 Back to module six, lesson 2.2. Creating content at light speed. In this lesson, what you're gonna be able to learn is to create content a month of content in just one day. So make sure you guys pay attention, get your pens out, download in the lesson and in the description below the template so that way you guys can follow along. Step number one is planning. Plan exactly why you're shooting this whole campaign. Are you shooting the campaign for a new product? Are you shooting for a fall promotion? Whatever it is, understand clearly why you're shooting these promotions and what is it that you would want for this whole shoot. Understand ahead of time the type of content you want to create because it's gonna save you time, energy and stress during the whole shoot. If you're able to plan accordingly, you can condense multiple different products and campaigns into one shoot and this is only if you're able to plan it properly. For example, with one of our shoots which took a whole day long, we shot a new seasonal product, we shot a national ice cream day post, we shot about the team post, we also shot Valentine's Day event and our happy hour promotion. So we're condensing everything into that one day because we're able to plan accordingly. So for you, start off with maybe one initiative that you're shooting for and slowly scale that and slowly condense and collaborate all the different campaigns that you want to shoot together. Next up, after you understand what you want to shoot whether it is a fall promotion or a Halloween promotion it is time to create a mood board of your photo shoot. Collect inspiration from different brands and different photos. So definitely just save them on your phone or save them on Instagram so then that way you can always come back to it. It helps accelerate your photo shoot and get your creative juices going along when you have this mood board. And oftentimes when I'm scrolling through my personal Instagram feed I save different photos that I like, save different other companies what they're doing that I'm like, oh wow, this is really great inspiration and I save it into my mood board. Another way to get and create your mood board is on Pinterest. It's a great way to create a mood board because Pinterest is basically a photo library. And basically all you have to do is just go on Pinterest and type in Halloween themed ice cream and automatically a ton of different Halloween themed ice cream will pop up on the feed. Use a secret board so then that way it's private and create a secret board for each campaign to make sure you categorize and organize things properly so you can always come back to this. Now that you have figured out your mood board it is time to have a shot list. What is your shot list? A shot list is basically a list of different shots, angles and scenarios that are needed that you enjoy. For example, when you see this cup this becomes your shot list and when you see this ice cream swirling in the making that becomes a shot on your shot list. So a compilation of let's say 20 of these shots and identifying specifically the type of angles and the type of reason of that shot. So then that way you can actually follow it step by step during the shoot. If you're looking for 20 posts for a month you'll need 20 different items that you list down into this list of yours. For example, like I said, here were a shot of a new ice cream flavor. We write that down and we find a sample of it right here that becomes your shot list. Ice cream swirl creation shot of a new ice cream flavor. Same thing, we would write it down and then find a reference picture and put it on our list. Two friends each enjoying new ice cream flavor in store. Right here you see this displayed very well. So by us identifying these right from the get go and having a list it allows us to easily take these off the shots during the photo shoot. So then that way we know we're not gonna be missing anything because last thing you want is to have it free flow and not have anything for you to reference back to because during the shot you're gonna be taking a lot of different shoots from different angles, different settings and so on and so forth. So if you don't have a list it makes the whole process very, very difficult to keep track. In the lesson resources below download the template. So then that way you can follow it and you can fill it in accordingly. Next up is to have props to emphasize and to elevate your shots. So what does it mean? If it's seasonal or holiday specific props, for example, if it's a Christmas time you would wanna have some Christmas decoration, Christmas menu shoots, pumpkin and leaves for a fall menu shoot as you can see right here we have some leaves and then we have this prop that we have for one of our new flavors. Product or campaign specific props. So for example, if we have a new flavor that's like a watermelon flavored ice cream then we'll have a full and cut watermelon just for that specific ice cream or even a drink. Sports jersey for a playoff campaign and these are all great products and props that you would need to elevate your whole shoot. Create a list of props that you have on hand and what you need to buy for the photo shoot. I highly recommend that you ask your friends and family for specific props to save money on this. I don't really recommend spending too much and actually I would recommend investing in some props that you're gonna use over again and again. Something generic, for example, this chopping board and this wooden spoon, we use it over and over and over again because it's just so versatile and having this allows you to be able to use it for future shoots as well. Next up is to use the best equipment at your disposable. Now that we figured out the plan, we figured out the different mood boards, the inspiration, the shot list and the props, it is time to make sure that we have all the equipment we need. You don't need the best $1,000 cameras if you have an entry level DSLR or even a mirrorless camera or even a phone, a smartphone, they can all do the job quite fine. At the end of the day, use something and whatever you have at your disposable, okay? Make sure your equipment is ready for the photo shoot. All the battery is plugged in and fully charged and that you're ready to go the day before the shoot. It is so, so crucial because oftentimes when you have a photo shoot, you're coordinating with your staff, multiple staff for that matter. You're coordinating with your chef to make sure that they have the food ready and you're basically making sure that everyone is ready on that day. You don't wanna waste time and go to a site and then later on to find out that you forgot to bring stuff and that's exactly what happened to us is because I forgot my batteries and tripod at home and after I got my tripod at home, my batteries were not charged and that itself wasted three different people's full day time because they booked the day off to help us shoot and to help us coordinate, to help us put props together and in turn we were not able to shoot because of my stupid mistakes. So definitely don't do that. Make sure you plan your equipment ahead of time. Create a checklist of equipment that you need to bring. So then that way, you're not relying on your brain. You're relying on paper and you're relying on checklist to remind you of stuff to bring and oftentimes if you do that, you're not gonna forget things. Now that we're done with all the planning, it is time for the exciting thing, which is shooting, guys. Step two is shooting. It should not take as long as you doing all the prep work and all the planning. Planning should take around, I would say, 60% of the time and the remaining time is on shooting and post-editing and distribution. Have everything out to refer to during your shoot. So what I mean by that is your shot list, is your mood board, is your props. Have all those things that you have planned out. Bring it out during the shoot so then that way you can easily reference to it, okay? Be open to spontaneous creative ideas during the shoot. Some of the best shots that we had was from a spontaneous different kind of angles that we tried out and for us, it just worked out. Once again, the shot list is there for you as a reference only. It doesn't mean for you to not be able to deviate from it, use it as reference and also be creative and spontaneous during the whole shoot. Have fun with the shot and that's something that you definitely must do. Because of how stressful the environment is, it is crucial for you to actually have fun at the shoot. It is something that you should enjoy. It is something that if you loosen up, your models will loosen up and the pictures would become a lot more natural. So every time we do a shoot, we make it such a natural environment. We make it an experience that we're just there to have fun and that oftentimes gives you the best photos. Also, while you're shooting, something to be aware of is think about styling of the food to elevate your product. As you can see, the McDonald's Big Mac advertisement is not so Big Mac in real life. Oftentimes you need extra ingredients just to spice things up. You need extra attention to how, for example, the cheese is propped up here, but this is a little bit flat. So you definitely need to pay attention to these details. Do try to keep it as realistic as possible because otherwise it is false advertisement and you set yourself up for failure. When customers receive the final product and it looks something that is completely off from your advertisement, you're gonna have this really bad customer experience. And at the end of the day, when we're creating these photo shoots, it's not our job to lie to our customers. It's just to showcase to them to pique their interests and so then that way they would have a pleasant experience. As you can see here, we have props to style and enhance and elevate the product that we have. We also use extra cocoa powder for the shoot just so then that way we can enhance this picture to make it even more coffee-ish. We also took three tries to get this perfect swirl and at the end of the day, take your time to create products that look good for your shoot. Now as I was saying, realistic, our style shot right here is not too different from the real product. So then that way it really matches people's expectation. As you can see right here, the extra cocoa puffs, we actually changed up our recipe to include more of these coffee powders. So you can see very, very alike from what we're able to create. Next up is to learn lighting and composition because that's what's gonna make your shoot look a lot more professional. This picture right here is really poor composition and poor lighting and which is something that we don't recommend. So definitely natural lighting and actually go and learn all the stuff you need to do for lighting and composition, okay? Natural lighting is the most appealing so if you have any chance, position your product close by a natural light, whether it's by the window or just bring it outside for a shoot that is also very optimal, consider the rule of thirds and symmetry when taking photos. Now if these things and these terminology that I'm sharing with you sounds really foreign, it is okay. It is time for you to actually pick that up and learn a little bit if you wanna do your own shooting. But if you have someone that does the shoots for you that understands these principle, then you don't need to learn it as much. If you want some basic knowledge on how to learn about lighting and composition in the lesson resources below, we have included some links and resources for you. So download them and go through it. But know for one thing, this is not a photography course. So the stuff that we're sharing is just very, very preliminary and very, very basic. Next up, if you do take good photos, not much post-production is needed. Taking photos is one thing, post-production is another thing. What does post-production mean? Oftentimes when you take pictures, it comes out a certain way, maybe the lighting is not the best, maybe it just needs some photo shopping. And that's when post-production comes into play. Post-production can sometimes save a bad photo. So if it's a bad photo, bad lighting, once again, you can actually go into these editing software to actually save that photo. You can try to fix bad lighting and post-production, but bad angles and composition you cannot fix. I recommend using Lightroom or Photoshop for DSLR photos or Snapseed or VSCO for phone photos. Depending on what equipment you use to shoot, you can use these different types of software. Lightroom and Photoshop or Snapseed or VSCO. Use Fiverr if you don't know what I'm talking about, okay? So if, for example, you created all your shots already, you just don't know how to do editing, go on Fiverr.com or Upward.com and actually find someone to do post-editing for you. Or at the same time, if you don't wanna go on Fiverr, if you have a friend, or if you have agencies that you work with, simply shoot and send those photos to them. Pro tip number one is to consider having presets, okay? If you know these editing software, if you understand what I'm talking about, this is a tip for you, okay? It's to have a preset, which is a specific post-production adjustment settings for your saturation, your hues, and all the different colors that you can use for all your photos. The reason why is because it allows you to have a similar aesthetics for all your photos. It is important to have a very, very cohesive social media feed for your brand because it just allows people to actually have that familiarity and also it comes along with all your branding assets, okay? If you don't know what I'm talking about, go back to module three, lesson four as we talk about the different types of branding assets. This will allow you to batch edit multiple photos all at once by having a preset, okay? Once again, if you understand Lightroom and Photoshop, you'll know what I'm talking about. If not, you can skip this lesson altogether. Not this lesson, this slide, but now on to step number three, distribution. Okay, you planned your shot and you've done your shot. You've done your post-editing. It is time to show the world what you have created. Now that's why we're talking about distribution. Craft your captions as appropriate to your photos, okay? Consider your master avatar when you're doing this. Use social media schedulers to schedule your whole month of content, okay? So when you're writing captions, create something that tells your story, tells your values, tells you behind the scenes of what you're trying to do. Make sure you understand your customer avatar super well so then that way you can create content that is valuable for them. I always come back to this because if it's not valuable for your customer avatar, why are they following you? Why are they even reading this caption if it doesn't give them what they're looking for? Once you have created your caption, it is time to use a scheduler. So then that way, once you schedule everything within this scheduler, you are able to be hands off for a full month in creating content and in posting content. These scheduling software will allow you to actually preset when you want to post and they do it all for you. I highly recommend using a software called Later. Check out later.com and it allows you to do, batch your whole months of content all at once and that's the software that I use later. In the link below, check them out. Highly recommend it to you. Pro tip number two, it is completely okay to use the same photo and caption for Instagram and Facebook. A lot of people ask me, hey Wilson, do I need to create content specifically for Instagram? What if I already posted it before then people will know I'm posting the same thing on Facebook? Well, tell your secret. Not everyone that is on your Instagram are on your Facebook and vice versa, which is the reason why it is okay to use the same content and the same photo. I would recommend scheduling the same post either a day or even a week after so then that way it prevents people from seeing the same thing if they do follow both your platforms. Pro tip number three is that oftentimes when you're creating caption, it is out of format and when it is out of format, it is very difficult to read, which is the reason why if you want something like this, check out this link right here so then that way you can properly space out your captions. Now that you've figured out your distribution, it is time for you to get found. How do you get found? It is through hashtags. A lot of people do not understand the importance of utilizing hashtags. They just think that, you know what, why are they even there? Well, hashtags allows your posts and your accounts to be discovered by other people searching on the same hashtag. It allows you to research local food community and broad food community hashtags. As an example, local food community are, for example, for us in Vancouver, Vancouver foodie, dish to van, gastro pro post van, and for broad food community, we have eater, spoon feed, and these are more broader hashtags that a lot more people are using. For example, let's say if you're in San Francisco, you would not be searching Vancouver foodie because it's not relevant to you. It's not a place where you can go and eat because it's just two different demographic, right? One's local and one is not local, whereas if it's a broad food community, spoon fed, spoon feed, and eater, it might be a hashtag that someone in San Francisco might be using and we in Vancouver might be using the same broad food community. Also, research on local community hashtags, not just food community, but local community, more on something that is a little bit more generic. So for example, IG years of Vancouver, daily hive of Vancouver, 604 now, and these are just local publications, so then that way you can just tag them on it and people are able to discover local news through these hashtags. And that's how you get found. More on hashtag is consider the size of the hashtag and the size of your account. If you only have a thousand followers, it's very unlikely you'll get notice in a hashtag that gets used 30 times a day. So which is the reason why sometimes you would want to be able to use lower searched volume hashtags, okay? Our goal is to show up in the post of a hashtag, so then that way you get more traffic coming to your account. Create a list of 30 different variations of hashtags that is comfortable for your post to rank, okay? By comfortable, I mean having hashtags that are lower in search volume and post volume. If you have a hashtag that is, for example, food, hashtag food has millions of hashtag already, if not billions. So if you were to hashtag food, most likely you're not gonna be found through this hashtag, which is the reason why you wanna create something that is more localized to your community. Have multiple hashtags list to try and test, look at the hashtags local influencers are using to get inspiration. So some of the foodies around your area, they're gonna have a list of hashtags already, use that as reference to create your own list. I would recommend having 25 different hashtags within your hashtag list, and so then that way you can mix and match it and see which ones are bringing in the traffic. Next up, now that you have been found, it is time to engage. It is highly, highly important for you to actually engage with your customers because that's how you're gonna be able to build your loyal fan base. A lot of people do not talk to the community. They have people posting on their Instagram, but then they just don't reply to them, and that is a big, big pitfall when it comes to creating a community. Social media is created so then that way you can talk to your community. So make sure you do that. Connect and nurture with your community by showing your character. If someone is saying, hey, great food, or hey, you know what, your stuff is meh, it's okay. Then don't be afraid to show your character. You know what, it may be meh because you don't like chicken. Check out our beef, it tastes amazing. This might not be the best example, but at the end of the day, don't be afraid to talk to them like a friend because ultimately that's what they are. Be human. You don't need to be super professional. Just be authentic to you. Reply to every single comment and DM, and that's exactly what I'm doing in my YouTube channel. If you just go to my YouTube channel, youtube.com slash Wilson Kaylee, you see that I reply to every single comment myself, and that's how I'm able to build this engaging community, and I would highly recommend you to do the same. Pro tip number four, consistency is the key. A lot of people, they start off doing the first month, they start off doing the second month, and then they fall off the wagon because Christmas season hits, and they're just super busy, and they just forget about it, they don't prioritize it. But for having a social media that is engaging, that is powerful, that brings you customers, consistency is key. It is a long-term strategy, and if you cannot commit to it, then don't do it, okay? Otherwise it's just a complete waste of time. When you're doing it for a month, two months, and you still don't get the results, it is okay because vanity metrics don't mean anything. If you have 500 highly engaged quality customers who follow you, these are your loyal fans, they love what you're doing, that is much better than having 10,000 subscribers and followers who don't care about your restaurant. Your goal is to communicate and nurture your community authentically, and ultimately that's the name of the game, is to build trust and to showcase you as a person and to showcase your values. Now it is your turn to go and create a mood board for your photo shoot and begin planning your first 30 days of content. Go out there, download in the lesson resources, all the templates you need, and follow along. In this lesson, you've just learned how to create a month of content in one day. Next up, we're gonna be talking about how do you create a launch campaign? So make sure you guys keep watching.