Do you have a strategy in your business?
I entered August with the realization that I needed to reestablish strategy. There's still time for you to end 2023 with one, too.
Hey Fertile Guides! This month, we’re launching a subscriber-only section of The Fertile Guide! When you opt-in, you’ll receive content prompts and productivity resources to simplify the task of creating consistent, engaging content for your channels.
For the last fifteen minutes, I’ve been trying to catch up on some of those little tasks that are tedious and always seem to stack up. I know I’ve needed to stay on top of these things, but lately, I’ve found myself completely distracted by a handful of other projects that I stumbled across and - for whatever reason - felt the urge to prioritize.
Isn’t it funny how that works? We make a plan, stick to it for a few days (or weeks), and then suddenly find ourselves ditching the plan for that new shiny object. It may very well be that the new thing really is a big deal that needs attention, but that’s not a prerequisite for giving it our best attention or thought.
Strategy - whether in business, marketing, or health - is important. So much so that countless experts niche down on this, one topic. Do a quick Google search and you’ll be inundated with articles on “how to strategically plan the next quarter” or “how to strategically maximize your time” or even “how to strategically position yourself in a conversation.”
And yet, strategy is one area that many of us fall short.
For those of us who wear many - or all - of the hats in our business, it’s easy to get swept up in the urgency of what must be accomplished now and never graduate to a more strategic perspective.
For me, this is one area that I’ve been intentionally working to improve. While establishing a specific strategy can be a little overwhelming, it also introduces a pathway to freedom. The freedom to do more in less time. The freedom to close down shop at the end of the day and relax. And the freedom to grow at a sustainable pace.
So, here’s my question for you: What strategies have you implemented into your business? Think through your current order of operations. Where have you implemented systems? How have you effectively automated repetitive tasks - whether or not that means you hand them off to someone/something else or simply do them in a predictable manner? How are you optimizing these strategies to grow with your audience, clientele, and workload?
A few months ago, I felt completely overwhelmed at the thought of overhauling my business strategy. Let’s be honest - it’s still a work in progress, but I’m finding that every little step gives me a little more bandwidth to accomplish more, focus on what matters, and move forward confidently.
Pick an area of your work and commit to implementing a strategy today. Let me know in the comments what you’re going to work on! (Or if this feels overwhelming, tell me that and we’ll dive into this more in upcoming articles.)
Cheers to you, wherever you’re at in your business today!
3 Social Media Prompts that Will Give You Content for The Month + 2 Engagement/Growth Challenges
Yes, we’re talking the entire month.
3 Social Media Prompts
Coming up with content ideas can be overwhelming! Here are 5 prompts that you can use to generate content for all of your platforms.
“Ask me a question about ________” - Post this in your stories (FB & IG) or Facebook Group and take notes on the topics your followers are submitting.
Give a short answer reply in your stories (Yay! Immediate content) - Don’t worry about repeating yourself in the future! Only a fraction of your followers will see this and you can go more in depth in another post.
Prep a carousel of slides to answer the question - If it’s an in-depth question, break it down into bite-sized pieces. Remember, you get your followers’ attention for 15-30 seconds. Keep it short, sweet, and simple!
Plan a reel with a 1-2 sentence statement talking about the topic - Either prep the video in canva or just save the text in a note on your phone to overlay over a video you shoot.
What 2-3 questions have you been asked more than once recently? - Break down each question into micro-chunks. Aim for at least 3 posts from each! If this feels like a stretch, consider an overlapping topic that you could cover.
(IG) @functional.maternity did an amazing job of this in how to systematically broke down cervical dilation one super tiny, insightful post at a time.
What personal habit or change have you recently implemented that relates to your audience? - Bonus points if you can tie it into a relatable struggle. (Not trying to be manipulative here, just authentic!) I know, it’s not always fun to be vulnerable, but there’s something special about opening up to your community. Don’t be afraid to let your followers in on your journey, areas you’ve been trying to improve, new habits you’re loving, etc. Let them get to know you.
2 Engagement/Growth Challenges
If you’re anything like me, you have a flourishing life outside of the internet and living on social media is not appealing whatsoever. Sometimes, it’s helpful to have intentional engagement steps. Here are your two steps! Tag me (IG: @hannahbowersinhc)
Share posts you love to your stories, add a comment, and tag the original poster - Sometimes, others will reshare your story shares. Even if they don’t, you’ve just populated your stories with free, no-effort-to-you content that your subscribers are likely to see.
Launch an IG Broadcast Channel - seems super simple, but those followers that opt in are telling you that they love your stuff. Commit to popping into the channel 3x/week the next few weeks to authentically try out all the different content options - polls, pics, text messagaes, etc. I personally love the audio option, which allows you to send a voice message! A few things to post…
Something relevant you’re studying that is fascinating to you. Could be anything, just make it relevant to your community.
Insider thoughts on a post you just made. Super easy. Let the channel followers get a little more of your take on whatever that post or story is talking about.
A poll. Pretty straightforward, but you can use this to get more insight into what your followers think or want.
Bonus Prompt
Don’t forget to take advantage of fall and post about some of your favorite fall goodies! Recipes, product pics (with affiliate links, if you have them), and cute pics in flannel are all great!