Three Meals a Day: A Content Model

So, what’s the deal with content?

It’s a diverse tool that helps brands connect with their audience, share their brand message, and do what every brand does—sell. Content also provides a way for brands to be “social” and establish rapport. Between user-generated (UGC) and original content, each is a great way to show the many facets of a brand. But… It can be a chore.

Typically, a brand plans content 30-days (60 if they're on point) in advance. Add in an annual plan with content buckets/themes and curated activations, and that’s a lot of freakin’ content! Editorial calendars are helpful, but again, it can be a chore. Specifically, if you’re handling the draft, design, and publishing of said content solo. So how do we use this tool in our favor to create a unique posting frequency (algorithms aside) that adds value and converts?

This made me think about a menu.

Most service-based businesses have menus which give a consumer the option to decide what they want. Think of content as a daily meal with your posting schedule as the menu customized to nourish the information palette. This template gives your audience control of when and how they engage with your content. With the option to bookmark and save posts, consumers are more likely to store content they like to revisit later. Bookmarked content can prompt a re-share or a sale, depending on the post, which leads to a result all businesses want site traffic and an expanded audience.

A menu has its perks.

Brands vary and I notice larger brands opt to post once per day, while smaller brands have a heftier posting schedule. And because reach is important, smaller brands often find themselves disjointed with designing a posting schedule unique to their audience and engagement metrics. For those who fit in the latter bracket, I hope this tip works for you.

If your audience wants more content or you realize the need to amp up posts, a content model I like to call “three-meals-a-day” can be a great starting point. Though a typical eating pattern encompasses breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a few snacks in between, we’ll focus on the essentials.

Breakfast

Our elders told us breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It’s how our brain is nourished. The consumption or lack thereof sets the tone for how our day begins and the level of productivity we maintain in the morning. For some, no breakfast begets a sluggish brain, making it hard to function and excel. Sprout Social issued an article on best posting times based on the platform. According to their findings, Twitter and LinkedIn are ideal for a “breakfast” post. And while all schedules aren’t equal, a customized posting schedule by the platform and audience segments is a great way to maintain engagement and be part of the conversation. Any newsworthy content, motivational quotes, vibe or mood of the day, and “morning” activities are ideal for a breakfast post.

Lunch

While breakfast is the morning fuel, lunch is sustenance needed to carry us through the rest of the day. This would make a lunch post simple and light while serving as a quick boost. Most people are replenishing from the morning rush and need a pick-me-up. Humorous content is ideal here, along with an opportunity to use UGC or a moment of nostalgia to brighten the mood. Have a sale? Do a lunch post drop since most people shop online during their lunch break. Even if they’re moving fast through their timeline, having content that’s bookmark worthy ensures a saved post for later review. The goal is to push your audience through the afternoon slump and fuel them to finish the day strong. Facebook is the ideal platform for a lunchtime post which can take place between noon and 3 pm.

Dinner

Dinner, the lightest meal of the day and equally important. It’s how we culminate the day and replenish all we spent throughout the day. How can you help your audience decompress with valuable anecdotes, offer end of day tips, do a night owl or exclusive product/service drop, or a motivation post for the day ahead? It’s helpful to ensure the content doesn’t sit heavily on the mind and body. Dinner time is intimate. Any content posted during this time should reflect that. Even curating a question of the evening based on evergreen content or other pop culture drives engagement and shows your brand is relevant. Depending on the content, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram are ideal for dinner time posts between 6-9 pm.

Are you providing a full meal or hearty snacks?

Whether working with weekly or monthly themes, be sure your content tells a story and creates an emotional connection with your audience. When an audience resonates with your brand, they’re more likely to invest in all you do without question.

A quick tip from #behindtheink
(original article found here)