Like, a lot.

Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur or running a small team, I’ve put together some ideas for making DIY content creation a little less painful and a lot more effective. This guide is packed with actionable tips that will have you creating compelling content in no time. Buckle up and get ready to transform your business!

Understanding Your Audience

Before you even think about creating content, you need to know who you’re creating it for – your audience persona. Painting an picture of who you’re talking to makes diy content creation much simpler because it will feel like you’re talking to a person you already know. Understanding your audience is crucial.

Why Audience Analysis is Key

Imagine trying to sell ice to an Eskimo. Exactly, it doesn’t make sense. Audience analysis helps you identify who your customers are, what they care about, and how you can solve their problems. When you know their pain points, you can create content that resonates, all while sharing your expertise, products, and services in an informational way. Even if you don’t get a sale right away, they won’t soon forget you helped them.

Tips for Identifying Target Audience Interests

Start by asking yourself some basic questions:

• Who are my customers?
• What are their biggest pain points?
• What do they enjoy reading or watching?
• Use tools like Google Analytics and social media insights to gather data about your audience. You can also send out surveys or conduct interviews to get firsthand information.

Choosing the Right Content Format

Content comes in many shapes and sizes. The trick is to choose the format that resonates best with your audience.

From blogs and videos to infographics and podcasts, the possibilities are endless. Each format has its strengths.

• Blogs are great for detailed, informative content.
• Videos can be more engaging and easier to digest.
• Infographics are perfect for visual learners.
• Podcasts offer a hands-free way to consume content.

But remember, every piece of content is helpful to build other pieces of content, and that will make your diy content creation aligned eithyout message and more effective. And did I mention easier? Yeah, its way easier. You should always be repurposing content by breaking longer, more detailed content types into smaller ones, like social media posts and reels.

How to Select the Best Format

Think about where your audience spends their time online. If they love watching YouTube videos, then video content might be your best bet. If they prefer reading articles, start a blog. The key is to meet your audience where they are.

I also want to give you permission to skip content types you don’t enjoy. Long YouTube videos may not be your jam and thats ok! DIY content creation should be fun enough for you that you’ll keep it up.

Planning and Creating Compelling Content

Now that you know who you’re talking to and how you’re going to talk to them, it’s time to get creative.

Start with a brainstorming session. Think about your audience’s pain points and how you can address them. Use tools like BuzzSumo or AnswerThePublic to find popular topics in your niche. Keep a running list of ideas so you always have something to work on.

Using AI Writing Tools

Feeling stuck? AI writing tools like Jasper (my gift to you is a 7 day free trial!) and Grammarly can help you generate ideas and even write parts of your content. These tools can save you time and improve the quality of your writing.

Tips for Creating Engaging and Valuable Content

Content should be both informative and engaging. Use catchy headlines, add visuals, and break up long paragraphs to make your content easier to read. Always provide value—your content should help solve a problem or answer a question more than it promotes your business or sells directly.

Another reminder: Done is better than perfect, so don’t fret about how you write. Content creation has shifted in the last few years to encourage perfect, raw, authentic content. Plus, apps like CapCut and Canva offer lots of great ideas to make your repurposed content pop.

Promoting and Measuring Content Performance

Creating content is only half the battle. You also need to promote it and measure its success.

Share your content on social media, send it to your email list, and consider guest posting on other sites. Collaborate with influencers in your niche to expand your reach. Other ideas are posting helpful content in Facebook groups or answering questions in Quora or Reddit – the latter has space for literally every special interest under the sun!

Tools for Measuring Content Performance

Use Google Analytics to track page views, bounce rates, and average time spent on your site. One of my favorite apps is Metricool that connects all your platforms, including website and socials to give you very clear picture of your performance, demographics, and more. Use this data to tweak your strategy and improve future content.

DIY content creation is not just a cost-effective way to market your business; it’s also incredibly rewarding. By understanding your audience, choosing the right formats, creating engaging content, optimizing for search engines, and promoting effectively, you can attract and engage customers like never before.

Ready to put these strategies into action? Start creating and don’t forget to share your successes with me in the Honeycomb DIY Marketing Community on Facebook. We’re here to support you every step of the way.

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Feel free to reach out if you need personalized advice or have any questions. Happy content creating

The post DIY Content Creation Tips and Tricks for Small Biz Owners appeared first on Honeycomb Marketing Co..

Raise your hand if you downloaded Tik Tok during the pandemic for “fun,” and now you can’t stop scrolling?

Tik Tok’s astounding rise to the top –the top site of 2021 according to Google search–proves the enduring popularity of social media. With dozens of platforms with millions of engaged followers looking for precisely what you’re offering, investing your time in social media is still a great idea. But for most business owners, one question keeps them from posting consistently: how do I come up with social media ideas?

My answer (just like every other DIY marketing tactic I share with my clients) is twofold and straightforward: don’t overthink it and make a plan. Here are my top 4 tips on how to come up with social media ideas for your small business marketing.

Follow the Trends

Social media platforms are filled with people who have way more time than you to find and create trends, so the easiest way to come up with social media ideas is to follow the trend makers. Luckily, tons of smart people have launched apps that make finding trends easy.

• In-app Trending Sounds and Hashtags – LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and many more social platforms offer in-app trend tracking, so you’ll have plenty of content to choose from, especially if you’re short on time.
• TrendSpottr – The TrendSpotter app sources and curates a list of the ten most popular hashtags and sources. The  full version of TrendSpottr has a $49 / month subscription, but you can add it for free to your free Hootsuite account (cha-ching!)
• All Hashtags –  All Hashtags is a very cool free resource that gives you chart-topping ideas and a hashtag generator and helps you analyze your favorite go-to tags to see how popular they are.

The critical thing to remember with all these options (and there are dozens more, both free and paid) is to use them to boost the content you’ve already created or give your ideas for fresh content, NOT to stress you out or make you feel like you’re lagging!

Use Your Content Strategy

Content strategy isn’t just for blogging or emails but also can drive your social media content, so you’re not duplicating your efforts. Here’s how it works:

A client has identified April as “Treat Yourself Month.”

• She has planned two blogs: 10 Self Care Ideas to Try This Month; and Splurge v. Spend: How to Treat Yourself on Any Budget.
• She has planned three emails: two automatic emails with new blogs and one newsletter that includes a new product, a post from a fellow business owner with a complimentary business about taking care of yourself, and a behind-the-scene photo and short blurb about how she treats herself with her favorite things.

From this content strategy, social media will include:

• Each blog post shared twice (4 posts)
• Posts about the new product or featured product shared twice (2 posts)
• Link to her friend’s blog (1 post)
• Behind the scenes photo (1 post)
• Pictures of her favorite things from the newsletter (3 posts)

That’s 11 days worth of social media posts from a planned, cohesive content strategy! If you’ve planned to post three times a week, this will almost fill up your calendar. Add in some sales posts, an invitation to join a newsletter, and a testimonial from a client, and just like that, you have a full calendar.

Ask Your Customers for Social Media Content Ideas

Your social media content ideas should include educating your followers, especially about how your product or service can solve their challenges. So what’s the best way to find an answer? Backtrack and discover the question! Your customers are a vast resource in how to find social media content, so utilize them. Send surveys through email lists or transactional emails, ask questions on social media, and encourage associates to chat with customers about why they choose your product or service.

Once you have these ideas, think about how you can best present the question and solution in short form. Would an Instagram Reel or TikTok convey this best? Can you share with a visual and caption for Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram? There’s no correct answer, and you may be able to use multiple ideas for the same topic.

Remember: if your clients find value in what you’re offering, others will. Anticipate their needs, and you’ll discover raving fans.

When you can find social media content ideas in this many places, you’ll be able to stop worrying about what to post and start getting intentional with your marketing!

content

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The post How do I come up with social media content ideas? appeared first on Honeycomb Marketing Co..

Here’s the thing:  hundreds of thousands of others are also posting their fourth of july social post ideas, too. It’s easy for your post to get lost in the chaos of brand posts and shares from friends and family. Here are some do’s and don’ts for your July Fourth social posts to help you stand out in the crowd and celebrate this uniquely USA holiday.

Fourth of July Social Post Ideas

• Do put thought into your post. Make it a reflection of you and your brand.
• Do keep your post subtle. I call it the “essense of holiday”, with just enough red, white, and blue to let your customers know it is, indeed, a July 4th post, but not so much that it fades into the background of all the other flag pictures on Facebook. Here are a few for inspiration from top brands.
• Do share products you use during Fourth of July celebrations. For instance, if you’re a direct seller for a cooking company, share a demo for a festive food using your product. It isn’t a sales post, but what I call a “positioning post”.
• Do engage with your customers! Post a poll or quiz about their own activities, ask them to choose their choice two of your favorite foods, post trivia about the holiday, or create your own meme.
• Don’t post your own videos from a fireworks display. Seriously, nobody wants to see those. They don’t photograph or video well, and if they wanted to see fireworks, they already saw them.
• Don’t share generic “Happy July 4th!”clip art, stock pictures of flags and fireworks, or branded posts from your company.
• Don’t post a spur of the moment image just to say you posted on July 4th. Last minute posts usually feel rushed, and in addition, it takes you out of your own celebrations. Plan ahead and be present.
• Don’t make your Fourth of July social post about sales. Although many brands have amazing holiday specials — including yours —  your customers are probably not pulling out their wallets on July 4th. Post sales before the holiday or save them till the weekend after.

With these do’s and don’ts, you’ll have the tools to celebrate the holiday with your customers while enjoying time with your loved ones.

The post Do’s and Don’ts of Fourth of July Social Posts appeared first on Honeycomb Marketing Co..

When was the last time you said out loud, “Wait — it’s already 4 pm?” For me, it’s almost daily.Most business owners jump right into their day with a million things to do — and asocial media calendar is almost always last on the list. When I started using social media professionally, I’d realize by the end of the day I hadn’t posted a thing. This panic always lead to reactive posting with hurriedly written captions and poorly timed scheduling.

One day, I got smart. Setting up a social media calendar saved my social media platforms AND my sanity.

But for a savvy social media strategy, you’ll not only need content that’s well written and strategically posted, but deliciously crave-able — after all, your strategy is only as strong as your content. Finding great content is the single best way to turn strangers into leads and leads into customers.

Here are three of my secret weapons for finding content my audiences crave!

Blog Bonus – Social Media Content Creation Guide

Search Where Your Audience Is Searching

You (should!) know your audience best. Put yourself in their mindset: What types of sites do they frequent? From what sites are they already sharing content? Essentially, WWYAD (what would your audience do, naturally)!

Using this technique will set you up as the go-to resource for all things in your industry. Content you search and add to your social media calendar should compliment your products and services, but not necessarily sell them. You should try to find the content your audience wants before they find it themselves. Over time, you’ll establish trust and build relationships with your audience — the cornerstone of a successful sales relationship.

Some options include:

• Pinterest searches
• Industry magazine sites
• Twitter lists curated by experts in your industry
• Popular Facebook pages

Ask Your Audience

If you want something, just ask! Let your audience guide you to what they want to read. Ask your fans which item they like best out of two to four (i.e. “What’s your favorite type of ice cream: chocolate or vanilla?”), or to drop a link to their favorite blog. Add these notes to your content plans (HINT: I keep a running Google Doc of favorite sources to get the good stuff) and share from them later. This also helps you determine what pain points your audience and future customers have so you can help solve it with your products or services.

Set Up Lists

Even if you’re not on Twitter, it’s a great place to create lists of influencers in your industry and search for keywords to bring you the latest news on your chosen topic. I really love Hootsuite to keep tabs on keywords and lists. This article shows you how to set up streams of content at a glance.

The key phrase here is “keep it simple”.  Make content curation part of your weekly scheduling routine, and your content funnel will always be full!

DIY Digital, a membership site exclusively for direct sellers and entreprenuers, is opening the doors August 1! Join the waitlist for step-by-step training to help you automate your business and spend less time online and more time with your customers. 

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The post 3 Ways to Fill Your Social Media Calendar appeared first on Honeycomb Marketing Co..