6 Quick Content Recipes You Need to Bake up and Feed Your Brand

We all know that you need to be creating content in order for your brand to be successful. But what happens when content creation starts to feel like a full-time job in itself?

Guess what? It shouldn’t be!

Look no further, as we’ve cracked the code! 

I’ve compiled some of my favorite quick step-by-step tools and techniques that you can use to create great content, and still have time to live a somewhat normal life.

Let’s get started!

#1 Content Calendars —

We know we SHOULD have a content calendar, but where do you start? Well, like most things, decide on the basics: 

• How many times will you post a week? 
• What channels? 
• What type of content will you be posting? (e.g. images, video, polls, blog CTA, or thematic content such as #TBT – throw-back Thursdays)

Think about your business and see if you can align days of the week with common questions, interesting facts, or education that your customers might be in need of. Here are some examples:

• “Monday Mournings” — gifts that get you ready for the work week
• “Tuesday Testimonials” — spotlighting our favorite customers
• “Wondering Wednesdays” — polling customer question(s)
• “…” And so on.

Social media gives you the ability to engage your customers while connecting them to your brand. Use it to your advantage!

Once this calendar is in place, the rest of our list will keep you with time on your hands.

#2 Adobe Spark — 

The best way to engage your audience is through creating visually appealing content to catch their attention.

You’re not a video-editing pro? No problem!

Lucky for you, there are plenty of platforms that let you effortlessly create beautiful, eye-catching content with ease!

One of my favorites is Adobe Spark.

From social graphics, to videos, to awesome little websites with Adobe Spark is an easy and fast way to assemble fun visuals.

So, check out this great little cell phone app, it’s a one-stop shop for cranking out social posts at work or on the run. And most importantly of all… it has a FREE version!

#3 “Create once, use many.”—

This is the mantra that all smart content marketers understand. 

Here’s an example. Let’s say you shoot/edit a two-minute video of an educational Q&A that answers four different questions.

Returning to the edit bay to cut this two-minute video down to four 30 second clips has now functionally expanded your ability to post new content x four — from the source video. 

This will take a bit to get used to as you’ll want to put a bit more thought into how you segment content into different lengths, types, and messaging.

#4 Later —

As much as we love Instagram, scheduling photos has never been an enjoyable experience.

However, there are platforms that make the process of scheduling social media posts and viewing your upcoming content much easier.

Websites like Later allow you to roll out posts just like you do with any social dashboard. They can also turn your images and videos into clickable, shoppable content, which gives your social media viewers even more opportunities to engage with your brand.

And again, wait for it, there’s a FREE version! Isn’t this great?

#5 Canva —

Not a designer but wished you had the scratch to pay for one? That’s ok! Head over to Canva.

Canva has a drag and drop interface that makes customizing thousands of templates simple, even without photo editing experience.

This browser-based tool is super easy to learn, and it comes with a ton of “out of the box” designs that will have you looking like a graphic design pro in no time.

#6 Actionable Content —

Nothing makes any of us more peeved than finding an interesting article, only to be incessantly pitched towards a purchase or action, ending with no [real] value. 

Keep a list of the common questions you get from your customers – when you hit the same question more than ten times, you have a winner! 

Chances are you’re too busy selling your product or service to think that your customer might need more explanation than simply which card to use to buy your wonderfulness.

Repeat questions = repeat opportunity for you to be the hero simply by creating great educational articles, videos, infographics, surveys, and diagrams.

Remember, the more reliant a client is on your resources, the stronger their loyalty will become.

BONUS POINT! #7 Leverage User-Generated Content—

Creating content for your brand can be hard. So, let your customers do it for you! It’s time to start leveraging your user-generated content.

This means taking things that clients have said about your product or service – whether that’s in the form of a video review or a simple Instagram testimonial – and reposting them onto your own social media accounts.

One of the most well-known examples of user-generated content is Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign.

This campaign gave Coca-Cola the opportunity to get personal with their customers.

This campaign scored Coca-Cola earned media that not only gave them more content to share with their followers. It also made them appear more reputable since actual customers were promoting their brand instead of them just promoting their own products. Because, well, of course you think your products are worth promoting!

It’s a win-win!

What Are You Waiting For? Go Bake Up Some Awesome Content!

There you have it. I’ve spilled all of my best-kept secrets that I use to simplify the daunting journey to creating stellar Instagram content for your brand.

We know, it can be hard to focus on enhancing your social media presence when you have so many other things to worry about in your daily life.

Now go make a content calendar, create some beautiful Instagram graphics, and use these tips and tricks to step up your game!

Let me know your favorite tips, tricks, and tools to create the perfect Instagram presence in the comments!