If you’re a creative business owner, you know how challenging it can be to keep your social media content active and fresh. Coming up with new content is just one portion of the time-consuming but important task of creating a social content calendar as a small business.
To help out, we’re sharing a list of ideas for content we’ve come up with over the years, divided into 5 categories based on the goal of your post – to connect, to educate, to inspire, to entertain, or to promote – though there may be some instances in which these can overlap. Incorporating content with different goals (or within specific content pillar categories you’ve set in your social media strategy) helps ensure a well-balanced and full-funnel content strategy for your social accounts.
Connect
Building a connection with your audience can be done by posting anything that shares more about you/your business, i.e. who you are, what you stand for, or how you operate. This is a great way to humanize your brand, show personality, and relate to your followers. Content topics you could explore to connect with users include:
Your origin story
Your brand values
X things your audience may not know about you
Average morning routine
Average weekly routine
How you manage your workload
What you look for in clients
Your dream clients/industries
Goals you’re working towards
A recent goal you accomplished or obstacle you overcame
Your business evolution (particularly if you’ve been in business for a few years or have undergone rebranding)
Educate
Informational content is really critical for attracting and keeping followers, and for establishing yourself as a subject matter expert. Any industry knowledge or recommendations you share on your social media could fall under this category, such as:
Favorite fonts or font websites or contributors
Favorite stock photo, video, or mockup websites or contributors
Things you wish you knew when you started your business
Tools you use in your business to boost productivity
Tools you use in your business to execute your designs
Dealing with common client roadblocks (e.g. setting boundaries in communication, unresponsive clients, derogatory clients, scope creep)
Design how-tos
Design brief accounts/hashtags to follow
Favorite Chrome extensions for designers
Tips for planning your social or blog content
Tips for pitching your businesses
Tips for overcoming creative block
Key components to include in proposals, brand presentations, contracts, or other client deliverables you provide
Do’s and don’ts across different categories (e.g. client communication, design principles, productivity)
File type instructional guide
Devices or gadgets that make your work life easier
Inspire
Inspiring your audience is different from educating in that it tends to be more open-ended. Rather than offering specific advice or guidance, the goal here is to share content that could inspire your followers in their own creative or entrepreneurial endeavors. Ideas for this type of content include:
Quotes or advice
Work by a fellow creative that inspires you (with permission to share!)
Moodboards, photography, or color palettes that could inspire design projects
Podcasts, blogs, or books you look to for inspiration
Artists or designers you follow for inspiration
Entertain
Social content should have relevancy to you or your business, but doesn’t always have to be strictly business. Incorporating entertaining content to your feed can be fun for users, and may even give you some breathing room in your social calendar planning by offering more quick, light-hearted post options.
Look to Instagram Reels and Tiktok for trends you could leverage to entertain users and showcase your personality
Showcase something relevant to your business that you did just for fun (e.g. art project, sketchbook doodles)
Behind the scenes of a project
Behind the scenes of your day-to-day workspace
Snapshot of a new workspace (e.g. while traveling, at a coffee shop, in a shared workspace)
Playlists you listen to while you work
Promote
Lastly, content geared towards selling you and your services as a business owner is critical. The content may work to outline the benefits of working with your business, offer social proof, or provide information or direction for someone in a lower phase of the sales funnel. Examples include:
Client testimonials
Publication features
Why invest in your service(s)
Why invest in you specifically
Information about your process
Ways you can work together
FAQs highlight
Sales/promotions
We hope this list is relevant to your business and helps fill your upcoming social calendars with fresh material for months to come!
If you’re a fellow creative or small business owner, let’s connect! Follow us on social media or submit an inquiry form to work together.
