You started your small business because you’re good at what you do.
Maybe you’re a killer photographer, an amazing coach, or you run the best local bakery in town.
But somehow, you’ve ended up spending more time hunched over your laptop trying to figure out what to post than actually running your business.
If content marketing for your small business feels overwhelming, you’re not alone.
Here’s the thing that nobody talks about when they’re shouting “content is king!” from every rooftop:
Creating content can feel like you need a whole separate degree just to keep up.
And honestly?
That’s because most people are doing it the hard way.
I used to be one of those people.
I’d sit down with my morning coffee, fully intending to bang out a quick post before starting my “real” work.
Three hours later, I’d still be sitting there with cold coffee and a half-written caption that I hated.
Meanwhile, my actual business tasks were piling up, and I felt like I was failing at everything.
The Real Reason Small Business Content Creation Takes Forever
You know what I hear from business owners all the time?
“Gina, I spent three hours yesterday trying to write one Instagram caption, and I still hated it.”
THREE HOURS.
For one social media post.
That’s not normal, and it’s definitely not sustainable.
But here’s why creating content for small business feels so time-consuming…
You’re starting from scratch.
Every.
Single
Time.
You sit down to create content with zero plan, no system, and basically just hope inspiration strikes.
Imagine trying to cook dinner without knowing what’s in your fridge or having any recipes handy.
Oh, and then you get caught in the comparison trap.
You scroll through other people’s feeds, see their perfectly polished posts, and suddenly your authentic thoughts feel like garbage.
So you delete everything and start all over.
Again.
And don’t even get me started on the perfectionism monster.
You write something, rewrite it, second-guess yourself, Google “how to write better captions,” fall down a rabbit hole of conflicting advice, and before you know it, your whole afternoon is gone.
You’re not alone in this struggle.
A recent study found that small business owners spend a huge amount of their time on marketing activities, with content creation eating up the biggest chunk.
In some cases, it’s more than one full day every week being spent on content alone.
But here’s what really gets me fired up:
You’re probably spending all that time creating content that doesn’t even move the needle for your small business.
You’re posting just to post, without any real strategy or connection to your goals.
It’s busy work disguised as marketing, and it’s stealing time from the things that actually grow your business.
Here’s How to Get Your Life Back
The solution isn’t complicated, but it does require you to think differently about content creation.
Instead of treating each post like your precious pup (a.k.a. Fritz) that needs your undivided attention, you’re going to create systems that work for you.
Start with a Content Theme Calendar for Your Small Business
Pick three to five content themes that relate to your business and rotate through them.
If you’re a fitness coach, maybe it’s Motivation Monday, Technique Tuesday, and Feel-Good Friday.
This small business content creation strategy gives you a framework so you’re never staring at a blank screen wondering what to talk about.
You already know it’s Tuesday, so you’re sharing a technique.
Done.
But here’s the key: Your themes should directly relate to your business goals.
If you’re trying to book more discovery calls, one of your themes should focus on addressing common client questions.
If you want to showcase your expertise, dedicate a theme to sharing insights from your industry.
Don’t just pick random themes because they sound cute.
Make them work for your business.
A wedding photographer might use “Wedding Wednesday” to share recent shoots, “Tip Tuesday” for photography advice, and “Love Story Friday” for engagement sessions.
See how each theme serves a purpose?
And here’s a pro tip: Write down 10-15 specific post ideas for each theme when you first set it up.
That way, you’ll never be stuck wondering what kind of “tip” to share on Tuesday or what “motivation” to post on Monday.
Batch Your Content Creation Like a Pro
This, my friends is where the real magic happens.
Instead of creating social media content every day, pick one afternoon a week to knock out everything at once.
This content batching thing?
Oh my gosh, it’s totally going to rock your small business world!
Ready?
- Set a timer for two hours.
- Write all your captions for the week.
- Take all your photos.
- Plan out your stories.
When that timer goes off, you’re done with content for the week.
Trust me, your brain works way better when it’s in “content creation mode” than when you’re trying to switch between content and everything else you need to do.
Create Templates for EVERYTHING
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel every time you post.
Figure out what works and use it again.
And again.
Maybe your “Tip Tuesday” posts always start with “Here’s something nobody tells you about…” or your behind-the-scenes posts follow the same basic structure.
Having templates doesn’t make your content boring.
It makes it consistent and recognizable, which is actually what people want.
But let’s get specific about what templates actually look like.
For educational posts, you might use:
- Hook: Start with a surprising statement or question
- Problem: What challenge are you addressing?
- Solution: Your tip or advice
- Call to action: What do you want them to do next?
For behind-the-scenes content:
- Scene setter: Where are you and what are you doing?
- Why it matters: How does this connect to your business or help your audience?
- Personal touch: What are you thinking or feeling?
- Engagement: Ask a question to get people commenting
Having these frameworks means that you can create content quickly without sacrificing quality.
You’re not starting from scratch every time.
You’re filling in a proven structure that you know works.
Repurpose Like It’s Your Job
One good idea can become multiple pieces of content.
Write a blog post?
That’s also three Instagram posts, two LinkedIn updates, and a newsletter.
Take a video of yourself explaining something?
Pull quotes from it for graphics, turn it into a blog post, and use clips for stories.
You’re not being lazy.
You’re being smart.
Here’s an example: Let’s say you write a blog post about content planning mistakes.
From that ONE post, you can create:
That’s 19 pieces of content from one original idea.
And here’s the best part: Each piece reached different people and served different purposes, even though they all came from the same single piece of material.
The key to effective repurposing is thinking about how your audience consumes content on different platforms.
Instagram users love visual carousels.
LinkedIn readers want in-depth insights.
Email subscribers prefer personal stories.
Same core message.
Different packaging.
The Permission You’ve Been Waiting For
Here’s what I want you to remember: Content creation should support your business, not take it over.
You don’t need to post every day.
You don’t need to be on every platform.
You don’t need to create Hollywood-level videos or write like Shakespeare.
What you need is to show up consistently as yourself, help your people solve their problems, and stop making it harder than it needs to be.
Your content doesn’t have to be perfect.
It just has to be you.
And honestly?
Once you stop trying to create the “perfect” post and start focusing on being helpful and authentic, content creation becomes way more fun.
You’ll actually start looking forward to creating content instead of dreading it.
Look, I so totally and completely get it.
You didn’t start your business to constantly be creating content for your small business.
You started it because you’re passionate about what you do, and you want to help people.
The good news?
You don’t have to choose between running your business and showing up online.
You just need a system that works with your life, not against it.
Content creation for small business doesn’t have to feel like a full-time job when you have the right approach.
Once you get these systems in place, you’ll wonder why you ever made it so complicated in the first place.
You’ve got this!
Ready to get your weekends back and actually enjoy creating content? Get my FREE Content Creation Made Easy guide and creating a content system that works with your crazy schedule, not against it!
