As a coach and mentor, you would think my inbox is filled with insightful marketing questions and marketing secrets that I’m privy to.

It’s not.

In fact, the question I’m asked most often is something along the lines of “but what do I post?”. If you feel like you’re all over the place sometimes, everything is scattered and you just don’t know what to say, this episode is for YOU.

Hopefully, this marketing series has you just spinning with new ideas but today’s episode is about keeping that momentum going and making sure your ideas never run out!

Content buckets are not a new concept - you’ve likely heard about them before - but you might not know how much time this content strategy can save you.

It’s less about wondering what the heck to post although that’s important and more about creating solid systems in your marketing so that you can finally get off the friggin’ hamster wheel.
I know that putting a content marketing plan together sounds easy, in theory, but it rarely ever is (until now!).

You've got so many ideas–or no ideas (it can never be easy, right?)–and you're just not sure where to start.

It's the starting that always seems hard. You’ve likely heard of content buckets before, but nobody ever makes it clear exactly HOW to use content buckets to create content that moves your ideal customers towards you- which is kind of the whole point.

Until now.
In this episode, I’m giving you a starting point so you can create content that moves your ideal customers to you in the FORM of content buckets.
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>> Part 1: What are content buckets?
I've told you in the past that you need a sales strategy–but what about a content strategy? You might be asking me right now, Okay Candice but what even ARE content buckets really?
Easy - It's a type of content, or a theme, that relates to your ideal client. Picture this: you've got a bucket. Yes, a bucket–the same kind of bucket you fill with water to wash your car (bare with me here).
You're going to assign that bucket a name... let's say you've named it "Client Experience." Your goal is to fill up that bucket, consistently. Maybe not every day or even every week, but you know that your content creation strategy includes this bucket.
Whenever you get stuck on what to post, you now create content that fills up that bucket. You regularly showcase images, stories, and information that relates back to the client experience.
When you are deciding what to call your different buckets - I recommend choosing 3-5 but don’t worry, we will get to that. Stay with me while I give you an example of the types of content you could create to fill up this client experience bucket.
If you are a wedding planner and you've charted out your ideal client avatars, you may have uncovered that the experience they have in working with you is just as significant as the experience they have on the day of their wedding. So, when it comes to client experience, it is more than just behind the scenes on the wedding day (if you even have any time for that). You want to showcase what they can truly expect working with you. You'll show them the great care you take in nurturing them, providing a fun environment, and of course surprising and delighting them with a unique client experience.
Before you start dreaming up all the ways to include client experience in your content, let’s talk about how to create your own unique content buckets. You can choose tried and true ideas - like client experience - and dress it up in your own fun ways. In fact, creating the actual buckets is the easy part. Take a look at your ideal client avatars, and remind yourself:
What do they value?
What problems do they face?
What styles do they gravitate toward?
What information are they seeking?
How can you help them?
What do they buy with their eye?
And Why do you do what you do?
If you have tried content buckets in the past and it hasn’t worked, it’s likely because you haven’t answered these questions. You’ve picked your buckets based on a random list you found on a blog somewhere. Take some time and really answer these questions and only THEN create 3-5 content buckets that you can use to consistently use to curate content for your marketing channels.
Make sure you tune in next week for our conversation on focusing your platforms, but for now start to brainstorm how you can fill these buckets on all of the marketing channels you are currently using - from your website, blog, and all the social media platforms.
Just as a disclaimer, it’s okay if all of your content buckets don’t work on all your platforms. Choose which platforms might be best for each of your content buckets. For instance, tips & tricks might really shine on your blog, where you can create longer form content and take advantage of SEO.

Part 2: Making Your Content Buckets Come To Life
Now, let’s talk about what tools we can use to make sure your content buckets become what you are known for. Isn’t that the goal of marketing, anyway? What’s the point of having content buckets if you aren’t conveying them to your audience effectively.
Instagram highlights are a great visual representation of your content buckets. Create a story highlight for each bucket, and then start filling them! Not only will this show potential clients landing on your feed what you are all about, it also serves as a reminder to YOU about what you should be creating.
Speaking of visual reminders, in order to really make the most of your content bucket strategy, you need to find a way to stay organized. Use a tool like Asana or Trello to flesh out your content buckets and save future ideas. Storing your content buckets ideas is a great way to make sure that you don’t talk about client experience every day for a week when you are feeling inspired and then never again. Imagine logging into Asana and seeing a list of post ideas that your past self saved for you. Trust me, it’s as great as it sounds because I do it.
For those of you with a team, I encourage you to also generate some examples of what type of content would fall into each of your buckets, so you can easily communicate with your team. In order to maintain a consistent brand voice, it’s important that everyone is all on the same page.
While you are getting organized, make sure to have a special place for content you created that can be REUSED. Your customers don’t see every single thing you post. Using content buckets is a great way to get off the hamster wheel but it doesn’t mean you need to create a new piece of content every single day. For example, in the wedding industry, we know that our customers are generally not interested in our services for a very long window - it’s usually between a couple of months to a year tops! Pay attention to the content you posted this year and make a note of what can be used next year with minor revisions.

I hope that this episode has inspired you to finally create content buckets that convert your audience into customers. As a quick recap, here is a list of the action items:
Before jumping into choosing your content buckets, ask yourself some questions about what your audience really needs to see from you in order to convert to customers. What do they value, what problems do they face, those kinds of things.
Choose 3-5 buckets and start to fill them regularly. Brainstorm which buckets belong on which marketing channel that you use.
Then, take it one step further and create a home for these buckets on your favorite project management tool like Asana or Trello. Use these boards to communicate your marketing vision with your team and so you can store future ideas.
Make a note of which content can be reused in the future. Most of your content has a longer shelf life than you are giving it. Find a way to keep track of the content you create that can be reshared.
BONUS: Update your IG highlights to reflect your new focus. One highlight = one content bucket.

I hope this episode has given you the inspiration to take a second look at this traditional content strategy. By bringing it back to the basics - as in, you should NOT choose your buckets from a list - you can bring new life to your content and stop sharing and resharing the same things as your competitors. I know that you as a business owner keep your customer at the heart of everything you do so creating content that your ideal customer wants and needs will ensure that it KEEPS working for you time and time again (and by working for you - I mean CUSTOMERS). Have your new content buckets mapped out? I would love for you to send me a DM or join us on our weekly clubhouse chat Thursdays at 2pm.

If you are still struggling, you are probably where most businesses find themselves stuck - you don’t know who you are talking to. I want to invite you to sign up for my FREE ideal client masterclass - which is so much more than your run of the mill niche-ing ted talk. Seriously, I don’t want to brag but you should hear the reviews I get on this thing, it’s a game changer. To sign up, grab a notebook and head to https://candicecoppola.com/masterclass