Debbie Roy, Author at Stencil Stencil Blog - Graphic Design For Social Media Blog | Stencil Thu, 10 Apr 2025 22:11:08 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 https://getstencil.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/cropped-circle.228x228.transparent-32x32.png Debbie Roy, Author at Stencil 32 32 Tips to Help You When You Run Out of Content Ideas https://getstencil.com/blog/tips-to-help-you-when-you-run-out-of-content-ideas/ https://getstencil.com/blog/tips-to-help-you-when-you-run-out-of-content-ideas/#respond Thu, 10 Apr 2025 22:11:07 +0000 https://getstencil.com/blog/?p=5403 What happens when you run out of content ideas? Are there ways to prevent running out of content ideas? It all comes down to your content strategy and your overall approach. Are you relying more on an evergreen content strategy and trends, or maybe a combination of both? How much content do you have to […]

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What happens when you run out of content ideas? Are there ways to prevent running out of content ideas? It all comes down to your content strategy and your overall approach. Are you relying more on an evergreen content strategy and trends, or maybe a combination of both? How much content do you have to work with? And is your content easy to repurpose?

Lucky for you, coming up with content ideas doesn’t have to be complicated, and you can avoid running out of ideas with a few systems in place. Ready? Let’s review some of these tips together.

How to Prevent Running Out of Content Ideas

Sometimes, going back to the basics is the best thing you can do. Doing keyword research and knowing what people are searching for related to the products and services you offer is one of the best ways to never run out of content ideas. Get into a habit of doing regular keyword research to see what people are looking for.

Incorporate those new keywords in your strategy and plan both web content and social media related to those keywords. You can cross-reference your keyword research with searches on various social media platforms to understand what keywords to also use in your social media copy.

By always knowing what your ideal buyers are searching for, you can create endless content around those topics. In addition to using a keyword-first approach, if you create a content inventory where you keep track of the content you’ve created, you’ll always be able to visualize how much you have to work with.

Is an Evergreen Content Approach Right for My Brand?

Another practice that can help you never run out of content ideas is to ensure that you leverage evergreen content. Keyword research can help you with this by identifying topics that have long-term relevancy and help your brand come up in searches for those topics on an ongoing basis.

How to identify evergreen content topics:

  • Instead of focusing on trends, focus on topics that remain relevant over time, educational content based on your legacy tips, your own unique framework, thought leadership content, your brand story, etc. Remember to incorporate keywords into that content.
  • Identify questions that come up on a regular basis; if multiple people ask, there is a need to answer these questions on a regular basis. Create foundational content and repurpose it. When needed, make small adjustments to your content to ensure it remains relevant.
  • Work with various stakeholders to identify gaps in your content. Do this for content that you use at all stages of the buyer’s journey.

Evergreen content is a great idea for every brand as it helps you create content that has more life and requires minimal updates along the way, but it still has to be strategic and contribute to nurturing your community.

Tips to Help You When You Run Out of Content Ideas

How Much Content Do You Really Need?

Some people may find that they think they don’t have enough content, while in reality, what they may need is to keep better track of what they’ve already created and to create a content repurposing strategy.

This allows brands to expand on various topics and reformat for various platforms, giving their content more reach.

We hope you found these content tips helpful and will think about doing more keyword research as well as focusing on more evergreen content.

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5 Things You Will Love About Stencil https://getstencil.com/blog/5-things-you-will-love-about-stencil/ https://getstencil.com/blog/5-things-you-will-love-about-stencil/#respond Tue, 25 Mar 2025 22:05:09 +0000 https://getstencil.com/blog/?p=5398 We all have our own favorite features, no matter what tools we use for our business. Whether you’re working on social media graphics, marketing materials, or personal projects, having access to the right tools can make all the difference. In this blog post, we share five Stencil features you will love and need to try […]

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We all have our own favorite features, no matter what tools we use for our business. Whether you’re working on social media graphics, marketing materials, or personal projects, having access to the right tools can make all the difference.

In this blog post, we share five Stencil features you will love and need to try if you haven’t done so yet.

5 Stencil features you will love

Zoom Virtual Background

One thing you must try is creating a Zoom virtual background. With video conferencing playing a key role in communication, having a custom background helps establish a professional and branded presence, or it helps make it fun. This feature allows for easy customization, enabling the selection of images, addition of text, and adjustments to create the perfect background.

Whether for business meetings, presentations, or casual calls, having a virtual background enhances the overall experience.

Safe Areas

Another essential feature is Safe Areas, which provides built-in guides to ensure design elements are positioned correctly for various social media platforms and design formats. This is particularly important for social media, where text and images need to be strategically placed to avoid being cut off on mobile vs. desktop.

Safe Areas eliminate the guesswork, allowing designs to remain visually appealing and effective across different platforms. By using this feature, key messaging and branding remain intact without worrying about unexpected cropping.

Templates

For those who need to create visuals quickly, our Templates offer a practical solution. Instead of starting from scratch, a variety of professionally designed templates are available for customization in just a few clicks.

Whether creating social media posts, blog headers, or promotional materials, our templates can be adjusted to fit specific needs. By streamlining the design process, this feature ensures consistency and saves valuable time while maintaining a polished look.

5 things you will love about Stencil

Live Previews

Live Previews offer a hassle-free way to perfect designs before finalizing them. With real-time previews, it’s easy to see how graphics will appear once published, allowing you to make any changes needed. This ensures that content looks exactly as intended across different formats and platforms. It also makes your life easier with less back and forth when designing.

Google Fonts

Some of the most popular Google Fonts

are built directly into Stencil, and they are entirely safe to use in your photos. If you want to use a font that isn’t presently available in Stencil, you can import any of the 6,800+ Google Fonts. Find the ideal font for your image by using Google’s top free fonts! Many creators often wonder where to find fonts, but now you know how easy it is to access thousands of fonts that are completely royalty-free.

The entire Google Fonts collection is royalty-free and can be used for any purpose. They can be used in any of your photographs, whether personal or commercial, and no attribution is required.

We hope you will try some of these features if you haven’t already. Let us know your favorite Stencil features.

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4 Time-Saving Tips for Content Creators in 2025 https://getstencil.com/blog/4-time-saving-tips-for-content-creators-in-2025/ https://getstencil.com/blog/4-time-saving-tips-for-content-creators-in-2025/#respond Mon, 24 Feb 2025 22:18:31 +0000 https://getstencil.com/blog/?p=5390 Creating content consistently is no small task, and if you’re a content creator juggling multiple platforms, it can feel like a full-time job (because, well, it is). The good news? With a few smart systems in place, you can reclaim your time without sacrificing quality. Whether you’re a new or experienced marketer, these four time-saving […]

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Creating content consistently is no small task, and if you’re a content creator juggling multiple platforms, it can feel like a full-time job (because, well, it is). The good news? With a few smart systems in place, you can reclaim your time without sacrificing quality. Whether you’re a new or experienced marketer, these four time-saving tips will help you work smarter, not harder, in 2025.

4 Time-Saving Tips for Content Creators in 2025

1. Turn Your Video Content into a Recurring Series

If you’re already creating video content, whether on YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram Reels, you have a lot of content that can be repurposed. Instead of creating one-off videos, think about series.

For example, if you’re a marketing coach, create a “5-Minute Marketing Mondays” series where you break down quick strategies every week. Another example would be if you’re in the wellness space, launch a “Self-Care Sunday” series featuring different mindfulness techniques.

By structuring your videos into a recurring format, you eliminate the guesswork for both yourself and your audience. It also makes batch recording easier to film multiple episodes in one sitting, schedule them in advance, and free up your time for other projects.

2. Repurpose Blog Content Into a LinkedIn Newsletter

If you’re already writing long-form content on your blog, give it more life. A simple yet powerful way to extend its reach is by repurposing it into a LinkedIn newsletter.

Why LinkedIn? Because newsletters get direct notifications sent to your subscribers, visibility is increased without relying on the algorithm. Plus, repurposing blog posts is easy if you take a high-performing blog post and reformat it with a more conversational intro. You can also do things like add new insights or update data to keep it fresh. Include a call to action (CTA) to drive readers back to your website.

Not only does this maximize your existing content, but it also helps position you as a thought leader in your industry.

3. Create a Content Bank for Quick Access to On-Brand Assets

If you feel like you’ve ever wasted time searching for the “right” photo, video, or template, a content bank will be your new best friend. A well-organized content library ensures that everything you need is at your fingertips, reducing the time spent searching for assets.

Here’s how to set it up:

  • Create folders for on-brand imagery by collecting and organizing photos, graphics, and stock images that align with your brand aesthetic.
  • Save reusable stock videos. For example, if you create video content, have a folder with B-roll footage and clips you can easily insert into future projects. Do the same with stock videos that you find if they feel on-brand.

By keeping your content assets sorted and ready to go, you’ll be able to create high-quality posts in a fraction of the time.

4. Batch Create & Schedule Content in Advance

Constantly switching between tasks is one of the most time-consuming thing in content creation. Instead of creating content on the go, block out dedicated time for batch creation and scheduling.

For example, you can spend one day filming multiple videos. You can also write a week’s worth of Instagram captions at once. You could design all your social media graphics for the month at once.

Then, use scheduling tools like Later, Buffer, or Metricool to automate posting. This not only saves time but also ensures consistency because, let’s be honest, life gets busy, and content is often the first thing to slip through the cracks.

4 Time-Saving Tips for Content Creators in 2025

Content creation processed can easily be optimized by creating new time-saving habits. You can optimize your workflow and save hours each week by repurposing your videos as recurring series, converting blog posts into LinkedIn newsletters, structuring a content bank, batch developing content, and more. What is the best part? These tips not only save time, but also enhance consistency of content, engagement, and quality.

So, which of these time-saving tricks will you use first?

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Simple Content Marketing Tips for Brands https://getstencil.com/blog/simple-content-marketing-tips-for-brands/ https://getstencil.com/blog/simple-content-marketing-tips-for-brands/#respond Thu, 16 Jan 2025 02:02:09 +0000 https://getstencil.com/blog/?p=5381 It can be easy to get overwhelmed when searching for content marketing tips online. Great content marketing begins with a good understanding of your target audience. Who are they? What are their pain points, goals, and challenges? The more you understand your target audience, the easier it will be to generate content that resonates. Once […]

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It can be easy to get overwhelmed when searching for content marketing tips online. Great content marketing begins with a good understanding of your target audience. Who are they? What are their pain points, goals, and challenges?

The more you understand your target audience, the easier it will be to generate content that resonates. Once you know what they need, how do you create an effective content plan? In this blog post, we share simple content marketing tips for brands.

Simple content marketing tips

Start With a Clear Goal

Before creating any content plan, you need to be clear about what you want to achieve. Are you looking to raise brand awareness, drive website traffic, grow your email list, or sell a product? Your goal will influence the content you create and where you publish it.

Setting SMART goals is a good place to start. SMART goals stand for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. This will also help you create balance with your content and ensure that you create enough content to help you drive awareness, traffic, and conversions.

The better you get at setting SMART goals, the better you’ll get at taking steps that will allow you to get from point A to point B, and this includes creating the content needed for your business to see results.

Focus on Quality Over Quantity

It can be tempting to create a lot of content on a continuous basis, but quality always takes precedence over quantity. A single well-researched, value-packed blog post or video can help your potential buyers at various stages of their journey on an ongoing basis vs trending content that has a shorter life span.

A great way to do this is to use keyword research tools to see what your ideal clients are searching for before creating content.

Repurpose Your Content

Don’t let a valuable piece of content go to waste after just one use. Repurposing content helps you reach even more people by being able to expand on various topics and giving your current content more life.

Repurposing your content doesn’t have to be complicated, and you can create your own simple content repurposing framework that you can reuse on an ongoing basis.

For example:

  • Starting with a blog post.
  • Turning that blog post into a newsletter.
  • Take points from your blog or newsletter and create social media posts.
  • Take those social media posts and use them as talking points in video content.

Build a Content Calendar

Consistency is key to successful content marketing. A content calendar will help keep you organized and on track. You can easily create a content calendar using a program like Google Sheets, Trello, Asana, Notion, or any other content management tool.

List important dates and your content categories and keep track of your content progress as well as publishing dates. It doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective.

Analyze and Adjust

Content marketing isn’t something you do once and then forget about. Review your performance on a regular basis to determine what is working and what isn’t. To track critical metrics like traffic, engagement, and conversions, use tools such as Google Analytics and website data and social media analytics.

If something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to try something else. Experiment with new formats, topics, and platforms until you find what works best for your target audience. When you see something working well, create more similar content.

Content marketing does not have to be complicated. You can create a successful strategy without feeling overwhelmed by focusing on understanding your audience, creating clear goals, and repurposing content.

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Content Tips to Help You Nurture Potential Buyers https://getstencil.com/blog/content-tips-to-help-you-nurture-potential-buyers/ https://getstencil.com/blog/content-tips-to-help-you-nurture-potential-buyers/#respond Tue, 24 Dec 2024 20:19:27 +0000 https://getstencil.com/blog/?p=5369 Understanding your audience and their needs at each stage of their journey is the key to establishing trust and increasing conversions. Whether you’re an experienced marketer or just starting out in content marketing, this blog post will walk you through new content ideas for each stage of the buyer’s journey. Get ready to take some […]

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Understanding your audience and their needs at each stage of their journey is the key to establishing trust and increasing conversions. Whether you’re an experienced marketer or just starting out in content marketing, this blog post will walk you through new content ideas for each stage of the buyer’s journey.

Get ready to take some notes and walk away with fresh content ideas.

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Content to Help In The Awareness Stage

At this stage, potential customers are becoming aware of a problem they want to solve. Your role is to attract them with content that educates and engages without a hard sell. Think of this as the “first impression” stage. First impressions matter both online and offline, and in this case, think about this as your opportunity to create a lasting first impression online.

The goals in this stage should be to build awareness, provide value, and establish credibility.

Content Examples:

  1. Write articles answering common questions related to your industry. For example, “5 Common Myths About Organic Skincare Products.”
  2. Create explainer videos. For example, a real estate agency could make a video on the topic: “Understanding the Basics of Mortgage Rates.”
  3. Use graphics to simplify complex topics, like “The Lifecycle of a Zero-Waste Product.” This could be an infographic that showcases the lifecycle of such a product.
  4. Interactive content like “What’s Your Ideal Productivity Style?” engages and informs simultaneously.
  5. Post shareable tips, fun facts, or short videos. For example, a fitness brand could post “3 Surprising Benefits of Stretching.”

In order to help your content have a longer shelf-life, always think about doing keyword research to find keywords and terms that your potential buyers could be searching for.

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Content to Help In The Consideration Stage

Here, your audience knows what they’re looking for, but they are still researching the best solution and comparing their options. This is your time to shine with content that will help your potential buyers get one step closer to choosing you and your brand as the solution they are looking for.

The goal of this content is to educate them on your solution and position yourself as the perfect solution for their needs.

Content Examples:

  1. Create side-by-side comparisons of your product versus competitors. Example: “Email Marketing Tools: How We Stack Up Against XYZ tools.” Us vs them content is always a great idea for comparison content.
  2. Share real-life stories of customers who’ve solved their problems with your offerings. Graphic and video testimonials with case studies are perfect for this.
  3. Dive deep into topics. For example, a SaaS company could write “The Complete Guide to Cloud-Based Team Collaboration.”
  4. Host sessions that go beyond surface-level content. A career coach might offer “Top 5 Strategies to Land Your Dream Remote Job.” Notice the specific focus on remote job.
  5. Build a mini email series that breaks down a complex topic over several days. Each email acts as a mini-lesson, leaving your readers excited to see what’s to come in the next email.

Content to Help In The Decision Stage

At this stage, your audience is ready to choose their product or service. Your job is to convince then with persuasive content to help them take that final step. With this type of content, it’s time to address objections and motivate purchase.

Content Examples:

  1. Showcase authentic reviews from happy customers. Video testimonials are great for this.
  2. Offer limited-time discounts or free trials. For example, 15% off the first month.
  3. Let potential buyers see your product in action with detailed demo videos.
  4. Address common questions and concerns in a straightforward way. Always remember to keep industry jargon at bay since while many of your customers may be familiar with industry jargon, not everyone is.
  5. Use data to create personalized content, such as “Here’s the Perfect Coffee Subscription Plan for You.”Here’s the perfect plan for you based on XYZ.”
  6. Create a “Why Choose Us?” landing page with interactive features like clickable customer stories, comparison charts, and even a chatbot to answer questions in real time.

Content Help for The Retention Stage

Your work is far from over after the sale. Loyal customers are your best advocates and repeat buyers. Create content that deepens your relationship with them. And yes, this applies to them whether or not they purchased a product or a service.

The goal is to delight your customers, make them feel seen and heard, and create a sense of community.

Content Examples:

  1. Offer behind-the-scenes previews and sneak peeks or VIP-only resources.
  2. Keep your community engaged with useful tips, updates, and special offers.
  3. Encourage customers to join your community platforms such as Slack or even Facebook Groups.
  4. Celebrate your customers by sharing their photos, reviews, or success stories; you can also collaborate with them to create UGC content (User Generated Content.)
  5. Offer extra incentives to current customers to encourage them to sign up for upgrades or discover new complementary products.
  6. Host virtual meetups or workshops tailored to your customers. For example, a nursery could host a monthly “Ask Our Expert Gardener” webinar to share tips and tricks.

Creating content for each stage of the buyer’s journey will help you meet your audience where they are and gently guide them to purchase, in addition to helping you create an effective retention strategy.

Remember, all of your content is a step towards developing a long-term relationship with your audience.

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3 Types of Emails Your Brand Needs to Send https://getstencil.com/blog/3-types-of-emails-your-brand-needs-to-send/ https://getstencil.com/blog/3-types-of-emails-your-brand-needs-to-send/#respond Sat, 16 Nov 2024 00:08:06 +0000 https://getstencil.com/blog/?p=5362 Creating a lead magnet and growing an email list is only the beginning of the process when it comes to email marketing. When you nurture your list in meaningful, valuable ways that gradually foster relationships and trust, the true magic begins. To help you get started, here are three crucial email formats every brand should […]

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Creating a lead magnet and growing an email list is only the beginning of the process when it comes to email marketing. When you nurture your list in meaningful, valuable ways that gradually foster relationships and trust, the true magic begins.

To help you get started, here are three crucial email formats every brand should use. These emails will not only help with audience engagement but also consistently deliver value to them.

3 Types of Emails Your Brand Needs to Send

The Welcome Email

Subscribers should receive a welcome email the first time they sign up for your newsletter. Think of it as a virtual handshake or first impression. This email isn’t about making a hard sell; instead, it’s about providing a warm, inviting experience that explains who you are and what they can expect from your communications.

What to include in your welcome email:

  • Introduce your brand and explain briefly who you are and why you’re glad they’ve joined.
  • Tell subscribers what to expect, how frequently they will hear from you, and what kind of content you will deliver, such as updates, tips, or special offers.
  • If possible, offer an incentive to purchase or work with you, such as a discount or a free resource.

The Value-Add Email

Once you’ve set the tone with your welcome email, it’s time to deliver your expert tips. A “value-add” email is one that provides your readers with free information, tips, or resources that they will find useful. This might be a fast how-to guide, industry insights, or anything else you believe will help your audience without feeling like they are being sold to. 

Ideas for this type of email:

  • Share popular tips that provide practical methods for overcoming a common problem or reaching a specific goal in your niche.
  • Share lesser-known ideas that your readers can implement right away.
  • Share your signature resources, such as thought leadership content or unique frameworks that you use in your work.

Something to remember is that you likely have so much content to share or that you have shared already that fits in this category, and all you have to do is package it up in a nice email for your subscribers.

3 Types of Emails Your Brand Needs to Send

An Offer Email

This is where you can finally get your subscribers to take action. An offer or promotion email may bridge the gap between where a customer is and where a customer needs to be to make a purchase.

Tips for offer emails:

  • Make sure your CTAs (call-to-actions are specific) stand out and clearly tell your readers what to do next.
  • Include deadlines or limited-time offers to motivate subscribers to act sooner rather than later.
  • Instead of focusing solely on features, emphasize what’s in it for them. What is life like after purchasing your products or services?
  • Create a recurring automated series where you get to take your readers on a journey and share various transformation stories in the process.

Selling is a balancing act, and you should never be afraid to sell to your subscribers or community. Remember to balance these emails with lots of content in the mix to help them understand the need for what you offer.

Consistency is a must in email marketing. Even if you can only send one email every month, make sure it is valuable and relevant. As you become more comfortable, consider breaking your list down into segments based on their interests and behaviors. Targeted emails to specific interests tend to have higher open and engagement rates.

Remember that email marketing can be simple and effective. Start with these three types of emails and you’ll have a solid base to build on. Happy emailing!

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4 Effective Tips for New YouTube Creators https://getstencil.com/blog/4-effective-tips-for-new-youtube-creators/ https://getstencil.com/blog/4-effective-tips-for-new-youtube-creators/#respond Tue, 22 Oct 2024 04:46:51 +0000 https://getstencil.com/blog/?p=5356 If you’re a new creator looking to grow a community or a brand that has been thinking of adopting more evergreen content practices, a YouTube channel could be the right fit for you. Just like any other platform, you don’t need a big budget or the best equipment on the market to start a YouTube […]

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If you’re a new creator looking to grow a community or a brand that has been thinking of adopting more evergreen content practices, a YouTube channel could be the right fit for you. Just like any other platform, you don’t need a big budget or the best equipment on the market to start a YouTube channel. There are some fundamental tips to keep in mind if you want to optimize your new YouTube channel, and in this blog post, we will dive in and cover some of these useful tips.

Define Your Niche and Audience

Just like anything else, having a niche is key to helping you plan your content strategically on YouTube. Having a niche should also not be a cause for stress, and if you aren’t sure about your niche so far, you can stick to 2 to 3 topics that would fall in the same broader category of your niche or not. Testing the waters with different topics early on can also help you identify what will do well, and when you find what seems to work, you can let that guide you.

If you are someone who wants to become a YouTube creator as a creative outlet and a way to build a community, remember that people buy from people, and people connect with people. In the process of sharing your story and being yourself, you will gain more clarity.

Create Optimized Channel Art and Video Thumbnails

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First impressions matter, and if you want people to stop scrolling and click on your videos, you will want to create some video thumbnails. Your channel art and video thumbnails are the first things people see, so make them count!

Consider using a tool like Stencil to create eye-catching, professional-looking banners and thumbnails that reflect the video content. Keep them clear, readable, and visually appealing. Use contrasting colors and text to make sure your message stands out, and think about accessibility when choosing your font sizes.

You can also learn about channel art best practices here.

No Need to Wait for Perfect Equipment

It can be easy to fall into the trap of wanting everything to be perfect, including having the perfect equipment. To get started, if you are working with a budget, use your phone camera and eventually move on to getting better equipment as your channel grows.

Tips for capturing clear content:

  • Film facing a window for the most natural light possible.
  • If you are recording with your mobile device, always clean your lens before filming.
  • Test out different areas of your home if you have a lot of natural light.
  • If you don’t have good natural lighting in your home, you can try to find a quiet area in a park or outside of your home.

Create a Consistent Posting Schedule

Consistency will have a big impact on the success of your YouTube channel. Consistency is something that looks different for every brand or creator, depending on the resources available to you. There is no worse feeling than starting a big project and then giving up because you can’t keep up.

Create a content calendar to plan your videos in advance. This way, you’ll always know what’s coming next and be able to prepare your video scripts in advance.

There are a lot of tools available to help you succeed with your YouTube channel. We recommend getting familiar with the platform and creator resources made available to you by YouTube. In addition, tools like TubeBuddy offer incredible tools, such as the Videolytics tool and their keyword explorer.

We hope you found these tips useful.

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How to Find a Content Management System That Works For You https://getstencil.com/blog/how-to-find-a-content-management-system-that-works-for-you/ https://getstencil.com/blog/how-to-find-a-content-management-system-that-works-for-you/#respond Fri, 20 Sep 2024 21:45:37 +0000 https://getstencil.com/blog/?p=5343 If you have worked in the content space for a while, you know that there are always new tools available to help us manage our content planning effectively. With that being said, every single one of us has unique ways of processing information. We have our own ways that we like creating content and some […]

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If you have worked in the content space for a while, you know that there are always new tools available to help us manage our content planning effectively. With that being said, every single one of us has unique ways of processing information. We have our own ways that we like creating content and some tools may be more appealing to us than others. So, how do you find the right fit for you or your team?

How to Find a Content Management System That Works For You

A content management system (CMS) is not just about keeping track of what needs to get done but also ensuring that everything is streamlined, from ideation to keeping track of your content to publishing and keeping track of your data. In addition, it’s about finding a system that you can easily build on and a system that will make the life of your team easier.

What is a Content Management System?

Before diving into different tools, it’s important to understand what a content management system is. A CMS is essentially a process or a platform that helps you plan, organize, create, and publish content. Some of these systems also sometimes include places to store data such as analytics from posts that have performed well in the past.

CMS’s can be used for content from blog posts to social media content, newsletters, or even product descriptions. A good system lets you and your team see what content needs to be created, track progress, and easily find older content when you need it.

A really effective content management system will usually include a place to create a content inventory. This allows brands and creators to visualize how much they have to work with.

For a team, a CMS should allow for collaboration, feedback, and streamlined communication, helping everyone stay on the same page.

Why You Need a Content Management System

If you are an entrepreneur and you manage your own marketing, it’s possible that you could get by without having a concrete system in place. If you are good at following deadlines and creating to-do lists, you could work without one. With that being said, having a system from the start, even if you make any changes to it along the way, will save you time in the long run.

You’ll get to a point in your business where you have created a lot of content, and with no real system in place, you won’t know what’s worked well in the past; you also won’t know how much you have to work with.

It’s better to start early and customize your system as you grow than trying to organize everything you have once you have grown and are in a place where you feel disorganized.

Choosing the Right Tool

There are so many project management and content management tools out there. While most interfaces look different, once you play around with many of them, you’ll be able to identify the features that align with your needs. Below, we’ll review a few great options.

Asana

Asana is great if you need a tool that allows you to assign tasks, set deadlines, and track progress. It’s highly customizable and works well for teams that like to break tasks down into smaller steps. You can create project boards that show what stage different pieces of content are at, whether they’re being drafted, in review, or ready to be published.

Trello

Trello uses a board and card-based system to organize content. Each card can represent a piece of content, such as a blog post, with different lists to track the content’s progress. It’s simple to use and visually intuitive, which makes it great for beginners or small teams. Trello also allows you to add checklists, labels, and attachments to keep everything in one place. Trello is a great option for anyone new to content or project management.

Notion

Notion is more flexible and allows you to customize your workspace to fit your needs. You can create databases, link documents, and design your own workflow. It’s perfect for teams who like to organize everything in one place, from content ideas to meeting notes. Notion is a great all-in-one tool, offering more freedom to design a system that really fits your needs.

Another thing that’s great about Notion is that you can literally build your own database from scratch and use it as a template. That way, if your needs change in the future, you have a base template to work with that you can easily customize.

Google Workspace

There a lot of value in simplicity. If you’re already using Google Docs and Sheets for content creation, Google Workspace offers a seamless way to manage content. You can create shared folders for team members to access, edit, and store documents. While it may not have some of the same capabilities that Asana, Trello, or Notion would offer, if you are already using some of Google’s tools, it’s a great place to get started.

Keeping Your System Running Smoothly

When you find the perfect content management system for you and your team, you’ll want to create SOPs (standard operation procedures) to help your team make the most of these tools. It’s important to be open to feedback, and if your team gives you suggestions on how to improve certain workflows, remember that they are the ones using these tools and processes.

While it can be tempting to try everything new and change tools because something new and exciting is on the market, remember that it’s ok to stick to what works, especially if it’s been proven effective for you.

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How Can We Leverage Content and Blogging for Customer Success https://getstencil.com/blog/how-can-we-leverage-content-and-blogging-for-customer-success/ https://getstencil.com/blog/how-can-we-leverage-content-and-blogging-for-customer-success/#respond Wed, 28 Aug 2024 15:59:37 +0000 https://getstencil.com/blog/?p=5336 Content such as blogs, case studies, use cases, whitepapers, and other forms of authoritative and educational content are great for helping those in our audience who are at different stages in the buyer’s journey. This type of content is not only helpful for marketing purposes but can also complement your customer success strategy. Let’s dive […]

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Content such as blogs, case studies, use cases, whitepapers, and other forms of authoritative and educational content are great for helping those in our audience who are at different stages in the buyer’s journey. This type of content is not only helpful for marketing purposes but can also complement your customer success strategy.

Let’s dive into some simple and effective ways we can leverage content for our customer success efforts.

Pay Special Attention to Your Use Cases

Use cases about the various features of your products aren’t only helpful for potential customers; they can also help your current customers. We always have to think about marketing and lead generation, but brands that do this really well understand that the customer journey also includes nurturing your current clients. Client retention and providing a good experience to your customers are things that should always be top of mind.

How can we improve use cases to complement our retention efforts?

  • Don’t wait for many people to ask the same question. If someone is asking, others likely have the same question. Use this to update some relevant use cases or create new ones.
  • Remember to keep the language simple. Clear, direct, and helpful instructions are the way to go.
  • Regularly collaborate with your customer success team to proactively identify the needs of current customers and improve your use cases.
  • Think about delivering this information in different formats.

Be Proactive With Your Educational Content

To follow our previous point, combine a proactive approach and data from your customer success team to plan new educational content on an ongoing basis. You can do this through feedback loops and feature customer success stories in your blog content.

Sharing stories from your community is a great way to help both potential and current customers discover new ways to use your products and potentially relate to the experiences shared in these stories.

Create a Content-Driven Onboarding Strategy

Set your customers up for success by creating a winning onboarding package. This package should include everything there is to know about your product or services.

Things to include in your onboarding package include:

  • A series of blogs were created specifically for your new customers’ onboarding process.
  • Content gives clear instructions on how to troubleshoot your product.
  • Clear instructions on how to get in touch with your customer success team.
  • Access to a resource hub. This could also be where you house blogs that you create specifically for the onboarding process.

Overall, blogging, video content, and use cases are incredible content formats to help you refine your customer onboarding process and contribute to your retention efforts.

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Evergreen Content Tips for Brands https://getstencil.com/blog/tips-for-brands-to-create-evergreen-content/ https://getstencil.com/blog/tips-for-brands-to-create-evergreen-content/#respond Mon, 22 Jul 2024 17:11:16 +0000 https://getstencil.com/blog/?p=5327 Every brand and creative entrepreneur has their own unique ways they may use to market themselves to reach a bigger audience. Some brands have amazing teams that can help create a lot of content on a regular basis while others don’t. No matter what type of resources you have available to you, creating evergreen content […]

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Every brand and creative entrepreneur has their own unique ways they may use to market themselves to reach a bigger audience. Some brands have amazing teams that can help create a lot of content on a regular basis while others don’t.

No matter what type of resources you have available to you, creating evergreen content is key to reaching an audience on an ongoing basis.

Tips for Brands to Create Evergreen Content

Evergreen content is content that you create that will last a long time in terms of relevancy and when optimized with evergreen keywords, it may also help you get discovered on an ongoing basis. In this blog post, we’ll discuss some tips to help you in your journey to creating more evergreen content.

Focus on Timeless Topics and Thought Leadership Content

When we think about evergreen content, we need to choose topics that are relevant on an ongoing basis. This is one of the things that makes content evergreen.

Here’s an example of a topic that may not be evergreen:

  • How to use Instagram stories to sell more during summer 2024.

Here’s what would make this topic more evergreen:

  • Discover a framework for selling more with Instagram stories year-round.

While both of these topics would be interesting, if someone sees that your blog content is for a specific timeframe, they may think that your framework is no longer relevant. The first option could be a great topic to share on social media platforms, but when it comes to search engine marketing, the second option would be best.

Timeless topics provide enduring value to your audience, ensuring that your content continues to reach potential customers and viewers long after it’s published. These types of content are always in demand because they address persistent questions and challenges within your field.

In addition to timeless topics, thought leadership content is another powerful form of evergreen content. By sharing your unique ideas, experiences, and expertise, you position your brand as an authority in your industry. Thought leadership content can include opinion articles, expert interviews, and in-depth analysis of industry trends. This not only builds trust with your audience but also encourages them to return to your content for valuable insights and guidance.

Evergreen content tips for brands

Leverage Blogs and Podcasts

Blogs and podcasts are excellent platforms for creating and distributing evergreen content. They allow you to dive deep into topics, providing detailed information that your audience can refer back to over time. We can also say the same for YouTube channels. Blogs, podcasts, and YouTube videos, can all be repurposed into various formats of content.

You can also create a unique framework where, for example, you would record your podcast interview on video and then take your transcript and turn it into a blog.

Always Focus on Growing Your List

Building and maintaining an engaged email list is an important part of a successful evergreen content strategy. An engaged email list allows you to directly reach your audience with valuable content, updates, and promotions.

If you want to grow your list, you need to offer your community an incentive to do so. This can include exclusive access to content, free resources like e-books or whitepapers, and special discounts. Make it easy for your community to subscribe by placing sign-up forms prominently on your website, blog posts, and social media profiles.

Once you have a list, focus on delivering consistent value to your subscribers. Send regular newsletters that feature your evergreen content, along with personalized recommendations and updates. Use segmentation to tailor your messages to different audience groups based on their interests and behaviors. This ensures that your content is relevant and engaging for each subscriber.

Encourage your subscribers to share your content with their networks. This can help expand your reach and attract new subscribers. Additionally, leverage your email list to get feedback and insights, helping you refine your content strategy and better meet the needs and wants of your community.

Marketing is never one way or the highway, and this includes evergreen content strategies. Simple strategies to give your content more life will go a long way. You don’t need to explore every trend out there, instead explore new technologies and see how they can help you grow your reach and perhaps automate some of your steps to reach more people that may need you on an ongoing basis.

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