We love small businesses but cringe at some of the advice we see all over social media about posting everyday or even * shiver * multiple times a day. Owning and running a business is busy enough without adding the stress of creating and posting content on social media.

Here’s the thing, without consistent content, your business can’t stay top of mind to your future customers and clients. Unfortunately there is no tricks to staying consistent on social media, you need to commit the time to creating the content.

But… we do have some good news. Over the four years Loop Consulting has been in business, we’ve consumed and created a lot of content and have noticed a pattern. If you can create a post for Instagram, you can use it to widen the audience on other platforms with only a couple extra minutes per post. Before you say, ‘I don’t have a couple extra minutes,’ think about it this way:

Spending 5 extra minutes on each post allows you to reach people you will never been able to connect with on your current social media platform.

If that perspective changes your mind, keep reading. We’ve put together the 4 answers to creating more content in less time plus 3 sample content cycles that you can steal to get your business connecting with new audiences waiting to hear about what you offer.

4 time saving tricks to cross-post your content

Create a Unified Content Calendar:

You may have heard us fondly talk about a Skeleton Schedule. Begin by outlining a monthly content calendar that includes all your target platforms. Instead of creating distinct content for each, strategize a unified approach to maintain a consistent brand voice and narrative across the board. We like to start with overall themes and divide these into smaller topics.

Repurpose Strategically:

Efficiency is the name of the game when you are maximizing your content creation time. Consider repurposing a single piece of content across all platforms your brand has a presence. This ensures you get the most mileage from your efforts.

Take this cycle for instance:

Monday: Share a blog snippet on Twitter with a link to the full article.
Wednesday: Convert the blog's key points into an Instagram carousel for visual appeal.
Friday: Post a condensed version of the blog on LinkedIn with a call-to-action to read more.

Batch Content Creation for a Unified Cycle:

Rather than focusing on a single platform during content creation, batch your content with a cross-platform mindset. Taking this approach keeps the creativity flowing on one idea and streamlines your efforts.

Hot tip from the content creation masters: Create graphic templates that work for each social media platform to cut creation time by at least half and ensure a seamless brand online.

Optimize Scheduling Apps for Cross-Platform Posting:

Invest in scheduling apps like Planoly, Hootsuite, or Later (all Loop Consulting clients receive a Later subscription when they come onboard) to plan and automate posts across platforms. This way, you can efficiently target your audience on multiple platforms without the need for constant manual intervention. You can simply create, schedule, and the app does the rest for you.

As promised (and because we don’t gate keep), here’s and example of a cross-platform social cycle approach that you can steal to get you and your brand started on multiple social media platforms. Remember, you can get WAY more (2x, 3x, 4x more eyes) on your content by simply repurposing the same content for different platforms!

4x your content ideas in minutes

Monday: Thought Leadership Snippet

Instagram: Share a compelling quote or stat related to your industry.
Facebook: Post an engaging visual or infographic supporting the industry insight.
LinkedIn: Share a thought-provoking question related to the industry along with your viewpoint.
Twitter: Tweet a quick tip or hack derived from the industry insight.

Wednesday: Behind-the-Scenes Carousel

Instagram: Create an engaging behind-the-scenes carousel of your work process.
Facebook: Share one image from the carousel with a caption inviting followers to view the full story on Instagram.
LinkedIn: Write a brief post discussing the importance of transparency and behind-the-scenes content in your industry.
Twitter: Share a snapshot from the carousel with a link to the full story on Instagram.

Friday: Customer Testimonial Highlight

Instagram: Post a visually appealing customer testimonial.
Facebook: Share a short video clip of the customer expressing their satisfaction.
LinkedIn: Craft a post highlighting the positive impact your product or service had on the customer's experience.
Twitter: Tweet a gratitude message with a snippet of the customer's testimonial.

By adopting a cross-platform Social Cycle approach, you can streamline your social media strategy, effectively utilizing your time and resources. Remember, it's not about drowning in the content creation process but rather about making your efforts count across the diverse landscape of social media. You can maximize your content efforts and make a real difference in your brand’s discoverability in just 5 minutes per post.

If you are sitting there and thinking that this all sounds great but you just can’t spend those extra 5 minutes, it might be time to level-up your brand and invest in a content creator. If you’ve been considering outsourcing your brand’s online presence, send us an email. A 15 minute phone call could change the trajectory of your business, just ask our clients!

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