#13 Developing a content plan in under 30 minutes with Jennifer Kolbuc

If you find yourself constantly struggling with content and not showing up consistently, chances are you aren’t working with a content plan. Even if you are using a content plan, you might waste hours trying to come up with ideas, taking you away from your revenue generating activities as an interior designer.

In this episode I take Jennifer Kolbuc from Mountain Top Consulting up on a bold promise to teach you how to develop an efficient, smarter content plan in under 30 minutes. Let’s see how it works!

Why you need a content plan

Social media platforms, whether it’s LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram all use algorithms that reward consistency. The good news is you can pick a pace that works for you as long as you remain consistent with that pace. The best way to do this is to have a content plan that outlines a long-term schedule of topics. The plan provides more control over what you post and ensures you aren’t scrambling to come up with posts on the fly. A plan also makes it easy to do posts in batches when time allows so on your busiest days you have a bunch of posts ready to go. This ensures consistency and maintains a high quality of posts that align with your business objectives.

The types of content you should post

There are three different “buckets” of content you should include in your content plan:

1. Awareness bucket of the “fluffiest” content to help people get to know, like and trust you and generate likes
2. Education or behind the scenes bucket to show the magic behind your designs, process, and work which helps you generate comments or saves
3. Sales or consult bucket that explains your services and packages, draws attention to offers and reminds people how to work with you to generate consults

The right balance across the three buckets

Using the right balance across the three buckets avoids coming across too salesy all the time while providing enough fluff to entertain and engage and enough educational information to show followers you know your stuff. A basic breakdown of content over a month would include one or two awareness and education posts each per week, sprinkled with sales content/CTA’s once or twice a month. 

Change up your sales approach

Your sales bucket can be based on different approaches depending on your business. For example, if you have special offers, then they are the best driver and sales content for you. If you have packages, you can mention them once a month and then add a harder sales pitch reminding people how to work with you. Don’t forget to encourage people to reach out with friendly invites like you’re happy to chat, throw in a few testimonials and occasionally add a sense of urgency such as “I’ve only got two slots left for spring projects.”

Repurposing and creating content in advance

Creating content in advance makes it easy to post even when you’re swamped. You can also save time by including repurposed content in your plan, especially salesy stuff you can mix up every month. This maintains a consistent message to remind people what you offer and how to contact you. You can also repurpose content such as your best work, favourite projects, or seasonal tips. Keep in mind it takes seven times for somebody to hear something enough to take that next step to reach out.

Knowing where to show up

Another big part of an effective content plan is to decide where you need to show up. The basics for choosing the right platforms include:

• Post where your ideal clients tend to hang out  
• Leverage the visuals of your business on Instagram 
• Do what’s comfortable such as TikTok if you love being on camera 

Making a content plan in 30 minutes

You can create a content plan in 30 minutes using tools like Google docs to draw up a grid of ideas using the following steps:

• List FAQs and/or common myths about interior design as a driver for your content  
• Look for at least one content idea for each content bucket for each question
• Slot your content ideas for each question into monthly calendars based on three or four posts per week and you should be able to create a month’s worth of posts for each question 
• Assess business considerations such as special offers, the seasons, etc. and slot them in as you see fit
• You can adjust your content until you have a solid plan and consider repurposed content opportunities where you find holes in your calendar
• Consider existing images you have that you can apply to the posts in your plan
• Map out where and how you’ll create new visual content, such as creating a carousel in Canva or a reel for Instagram
• Consider upcoming projects that might tie in with your posts and plan to take images or video the next time you’re at the client’s home
• Apply captions to your ideas directly into your grid
• With everything mapped out you can then consider using a tool to schedule content
• Choose a method to store your content so it’s ready to be repurposed

Masha and Jennifer’s content tips and tricks

Your content plan allows you to deliver a consistent message that allows people to get to know you, create an emotional connection and help you find new clients. We share some time saving, insightful tips and tricks to help you keep on top of your content plan. 

Episode highlights

These are the highlights for this episode:

• 10:43: Why you need a content plan
• 13:44: The types of content you should post
• 22:48: The right balance across the three buckets
• 23:36: Change up your sales approach
• 24:58: Repurposing and creating content in advance
• 26:11: Knowing where to show up
• 29:17: Making a content plan in 30 minutes
• 47:17: Masha and Jennifer’s content tips and tricks

Still not sure how to create an effective content plan? Let’s chat!