My content manta is this: every piece of content you put out in the world should be thoughtful, purposeful, and help you reach your larger digital marketing goals.

There’s no need to get stuck on new kinds of content to create and post. A little bit of planning goes a long way to make sure your social media posts are fresh, engaging, and purposeful. In this blog, we’ll dig into how to use content buckets, the kinds of mixed media you can use, and a peek into my own content planning process.

Create Content Buckets

Content buckets are simply content topics that set you up to give insight into all aspects of your brand.

My three content buckets are to Inspire, Inform, and Introduce. Each post I share on Twitter and Instagram falls into one of these three categories, which I plot out at the beginning of each month.

What that looks like in practice is that I place the words “Inspire”, “Inform”, and “Intro” as placeholders in my content calendar. And then I batch-build media and captions the first week of every month.

Types of Content Buckets

There’s no limit to how many buckets you can use to plan your content. Here are a number of them to spark some creativity.

Entertain

Have some fun! Share light-hearted posts and media—like memes and gifs—that relate to a trending topic.

Inform

Educate your audience about your issue or industry by sharing news articles, infographics, or facts and statistics.

Inspire

Create some good feels by sharing client stories, impact, or motivational quotes.

Interact

Engage with your followers and readers by posting conversation starters, asking questions, or holding contests, quizzes, polls, and surveys.

Introduce

Show your brand’s human side. Tell your origin story and feature your staff, board, volunteers, or partners. This is your opportunity to connect with and relate to your audience. Instagram stories and reels are a great space to introduce yourself and your team.

Update

Share your brand’s news by sharing upcoming events and activities, what’s going on behind the scenes, or media coverage.

CTA

Make your big ask: donate, buy, volunteer, become a member, or attend an event.

Mix Up Your Media

As you’re building out your media and captions, keep in mind that there are many different types of media you use.

The kinds of media you use will perform differently depending on the platform. For example, selfies look the lead on platforms like Instagram, but now sharable posts like a text overlay create a ton of engagement. Memes and GIFS kill over on Twitter. And video? Still king.

So which media should you create for each platform? Start with researching the latest trends, then experiment. Keep track of the reach and engagement over a month, and by the end, you’ll have a very good idea of which types of media perform well on each platform you use.

Need some inspiration? Here are ten types of media you can use to tell your orginization’s story.

Creating content should be fun, especially on social media. Don’t stress this! Be creative, take risks, and enjoy the ride.

What content have you created recently that you’re most proud of? Let me know in the comments.

10 Types Of Media To Tell Your Organization's Story