Sorted Socials, Sunny Summer: How to Prep Your Content Before the School Holidays Hit
I nearly put the phrases summer holidays and stress free in the title of this blog but let’s be honest, those two don’t belong together. However, you navigate the holidays there will be an amount of stress because kids argue, get bored and are hungry 24/7. So I can’t promise you no stress, but I can help you make sure your social media isn’t adding to your stress factors.
You’ve worked hard all year to get your business to where it is now, and whilst you will inevitably work less over the summer, you don’t have to lose all the momentum you have built up. Do a bit of prep work now on your socials, and September you will thank you for not letting them go dormant. It can make a huge difference and will mean that when you are child free again but feeling a mix of exhausted but excited to be back at work, you won’t be starting again in terms of getting noticed by the algorithm.
Here is a list of things I do before the end of term to get my socials in good shape for the summer:
Look at my calendar
I’m looking for multiple things:
1. Days that might be good for capturing photos and videos to turn into content.
2. Any days when I have time to work.
3. Any extra hectic days. I aim to fill these first in my scheduler.
Before you panic and think “but the whole 6 weeks is hectic. I don’t have time now to create and schedule 6 weeks' worth of content, I’m with you don’t worry. Initially, aim for one post per week in the scheduler. That will satisfy the algorithm that you haven’t gone completely dormant and then fill in what you can from there.
I find the calendar pages in my 90-day planner really come into their own for planning this. You can think on to the page without messing up your actual diary. Grab yourself a copy here.
Repurpose what you’ve already created.
When you’re looking at what to put in the scheduler, remember you don’t have to reinvent the wheel for each post. Look at past content and repurpose pieces that are still relevant. People see so much content and are busy themselves that they are unlikely to remember it from before in fact, a reminder is often useful.
By all means tweak it if you have time with a new photo, change the background colour or use a different hook. But unless it's something you’ve posted recently, don’t over think it.
Manage your customers' expectations.
People are much more tolerant of delays and slow response times if they know about them beforehand. Create posts letting people know if you turn around times have changed, or you class schedule is different and what availability you have. Let them know how best to contact you if they really need you.
Similarly, update your bios and about sections to let people know your current working status. For example,
“Currently juggling summer hols and working on XZY, please get in touch if you’d like more info, but my response time is dependent on demands for snacks. “
Use the summer to set you up for September.
Traction takes time, 6 weeks is a minimum, I would say. Which makes summer the perfect length to post content that will get people excited for your September offerings. When you get to September, you’ll have people ready to get stuck in rather than having to spend those first few weeks getting people's attention again.
Now you have my list of actions to help you get prepared. I hope it helps you realise the summer doesn’t have to mean feeling torn between keeping your business afloat and your children. You can be a present parent without sacrificing your success.
If you would like more hands on support to put these ideas into action, summer prep makes the perfect task for a Content Power Hour, and I still have a couple of spaces left before the end of term. Email me to get booked in.