Designer Marketing Tips - How to Create a Content Plan in 5 Minutes

Once you’ve fully grasped the idea that content marketing and social media marketing are the keys to growing your interior design business, a new challenge rears its head, developing a content plan. “So”, you ask, “where do all the ideas for content come from?”The good news is, you're not alone in wondering. The bad news is, in the highly competitive world of online marketing, you can no longer afford to simply “wing it” each week.You need a plan that enables you to employ a strategic approach to online marketing and, without a solid content plan, you will continue to struggle to create content that engages and converts your target audience.The best news is, there is a very simple approach to creating a solid content plan that you can complete in 5-10 minutes – literally!The 5-Minute Content PlanThis content plan can be completed in five minutes and can literally create the entire foundation for all of the content that you produce, for six months to a year at a time. Here is a step-by-step process for creating a fresh content plan:

1. Pull out a blank piece of paper – landscape not portrait
2. At the top, write your topic all – “Interior Design Content Plan”
3. Below that, list 5-7 category topics – things that matter to you and/or your prospects or clients
4. Next, give yourself five minutes to list as many related sub-topics as you can think of – specific issues or pain points you or your clients may deal with regularly
5. After five minutes – stop and check your list
6. Keep it close at all times, in a place where you see it every day – tape it to the wall in front of your desk or pin it to your kid’s forehead (NOT! LOL). Just make sure you have easy and regular access to your new content plan.

Wonder of wonders, you now have 25, 35, or even 50 new, clearly defined design-related subjects on which to focus your efforts and energies as you create fresh content: videos, blog posts, social media content, emails and newsletters, articles, opt-in freebies – even ideas for products and services!Content Plan ExampleIf this is still unclear, check out the example below. 

Interior Design Content Plan: 45 Weeks of Content

FURNITURE/APPLIANCES	CARPETING/RUGS	FLOORING	WINDOW TREATMENTS	WALL COVERINGS	SPACES
Value vs Price	Value vs Price	Value vs Price	Value vs Price	Value vs Price	Value vs Price
Leather Quality	Wool	Hardwood Pro/Con	Drapery	Traditional Wallpaper	Kitchen
Upholstered Furniture	Silk & Viscose	Laminate Pro/Con	Curtains	Vinyl Wallpaper	Living Room
Wood Furniture	Cotton	Linoleum Pro/Con	Blinds	Tile	Family Room
Kitchen Appliances	Natural Fibers	Tile Pro/Con	Wood vs Vinyl Blinds	Paint	Master Suite
Electronics	Synthetics	Vinyl Pro/Con		Velvet	Children's Room
SMART Appliances	Specific Uses	Cork Pro/Con		Twills & Ticks	Guest Room
		Specific Uses		Felt	Office
				Specific Uses	Mattresses
					Beds
					Furniture

Of course, the specifics of the sub-topics will vary greatly from designer to designer, as they should; based on training, experience, and market forces. But, the basics of this approach are the same everywhere and this exercise can work – and has worked – for literally anyone.The real beauty of doing this is two-fold: 1) none of it is written in stone and can be tweaked at any time, 2) you now have a plan of action to follow, instead of trying to wing it (and usually underdelivering).What would your categories and sub-topics be after investing five minutes into this content plan exercise? Share a few ideas with us by commenting below.Looking for more new design trends, marketing tips, and ideas? Get in touch with TD Fall today.