If you’re a digital content creator there is no way you have not been in a situation where a client assumes that creating social media content is…well…an easy task that doesn’t take time and should not be an expensive service. Content creation is a creative process that yes, sometimes it flows naturally, because your muse is sitting on your shoulder, and other times feels like torture, but it is NEVER a task that is not time-consuming (if done right). And when the end user or client only sees the final result, which most commonly is a picture (visual) with copy alongside with it, what they do not see is the whole process of getting there. Trust me, I have been there and I will continue to be in this situation, until the industry starts talking about this issue more openly and dive into the core of what social media content creation actually is.
Research is the base of everything done right in marketing – content creation is not an exception to this rule. If you want to create good content for Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn or any other social media platform, you need to do at least a preliminary research on the market. What do I mean by that? If you’re creation content for an automotive brand, you have to get to know their products and services, their company values and brand identity. Save yourself time with revisions simply because you have no idea what the company/brand stands for. Researching the competition and what they’re doing on social media channels is a bonus on orienting yourself within the market.
After you’ve done your research, the next step in content creation would be to align the key focus points for the next week/month/year with your client (or determining it by yourself, if you’re creating content for your own brand). A simple example of what I mean would be the following:
You have to prepare a monthly content calendar for your client that has a beauty salon. Have a quick meeting with them or exchange a few e-mails in order to discuss which products will be their sales focus for that month. Ask if there will be an active promotion for that month as well.
You do not want to have half of your content dismissed by a client, simply because in March they need to focus on selling face and skin products, while you made posts about hair care and nail polish.
Now that you’ve established the base for next month’s content starts the difficult part. And it all depends on what type of content you already have for the points of focus for next month. Does the client already have product and lifestyle images? Do you need to arrange a completely new photoshoot? All these factors depend on the focus points, the target group for which the content is intended and whether you are the one who has to provide the “photographer” services or you simply need to receive visuals. For the sake of fully discovering the whole process of content creation, let’s assume that you are the person who will be executing the needed photoshoot/videoshoot.
The time, effort and preparations that go into a simple photo or video shoot are immense. Even if it is the simplest product photoshoot, you will still need at least 2 hours of only shooting, not to mention the time and effort you spend on getting to the location, unloading your equipment, directing the photo/video shoot, packing the equipment and your way back. A simple task like this might need bringing your camera, a few lenses, a tripod, lights, reflectors, deflectors etc. Videoshoots are even more complicated, because they need pre-requisites such as filming script, maybe the involvement of actors, props, gimble setup and more.
Following the photoshoot of course comes the beautiful moment, when you have to select the best captures and edit them. The same applies to video editing, although I would consider it to be way more time consuming, because you are not only editing the image, but also composing a completely new work with transitions, overlays, text, graphics, music. Even if you have skipped the previous step and were sent images from the client, this is the moment when you will be dealing with design. And even the simplest post designs in Canva do take time – they do not magically compose themselves with one simple click.
Once your visual product is complete, copywriting comes along the way. Finding the right words to serve the perfect audience in the perfect combination of text, emojis, CTA’s (Call-To-Action), hashtag strategy for the platforms that need it… In addition, everything you write not only has to sound original and creative, but also be in line with your client’ tone of voice and brand identity.
Now that you are finally done and happy with the product that you have created, you need to send it for approval to the client. In some cases they will want to have revisions and regardless of all the preparations you have done in order to avoid it, it can still happen. Depending on the agreement and tools you use, the approval and revisions stage can take from 1 hour to a few days.
This can either be done before you send content for approval or after. But scheduling the content on various social media platforms can be time consuming. Take into consideration and all attributes that need to be added such as tagged products for Facebook and Instagram shops, tagged collaborators, hashtags added to posts for Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, titles, descriptions, thumbnails, tags for YouTube videos… You not only need to be a content creator, but also a social media marketer who is up to date with the latest features and trends on social media platforms, if you want to cover the whole package from content creation to digital content marketing.
All in all, social media content creation is much more than just posting a picture with a text and a few emojis. Countless hours of hard work go into crafting the perfect content solutions for clients and businesses and it is a labour that deserves appreciation. Do you think I missed a step in the process? Share your experience and stories – lets start raising awareness on this issue within the digital marketing industry! I look forward to reading your stories in the comments below!
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1 Comment
Reading your article helped me a lot and I agree with you. But I still have some doubts, can you clarify for me? I’ll keep an eye out for your answers.