How to Find Time to Workout as a Busy Mom

How to Find Time to Workout as a Busy Mom

How to find time to workout as a busy mom.

Taking care of ourselves is something most moms struggle with. We feel guilty about taking time to exercise. Our time and attention is pulled in a million different directions. The to-do list becomes so long that taking care of ourselves doesn’t always seem like a top priority. We’re tired and don’t always have the energy to do it. And honestly… we just sometimes don’t feel like it.

The reality is, exercising can be tough enough when you don’t have kids but, adding kids to the mix can make prioritizing your health and self-care even tougher.

But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it.

This post may contain affiliate links which cost you nothing extra to use but may provide me with a commision. To read my full disclosure head on over here.

workout mom

Why you need self-care.

I know that it can be super hard to create the time for you between the real like stress and the guilt but can I tell you something…

You matter.

Yup, you matter more than you realize and more than you’re willing to admit. Because if you take the time to actually acknowledge how fabulous you are, you’ll have to admit that you haven’t been treating yourself the way you deserve. You’ll have to admit that you’ve put yourself on the backburner and that you need to get back to it.

But taking that time to workout a few times a week (I currently work out 5-6x a week for around 30-40 minutes) does more than just get your heart pumping. When you leave a workout, you feel accomplished. You feel proud and you are reminded that you are worth that effort.

You are better when you fill your cup and when you do, you can be a better mom. There is a reason that on airplanes, you are told to put on your oxygen mask first. It’s because if you’re a panicked mess, there is NO way you’ll be able to help someone else.

And it’s the same situation in life. If you aren’t taking care of yourself and have little energy, poor health, low self-confidence, and just feel generally bad, then that trickles down to your family.

I find that when I am exercising regularly (which I do now and, though it’s taken years, is now a habit that I hate to miss in my day), I am happier, I snap less at my kids, I feel good about myself, I have more energy, and am just a better mom.

The thing is, and I’m going to toss you some real talk right now, your kids deserve a happy and healthy mom. None of us can guarantee how long we’ll have on this earth but, don’t you want to spend as much time with your kids as possible? And wouldn’t you do anything you could to make that happen? Then you need to find a way to fit exercise into your life and take care of your health. For you, for them, for the grandkids you’ll hopefully get to be around for, and the pictures taken of memories that you aren’t hiding in because you hate the way you look.

 

 

How to find time to workout

 

When it comes to working out, you need to decide what you need and how you want it to happen. I personally, haven’t stepped foot in a gym in years and love working out at home. Some people need to leave the house to get that extra motivation to get it done. Determine the type of person you are, be okay with it (because you don’t have to be like anyone else), and come up with a routine that fits that.

If you need alone time and want the gym to be your sanctuary, then go for it! I coach and talk to so many moms that tell me they’d love to workout at home like me but really need to get out of the house, have interactions with people, and get time alone. If that’s you… go for it!

Find a gym that has a daycare included so that you truly can feel at ease. It can be pretty tough to find childcare for just an hour or two to go to the gym each day but, if your gym has a daycare center then you’re kids get interaction, which they need, and you get the time to workout. The first place I’d recommend checking out is your local YMCA. Not only do they have great rates but you can get family packages, which includes childcare, classes, swimming and something for the whole family.

If you’re going to leave the house to workout, make sure you pick a time in the day that works and makes the most sense to you. You don’t want to go when you’ll be cutting it too close to nap and fearing cranky littles or the dreaded car nap. We have a 2-hour chunk in our mornings that is our only time where we can leave the house to do anything without someone napping so if it were me, I’d make sure that we left for the gym then.

Get yourself prepared the night before so that you don’t waste any time. If you know that you have 2 hours to hit the gym after one of the kiddos naps but before the next nap (which is our schedule), take 5 minutes the night before and lay out your workout clothes and pack your diaper and gym bag. If you bring bags for the kids with activities for them, make sure they are packed along with any water cups and snacks. This way, as soon as the kids are up and your window to workout begins, you’re not wasting 10-15 minutes packing things up. If you can pack the bags when they are sleeping, you can get it done super fast since you’ll have limited distractions.

Make sure you also sleep in your workout clothes to save a step and have any shower stuff packed. Many gyms have showers you can use so, you can grab a quick one before you pick up the kids and be on your way!

 

beachbody on demand

 

Working out at Home 

 

Working out at home is my jam. I get to wear whatever I want, get all sweaty and not care, try moves I would never do in public, and get my groove on to some great dance workouts all while looking pretty embarrassing. I also don’t have to worry about commuting or taking the kids anywhere and can be flexible if they are fussy.

That being said. It’s not easy. Getting my daily workout in at home takes planning and a system that it’s taken us a few months to really get the hang of. But, once you get the routine it can also be fun.

My kids LOVE workout time and a tantrum normally happens on the weekends when I go to workout in our home gym alone since my husband is home. I get to be an example of health to them and they get to join if they want. I always invite my 11 year old stepson to workout with me and, though he almost always says no, the other day he asked if I could help him train for basketball and my heart swelled up with excitement.

My first suggestion is to find a workout you love. I use Beachbody On Demand and have for the past few years. I used Beachbody workouts to lose 70 pounds before I had my kids, the 50 I gained with my daughter, during both my pregnancies and currently using it to stay healthy and drop the baby weight after my son.

 

21 day fix pregnancy

 

There are so many workouts out there that you can pick but, here is the thing… if you don’t love it, you won’t do it. In the past few years, I did some soul searching when it came to workouts and decided that just because everyone else was trying the newest workout, didn’t mean I had to. I love to stretch out of my comfort zone and try new things but, if I don’t like doing a workout, I just pick something else.

 Now, at first you might not like any workouts because working out isn’t the most fun all the time (particularly when you’re out of shape), but I guarantee there is something out there for you! When I was pregnant and my goals were different, I did some home dance workouts or yoga because I knew it would make me feel good. Find what lights you up, challenges you, and makes you happy and I swear, over time exercising will become a part of your lifestyle.

 You can also find something that your kids love to do can include them. Another reason that I love Beachbody on Demand is that they have a kids channel but my toddler loves doing the dance workouts with me, climbing on my back for pushups, and kickboxing is her fav! Your workouts with them may not be as hardcore as before, but remember DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT!

 You can always workout at home during nap time if your kids still nap. I choose to do it when they are awake because I use naptimes to work but, you can make that your time to take care of you, grab a shower, and then get to all the other tasks. The cleaning and laundry can wait… your self care cannot!

lose baby weight

How to include your kids in your workout block

 

My first tip is to find an area of your house that is the most conducive to you getting the workout done, not being frustrated with interruptions, and sets them up for success. I tend to do more bodyweight exercises than weights because, when I do have to use our gym and bring the kids in there, they are ALL over the place. On those days, I put my 9 month old in the pack and play and my daughter plays with her kitchen set or easel that I’ve left in there but, since there is so much more to look at and touch, it’s normally more of a headache for me.

I choose to workout in our playroom on most days. Their stuff is there, they can watch a TV show, and it’s baby proofed. That does mean I have to pick and choose workouts that fit in that space and don’t have weights but I”m okay with that. It helps to keep them contained so grab a good baby gate or pack and play so that you know that they aren’t trying to escape or eat little things off the floor!

Keep them occupied

 

Next, figure out how much time your kids can hang before they don’t want to play independently anymore. My kids (2.5 years old and 9 months) have a sweet spot of 35 minutes. If I do anything longer than that, someone is fussy or needs more attention from me, so I try to average a 30-minute workout.

30 minutes is also about the time of one kids show so yes… this is when they get to watch TV. The baby could care less about TV but my toddler loves it so, during a workout, she gets a show. I do try to do my best to limit the amount of TV she watches and besides working out and when I do her hair, we keep a mostly tech-free day.

 There are some super cute shows out there that don’t include too much sass (my biggest pet peeve with shows today!) and the kiddos love!

 We love;

  • Little Baby Bum (Netflix)
  • Owlegories (Amazon Prime)
  • Super Why (Netflix)
  • Daniel Tiger (Amazon Prime)
  • Doc Mcstuffins, Nellie the Princess Knight, Sofia the First and anything about a girl show isn’t just a damsel in distress
  • Sesame Street (PBS)
  • Word Party (Netflix)

 We could go on about some other shows we love but I always give her two choices of what she wants to watch and, if I’m being real, this keeps her attention long enough for me to workout in the playroom and her not to attack or take all of her brother’s toys so he gets fussy.

Oh, and I have to toss in a disclaimer because maybe you’re rolling my eyes at the fact that I let them watch TV so I can workout. You need to take care of you too mama, your kids are fine with a little TV while you do so, let go of the guilt, and stop judging any mom who does things you might not *drops mic*

Be Prepared 

 

The best tip I can give you for working out at home is to be prepared before you begin. I always make sure that we have a few things handy.

 My 2.5 year old is recently potty trained so I make sure she tries to go before I workout. I also keep the portable potty in the playroom so, if she has to go, she can go there. But be careful… one time I did not stop my workout to empty it and my 9 month old pushed it over… ONTO ME during my pushups.

 I also make sure all the toys are there for the baby and he has plenty of things to chew on, bang together, or build.

Also, make sure you get the milk cup filled up and have a snack ready so that you don’t have to stop. I workout pretty much right after breakfast and it never fails that my toddler will ask for a snack at least once during my workout.

 You’ll also want to make sure that you pick the right time to workout so that you aren’t dealing with too fussy of kiddos. My son normally naps at 9:30 so I aim to workout at 8:15 am which gives me enough time to workout without him being fussy because it’s too close to nap. On the days when he gets up early and his nap is at 8 or 8:30, I put him down first and then workout with just me and my toddler.

 

Adjust your expectations

 

There are times when working out either at home or in the gym just doesn’t go as planned. Kids need things. Life gets in the way. You may have to stop and modify and hold your kid during that last set of squats, let them play horse with you while you do pushups, or sing “if you’re happy and you know it” through the last 10 minutes of your kickboxing workout.

 That’s mom life.

 But you’re a better mom for just trying to take care of yourself than saying “well it might not be perfect so I shouldn’t do anything”. 30 minutes of your day will go by super fast with you guys just sitting around playing or watching a show, so why not get your workout in at the same time?

 This week, I challenge you to find 30 minutes or less each day to do SOMETHING active with them. And if none of these suggestions work for you, put them in the stroller and take a walk! Something is better than nothing and DONE is better than perfect!

 

 

Know that it is possible to workout with kids but you have to create a routine, be prepared, realize it might not be perfect, and do your best. Your kids should be one of the reasons you take care of your body and health, not an excuse not to!

 

Did this help and inspire you to get moving??? Share it on your Facebook or PIN it for later!

 

 

The Best Way To Organize Your Goals

The Best Way To Organize Your Goals

Creating a Goal Setting System

I’ m a goal setting junkie, like I’m sure most of us are around January 1st.

 

Does this sound like you;

  • Dream big about what you want out of life.
  • Get a new notebook or planner and make a million lists.
  • Decide THIS is the year you focus on you.
  • Have a really great first few days or week once you’ve picked your goals.
  • Life gets busy.
  • You forget about your goals.
  • You get put on the backburner.
  • Those notebooks get lost on the junk table.
  • The end of the year comes and you have no idea if you’ve even gotten any closer to achieving those goals.

 

It sounds like me a lot of times too. I am the queen of buying cute notebooks, love to write things on my to-do list just so I can cross it off, and love to dream big. But I also love data. I love systems. And I love giving myself a gold star whenever I achieve even a small goal.

 

This post may contain affiliate links which cost you nothing extra to use but help me fund this page. To read my full disclosure head on over here.

 trello for goal setting

 

Organizing Your Goals

I got tired of all the paper clutter and making lists that I never checked in on, so I knew that I had to find a system that would work better for me.

Enter Trello.

Trello is an online website and app that allows you to create charts, workflows, and organize anything in your life. It is PERFECT for creating goal charts that you will actually check, stick to, and accomplish.

If you’re typically a paper and pencil girl, stick with me on this. While Trello may move you into the digital age, it will also help you check in with your goals more and keep them organized. Trello lets me see what I’m prioritizing for the current and next few months, shows me where I may not be as balanced, and lets me have a massive thought catcher for things i want to accomplish, suggestions other people give me, link and website I want to check out, all while tracking my progress towards me goals.

Trello is perfect for us busy moms who already have a million things to remember. We don’t need another paper system that might get thrown away or colored in by our toddler. We need our own space that will sync up with our phones and give us alerts and reminders when it’s time to kick butt and work on us. It’s super simple to use and is much more streamlined than putting a million notes in your phone that you forget to look at (guilty!)

 

I want to share with you a step by step walkthrough on how I use and create boards on Trello to track my goals and keep my life less of a hot mess! I’ve already done a few other videos that you can check out on how I organize my prayer time, cleaning routines, and birthday party organization so make sure you go and read those too!

 

You can watch the video above to create the board with me or just read through the steps below! You also can directly copy my board and save it to edit with your own goals!

 

 

Step #1: How to Copy My Boards

 

If you want to copy the board, you’ll need a Trello account to do so but it’s free so that rocks. Once you log in and go to the link, head right on over to the right where it says SHOW MENU. Next, hit the MORE button and hit COPY BOARD. When you copy the board, you can decide if you want to rename it and where you want it to go. Feel free to use it as a template, to get ideas, and customize however you want!

 

 

Step #2: Create Workflow Cards

 

The first thing that you’ll want to do is create lists with all of the headings for your goals. I suggest creating a list of the general topics such as;

 

-Personal

-Professional

-Social

-Finance

-Health

 

I also like to create lists for the time frames I want to complete them. This allows me to really be focused on a goal because I can drag the appropriate cards over to either ‘This Month” or “Next Month” or even “December” and know that I have a plan for when I will complete them.

 

 

Under each list, create cards for that specific goal. For example, if your list is ‘health goals’ you could create a goal card that says ‘lose 15 pounds’, ‘run a half marathon’, or ‘track my meals’. Dream big and create whatever goals your heart desires! If you need help figuring out what areas of your life could use a boost or how to create goals, check out this series I did on just that!

 

 

Step #3 Breakdown Cards

 

After you’ve created each card, you can customize them to not only keep lists of things you need to do to accomplish your goal, but a timeline of when it will happen, and links you might want to check out. I tend to always add things to Pinterest but forget to go back to them when I need them! I like to add them to my Trello cards for that specific goal so, when I am ready, it’s just a click away.

 

 

I suggest putting a few checklists on each card. You can create one for things you need to do AND create one to track what gets done. For example, if a goal of yours is to read 2 books a month, you can have a checklist with books you want to read or that others have suggested to you and a second checklist that tracks if you’ve accomplished it. This might say “January Book 1” and “January Book 2”.

 

If you don’t track the progress to your goals, how will you know if you’ve achieved it! And instead of using a separate planner or checklist, Trello allows you to keep the to-do list AND the tracker in one spot!

 

On the right-hand side, you can also add in labels to organize what type of goal they are or maybe what month you want to complete the goal in. This will let you see a big picture of your goals when you glance at your board as a whole.

 

 

The right-hand column of each card gives you a ton of things that you can use to customize the card. You can add in a due date of when you will accomplish something or a LINK or IMAGE you want to go back to later! These are listed under ATTACHMENTS and, as I previously mentioned, are the perfect place to put blog articles or PINS you come across and want to check out!

 

Trello is a super easy and efficient way to track goals, progress, and remember to take care of what matters to YOU too! Hopefully, this tutorial helped you feel ready to conquer the world (and decrease paper clutter!)

 

trello for prayer requests 

Did this help you get organized?? Loved some tips? Do me a fav?? Hit that Share or PIN IT to help another mama!

 

 

Create An Action Plan That Works in 4 Easy Steps!

Create An Action Plan That Works in 4 Easy Steps!

When it comes to setting goals, most of us could rattle of 5-10 things we’d love to accomplish. And each year, almost everyone makes these goals or resolutions and swears “this is the year things will be different”. But often, by February, most of of these goals have been thrown aside because life got in the way.

 

 

If you want to accomplish BIG things this year, you will need more than just a goal. You need an ACTION PLAN. But instead of making a plan that makes your goal overwhelming and scary, I am going to encourage you to make a plan that breaks your goal down in small chunks and sets you up for success.

 

 

Step #1 Pick Your Goal

 

 

If you haven’t had a chance to go through my series on how to create amazing and manageable goals, head over check out parts #1-3 first!

 

Part #1: Reflection

 

Part #2: Visualization

 

Part #3: Goal Setting

 

 

The best way to not get overwhelmed with achieving your goals is to not pick too many to tackle at one time. Sometimes we try to do everything as women and what happens is we are doing ‘okay’ at tons of things but feel like we are drowning. I would rather pick 1-3 things to work on and be AMAZING at than just mediocre at everything!

 

 

Go through and pick 1-3 of your top goals that you think would leverage the most joy in your life and use them to create your action plan.

 

 

Head over and get a goal setting workbook here is you need a jumpstart to creating yours!

Step #2 Make Your Timeline

 

The biggest game changer in achieving my goals came when I stopped looking at my goals as a one year goals and brought them into the 12 week year light following the principles laid out in the book The 12 Week Year.

 

After reading the 12 week year, I realized that if I put a quarterly timeline on my goals I would be more likely to achieve them. How many times have you made a big goal and done nothing to move towards it until, you get to the end of the year and start to hustle to make that dream come true? If you look at your goals with a quarterly deadline, you’ll be more likely to push harder to get them done. If you look at each day as a week of the year, you’ll stop putting off the important or even non important tasks and GET THINGS DONE!

 

Pick your 1-3 goals and give them a date that is 12 weeks or LESS! Put it on the calendar and make it a date you celebrate because you’ll get things done!

 

Step #3 Create your 10 minute tasks

 

Okay here we GO! Let’s create manageable tasks to complete your goals in just 12 weeks.

 

Yup.

 

Those things that you have been putting off for years WILL be accomplished in the next 12 weeks if you are ready to go for it.

 

As a busy mom, I know how tough it can be to complete your goals with all of the other things you have to do day to day. So instead of deciding that you’re going to just get a 3 hour task done each day to move towards your goals, your job is going to be to break it down into tasks that can get done in 10 minutes a day.

 

Go through the workbook (download below!) and pick the goal you want to focus on. Use the lines below each goal to break down action steps for them. If the goal can’t be done in 10-20 minutes IT IS TOO BIG and you need to break it down more.

 

 

For example, say you have a goal to create a scrapbook for your kid’s birthday. Instead of just saying ‘create book’ you need to break it down. I don’t know how many times I’ve said I was going to do this and don’t even print pictures to get started (do people do that anymore?) What you need to do is BREAK it all down super small and write down each and every step you will need to complete such as;

 

  • Use FREE prints app to order pictures
  • Search for coupon code for album
  • Buy photo album
  • Organize pictures chronologically
  • Space out pictures
  • Buy background paper
  • Cut background paper
  • Assign picture to paper
  • Put pictures in album
  • Buy stickers and other decorations
  • Fill in graphs in alum with decorations
  • Write in memorable events

 

And you could probably even break some of these down even further! But see how, when you make them smaller tasks, your goal is MUCH more manageable and less overwhelming. If you take these tasks and pick even just ONE per week, you can accomplish your goal in those 12 weeks by your due date.

Step #4 Assign the items

 

If you’ve gone through and done the work of breaking down your goals, I don’t want you to stop here! I want you to go to your planner and give each of these items a date to accomplish. Write them each week in pen and don’t change them. If you are like me, and you don’t write it down, then you are less likely to actually get it done and completed.

 

So take your tasks, give them a date and get started!

 

If you are ready to get started with your goals, head over and get your workbook now so you can break down all of your goals here! Just drop your email and it’ll be sent right to you to get started!

 

 

And if you want more help getting your schedule together so you can FIND time to get these goals accomplished, head over and grab my E-BOOK on how to DESIGN YOUR LIFE with your time!

5 Free Stock Photo Sites

5 Free Stock Photo Sites

This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link. 

When I started to professionalize my business and really get into blogging, I knew that I needed to find great stock photos to attract people to my posts. As a beginner blogger, my funds are pretty low, so I needed to make sure I could find really nice photos that fit my brand, were kind to my wallet, and easy to use.

How to Use Stock Photos 

 

I know that I am the face of my brand, so it’s important for me to make sure not to overuse stock photos and forget about myself! When I am posting on my Facebook or Instagram pages, I try to use myself, my kids and my real life as much as possible but, I am not a professional photographer. So when  I want my post to really stand out or I don’t have a picture on hand that fits what I am talking about, stock photos are the way to go!


I also am a big proponent for using stock photos to make gifts for my readers more professional. If I am making a printable, download or opt in offer, I will use stock photos to make them pop. And whenever I create an e-book or Facebook ad, I want to make sure it attracts people and doesn’t repel them because it doesn’t seem professional.

Choose Pictures that Fit Your Brand

Not all stock photos always fit my brand so it’s important that I look around for ones that do. I kept coming across some that just used all  rose gold and had that ‘girl boss’ look. And while that fits some brands, it’s definitely not mine. I would say my brand is more ‘the coffee stain on the paper’ type of look!

You can always modify picures using Canva or Picmonkey so don’t be scared if they don’t immediately call out to your brand. I always save them on my computer in a folder labeled ‘stock photos’ so I can go in and check out what I need!

TOP 5 Places to Get FREE Photos 

1. Ivory Mix  

Ivory Mix is MOST definitely the #1 place to go for amazing photos for your business. Not only does she send out free pictures all the time but has an entire LIBRARY of free images that you can acess. All you have to do is log in and it’s yours to use! Her stuff fits all types of brands and she has a ton of contributors so the styles are super diverse. You can also buy photos if you see something you like that isn’t in the free library.

2. Haute Chocolate 

Haute Chocolate is one of my favorite places to go and get professional images. They offer a few free ones that, if you sign up for their email list, they will send to you each month. They also have a library that you can get a membership for if you like a certain collection. There pictures are perfect for female bloggers, entrepreneurs and creatives!

3. Unsplash

Unsplash is such a great gift to us bloggers! Photographers submit their awe-inspiring photos for us to use. Make sure you read the descriptions of each of the pictures before you download though, some have specific rules about the amount of altering or editing you can do!

4. Pexels

 

Pexels is another great site for general pictures. While some of the ones I’ve already mentioned have more of a girly or artistics theme, pexels is much more general. You simply go to the search bar to find pictures that might match one of the keywords you search. Some of them are a bit of the wall, but you can certainly find what you are looking for! They also will link you to some pictures you can buy if you scroll all the way down! Check out these pictures that came up when I searched ‘coffee’, all for free!

    5. Stock Snap

Stock Snap is similar to pexels in that they are much more general in what they offer. And just like pexels, you can scroll to the bottom to see more options you can pay for. You might also come across similar pictures on both sites but when you are doing, for example a recipe book, this might be the best place for you!

 

Check out what came up when I searched ‘healthy eating’

Hope these pictures are a great start for you as you venture into creating projects for your tribe and adding professionalism to what you do!

How to Create a Community on your Facebook Page

How to Create a Community on your Facebook Page

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I had a Facebook page before I even had a website.

I was running my direct sales business from my personal page which is a HUGE no-no with Facebook and honestly, all of your friends on your page. It’s annoying and spammy to use your personal page to talk about your products, sales, and a lot of other business things. Now don’t get me wrong, I still will share a good deal over on my personal page or alert that page if I have a cool LIVE video going up on my LIKE page but, once I started to use my LIKE page for my business, I began to actually feel like a legit business owner.

Prior to this, I felt like I treated my business like a hobby. I would post about it occasionally or go in the opposite direction and post WAY too much about the business.

And while it wasn’t the easiest transition to move to being LIKE page exclusive, I found what I’ve been able to create over there invalauable.

I’ve created a tribe.

For a business to be successful and stand out among others in their field, they have to think about their page less like it’s just to talk about products and more like it’s there to make a movmeent and create a community. You want the people to come to your page to feel like they belong, like they are in a club, and like they can really connect with you.

I didn’t realize this was what I did until a few things happened on some of my posts.

First, I posted about a negative message I had gotten from someone and my tribe came out in droves! They came right to my defense, they shared how they connected on my page, and they had my back.

Second, someone basically told me I had made a community. When I had my daughter I had a lot of questions as a first time mom and I often would ask the Facebook hive what they thought. Someone then commented that I needed to stop asking questions and just parent how I wanted to and my page came back on them! Someone actually said “I like that Cara asks theses questions. I am a first time mom too and she’s created a really great forum for us”

BAM.

Community. Tribe.

So How Did I Create It?

Though my page is still what i like to call ‘small but mighty’ the quality of the followers there matter more to me than the quantity. You can have a million followers but if no one is commenting on your posts, sharing them, or feeling connected with your brand, then it doesn’t matter at all.

I started to create this by following the 80/20 rule with my page. 80% of what I shared was more about me, my tribe and the tribe I wanted to create and things I thought they would find valuable. The other 20% is where I posted about my business.

Now this may not make much sense at first. Wait Cara, I want to make money with my business, don’t I have to post about it?

Of course you do.

But if all you are doing is posting what you are selling than NO ONE is even going to come to your page to see it.

When creating a social media plan for your month map out your posts in advance. You’ll need to make strategic decisions for when you will post actual sales on your page. I like to post 3-5 times a day on my facebook to keep my engagement up (this doens’t count for LIVE video). So this means that say I post a minimum of 3x a day on my page than 18 times a month I can talk about my business and products. No so bad at right?!

So what do you post the rest of the time? 

I follow the principles laid out in Gary Vaynerchuk book Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook. Jabs are essentially soft sells about your brand and the way you make your community. Those right hooks… those are the ACTUAL ‘buy my product’ posts.

When planning out your month ask your self if your posts use the 4Es…

Do they

  • Engage?
  • Entertain?
  • Educate?
  • Empower?

If your posts are doing this than your community will start to grow.

Some examples of these types of posts could be:

  • Engage: Asking questions about topics your readers might be into, sharing other viral articles and asking their opinions
  • Entertain: Funny MEMEs that target your audience, pictures of YOU and your life (kids, dogs, what you’re up to). Remember, it is OKAY to personalize your brand. There are so many people out there with businesses just like you. People don’t buy the product… they buy the PERSON.
  • Educate: Share value! This can be yours or someone elses (that you share from their page)
  • Empower: Positive quotes or messages you know your tribe needs to hear

I make sure that almost ALL of my posts explicitly ask my reader to engage with the post. People need to be told what to do so I often will end a post with statements like

  • What do you think about this?
  • Have you ever….
  • How did you….
  • Like if this hits home
  • Share if you agree
  • Post a GIF below to describe how you feel about…

This way your tribe not only starts to engage with your page but, they share your content for you. What this also does is helps you see more of what they need. When they are enginaging they are sharing their needs as well. For example,  if I post a recipe and ask what people’s biggest struggles are when it comes to using the crokpot, I then have a bunch of topics for future posts or blogs. If I post a recipe and no one engages, that lets me know that maybe my tribe wants to see less of that type of content.

Be Consistent 

Being consistent with your message and social media is a surefire way to build a tribe about your brand. Look at your social media like a magazine. They have great content and then every once and w hile hit you with a perfume ad. You don’t care that much becuase the magazine has given so much value so it’s not annoying. By providing value to your tribe, when you do ask for the sale, they are less likely to unfollow becuase it isn’t in their face (note: this is a different story if you are in laucnh phase of a new product!) all the time about it and you’ve built up your ‘know, like and trust’ factor.

You need to get permission from your tribe to advertise and by building a community you’ve done just that.

Need some more ideas of what to post to engage your readers? Check out this FREE swipe file of 25 engaging posts you can use on your social media!