Most small business social media goes like this: grab the phone, film something, figure out the caption later, post it, and wonder why nobody books. The problem isn’t effort. It’s order.
We’re not in the going viral game. We’re in the conversion game. These are the five steps we use with our own clients, in this order: brand, pillars, schedule, copy, then content. Steven and Brianna had just built this exact plan for a client when he hit record.
Why We Market: Stay Top of Mind and Fill the Funnel
Marketing has one job: keep you top of mind and fill the funnel, so people slide down to the part where they buy.
Social media is one part of that, not the whole thing. A billboard, a magazine ad, your cards at the hardware store and shaking hands are all marketing too. So measure social by whether it moves people toward a sale, not by likes and views. A good looking feed that doesn’t pay your bills isn’t a strategy.
Step 1: Know Your Brand or You’re Marketing in the Dark
Without a clear brand, you’re shooting in the dark. You think the target is over there, so you aim that way, but it’s actually somewhere else.
Your brand guide (your brand foundation) tells you where the target is: your ideal client, mission, voice and story. With it, you aim at the same target every time. Without it, you’re posting in the dark, marketing in the dark and trying to win clients in the dark.
Quick check: can you name your ideal client, your mission and your voice in one sentence each? If not, this is where to start, before steps 2 through 5.
Step 2: Pick 3 to 5 Content Pillars That Come From Your Brand
Pillars (or buckets) are the three to five categories you post about every time. They aren’t random topics. They come straight out of your brand: who your ideal client is, what your mission is, your voice and your story.
For the client in the video, we built five pillars and gave each one its own posting day across the work week. That way every post has a home, and nobody has to invent a topic from scratch.
Why it works: we’re all squirrels. Pillars are a system that keeps you (and your team) focused and on brand, even after we hand the plan over.
Go deeper: for each pillar, write one sentence on why your ideal client cares about it. If you can’t, it’s your topic, not theirs. Swap it out.
Step 3: Choose Your Posting Days and Stay Consistent
Choose your days. Stick to them. It’s simple, which is exactly why people roll their eyes and skip it.
Doing the simple things over and over is where the breakthroughs come from. Steven plans everything in a Notion calendar, with each posting day mapped out. Use whatever tool you’ll actually open.
Tips:
- Start with a number of posts per week you can keep, not the number you wish you could keep.
- Assign one pillar per posting day so planning becomes fill in the blank.
- Whether you post on the weekend is up to you. Consistency matters more than volume here.
Step 4: Write Your Captions Before You Ever Hit Record
Copy is every word you put out there, from captions to descriptions. Write it before you capture anything.
This is the step where you challenge your ideas. Steven likes to play devil’s advocate: step out of your own shoes, look at the post as someone else, and ask, “What about this? What if we film this instead? What if we use this photo instead of that one?” Don’t settle for “I have to post something today.”
Then check the copy against your brand:
- Does it fit one of your pillars?
- Does it sound like your voice?
- Does it speak to your ideal client?
Step 5: Capture Content Last, Like a Film Crew
Think about how movies get made. Months (sometimes years) of writing, planning and producing happen before anyone turns on a camera. Filming is the last step. If a studio plans that hard before spending money on set, your posts deserve a plan too.
When you finally shoot, everything should match. Our brand colors are tan, orange and black, so if a background doesn’t fit, we change the background. Props, wardrobe and setting should all work with your brand and your caption.
One Brand, One Story, One Voice
Do the steps in order (brand, pillars, schedule, copy, content) and everything you post works together. It looks like one business, tells one story and speaks in one voice.
Some people find success just turning on the camera and talking. The question is what success you’re after: fame, or conversions? If it’s clients, follow the order.
Not Sure Where to Start? Take the Dork Build Bold Quiz
Every step in this plan starts with step 1, your brand. Before you plan another post, find out which part of your brand needs the most work. The Dork Build Bold Quiz is free, takes a few minutes, and shows you exactly where to start.
Take the free Dork Build Bold Quiz and find out where your brand stands.
