There’s no right or wrong way to get your social media posts out. Sometimes life gets in the way. Sometimes inspiration is hard to come by. Sometimes you have to work around an illness. I’ve had a chat with Steph, aka Chronically Thriving, to discuss how she manages her social media around her chronic health challenges:
“I usually schedule my regular posts up to a month in advance, especially on my page. My profile is a lot more organic. I’ll tend to share my page posts there or just post random thoughts and other things going on in my world to my profile.” – Steph
How Steph manages her social media
“I batch as much as I possibly can! I’ll try to spend a day on blog posts, then I’ve got content ready for multiple posts. I have a set of graphics for Facebook and Instagram that I’ll edit each month. That’s another day’s work (or a morning if I’m on a good day). Then I’ll spend another day scheduling those updated images to my page and group. Once that’s done, I’ll schedule emails to my list with links to a blog post, and anything else important that’s going on or coming up.” -Steph
What I love about this is that she doesn’t hide from the reality that social media marketing takes time and it’s something you need to account for in your schedule. Batching content is a great way to avoid that “oh gosh I don’t know what to post tomorrow!!” panic.
Repurpose and reuse what’s working
“I created templates in Canva based on my own content creation process. I can then share them to my page and group, and my Instagram (when I remember that I have an Instagram account!). The other thing I would say is to make use of the ‘Duplicate post’ feature in Facebook Business Suite. I have a bunch of posts that I just duplicate each month and it saves me a tonne of time!” -Steph
Repurposing and reusing content that worked for you in the past is always a power move. It can feel lazy, but it’s not. You’ll have new followers who didn’t get a chance to see it last time, you’ll have followers who simply missed it last time (because all your followers don’t get shown every single post!), and you’ll have people who loved it last time and genuinely forgot to take action. So have a look back at what you posted last month, what got the highest reach? What got the most engagement? Reuse that!
As for Canva templates, I’m a huge fan! When I first start working with a new client on an ongoing basis, creating templates is one of the first jobs I do. If you aren’t comfortable enough with Canva to create your own, you can buy ready-made templates.
Steph’s way might not be your way
“Definitely spend some time getting to know your energy levels. For me, I know that once I’ve woken up and gotten myself ready, I’m most productive between 9 and 3 ish. Once it gets to later on in the afternoon I’m done in and ready to start winding down. Not everyone can get 30 graphics updated and scheduled in a day. Scheduling a month in advance might be too much for some. Just working a week ahead works better for others. And that’s absolutely OK. Once you’ve got a handle on your energy levels – when you’re at your best and when you need to take time out – and when you actually give yourself permission to take that time out, getting the work done becomes a lot easier.” -Steph
This! Just because it works for someone else, that doesn’t mean that’s the best strategy for you and your business! And this isn’t only true for scheduling content; all the tips and tricks I share through this blog are suggestions, not rules. You need to find what works for you, your business and your audience.
When it comes to your social media marketing, you’ve got a choice between investing your time or your money. Investing your health is not an option – your health is more important than posting! If you need support, even just for a short time, help is available.
My Featured Guest
“I’ve lived with chronic health challenges all my life. And as I’ve muddled my way through adulthood, it’s become painfully obvious that working a ‘proper’ job just doesn’t work for me. I could walk into a job tomorrow with no issue, but keeping it with all the sick days and medical appointments… that’s another matter. So self-employment is my only option.” -Steph
Steph, aka Chronically Thriving, now support business owners living with chronic illness challenges to thrive through self-employment. She also runs a free Facebook Group giving you a safe space to discuss the good and the bad of running a business around your illness. Check it out now!
Thanks for reading! I share a blog like this one every other Tuesday, and if you feel like they help your social media presence, and more importantly, your business – then please consider leaving a tip.
Every time this tip jar reaches £15, I’ll run a giveaway on social media so a small business can access my membership group for two months.
Tesni xx
