Brandmerry Blog Archives
6 Time Management Tips for New Entrepreneurs
Just six years ago, I set out on a mission to start an online business. I started my business with the simple goal: to stay home with my son. I had just given birth to my son, and I decided I didn't want to go back to work.
This was a shock to my husband and me because I always imagined I would be working up the corporate ladder and working a typical nine to five.
But if you are a mother or a caretaker, something just changes. I suddenly had this desire to start my business.
I was still working my nine to five so I had to be super strategic with my time. Luckily. I'm addicted to time management and productivity hacks. And as a Virgo, I think it's pretty natural that is just how I normally structure my time.
So as I started to build my business and find these time management hacks, I shared them with my community.
I shared them with my audience and they served them at a high level, but I found that so many of them started to ask about those early days.
The reality is that starting your business requires a lot of dedication and discipline, and some of the hacks I used then are different than now.
STARTING AN ONLINE BUSINESS
When I was starting my business, I really wanted to be able to replace my corporate income. We were going down to one salary as a family so I was very determined to make those strategic choices.
You really have to have an honest conversation with yourself when you’re starting a business.
How badly do you want it? One of the things that I was constantly reminding myself of was the life that I was creating and the reason that we were doing this.
I wanted to start my business because in the beginning I just wanted to be home with my son. I was having that new mommy love.
But the reality of it was my husband and I had always dreamed of traveling the world. We were living off of a decent salary, but I was in nonprofit - not the wealthiest of areas.
I loved the work that I did, and we had all these dreams about buying property, traveling, all of the things that have been in the works for six years now. So when I was making the decisions to spend money on my business and not on my fashion or get my nails done or things like that, when I was making the decision to not watch Netflix so I could write emails, when I was waking up early, when I was making these choices, not sacrifices, choices, I always kept the vision of the life that I was creating in my mind.
And I still do that today, even when I'm going through these periods of life, when business is demanding more from me, I'm always thinking about the life that I'm creating for myself and my family.
So please know that these tips and these tricks are definitely going to help you structure your day, really focus on the things that are gonna move the needle forward, and optimize your time at the highest level.
But it really comes down to you making a choice that this is what you want, dedicating your time and energy to it, and making it a priority.
We always say that you have this much time in a day, we all have the same amount of time. And one thing that I've realized is that when we prioritize the things that we really want to do during this season, somehow we are able to create more time around us.
It's absolutely magical. When we sit down and really audit all the things that we're doing, we remove the things that aren't contributing to where we wanna be, or what we need in this season. Magic happens.
So please, if you haven't already, take the time to dedicate yourself to growing your business.
These are some of my top tips for you if you are just getting started in your business or consider yourself a new entrepreneur.
TIME MANAGEMENT TIP #1: OPTIMIZE YOUR TIME
Most likely if you are just getting started, you're juggling a lot of different things. When I was starting, I was working a nine-to-five job and I had a new baby.
So I was also navigating motherhood and trying to build a business on the side. Many of my clients are working full-time jobs, caretakers, working part-time jobs, or growing multiple companies.
What I always recommend to them is to optimize the time that you do have available.
For me, this looked like using my commute to work to listen to podcasts and to listen to audiobooks.
This was really helpful for me to get into a mindset, to learn new things, to ultimately increase the education that I had around branding and marketing specifically, that I could then implement in my business as I was getting started.
Then on the way home, I would use that time to actually record social media posts, notes for things that I was working on, and even emails.
My favorite hack was to use the voice recorder on my phone. Just set it down while I was driving and just freely talk. The quality of the recording didn’t really matter because I was going to transcribe it. But what it allowed me to do was use that hour time that I was commuting home with my sleeping baby in the back seat, to create content for my business.
I would also utilize the time when we would go for walks. Once I left my job, my son and I needed to get out of the house a lot. So we would take frequent walks to, and from the park near our home. Every time we were walking, I had my headset in and I was recording content. I would record blogs, emails, social media posts, all of those different things that I was using to promote my brand new business.
I would do those while I was doing other things in my life. It's my favorite hack and a great example of optimizing your time.
So what I want you to think about are those moments when you're commuting or you are on your way with the kiddos to the park, or maybe you're making dinner or you're washing your face before bed, can you use those little pockets of time to get those ideas in your head out and document it so you can then use them within your business.
TIME MANAGEMENT TIP #2: BULK SCHEDULING
You might have heard me talk about this before. If you've seen any of my videos on YouTube. I love to talk about bulk scheduling, especially as it relates to content creation because I think it's an incredibly powerful, overlooked tool for optimizing your time to create the most amount of content in a very short period.
But you can really do this with everything. I recommend that new entrepreneurs have one day a week where they create content. This is typically two to three hours a week, one specific sitting. For me, it was Sundays when I was working my nine to five. Once I left my nine to five, I switched that to Monday.
You’re sitting down, writing your content, recording your videos, or your podcast, getting it all scheduled for release for the week, and repurposing your content, if that's something that you're doing, all in that one period of time.
This allows you to then not worry about content the rest of the week, not worry about getting your social media post up every single day or posting your blog. You are completely done pretty early in the week.
Another thing is that you can bulk your client interactions.
If you are doing consulting, coaching, or anything, where you're doing a one-on-one call or group, calls with your audience, you want to try and schedule those on the same day every single week, and try to do as many as possible.
This was a lifesaver for me when I was working my nine to five, I would essentially work with my clients on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the evening. So those were the only two days that I did.
Once I left my nine to five and I had more availability during the week, but of course there was a baby on my hip, I was more focused on a specific day of the week that I knew my husband was going to be home and I would have that support.
So I did Wednesdays and Wednesdays were pretty much the only day that I allowed my clients to book times with me. If that wasn't available, I still did Tuesday evenings and I would alternate my weeks.
I would pretty much have five calls on a Wednesday, but then the next Wednesday I wasn't doing anything. I still do this in my business today.
I book my coaching days, my mentoring days, and my group calls for Brandmerry Academy on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which leaves me Mondays and Fridays for really focusing on my business.
Another thing that you can bulk schedule is your admin time.
Think about the spreadsheets that you have to make, anything that you're tracking, looking at your numbers, your finances, anything like that. It's going to be really hard to do that and then jump into something creative.
You're going to waste more time trying to focus and switch your brain. Choose a specific day, which I like to call your CEO day, where you're focused on admin tasks, which include money, scheduling things, maybe contracts, invoices, all of that stuff. You'll find by actually creating specific days to focus on one area, you're able to get more done.
In addition, it really helps you schedule your time when you have a million things happening, not only in your business but also outside of your business.
TIME MANAGEMENT TIP #3: ASK FOR HELP
Look for opportunities where you can outsource, whether that's paid or just, via a family member or a friend, so that you can gain a few extra hours every week to work on your business.
Some of the things that my clients have used are grocery delivery. How much time do you spend driving to the grocery store, picking out all this stuff, and then coming back home? You could be using that time to write emails to your audience or market your business.
Another thing is having someone clean your home. How much time are you spending doing that on the weekend? You could be using it to grow your business and make money in your business.
Another thing is if it's accessible to you, you can also ask for help from friends and family. So if you are with a partner, how can they support you during the week and take some of the things that you are doing off of your plate so that you can dedicate that time to your business.
One of the things that I did is that one of my cousins had a new baby and was looking for support and I was home from my job. So I would take her daughter on Wednesdays and she and my son would play. And that was my primary focus. And then on Fridays, she would watch my son, which gave me a whole day on Friday to dive into my work.
Are there opportunities for you to do that as well? If you are a caretaker, if you have children, how can your community support you during this time?
One of the things that can be incredibly helpful is to do a time audit. So take one week and write down all of the different things that you were doing during that time and how long they are taking you.
This is a fantastic way to see right in front of you where your time and your energy is going and where you might be able to outsource.
TIME MANAGEMENT TIP #4: USE A TASK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
We really love ClickUp here at Brandmerry. It is literally, if it's not in ClickUp, it's not happening in our business. But I also use it for my personal life as well.
I so wish that someone would've told me early on to start using a task management system for all the things that I was doing at the beginning of my business. It would've saved me so much time just diving into work every day.
I only had these little pockets of time, which I'm sure you also have as well. So you wanna utilize that time to its full capacity.
You can just simplify the entire, “what should I be working on” process by starting to use a task management system. There are so many free options out there. ClickUp is our favorite. There's also Asana, Trello, or monday.com.
What you really want to focus on is getting every task that you have into the scheduler with a start date and an end date so you don't miss any of your deadlines.
You can also set up recurring tasks. If every month you need to do something in your business, get that set up so it reminds you. It's so easy to miss those individual pieces so having monthly, weekly, or even daily recurring tasks is fantastic.
I also have found that having a task management system really simplifies what I need to do every single day.
What I do is get on my computer first thing in the morning and in ClickUp, there’s a homepage where I can see everything that is due today or coming up next. So it really takes the mystery out of what I need to work on to grow my business.
A side note on that: Schedule every single thing. Every tiny task that you have to do, every big thing that you are doing in your business, whether that's a live video or a class or a challenge.
And I even recommend in your Google calendar or your iCal to schedule those individual pockets of time, you’re gonna be working on your business as well as all the other life things that you have going on.
It's just a fantastic way to remove the overwhelm every single day, because you can look at your schedule and know what your focus is during that moment.
TIME MANAGEMENT TIP #5: SCHEDULE TIME OFF
Remember in the beginning, when I talked about optimizing your time, that is essential, but you don't want to be working every single hour of every single day.
If you're working a nine to five, you're basically waking up, maybe thinking about your business, going to your nine to five, thinking about your business, coming home, taking care of life and diving into, yeah, your business and I totally get it.
You do want that dedication to getting things done and prioritizing, but I have found that even taking one day away from focusing on my business can actually help me creatively. Even though I’m off or taking a break, I get the best ideas. So I'll just jot 'em down and circle back to them.
So do yourself a favor and get into this routine of taking at least one full day off in your business.
Now, maybe that's Saturday or Sunday for you, which is pretty typical, or maybe it's a Wednesday. It literally doesn't matter, but schedule that inside of your calendar as well. And if you can keep it consistent every single week, that's really going to help you with your time management and your productivity.
This is something I recommend you continue to do as you grow your business as well.
TIME MANAGEMENT TIP #6: FOCUS ON ONE PROJECT AT A TIME
I know when you're starting your business, it can feel like you have a million different things that you need to do. Let's say for example, that you want to create your website because you've been following me long enough to know how important a website is. You want to implement that SEO, you want to have a blog, and you're really focused on those evergreen content strategies.
Give yourself a set period of time to work on your website.
Make it a priority, add it to your task management schedule, put a deadline on it, and even put the time that you're going to be working on that particular task into your calendar.
Allow yourself that focus time to get it done. This is going to allow you to get it done faster and in a more efficient way. Y
ou can absolutely get your website done in 30 days or less if you are fully focused. If you're not, you might do a little bit here and a little bit there. And before you know it, six months have passed and you still don't have a website.
I know that it's not 100% possible to focus on one thing and one thing only every 30 days. We have a lot of moving parts in our business. Marketing is definitely one of them. But if you can choose one to two days every single week, where that is your main focus, focusing on a specific project is going to allow you to get it done much faster.
And I have found that this focus is really important as you continue to scale your business.
The amount of things that you have to do doesn't necessarily go away. Even as you hire your team, you're going to think of new creative things to do in your business. So really focusing on one project or one offer, at least every 30 days can be one of the best ways to optimize your time.
I know that starting a business can be a lot of work. I have been there and like you, I was not just starting a business. I was juggling a lot of different things, expectations, and responsibilities at the same time.
I want you to know that it is possible, but there are going to be some things that you're going to have to adjust, and definitely making it a priority is going to save you a lot of time in the long run.
Inside my program, Brandmerry Academy, I provide a step-by-step roadmap of exactly what you need to do in order to grow your business.
It is a one-stop shop for branding, systems, and marketing that can support you to getting to six figures in your business. You can check it out brandmerryacademy.com.
P.S. Ready to get your brand seen and paid without the pressure of social media? I'm teaching my top strategies inside of my new free class, "How to Build a Brand That Gets Seen and Paid!" You're invited to tune in and learn my signature 3-part framework for a sustainable 6-figure brand. Sign up to watch for free at Brandmerry.com/class
- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -
DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES
LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS
MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR
- READ THE LATEST POSTS -
MEET MICHELLE
Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.
I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.
I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.
This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.
Productivity Tips for Work From Home Entrepreneurs
When it comes to productivity, I don't believe it's about doing more, but rather being efficient.
I think sometimes we think productivity is all about the amount of energy we churn out, but that can lead to a hustle mentality and burnout.
To me, it's about optimizing your time in the best way possible.
It's why I'm always looking for ways to streamline my workflows, ultimately giving me more time to step away from my business and live my life.
It's why I'm so passionate about streamlining the content process and creating repeatable systems for entrepreneurs. Something you can learn all about in my Content Planning Blueprint.
But, like all things in life, I've found that my ability to streamline and increase efficiency doesn't just pertain to marketing!
So, today, I'm sharing with you some of my top resources for improving productivity in your life and business 👇
10 WAYS TO IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY (WFH)
Watch Time: 19 mins
If you've been looking for productivity tips, ways to increase your productivity when working from home and a little bit of balance with that work-from-home life, this video is for you!
4 PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS
Watch Time: 13 mins
I'm sharing some of my favorite tools we use daily in business to make sure we're getting everything done in the most efficient way possible. If you feel like you're constantly doing stuff and no further along, this video is for you.
6-FIGURE SUCCESS HABITS
Watch Time: 20 mins
In this video, I'm sharing the specific habits I've used to create success in my business and in my life. I'm a firm believer that the daily actions we take, aka habits, can change your life. I know they changed mine!
MORNING ROUTINE
Watch Time: 17 mins
Watch behind the scenes as I share my morning routine, the key staple in my day that has increased my productivity over the years! I'm also sharing my top tips for creating yours.
Don't forget to drop me a comment on your favorite video so I know you watched it!
P.S. Have you gotten your hands on the Content Planning Blueprint, yet?
I created this blueprint to help you become an organized, productive, high-converting content machine that gets their brand seen and paid consistently.
As I was creating the CONTENT PLANNING BLUEPRINT, I knew I wanted to give you a tried and tested approach to planning 90 days of content for your business so you can create data-driven content topics, and show up consistently.
Without a clear system in place for finding content ideas, organizing your content ideas, optimizing your workflow, and creating a weekly rinse and repeat system for time management, your dreams of consistent and converting content just won't happen.
I've seen it time and time again.
The key is harnessing the power of a weekly content workflow, the art of repurposing, and utilizing SEO research so you can master your content creation strategy. At the center of a successful marketing strategy lies your content.
- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -
DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES
LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS
MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR
- READ THE LATEST POSTS -
MEET MICHELLE
Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.
I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.
I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.
This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.
7 Content Creator Time-Saving Tips
As a content creator, you've probably recognized that it can take a lot of time to plan, organize, create and schedule your content for social media.
The good news is you're not alone! I recently surveyed my audience and the #1 struggle they stated when it comes to content creation is time. Whether you have a limited amount of time to sit down and create or find the process incredibly overwhelming and time-consuming, you're in the right spot!
Over the past 6 years, I've consistently created content online, posting new content at least once a week on my blog, youtube, podcast, email, and/or social media. When I started, I was not only doing it all myself but also working a 9 to 5 and raising a newborn. I had to learn pretty quickly how to create content efficiently, so I wasn't spending all my time behind the scenes of my business.
These tips have helped my clients go from spending 4-6 hours a week on content creation to just 2 and now I'm sharing my top 7 tips with you.
In episode 32 of The Brandmerry Podcast, I'm sharing, "7 Content Creator Time-Saving Tips," so you can start to more effectively create and share content, show up consistently and build your profitable online business.
Tune in now to hear:
The single practice I've been doing for 6 years now, that has helped me show up weekly online with "fresh" content.
Why it's taking you forever to create your content and exactly what to switch in your strategy to make sure you're not wasting hours on content creation for social media, video marketing, and more.
How I never run out of ideas for content creation and what might be missing from your current content creation marketing strategy.
Tune in now on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to hear the full episode and all the tips.
P.S. Planning and creating your content doesn't have to be a constant struggle. There is a better way to research, plan, and create your content as an entrepreneur and it's all inside the Content Planning Blueprint!
The Content Planning Blueprint is perfect for online business owners who know the power of content creation but are tired of spending all of their time coming up with ideas, organizing their content, and wondering what will attract their dream clients.
In just a few hours, you'll have 90 days of content planned, a repeatable workflow to save you hours on creating and distributing your content every week, and content topics that will keep performing for your brand for years to come! Get your blueprint now >>
- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -
DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES
LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS
MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR
- READ THE LATEST POSTS -
MEET MICHELLE
Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.
I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.
I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.
This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.
6 Time Saving Tips for Content Creation
If right now, your content creation feels like it takes hours out of your life, this post is for you.
I mean, there's a lot that you have to think about when it comes to content creation.
You’ve got to pick your ideas, you've got to organize those ideas, you have to choose your SEO if you're blogging or using YouTube, you've got to create the content, record it, write it, schedule it, edit it, make graphics.
I get it. I 100% get why content creation feels overwhelming.
But, it doesn’t have to be!
Content creation is my sweet spot. It’s something that I absolutely love doing. I have a lot of strategies up my sleeve, and today I’m sharing 6 of them to help you save hours every single week with your content creation.
Content Creation Tip #1: A Clear Content Strategy
Let's dive into my very first tip, which is to have a clear content strategy. It’s not enough for you to willy-nilly be creating content, posting, and kind of flying by the seat of your pants.
Honestly, that's probably taking the most time out of your schedule.
Having a clear content strategy is incredibly important. At this point, what I want you to think about is where you are showing up. You do not have to be everywhere, on every single platform. In fact, I don't recommend that at all.
You want to be really strategic with where you are showing up.
Some things to consider are:
Where is my audience?
What type of content do I like to create? Is it video? Do you enjoy writing? Do you enjoy recording yourself as podcasting? Do you love making reels or TikToks? Do you enjoy posting on social media?
That's going to be the easiest way for you to create content when it feels good to you.You also want to think about the type of content that your audience is consuming. So not only do we need to think about the specific platform, and what you like to create, but of that bucket, what is your audience consuming the most of?
Now, maybe you don't have this information right out of the gate, but this is something that I want you to pay attention to in order to streamline your content strategy.
Really dive deep into exploring:
Is your audience watching YouTube videos?
Do they prefer short little snippets of videos on Instagram?
Is your audience reading blogs? Most audiences still are.
Is your audience really utilizing Google?
Do they listen to podcasts?
What do we know about your specific audience that is going to help you streamline your content strategy?
This is incredibly important, because I want you to have a clear base of, "This is where I'm showing up, and this is the type of content that I'm creating."
Content Creation Tip #2: Create a Repurposing Workflow
The next thing I want you to do is create a repurposing workflow. I talk about it quite often over here at Brandmerry, it's one of the core pillars inside of my membership Brandmerry Academy, and I broke down that entire process in this video right here.
I share the entire step-by-step of designing a repurposing workflow in that video, so for our purposes today, let's talk about a bird's eye view of a repurposing workflow.
The idea here is that you take the platforms that you've chosen to show up on, and you think of how you can repurpose your content on each of those platforms.
So for instance, you're not creating videos, and then creating a completely different blog on a different subject, and showing up on social media every day, talking about something different. That is wasting your precious time.
One of the best things that you can do as a business owner is repeat yourself. It's through repetition that really builds that brand authority, and that expertise, and why individuals will continue to follow you, invest in your products and your services, and tell their friends about what you do.
So with this repurposing plan, which again, I talk about in this video right here, you want to figure out how you can create one core piece of content, maybe it's a video like this one, which was turned into this blog and then repurposed onto multiple platforms.
This is going to save you a bunch of time for two reasons.
Reason #1: You're able to utilize repurposing, transcribing this video, creating social media posts, taking the audio and turning it into a podcast, whatever that looks like for you. And that's going to save you a lot of time, because you ultimately don't have to create as much new content every single week.
My clients who have a very clear repurposing workflow typically create one core piece of content every week, and then they push that out in various ways onto different platforms.
Reason #2: The other way this is going to save you time and energy, is that you can repeat this workflow every single week.
What I recommend you do is you take this weekly workflow, and put it into a task management software. We like to use ClickUp, but you can also use Asana, or any other task management software that you prefer, and set it to repeat every single week.
This is really going to take the guesswork out of what you should be doing in order to create content, which is going to save you a ton of time.
Content Creation Tip #3: Plan Your Content
The third tip that I have for you today, is to choose one period of time every 90 days to plan your content. One of the things that I think takes entrepreneurs so much time, is they'll sit down to write their content, or record their content. And they're also sitting down to think about what they're going to talk about.
They're switching gears back and forth.
"Okay, let me do my research on my ideas. Now I’ve got to go ahead and create it. Now I have to create graphics."
And it's this switching back and forth that can really waste a ton of time. So I recommend that you map out 90 days worth of content at a time.
What I mean by map out is not create, but choose your core topic. Remember back to the repurposing tip that I just shared, there's one core piece of content that you're creating every week, and then you're repurposing it to push out to multiple platforms.
So if you're planning 90 days worth of content, you're choosing 12 topics for 12 weeks. So it shouldn't take you that long. But what you're able to do is maybe carve out three hours at the beginning of the month to sit down, finalize all of those topics, and then walk away from it.
When you revisit, and actually create the content, you don't have to think about what you're going to talk about. You can just dive right into creating it.
Content Creation Tip #4: Have a Content Creation Day
My fourth time saving tip for you, is to have a content creation day. Yay for batch scheduling! Yay for batch recording!
In fact, the video for this blog is one of four videos that I recorded for an entire month in one day.
This is a fantastic way to save time and energy.
Now I'm not suggesting that you create 30 days worth of content in one day. I've been doing this for a long time. I have a very refined system. But when I was first starting out, and what most of my clients do inside of Brandmerry Academy, is they choose one day a week that is dedicated to content creation.
Now, based on your schedule, you want to choose the day that works best for you.
When I was first starting, it was Sunday, because I worked a full-time job, and Sunday my husband was home. So I could create content on Sunday.
Once I left my nine to five, I was able to create content on Monday, because I had my mother-in-law taking care of my son.
So you want to pick a day that works best for your schedule. Best if it can be repeated on the same day every week, because that's going to help you get into that habit.
Try and pick a day every week, where you can carve out two to three hours, and get that on your calendar right now.
Honor that time.
Don't schedule anything else during that time.
Really just focus on your content creation for that week.
Content Creation Tip #5: Batch Your Content Creation Tasks
My fifth tip for you kind of falls in line with the last one. On that content creation day, I encourage you to group like tasks together.
What I mean by this is don't try and write a blog, and then hop over and create your graphics for that blog, and then jump back and edit it, and then go ahead and schedule it, and then switch to scheduling your graphics, and then go back to this.
Try not to jump from one core task to another. Really group them together.
For instance, if you are creating content once a week, then you would sit down and you would do all your writing in one chunk. Write your blog, or write your script for your video, and write anything else that you need to do. Maybe it's the social media post, maybe it's the email you're going to send. So you're doing all of your writing during one chunk of time.
Then you can switch gears.
Maybe then you decide you're going to create your graphics. You're going to go ahead and create your graphics that you need for that piece of content. Maybe it's a thumbnail for your YouTube video, maybe it's a Pinterest image for your blog, your social media content that you're going to be doing. You're creating all your graphics in one chunk of time.
Then you're moving into the third phase, which is scheduling your content. More on that in a minute.
What you want to do is you want to make sure you're not hopping back and forth from task to task. This is such a time suck.
If you are doing something like batch creating content for 30 days, or 90 days like I do, and I talk about in this video right here, you want to really group together your full day.
For instance, I will record a bunch of YouTube videos on one day.
Then I might choose another day to record podcasts.
And then I might choose another day to create graphics.
Grouping the tasks together is such a fantastic way to focus on what you're doing and not distract yourself.
Content Creation Tip #6: Scheduling
That leads me to my last tip, which is scheduling. This needed its own little pocket of time from me.
Please schedule your content in advance.
I know, there are so many tips and tricks to getting your stuff seen, and they tell you to maybe not schedule it because you won't get as much of a reach.
But listen, if you're already strapped for time, if you're already really struggling to streamline your process, you're just contributing to that overwhelm by having to post things in real time.
I'd rather you start scheduling, and consistently showing up, and start to streamline your process, and spend less, and less, and less time on creation than not post at all.
We know consistency is important.
We know content creation is important at every single stage of the buying process.
So if scheduling your content is going to help you actually post your content, then please do it.
You can pretty much schedule anything, except for Instagram reels. But I got a fun strategy for that in just a sec.
You can schedule your blog post, schedule your emails, and all of your social media content.
If you're using carousels on Instagram or Facebook, you can schedule those in advance inside of the Creator Studio on Facebook.
You can schedule your Pinterest posts.
You can pretty much schedule anything.
You can't schedule Reels just yet, but a tip that I have is after you batch create them, and download them to your phone so they don't get deleted. After that go ahead and just save them as a draft. Then you can put a little reminder in your task management, or on your phone to just go in, and hit publish when the time is ready.
Scheduling is going to be a fantastic way to save you time and energy. Please do it if you find that you're not consistently showing up, because that is more important than maybe the 1% boost that posting in real time is going to give you on the platform.
CONCLUSION
As you can see, there's a real benefit to having systems in place for your business. And I want you to remember that you are going to refine your system as you go.
The more that you actually implement the system that you have in place, the more you'll notice that it's taking you less and less time.
This happens very often with my clients, and it happened in my own business as well, where it would feel like it still took me a lot of time to implement a system.
Maybe it was taking me four hours to create everything and schedule it all. But then, as I kept doing this week after week, after week, I noticed that it was taking me less and less time.
And that's just like anything, right? You have to build up that muscle and having these systems in place is going to help you.
It's going to support you in saving hours, every single week, with your content creation.
This is something that we teach inside of my community Brandmerry Academy. This membership is all about marketing without relying on social media.
If you want to learn more, you can go to brandmerry.com/academy for some details. Join the waitlist, and be the first to know when doors open again.
P.S. Planning and creating your content doesn't have to be a constant struggle. There is a better way to research, plan, and create your content as an entrepreneur and it's all inside the Content Planning Blueprint!
The Content Planning Blueprint is perfect for online business owners who know the power of content creation but are tired of spending all of their time coming up with ideas, organizing their content, and wondering what will attract their dream clients.
In just a few hours, you'll have 90 days of content planned, a repeatable workflow to save you hours on creating and distributing your content every week, and content topics that will keep performing for your brand for years to come! Get your blueprint now >>
- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -
DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES
LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS
MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR
- READ THE LATEST POSTS -
MEET MICHELLE
Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.
I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.
I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.
This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.
7 Steps to Repurpose Your Weekly Content and Work Less
If you’re spending all your time creating content and scheduling it, you’re missing out on the secret sauce of repurposing. I’m sharing my 2020 Workflow and 7 steps to build your own workflow that allows you to repurpose your weekly content (think 1 piece of content shared for an entire week). Learn more on the blog.
If you’d like to watch the full video, you can do that here.
When I started my business I had no other choice but to be efficient with my time.
I started my business while working at a 9 to 5, raising a new baby (my first by the way), commuting, taking care of my home and launching this business.
Despite having no idea what I was doing, which definitely took time, I also had a bunch of other things to do.
No team.
Just me.
Content to create.
That’s when I fell in love with repurposing and over the past 4 years, I’ve freaking mastered it!
Today, I’m excited to share with you what repurposing looks like in my 6-figure business and how you can apply a similar workflow to your own business.
Why Should Online Entrepreneurs Repurpose Their Content
As an online entrepreneur, you should be focused on 4 tasks daily.
Growing your email list
Nurturing your email list
Making a sale
Serving your existing clients and customers
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the majority of your time goes to creating some form of content. What if you could streamline your entire content creation process with the art of repurposing and save yourself so much time every single week?
Are you intrigued yet?
Let’s pretend you spend…
1 hour writing an email every week
30 minutes to write a single social media post with photo
1 hour to write a blog post
30 minutes to record a Facebook live or record a video
This means you’re spending 3 hours minimum, for many of you this might be a hell of a lot more, to create 4 pieces of content for the week.
If this is your current strategy, spending a few hours every day writing content then you need repurposing more than you know.
The idea of repurposing is that you create one core piece of content and then break it down into multiple pieces to support the larger piece, show up and spread your message.
This means the time you’re spending to create a piece of content isn’t in vain...that one hour you spend to write a blog becomes 7 days’ worth of content or possibly more.
Repurposing provides you with 3 incredible benefits:
Saves you time every single week and day
Extends the life of your content. I don’t know about you, but if I’m spending an hour writing a piece of content I want to make sure it lasts more and an hour on social media.
Reaches your audience. Remember the rule of 7 in marketing? Well, your audience is most likely NOT seeing your single piece of content, so why not create a few more pieces to make sure they actually see your hard work in action.
There are so many different ways to repurpose your content, but today I want to share with you the exact method we use inside of my business and give you a simple workflow to set yourself up for success.
I’ve got some bonus videos below if you prefer to watch.
The Repurpose Strategy of a Multi 6-Figure Entrepreneur
I’ve always been a fan of repurposing content because, in the beginning, I didn’t really have a choice. I was working a 9 to 5, building my business and had a newborn baby strapped to my back, on my hip, on my boob...you get the picture.
I needed a way to maximize my time and my content in order to grow my business from the ground up.
In the beginning, I started simple. I would write a blog and send it to my list and then I’d share it on social media, but I was still writing more emails every week and scheduling social media felt exhausting.
If we’re being honest social media hasn’t always been my favorite way to attract new leads, I much prefer SEO, Pinterest and video for that and teach this inside of my membership Brandmerry Academy.
But, year after year I would fine-tune my process. I’d remove things that weren’t yielding results and I’d amplify the stuff that was.
In 2020, I was determined to create a workflow that would once again allow me to show up live for my audience, post on IGTV, show up on social media, improve my SEO and attract quality leads through Pinterest.
It’s been 4+ months of this strategy and I’m SO IN LOVE.
Seriously, content is so flipping easy now, and I know that at the bare minimum I’m showing up and delivering quality content for my audience every single week.
Want a look inside of my workflow?
Here is my 2020 Content Workflow featuring my dear friend repurposing.
Step 1: Determine a topic for my weekly show Mondays With Michelle
Step 2: Email my community on Monday about my live stream topic and how to watch
Step 3: Write my script for the live video
Step 4: Share the live video on social media (Facebook and Instagram)
Step 5: Deliver the live video
**This all usually happens on Monday, the topics are outlined about 3 months in advance**
Step 6: Take the script or transcript (either works depending on your preference) and format it for a blog, this includes SEO research.
Step 7: Turn the video content into a blog (hint: this blog started the exact same way)
Step 8: Pull quotes and information from the script to create graphics (typically 2-3)
Step 9: Schedule the graphics for Facebook and Instagram
Step 10: Publish the blog post and share on Pinterest
Step 11: Turn the video (sometimes broken down into multiple pieces) into a video for IGTV
Step 12: Share on IGTV
Repeat every freaking week!
It looks a little something like this.
This might look like a lot, but the majority of these steps are just formatting and scheduling, which I now have a freaking amazing team to support me, but I did it myself for years.
The idea here is that I really only need to show up once to create the content, which I do on live video, and I’m set for the entire week!
7 Steps to Repurpose Your Blog, Video and Social Media Content
I don’t want you to mimic my workflow unless it works for you and the vision of your brand, but I do want to give you 7 steps to follow to create your own workflow. Follow these steps and you’ll find content creation becomes a freaking breeze.
I teach this entire strategy, plus how to utilize advanced marketing platforms inside my program Brandmerry Academy.
Step 1: DETERMINE YOUR PLATFORMS
You can’t design this unless you know exactly where you want to be showing up. As you saw from my example above I’m showing up on:
Facebook and Instagram Live
Facebook and Instagram Stories
Facebook and Instagram Feed
IGTV
My blog
Pinterest
and Email
You can expand on this or shorten it down even further depending on your needs.
Step 2: DECIDE ON YOUR LONG-FORM CONTENT
Here is where so many entrepreneurs get it wrong! You want to make your life easier and start with the longest piece of content first. That will most likely be your blog or a video.
I highly recommend you have a blog for your website in order to improve your SEO and to give you the tools to grow on Pinterest, my favorite platform to be on (seriously, we’ve got 1 million viewers on there are you one of them?)
Once you’ve decided on your long-form content you can map out your 30-day calendar for that piece. Inside, the Academy we focus on 90 days, but you have to start somewhere, right?
Step 3: DESIGN YOUR WORKFLOW
For this step, I suggest using Trello or Asana. I use Asana to easily assign deadlines and tasks to my team and I like it because we can see where each other is in the process.
Set up a sample card in Asana with your workflow. List out every step and use this as a template moving forward. You can just duplicate the task every week for new content.
Remember, the goal here is to list out where you’ll be posting the content and every task you have. See my sample below.
**The first 3 steps only need to be done once!
Step 4: MAP OUT AT LEAST 30 DAYS OF CONTENT
For my business, this is my weekly video on Monday. I have a spreadsheet inside of Google Sheets that list out my schedule and topic for each episode.
This allows me to see the big picture of my content and I can start brainstorming my ideas far in advance.
**You’ll repeat this step every 30 days
Step 5: CREATE YOUR LONG-FORM PIECE OF CONTENT
Either sit down and write your blog post, record your video or record your podcast. Get this final piece 100% complete before moving on, it’s going to save you a lot of time. Remember, everything in your workflow stems from this single piece of content.
Step 6: BREAK DOWN YOUR CONTENT
Here’s the fun part.
Now go through your long-form content and pull out the pieces you need. Create your graphics (use a template in Canva to make this easy), write your emails, draft your social media posts, etc.
If you’re repurposing a video, I love VEED.io.
Whatever you need to write, do that now! You basically want to have everything ready to post without actually posting it.
Step 7: SCHEDULE IT
You know I love a good scheduling tool. If you’re repurposing and not taking the time to schedule it what are you even doing? It takes like 30 minutes once everything is ready to go and will save you hours in the long run!
Use a tool like Later to schedule your Instagram and Facebook posts.
Use Tailwind to schedule your Pinterest images.
You can even schedule your blog post in your web provider.
Upload your IGTV and save it as a draft (watch the video below for my secret on this).
Schedule your email for delivery.
Schedule your podcasts in LIbsyn.
Schedule your videos for Youtube.
EVERYTHING can be scheduled in advance, and if you take this chunk of time at the beginning of the week or even month to do it, you’ll find you’ve got more time every single week.
CONCLUSION
If you implement even just 3 of these steps you’re going to start to streamline your content which will save you so much time.
I can’t stress that enough. Remember you started this business to live a life of freedom and make an impact, you can’t do that if you’re spending hours every single day creating content.
Marketing is necessary to grow your business, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. I believe in a simplified and minimalist approach to marketing that works to consistently grow your brand and business. Learn more at BrandmerryAcademy.com
P.S. Planning and creating your content doesn't have to be a constant struggle. There is a better way to research, plan, and create your content as an entrepreneur and it's all inside the Content Planning Blueprint!
The Content Planning Blueprint is perfect for online business owners who know the power of content creation but are tired of spending all of their time coming up with ideas, organizing their content, and wondering what will attract their dream clients.
In just a few hours, you'll have 90 days of content planned, a repeatable workflow to save you hours on creating and distributing your content every week, and content topics that will keep performing for your brand for years to come! Get your blueprint now >>
- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -
DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES
LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS
MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR
- READ THE LATEST POSTS -
MEET MICHELLE
Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.
I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.
I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.
This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.