A dead-set, doable guide to streamlining your social media content creation
When you're running a small business or community organisation, time is too precious to allocate sizeable chunks to churning out champion captions for social media.
So how about we streamline the vital (but let's face it, kinda clunky) process of creating content that resonates with your target audience? Say hello to wonderfully clever-when-well-fed AI, ChatGPT (or your preferred AI tool). Why well-fed?
Because your bot's massive brain needs top-notch nosh to work its marketing magic on your behalf.
Here's how that works.
Before we begin, and before you start seeing soulless robots taking over your social media let's get one thing straight. AI (in your preferred form -ChatGPT, Gemini etc.) is a tool for working smarter. It's an astoundingly quick and clever tool that can save you heaps of time and brain space. But (and it's a huge 'but')! AI will never replicate or replace your human touch.
No matter how great a job AI does at generating oodles of accurate, useful info, you'll always need to edit in the authentic, trustworthy, you-sounding voice your audience looks for and loves.
Now we've given a nod to the digital elephant in the actual room, let's get stuck into how to get AI to give you cracking great ideas and outlines for quality social media posts. I use ChatGPT, so I'll refer to that from now on.
Step 1: Get Intentional
Before you even open ChatGPT to plan a post, get your clever human brain in gear and get organised.
Work out:
What - the topic in as much detail as you can
Who - your target audience? Ditto the previous point about detail
How - you aim to improve something for your audience - what will change for them?
Action - what you want people to do and how you'll make that action attractive
'Shesh Laura', I hear you say, 'What's the point of using AI if I'm still doing all this yakka?!'
Well, gentle reader and savvy business human, the point is this. The 'garbage in, garbage out' rule applies everywhere in life and tech, and AI is no exception.
This is why giving ChatGPT vague, dare I say it, 'half-assed' single-sentence prompts will get you ... you guessed it ... garbage responses.
Step 2. Prompt with Purpose
Top Tip: Try 'talking your thinking.' I use the Dictaphone in ChatGPT as if I'm mentoring a marketing client or chatting with a brainstorming buddy. Speaking captures my ideas on the run in a tone that sounds like me (cos it is) and, best of all, magics up those 'aha moments' lurking in the back of my busy brain.
Now for a fully intentional, purposeful sample prompt template (examples to follow in a minute).
"Write me a social media post in a conversational tone and a bit of fun.
Give me a hook to capture people's attention at the start of the post.
In the body section, tell a little story about [the importance of the service you're marketing OR, if it's a product, some of the beautiful features that will help people feel fabulous.]
✔️ Include some bullet points with emojis.
🧠 End with a summary and include a call to action
🙌 Include 2 key indexable words in the caption”
Step 3. Edit to sound like
you
Read your AI-generated draft post aloud. This is a great way to spot any jarring, dodgy-sounding bits that don't ring true or have you ROTFL (rolling on the floor laughing) 😂😂😂😂because you would never, in a million years, say that.
Edit in the words and phrases you naturally use to describe your brand. Readers of my blogs and socials will spot 'Laura-isms', like 'cracking good', 'make marketing magic' and the occasional 'kickass'.
Then (time and partner/colleague availability permitting), run it past a trusted human to test how they hear it.
Step 4. Proofread your AI captions, pronto
Ask ChatGPT to proof your post in Australian English; otherwise, you'll get US English, e.g.' z' when you need an 's', etc.
I also ask for grammar suggestions and at least two indexable keywords in captions. This AI service works so well for me that I no longer subscribe to Grammarly.
Step 5. Smile and post, you've just used AI successfully
Kudos to you for being a savvy business human! You've just used your superior human brain to get AI to do your bidding and:
Save time and stress by generating and structuring ideas and proofreading your draft.
Note: If you have a paid version of AI, you can even save these prompts as bots or gems
Help you create consistent, quality content by researching and structuring your information, making it easier to repurpose it for different platforms
Note: A paid version trains itself to be more consistent style-wise the more you use it.
Boost your engagement by creating kickass captions combining your carefully edited-in personal touch with AI-generated keywording
Give you that warm inner glow that comes with knowing that creating quality content wins hands down cos, as DemandMetric say here, "Content marketing generates over three times as many leads as outbound marketing and costs 62% less."
Two sample prompts I prepared (and tested) earlier
A social media post for a product:
"I'm writing a social media post about my handmade soy candles. I am a small business selling mainly to women seeking natural, chemical-free, ethically sourced, beautiful products. This product is called 'Aussie Sunset'. I want to highlight the natural ingredients, the calming scent, and how they create a relaxing atmosphere.
When writing this social media caption, include:
A catchy hook to grab attention
A short story about the inspiration behind the 'Aussie Sunset' candle.
A list of the key features and benefits of the candle.
A call to action encouraging people to visit my online store.
Use a friendly and inviting tone, like talking to a friend.
Please include 2 indexable keywords.
Here's my website link for the product
A Service-based community organisation prompt:
This one's designed for service-based businesses that prioritise community connection:
"I run a local community workshop focusing on sustainable living and upcycling. We believe in empowering individuals to reduce waste and build a stronger, more connected community. I want to create a social media post highlighting our upcoming workshop, 'Upcycled Planters for Your Garden.'
Please write a social media caption that includes:
A warm and inviting opening that emphasises community spirit.
A brief story or anecdote about how our workshops have positively impacted the local community.
Details about the 'Upcycled Planters for Your Garden' workshop, including what participants will learn and create.
A clear call to action, encouraging people to register for the workshop and join our community.
Use a tone that is friendly, encouraging, and focused on building connection.
Please include 2 indexable keywords that will help people find this workshop.
And voilà! That's my deadset, doable, five-step guide for wrangling ChatCPT into a top tool for drafting social media posts.
A note on knowing your audience (cos ChatGPT hasn't met them)
If you're still wrapping your head around creating intentional, purposeful content, try this. Think about your audience's journey. What questions are they asking? What problems are they trying to solve?
Now, work on tailoring your content to meet those needs. That's how you'll build trust and engagement.
If you're ever stuck for content ideas, I've got you covered, If you're looking to boost your game with some social media mentoring or you'd love to learn more about using AI effectively, Book a chat
Comments