics, I just don't make it my focal point.

One thing that helps me gauge my audience's interest is to send out a feedback survey every six months to my email list. Just like the social media platforms themselves, people change and may want slightly different content a year from now.

That doesn't mean you have to constantly rebrand your channel, just keep an eye out for little tweaks you can make to your content every so often.

If you don't have an email list set up yet, you can always try researching neighbor niches to get an idea of what people with similar target audiences are talking about.

Create a Plan and Start Automating

You need to cast those last-minute posts out of your business model. Constantly posting on the fly will not get you the results you think it will. All it's going to do is overwhelm you. Plus, when things are done at the last minute, it's almost always inevitable that mistakes are made.

We all make mistakes, but doing this all the time? Think about the number of links that break, typos made, or automation backfire from posting on a whim! #NoThankYou. This is another key part of keeping up consistent branding and making a great impression online.

Create a content calendar and stick with it. Block out time in your schedule and make an appointment for it like you would if you were going to the dentist. Honor yourself and the commitments you've made to your business.

Batch Your Content

Batching your content can be a powerful tool for getting stuff done. When I batch create, I do two months of content at a time, which has helped me tremendously.

Now before you click the big red X in the browser because you're like YEAH, NO WAY I can do that…

You gotta find your own flow. There's no one-and-done approach to batch-creating content. I've even tweaked my process a few times along the way!

Here's how I work out my batch days — yes, multiple days — to make things run smoothly (I like to plan 90 days' worth of YouTube videos and Instagram posts!):

Day 1: Draft concepts for the content
Day 2: Plan it all out and do the needed research for each one
Day 3: Record videos, Reels, and stories (this mom doesn't have time to put makeup on more than once!)
Day 4: Create copy for social media posts and video description
Day 5: Create any graphics needed for Instagram, YouTube thumbnails, etc.

These batching sections can be consecutive or you can spread them out. I find that breaking it down by task keeps me in the zone, so I'm not constantly switching between research mode to record mode and then to planning mode.

Repurpose Strategically

The secret to showing up on more than one social media platform? Repurpose your content.

You have to do this strategically, though, or it won't work out too well.

I used to be a HUGE advocate for the video multiplier formula back in 2018, but I've since changed my mind about it because social media has changed a lot since then.

I used to take small clips from my video and use them everywhere else, making zero edits other than slapping the video onto a graphic that was sized for that particular platform. Now, you have to be way more intentional about the content you're posting, so I've changed my strategy a bit by creating organic story posts, Reels, and feed posts.

You also have to make sure that you also have time to engage wherever you're posting. Don't just post and go. You're online to serve up great content that your audience finds helpful and build a community there — that's the whole point of social media.

If you don't have time to engage somewhere, don't post. Keep it simple.

Update Your Toolbox

You don't need all the bells and whistles to make your business run smoothly. A few simple tools can be some of the most valuable assets you have (the ones I use are F-R-E-E).

Obviously, you know I'm a BIG fan of Asana. I use it to plan my content and keep everything organized for my team. It also works great for a CRM, and I can invite clients to collaborate with me right there on the site.

I also use an external hard drive to store video files because they are huge and will take up all your computer's space. I'll also add them to Google Drive so that if anyone else needs to access them (like my video editor), they can do so in a snap.

I'm sure you're aware of Canva by now, but just throwing it out there that it's what I use for ALL of my graphics creation.

See? No fancy software here. Nice and simple and light on the pocketbook.

Delegate Where You Can

I know not everyone is in a place to hire or outsource. I didn't even make my first full-time hire until four months ago, and I'm on year seven of my business! I will tell you, though — game changer.

The truth is, you will have to pay some upfront costs before you see a return. That's just how hiring someone works, even if it's just for a few hours a week. But think about the amount of time you can save from delegating tasks that suck the life out of you, even just for part of the time.

If you hate doing accounting work, outsource a bookkeeper. If you dread making graphics, hire a graphic designer.

These people don't have to be full-time employees. There are people out there who have a couple of hours to delegate a month to projects like these, and they don't all charge an arm and a leg either.

Think through your budget and if it permits, start brainstorming what you need help with now to move the needle forward.

Build Systems

You need a system to keep it all together, especially if you're thinking about getting some help.

Start explaining your processes and systems now so that when you do hire someone, everything is good to go, and you aren't scrambling to explain yourself. Writing it out can also get confusing, so I like to use Loom to record a video of me and my screen and keep it on file for whoever needs it.

Systems aren't just good for hiring, either. They're a good way to implement a checks and balance system for yourself.

I don't know about you, but I've got kids, and I'm constantly getting interrupted. It's not at all uncommon for me to stop what I'm doing, change the TV channel because now they decided they don't like watching Encanto anymore (truthfully, I'm just happy I don't have to hear the name Bruno again), and go to sit back down at my desk and forget what the heck I was doing.

Keeping a checklist of EVERYTHING I do in Asana helps me keep track of what I'm doing so I don't miss any steps.

Want to See How 3 Simple Systems Helped Me Hit 6-Figures?

Hard work is a must when you're an entrepreneur, but 24/7 hustle is not the answer. Not only is this not sustainable, especially when you've got other responsibilities like family, but it also makes work so overwhelming that your system goes to crap.

It's totally avoidable, and once I started using a few simple programs, I got a great checks and balance system in place that helped me manage my business and keep things running smoothly.

In this video, I'll walk you through my most valuable tools and how they get used in my business to keep me from going insane, deliver my best work to my clients, and, you guessed it…see some ROI!!