Est Read Time: 6 Minutes
I do not spend hours every single day writing out content, creating graphics or videos to go with my copy, editing, and then posting it.
No. I schedule in a content batching day once or twice a month and only spend a few hours hammering out a ton of content for the upcoming two to four weeks.
To make my content batching days a success, I’ve figured out several tools along the way that make the process easier and faster. Plus, once it’s done I don’t have to worry about my content for the next two to four weeks, so I can sleep easier at night and focus on other areas of my business and life.
Trust me, you’ll want to start using all of these tools! I literally use them every single day in my business and they have been lifesaving.
1. Google Drive
Working alone or with a small team, I will forever recommend that you get Google Drive. One, it’s free versus Microsoft Office. Two, it’s basically Microsoft Office. Three, it’s so easy to share folders and individual files with your team or download and send it off to clients.
What I use in Google Drive for content creation is Google Sheets and Google Docs. I use Sheets to create the monthly calendars and outline what content I plan to create and when. It also allows me to look at future holidays and promotions so I can create content that complements them. I use Docs to write out my content. Website copy, social media captions, blog posts, email drafts….all of it! I love having it all in a safe place where it’s not going to get lost and I can easily share it with my team.
2. Grammarly
I consider myself highly proficient with English, but even I make mistakes! This is why I absolutely LOVE Grammarly!
I’ve integrated Grammarly into my browser and now I’ve joined the Beta to test it in Google Sheets. It goes beyond your regular spell checker, Grammarly reads your tone, grammar, and spelling.
It catches when you miss a word, use the wrong word, or could use a little sentence rearrangement. Trust me, everyone needs to have Grammarly!
If you don’t have Grammarly in Google Docs, I just have the app downloaded to my computer and I used to copy and paste my posts into the app, read it through, and then copy and paste that copy into my blog or social media and then I read it once more. This assures there are little to no errors.
But like I said, I’m only human! No one is perfect, so some things do get missed…I just try to give myself grace when I notice.
3. Canva
Let’s face it, neither of us are Graphic Designers, but we also can’t afford to hire on a professional at this point. Hense why I am going to highly recommend Canva!
Choose from templates or start from scratch, this tool will have you feeling good about what you create and give you less stress than trying to figure out Adobe Suite.
(I love and use Canva so much that I pay for the pro version! But know that the free version will more than do the job.)
4. ImgFlip
Have you noticed that our memes and Gifs have had a certain flare lately? And that they seem to flawlessly go with my content?
Well wether you have or haven’t, I want to let you in on a little secret….I make them! Yep. And I make them easily on ImgFlip.
I love that they show off the most popular memes and Gifs, which for me, just looking through them will give me inspiration on how I’ll incorporate it with my content.
And honestly, who doesn’t love a good meme or Gif?
5. Facebook’s Creator Studio
And then finally, I schedule all my Facebook AND Instagram posts through Creator Studio.
It’s quick, it’s easy, and I can review the posts scheduled by me or my team and see how past posts performed.
Creator Studio also allows you to comment and engage with your community on your posts! I love this feature for the days I’m trying to avoid the toxicicty of Facebook but need to check on mine and my client’s communities. I am able to get on, do what I need to, and get off! All without seeing any of the drama.
Action Items
So those are the five tools I use every single day in my business for batch creating content for my blog, email list, and social media! (And my clients too of course.)
I hope I gave you enough details to understand why they are so important and how they will help you too. If you’d like further details, visit their websites or heck, shoot me an email! I love talking about content creation and helping fellow business owners 🤩
Okay, so here is what I recommend you do now that you know what tools are great for starting out with:
⏩ Create an account for Grammarly, Canva, and Google (ImgFlip doesn’t require login)
⏩ Spend 30 to 60 minutes with each tool to familiarize yourself with each
⏩ Schedule one day a week or bi-weekly to plan and create content
⏩ Plan out content for the month (you don’t need to post daily, it is optimal, but not necessary!)
⏩ Batch content for at least the next two weeks (four is ideal)
⏩ Schedule content
⏩ Check in with your community daily
*Don’t post and ghost!
By this I mean don’t schedule a month’s worth of content and then never ever go on and check on your community. You need to see what people are commenting and engage back with them.
I know that it seems intimidating starting out, but once you have this beautiful flow you will wonder why you ever tried anything different!
Okay, I hope you’re feeling excited and inspired friend. I hope that learning about these tools has you feeling lighter and more eager to take on the challenge of batch-creating content.
Be sure to bookmark this post for easy reference when you’re looking for the tools.
Until next week, I wish you nothing but success, happiness, and prosperity!
-Jordan
