While there are some entrepreneurs who struggle with pumping out content for their business, there exists a group of creatives whose struggle lies mostly in organizing the hundreds of content ideas they have swarming around in their heads or on various files of their laptops. Is that you?
Do you have a lot of ideas and a lot of content you’ve already created, but right now everything’s all over the place between the notes on your phone, MS Word or Google doc files on your computer, or saved somewhere among the many cloud storage or jump drives you’ve accumulated over the years?
If you struggle with organizing the content you’ve already created, the following tips will help you sort through the madness once and for all. I will walk you down different ways of decluttering what’s already been created and how to stay organized going forward so you can keep track of what’s already been done, find what you’re looking for when you need it, and maximize off the content you’ve already created so you can continue to share your most valuable pieces of work and repurpose the old into many.
Organizing content creation
Take note of your habits.
First thing’s first. If you want to organize your content, you’ll want to become aware of your habits. You can do this by considering how you’re currently doing your day to day operations in business as it relates to content. You’ll also want to have some understanding around what your current process is for creating content, editing content, publishing content, and distributing it from start to finish.
When you have an inspired content idea, what usually happens next and then right after that’s done? Do you usually whip out a pen and paper first or do you have a habit of typing your ideas out on a Google Doc? After you’ve flushed out your idea, do you usually hand it over to a team member? Do you schedule it out to publish next? While you could take advantage of different tools online that help with content management, a good first step is to have clarity over whatever you’re naturally doing so you can ensure you are building a content system that you can keep up with and one that can work for you on a foundational level.
Create a content workflow.
Next, in order to make sure you are staying consistently organized from here on out, you’ll want to get each step of your content process written out (bonus points if you can print it out). Once it’s written out in concrete form, it’s best to hang it up where you will notice it in your work zone and also have it easily accessible to the people on your team who will have their hands involved in your content creation or distribution process.
The core areas you’ll want to document are:
what to do with ideas,
what to do with finished drafts,
what pieces need to be in place to constitute the work as “finished”,
what steps need to be taken to publish the work
and what steps need to take place in order to distribute it out to your community.
By having this process documented, you will be creating a simple content workflow to help you with your content management system and processes.
Create a content library.
Even though libraries have tens of thousands of books, do you know why it doesn’t take you forever and a day to find exactly what you’re looking for any time to visit? In fact, you can usually find what you’re looking for or tell if it’s not available in a matter of minutes. That’s because everything is organized according to categories that are easy to understand, navigate through, and find.
When you’re in business, the content you create usually falls along the lines of a handful of core topics. A great way of organizing your content is to organize your work according to those core content topics. For example, you can create a folder that houses all content around “Fishing for Beginners” if that’s something you frequently talk about to your community. You can create another folder for “Fishing Products” and another category for “My Fishing Classes” to give you some ideas. I like to organize content according to the stage of the buyer’s journey my ideal audience is on so I can easily locate content that speaks to the audience segment I’m desiring to target at a specific time.
The sky's the limit when it comes to organizing your content in a content library. However, this is a great and simple way of staying organized not only for you, but also for your team members. And the best part is, you can do this using the platforms you’re already familiar with and ones you’re already using everyday in your business.
If this is resonating with you and you are a creative entrepreneur who is short on time and open to exploring ways to outsource your writing needs, then learn more about the“done for you” copywriting and content marketing solutions available at BTM Writing Services to support you with content for an active website, blog, email, and social media presence. Get started here to find the support you need. It takes 2 mins.
Or if you're looking to go more of the DIY route, join the Confident about Content Membership Society! It's the go-to place online to get accountability and support to sharpen your writing skills and help you meet your content and writing goals. Learn more.
About the author:
Hi, it's Jasmine – Copywriter and certified Content Marketing Strategist. For over 8 years, I’ve been helping businesses create content that's clear and true to their authentic voice, helps them gain visibility, attracts their ideal clients, and grows their business!
I realized in my own business (and with my clients), the right words meshed with the right systems can be a game-changer.
That's why I teach people how to have freedom in their business by leveraging content and their brand's messaging to attract their most valuable payers (without losing themselves, sleep, or sanity). Learn more.
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