Content Batching: The Best Social Media Hack

Your Guide to Faster, More Effective Social Media Management

Looking to save time on your social media content? Say hello to content batching. In a recent webinar, Erica Byrum, Apartments.com assistant vice president of social media, shared a primer on this strategy. With this approach to social media management, you can streamline your processes, save time, and produce consistent, engaging content.

So, what exactly is content batching? Byrum laid out a six-step workflow, highlighting her top tips along the way.

Step 1: Outline

Before you start creating content, it’s time to plan.

First, you’ll need a calendar to schedule your time in advance. This is where time blocking comes in. This approach — where you dedicate specific blocks of time to different tasks, such as brainstorming topics, shooting photos, and recording videos — allows you to focus on a single task at a time and maximize productivity. And don’t just keep this plan in your head!

“If it’s not on the calendar, it’s not going to happen,” Byrum said.

You’ll also want to develop a content strategy to anchor your social media posts. Start by identifying your content pillars, which are the main themes that relate to your brand and appeal to your audience. Then, break them into more specific groupings within each pillar.

For instance, if one of your pillars is lifestyle, that might encompass recipes, décor, finances, wellness, and neighborhood highlights.

Once you’ve established your main pillars, start brainstorming ideas for specific posts — such as dispelling a common renter myth or taking your followers behind the scenes at your property — and build this into your content calendar.

Step 2: Write captions

Now it’s time to get writing. Keep your readers engaged with engaging captions, and don’t forget to write an entire batch of captions in one sitting to maximize efficiency. Byrum offered a simple formula:

• Use a hook to grab attention and get your audience to stop scrolling
• Insert line breaks for readability
• Include emojis for personality — these can boost engagement by as much as 57%!
• Encourage your readers to engage with you, with prompts like “Comment below if…” or “Tag a friend who…”
• Add hashtags to expand your reach or target a specific audience

Step 3: Create

When it comes to creating visuals, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Look for existing posts by current residents, and ask if you can repurpose them. Need more user-generated content? Solicit it. One fun idea is running a photo contest for residents’ pet photos.

And to maintain a consistent and on-brand look, consider using the brand kit functionality offered by social media tool Canva. This lets you define templates and design elements to easily generate graphics that reflect your brand identity.

Step 4: Edit

Editing is a crucial step to boosting the reach of your posts. When you’re creating an Instagram reel, use a ready-made template, and add in trending audio to make your videos stand out.

And always keep an eye for future inspiration. With Instagram Collections, you can easily save posts or videos you like for future use.

Step 5: Schedule

Now that your content is created, you’re ready to share it with the world. This is where you need to refine your calendar and finalize your posting schedule. But this doesn’t have to mean posting every day!

“You don’t want to burn yourself out,” Byrum said. “It’s more about quality over quantity.”

Consistency is key. Byrum advises creating a schedule tailored to each channel. For example, you may decide to post a photo to Instagram and Facebook every Tuesday and a reel every Thursday. For TikTok, you might have a live post every Wednesday and videos on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

To get the most mileage out of your content, look for opportunities to repurpose materials. Can you turn that video into an Instagram reel and a story? How about including that photo and caption in your resident newsletter?

Step 6: Rinse and repeat

Content batching is a cyclical process. You can adjust your process based on what works for you and your audience. Ultimately, with this approach you can move away from creating one piece of content at a time, letting you work smarter, not harder.

Want more tips from Erica? Follow @ApartmentsBiz on Facebook and Twitter for Erica’s social media ideas and best practices, or follow Apartments.com on LinkedIn. Interested in personalized support? Check out Apartments.com’s Social Media & Reputation Suite.