How to Get More Done By Batching Your Content Creation Process
Is it possible to get maximum output in terms of content creation when you set aside time for it ?
Do you ever get overwhelmed with the amount of work you have to do as an entrepreneur and a parent? Until a few weeks ago, this was me. I created content for my blog, for all my social media platforms, researching, writing, cooking, cleaning, folding clothes. I found that I was not using my time efficiently and not strategic in my content creation process.
I take pride in cooking meals for my family. I bake my flatbreads, Banana loaves, air fry chicken and then freeze everything. As a stay-at-home parent, I often batch my cooking on a Sunday. So, in theory, all I have to do during the week is prepare fresh vegetables and salads.
Much to my delight, I discovered that I could apply this life skill to my business.
In this article, you will learn how to create your business content in batches. Batching will assist you to focus on the goal your content will fulfil for your business. You will discover that the quality of the content will substantially improve.
To get more done by batching content creation process you will have to set time aside in your schedule to do the work. You have to be intentional .If this is you, read on to learn the main steps in batching and how you can use your content to achieve your online business goals.
What is Content Batching?
It is a productivity technique, similar to my batch cooking on a Sunday afternoon. Batching is the process of dedicating a chunk of your time to work on the same task without interruption. So, if you are writing a blog post, your will set aside time to focus on only writing blog posts.
Batch working is a highly concentrated, topic-specific form of working. It is safe to say it is the opposite of multitasking. Two things jump out about batching; focus on a specific topic -task and setting aside a set period of time to actually batch this content.
So, What Do I Gain by Setting Aside Time and Focusing on A Topic? (Batching)
Batching is about focus and intention. It’s about setting aside time to focus on a specific type of content relevant to your business. You will sit down for two to three days writing, recording, editing this content so that you’re focused intensely on creating premium content.
The content you create serves to meet the customer needs by giving them solutions for their problems. Still, in addition, this content should help you meet your own business goals. This content must be related to your business goals. If, for example, your business goal is to grow your email subscription by 30% this year.
You then have to be intentional about creating content that will lead to an email subscription. You could give away a relevant lead magnet. I think you could partner with another business to share your content and get exposed to a different audience. And therefore, increasing the chances of you getting more email subscriptions.
Batching will help you free up mental space. You’ll be in a position to operate in a flow state. Flow state is the sense of fluidity between your body and mind. You are totally absorbed by and intensely focused on something. You are one with the task at hand ‘in the zone.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Jeanne Nakamura have popularised flow state. Philosophy describes a feeling where you become fully immersed in whatever you’re doing under the right conditions. And this is what you ought to be when you’re creating your content.
In this state, you can look ahead with clarity in the upcoming weeks and introduce strategy; new ideas will pop into your head because you’re in the zone.
How To Go About Batching
1. Identify Your Main Content Pillars.
You will have to decide which tasks or processes in your business are most conducive to batching. At Hippos to Horses, we batch blogs and social media. What will you batch in your business?
The next thing you have to decide on is your content pillars. Content pillars are the topics you are interested in (and your audience as well). If you think about yourself, you have many interests. You’re probably interested in business, sports, productivity hacks, fashion, recycling etc. And these interests make you unique. We all like different things.
So, think about the topics you want to create content on; these will be your content pillars. I would advise you to pick and write consistently about three to five content pillars.
I encourage you to focus on content pillars that reflect your brand. At the same time, your audience is interested in consuming.
Remember, you can always ask them what they want you to create.
2. Book Time in Your Calendar
Now that you have decided on the business process that you will batch and your content pillars. It is time to schedule a day and time to do the work.
You need to plan because if there’s no Batching plan, let us not kid ourselves; it will not get done.
Make time for your batching sessions. Get time booked in your calendar. Planning is vital for the success of this process.
3. Reflect on Previous Content
Great! You have allocated time in your calendar to do the work. I think it is essential to take some time and reflect. Look through your analytics, most social media business and create accounts have analytics.
They will show you your reach, interaction, and where you get the most engagement.
If you have a website, then you can use Google Analytics. Do you know that you can use Google analytics to look at all your websites and social media?
You can learn a lot about your audience. At a touch of a button, you can learn about their demographics. You will also notice which of your content is doing well. Your action is to plan to make similar content in your batching session.
You will also see which of your social media platforms are bringing you more visitors to your website. A key performance indicator of what’s working is your reach and engagement.
Google Analytics is a free tool. Just Google how to install Google Analytics for your specific content management system.
Once you know which topics are doing well based on your analytics, I recommend you expand on this and make more content of the same or repurpose this content to a different platform.
So, if you have a blog, you can use the content in your podcast( YouTube) and vice versa. Once you have an idea of what worked well, create similar high performing content. Analytics help you pinpoint key takeaway ideas to repurpose.
4. Brainstorm for More Content Creation
The next step is to Brainstorm. You know your pillars. You have set aside time for Batching. So, it’s scheduled. You have gone through your analytics. You know what type of content works for your business.
Now it’s time to Brainstorm more content ideas.
Tip: take note of important dates, public holidays, product launches, campaigns etc.
Go through the questions that are frequently asked by your audience. Take note of any news related to your niche for more ideas.
Do a brain dump; simply set a timer for five to ten minutes and write down as many concepts within your content pillars.
5. Outline Your Content
It’s time to put together an outline and create your content. I would give a day between the content creation and the final edit—some time to let things marinate.
6. Source Your photos and Videos.
I always enjoy this part. I use Canva for most of my photos and social media creation. If you have the pro version of Canva, you can schedule your social media posts as well. You can also use free images from Pixabay.
If you are taking personal photos of yourself, you should also batch this process. Plan to take your pictures in one day—simply set aside three to four hours and just take all the photos.
The photos will accompany the other content you’ve made for your blog, social media, YouTube channel or podcast.
7. Review and plan your content.
Once everything is written down, photos taken, videos and podcasts recorded. It is time to review your content and plan how you will realise it to your audience.
Scheduling your content in advance is a game-changer and an essential step in the batching process.
Look for a scheduling tool that is appropriate for your platform. I schedule my blogs on WordPress. I use the Facebook business suite to schedule my Facebook and IG posts.
You can also use Planoly, Later, Tailwind etc, to schedule your content.
Once you have created content in advance and scheduled it, you gain time freedom. You are free to spend your time interacting and engaging with your audience in real-time. You also have the mind space to think up new ideas to serve your audience.
As a parent, you can be present in mind and body for your loved ones. What’s not to love about batching?
Final Thoughts on How to Get More Done By Batching Content Creation
Content batching as a strategy helps you achieve your business goals and focus your energy on creating content that will serve your audience.
I now batch my content creation. I stand to testify that weight off my shoulders that now I enjoy the benefits of batching.
I plan my content and align it to the Hippos to Horses Marketing brand values and personality.
It’s great to see the progress I’ve made and have the time to dream up more strategic products and content for my business.
A year from now, it will be good to reflect and see the progress of my journey.
If you want to experience working in the zone, then focus your attention on one task at hand and take it to completion.
You will start to enjoy your online business and still have the time freedom to do life.
If you’re thinking of starting an online business, click here to download the ‘Ultimate kickstart Guide’ to your dream online business now.
