3 OF THE BEST WAYS TO COME UP WITH IDEAS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS
How the heck do you come up with ideas for social media posts?
Do you ever sit down to plan your social media content ideas and draw a complete blank? Writers block times a million, am I right?
Well, you’re not alone. Every single business owner I know struggles with this.
We want to write posts that:
Speak to our ideal customer
Are empowering, authentic, and true
Feel natural and conversational
That’s a lot of pressure when you think about it.
And let’s not forget the “strategy” side of social media content creation because at the end of the day, you ARE running a business and need to make money.
In this blog post, I’ll give you three tips on how to come up with ideas for social media posts, so writing social media content becomes the easiest thing in the world.
Feeling pumped already and want to get started? Good! Now let’s walk through each step to help you come up with ideas for social media posts. Oh, and there’s also a Daily Social Media Checklist to help you stay on top of your game.
How To Come Up With Ideas For Social Media Posts Tip #1: Use Inspiration From Your Customers + Community
When learning how to write engaging social media posts, there’s a great combo you want to aim for:
Being strategic with your social media marketing posts
Speaking from the heart
One of the ways I’ve been able to truly channel this formula is directly after having a conversation with a 1:1 client or member of my community.
After I have a coaching call with one of my 1:1 clients or an interesting conversation in the DMs, I feel PUMPED. I have high energy and my brain is flowing.
I get most of my ideas for social media posts through two ways:
During a call based on what my clients are struggling with and how I help them through it ON the call.
In a DM conversation with a member of my community, with them opening up about what they’re struggling with.
My biggest tip for you is to utilise the precious time you spend communicating with your people and schedule in time to write down all the “ah-ha” moments they AND you have.
For example, on one of my private client calls last week, my client realised she wasn’t meeting her target audience where they were really at, and her content wasn’t meeting their needs. She never thought the basic stuff she knew were things her ideal customer DIDN’T know.
It was amazing for her to realise yes, she does have all this knowledge and she does have the skills and tools to meet her ideal customer where they’re at. She now feels more aligned with the content she’s creating, it’s increased her confidence, and it made her realise the BASICS aren’t basic to her ideal customer yet!
I immediately wrote this down and it’s ready in Evernote for me to create fully in my list of new social media ideas.
You can also do this with your followers and even family and friends who ask you questions. Here are some things to think about:
What questions do they ask you over and over again?
What do they struggle with all the time?
If you don’t ask you don’t get. So make sure you ask them! A great one-liner to use is: what are you struggling with right now when it comes to XYZ (insert your industry).
Ask that question in polls, DM’s, in your blog posts, emails, etc. Then for those that vote or respond...DIG DEEPER.
Ask them why they voted that way, WHY they think they struggle with that or what about it is hard for them. Get to the real root of the reason they’re struggling and WHY they want to make a change.
In the Busy To Boss Method, we’ll go over ALL of the market research tools I give my private clients so you can get INSANELY clear on exactly WHAT your ideal client wants, needs and would pay for...and how they say it! You’ll also get the questions and invite scrips to make these happen seamlessly. You can apply to join the Busy To Boss Method here.
The reason this method is amazing is because you’re literally speaking to your ideal customer. You’re taking their struggle in THEIR words and putting it into your daily social media post ideas. This will get your DM’s flooded with responses like, “OMG! That is EXACTLY how I feel!”
How To Come Up With Ideas For Social Media Posts Tip #2: Take A Step Back
I know what you’re thinking. HOLLY, this is such standard advice. How do I take a break from something if I’m just going to procrastinate?
I get it, I know you hear this advice everywhere. But I gotta tell you, when I take a step back, go for a walk or have a long soak in the bath...MAGIC HAPPENS bosses!
The key when you take a break to “get inspiration” is to not put so much pressure on yourself to find it. We usually find ideas and inspiration when we’re not looking for it. Cliché, but it’s true.
I know it’s a frustrating statement, but hear me out honestly. When you stop obsessing over trying to force things to happen and become super present in the moment, that’s when your creative juices can actually start flowing. That’s when you’ll start getting mental downloads for new products, freebies, and ideas for social media posts.
So I want to hold you accountable to something right now (I’m going to do it too!) Take a break in your day for 10-30 minutes and either go for a walk or just sit with a brew. Having Lola means I go on a walk with her every lunchtime and walking without technology (God forbid), is SO refreshing.
And just sit within that. Notice what’s around you. Notice your heart, your breath, your hands, your body, the sounds, the smells. Not only do you get ideas for social media posts when you shut your brain off, but you’re happier because you’re in the moment and present.
You’re not thinking about what you wish you happened yesterday or what you have to do tomorrow. You’re just sill. And when you can just BE, you allow yourself to be content.
Don’t forget to download your FREE Daily Social Media Checklist!
How To Come Up With Ideas For Social Media Posts Tip #3: Use Other Places To Get Inspiration
One of my favourite ways to come up with ideas for social media posts is in the shower (#justbeinghonest!) I find when I get in the shower and stop trying to “think” and just blast out some music, I get so inspired and ideas come rushing in.
Again, there’s something to being present on what you’re doing that shuts your brain off that allows it to then be creative. I started getting so many mental downloads in the shower that I had to do a brain dump afterwards! Although you can get a little thing called shower notes too which you can check out here (aff link).
I’ve also asked my audience about where THEY get inspiration from when it comes to creating content on social media. Here are a few of their tips:
Driving in the car while blasting music
Commuting to work
Listening to podcasts
Reading books
Yoga/Exercise/At the gym
Observing people on Instagram
Reading blog posts
All of these are great places to gain ideas for social media posts! I’ve used all of these methods and my ideas have never felt forced.
A FINAL NOTE
What do each of these strategies have in common? You’re forced to shut your brain OFF. And when we do that, we stop trying to force creativity.
Don’t go into something thinking, “OK inspiration...HIT ME!” Because it won’t work that way. You’ve got to truly just let yourself BE. The more you force it, the more inauthentic it’ll feel.
This won’t happen overnight. So give it time, be patient, and remember...done is better than perfect. You’ll get better and better at creating good social media content that resonates with your ideal customer. But until you do, you’ll create “okay” content, and that’s OKAY.
My content was rubbish when I started. It was REALLY bad. Then it got better, then it got okay, then it got pretty good, then good. Now I like to think it’s pretty damn good!
But I still have a long way to go to get to great and incredible.
Have fun creating content for social media and stop putting so much pressure on yourself to get it “just right”. That’s how you’ll truly start creating it effortlessly and actually ENJOY this part of marketing your business.
Do you struggle to come up with ideas for social media posts? Which of these tips will you implement first?