Entertainment
Post Ideas
Post 1
The electricity of the crowd in the moments before the show starts. The buzz of voices. The excitement and anticipation. You can feel it. There are a lot of reasons to love live music. What was your favourite ever gig? Mine was _______________________________ (best gig and some emotional story/memory connected if possible).
Post 2
In the film of your life who would play you?
I have to choose __________ because ____________.
Post 3
It will soon be time to exchange gifts, but what was your worst ever present? (and were you good at pretending you liked it?)
Mine was ______________________________________(if you have one put it here)
Post 4
How well do you know me? Spot the ONE lie out of these four statements!
_________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________
(write 4 statements and ONE should be a lie, make them all as unusual and wacky as possible to make it more fun!)
Post 5
‘Tis the season to be jolly! So, what is your favourite Christmas movie?
It isn’t Christmas for me unless we watch __________________
Post 6
What is your favourite movie soundtrack?
Mine has to be _____________________
Post 7
Christmas is nearly here!! What is your favourite Christmas tradition?
Personally, I love ___________________
Post 8
Imagine you had a whole day to do what you want, no consequences and no costs limitations... what would you do? (insert your answer to this if you wish)
Post 9
How do you choose what to watch? Do you listen to what friends recommend, trust reviews online or does Netflix make good suggestions for you?
Post 10
We all had favourite cartoons growing up, but did you ever see a cartoon that looked like you or reminded people of you?
For me it has to be ________________
Post 1
Are reviews online always to be believed?
As a business owner I think we rely on reviews to get that level of credibility for ourselves and as consumers we like to read about experiences others have made before making a purchase. But there’s always talk of fake reviews or people being paid to make them, so what can you do to offset this?
As a business you could ask for some video testimonials! These are far more difficult to fake and can really increase credibility.
As a customer you could contact people who have made reviews to check them out or at least have a look to see if they are who they say they are.
Remember that one bad review may be a disgruntled customer with an axe to grind or a nasty attack from a competitor, consistent reviews is what you are looking for.
Due diligence is an important part of the buying process, so as a business how can you increase that trust with your customer?
Post 2
As we approach the end of this roller coaster of a year there’s time for reflection. Recognise your accomplishments and give yourself kudos for what you did well. Reflect on the lessons you learned, as well as the knowledge and skills you acquired. My biggest win of this year has been ___________________________ (work related or not, up to you) What is the thing you are most happy about from this year?
Post 3
If you were invited to do a Ted Talk what subject would you choose to talk about?
For me it has to be _________________________ (insert business related answer)
What about you?
Post 4
Do you have long term plans?
Financial planning should tie into your dreams and hopes for the future and we don’t always believe we can achieve them, which is why we don’t. But don’t limit yourself, set those long-term goals and have those dreams then make a plan of how you will get there!
In 5/10/15 years I want to ________________________ (delete the years as appropriate and share a long term goal and how your business will help you get there – if recruiting for a team you can use this as a good conversation starter on extra earnings)
Post 5
I was reminiscing recently, and I thought back to my first ever customer!
They were _____________________ (give some background info) and bought ____________ (service or product they purchased) because ____________________
Little did I know then they would be the first of many ____________________(insert info of number of items/services sold or an indication of scale, or if you pivoted talk about what you sell now or what new service you provide and why you changed ). That first sell is always such a big step, I can’t believe it was ___________ (insert years or months ago that is happened) and I am proud of what I have built so far.
What are you proud of?
Post 6
When you plan your week how do you prioritise it?
It can be an easy trap to fall into planning work first! Or perhaps the children’s activities.
Now of course some things are highly time sensitive and can only happen at set times or days. However, where does your self-care or me time come on the list? Last?
It may be a novel approach but actually planning in time for yourself and then most importantly not compromising on it, should be the biggest priority!
You know when you have possible free time so perhaps an hour before the school run every day or an hour before bed, or a whole afternoon, whenever it may be, plan in that fun or relaxing thing for YOU!
Working for myself gives me more flexibility to have free time but also can lead to over committing to work and getting none, so I always try and have ___________________ time to myself (tell us what time you have off – if you don’t do it start doing it!)
Where are YOU on your list of priorities?
Post 7
Are you good at saying no?
At the start of running your own business or working for yourself you often say yes to everything. You just want some customers! But learning the art of saying no and when to say it is really important in business, and in life.
Firstly, understanding who your ideal client is can help you say no, if someone approaches you who isn’t the usual type who buys from you, make sure you assess if it will be right for them not just you. Secondly, trust your instincts and this goes for life and business, if it feels wrong then don’t do it, even if you can’t quite work out why. How many times have you gone ahead with something then wished you hadn’t and looked back and thought I had a weird feeling about it!?
Thirdly, prioritise yourself. If you have too many other things on and don’t have time then don’t say yes, say no.
Saying no to the wrong things or customers leaves more time for the right ones!
Do you say no enough?
Post 8
If you were writing an autobiography, what would you call it? And why?
Mine would be ____________________________ because _______________________ (think about ways to relate this to your business journey showing it as a big positive in your life or use it as a chance to share some of your journey)
Post 9
Does formal equal professional in business?
Many brands are now embracing a more informal approach to emailing and interacting with customers, especially when using social media. But does that make them unprofessional?
No, I don’t think it does. It makes them personable. Understanding your potential clients means understanding how they prefer to be addressed and of course if you are aiming at 60+ year olds it is likely they will prefer to be called Mr or Mrs whereas a younger generation may find that stuffy or overly formal and therefore relate less to the marketing.
When I address clients I am always polite but try and use ________________________(a relaxed style/formal/informal/ chatty/friendly – use whatever is relevant to how you do it yourself) and I find this works well.
Post 10
Do you need a PC to run a business?
I do most of my work on a ___________________________________ (smartphone/laptop/ tablet/iPad)
Many people can manage a lot of their lives and other business interaction via a smartphone, as it has such versatility. It enables us to contact people straight away and check emails, log payments, perform our marketing, planning, invoicing and pretty much anything.
So, if the thought that you need an all singing all dancing computer to start your own business is holding you back, don’t let it!
Value
Post Ideas
Post 1
Have you every tried mindfulness? It is all about being present and living in the moment, calming your mind and therefore can often a key part of coping with overthinking or anxiety.
Here are some great ways to try it out.
• Shower meditation – whilst showering, something you do (I assume) every day. Focus on the feel of the water, the shampoo, the sounds and smells. There should be plenty to hold your senses in the present moment.
• Chocolate meditation – this is my favourite! You take a square of chocolate, a good quality dark one works best. Put it into your mouth, but no chewing allowed! Hold it on your tongue, move it around your mouth. Enjoy the taste, notice the flavour, the smell, the feel of it. Keep doing that until it is all gone.
• Full body relaxation – lie on the bed and close your eyes. Working from your head/face all the way to your toes, slowly and individually tighten and relax every muscle. So, your forehead, cheeks, shoulders, fingers etc. everything. This is a very mindful exercise as you can take time to notice how every area of your body feels and it will also help you relax. It can be great the end of yoga or before sleep.
See how they work for you and let me know!
Post 2
Did you know you can make your own GIFs?
There are plenty of apps for it, check out Giphy Cam, Gif Me and Bacon Camera on Android or GIF Maker and GIFX on iPhone. This means you can use clips of videos and turn them into GIFs or you can create them from scratch and record yourself. Have some fun with it! (if you want to be brave add your own GIF to the post!) Have you ever sent or received a personalised GIF?
Post 3
It has been tough times for some small businesses this year! Here are some cool ideas for supporting small and local businesses.
• Buy vouchers for future use – great as gifts or for yourself, salons, spas and most places will be open at some point!
• Order takeaways from independent places – You don’t have to go to the big chains like McDonalds and Costa, look for the small places doing takeaway as most have enabled this since the last lockdown.
• Pre-order items or pre-pay for courses/tickets you can use next year – similar to the voucher idea but actually prebook swimming classes or gymnastics for the kids or even pay for a holiday next year. This really helps a business with their cashflow.
• Buy food from local shops or farm shops not supermarkets – depends where you live but most people have access to a farm shop or smaller retailer these days. Supermarkets are great...but buying locally produced food is the way forward.
• Leave reviews for places you went to in the last few months – think of all the places you have been and make sure you left them a review. Coffee shops, cafes, restaurants, softplay, museums... reviews are the lifeblood of small businesses.
• Support social media posts from local businesses – all some people can do right now is market online, so support the posts you see with a comment and a like. It is a few seconds to you but will really boost the reach of a post.
• Source printing and merchandise from local or small companies where possible – there are plenty of big and easily Googled printers but why not ask for recommendations locally
and try one of those, I predict the customer service will far
exceed the larger companies.
• Go for Etsy not Amazon! – This Christmas there are plenty of small sellers on places like Etsy who will really welcome your orders. Amazon is convenience in the extreme and so fast but start shopping in advance and don’t rush then you don’t need to worry about the time delay. Apart from books...plenty of authors still need you to buy your books on there!
Post 4
Do you do a regular brain dump?
Our brains can fill up with so many things, ideas, appointments, tasks, birthdays...it’s endless. It makes a lot of sense to do a regular rinse out!
Grab some paper and a pen, use a note app on your phone or use an app like Trello to get all those ideas out.
It is especially important to do before bed! If you have too much on your mind you will never sleep well.
Post 5
Do you ever get stuck of content ideas? Here are some quick and easy tips for content creation.
• Rants – people love a rant and if it is done tongue in cheek it can be very funny. Just make sure it isn’t every day or you may start to irritate people!
• Controversial – ask a controversial question – if this feels comfortable to you.
• Share something you found really funny – saving memes and jokes when you see them will help you build a collection you can share.
• Ask questions – even simple ones are good engagement posts – the classic being tea or coffee, but try and do a clever, personal spin on it of you can.
• Favourites or worsts – both work well if you share yours and ask for other peoples.
• Openness – share something personal and important to you, this will help your audience get to know you.
They can all work if it’s genuine and feels comfortable to you, and if your audience is receptive to them, so use your own judgement on that!
Post 6
Did you know?
You can use half a banana instead of an egg in most baking recipes!
You do have to like bananas, but it works as the binding agent and if you have run out of eggs or are cutting them out then give it a try. Please note it won’t work in eggs benedict!
Post 7
LIFE HACKS!
Here are 3 awesome life hacks I just discovered!
1. 2. 3.
If you want to get the creases out of a shirt on any item of clothing that can be tumble dried, then put it in the tumble dryer with some ice cubes! It works!
Need to light a candle and the wick is really small or it awkward to get to? Use a piece of dried spaghetti to light it! Just don’t cook the pasta first
A quick and easy way to sharpen scissors is to cut some sandpaper with them! Do it a few times and the scissors will be sharper than ever!
Post 8
3 ways to improve your writing
• Read it out loud – mistakes are easier to pick up and you will
also hear how it sounds to the reader.
• Avoid repeating words if you can – think of a different word, if
you right click on a word in Microsoft Word it will show you
synonyms you could use.
• Get someone else to read it and look for mistakes – if it is
informal writing you don’t need to panic over a proofreader but it is much easier for a second pair of eyes to spot your errors.
Post 9
Have you heard of the “Proust effect”?
In a nutshell, it is when you get an involuntary recall of an autobiographical memory from a sensory experience, so a smell/ taste/noise etc. It is so named as Marcel Proust in one of his novels gets a strong memory from the smell of a cake. Our memory can be evoked by music, smells and tastes very easily and it can happen really unexpectedly!
Have you ever had this kind of experience?
Post 10
Need something random to try? Well I have two.
Geocaching – basically you download an app and go hunting for what are called geocaches nearby. You use the GPS on your phone to locate them. Some have small items inside and you can swap them for inexpensive small items of your own, for fun. Some are just for finding. Just download C:Geo.
Play Geoguessr – you are put in a city in the world on Google maps and you have to work out where you are! It is fascinating. It then tells you how far away your guess is. It is £1.99 a month for unlimited plays or play one game a day for free.
Lifestyle
Post Ideas
Post 1
Do you have a favourite source of reliable information?
When it comes to knowing what is going on in the world gone are the days of sitting in front of the 6 o’clock or 9 o’clock news. There are SO many options now and your phone is constantly bombarding you with newsflashes if you’re not careful.
You may have chosen not to read the news as much this year, but every now and again most people like to find out the latest.
So, where do you source your news when you want to check in on the world?
Post 2
How strict with routines are you?
Most people with children need a form of routine as that is part of parenting usually, but do you have routines yourself?
I am a great lover/hater (delete as appropriate) of routines because ___________________ (reason for hating or loving them)
Post 3
Do you have a family savings pot?
When the world gets some normality back there will be a lot of things you might feel you have missed out on, so why not try and save up a bit if you can, and make some plans to take some trips and go to events when they can happen again.
What will you be planning to do when things restart?
Post 4
If you could spend 24 hours anywhere in the world where would you choose?
I would go to ___________________________
Post 5
This might be quite intense, but give it a try.
Is there someone in your life who for some reason you can no longer speak to? Perhaps a falling out or they sadly passed away. If you could write them a letter or speak to them now, what would you say?
For me I would want to speak to __________________ and say ____________________________ (feel free to leave this out if you don’t have an answer or don’t wish to share it but the post is more powerful if you can)
You may not want to post yours in the comments as it could be quite personal but feel free to if you feel comfortable enough.
Post 6
We all love sleeping, don’t we? But which side of the bed is yours? Even if you’re single most people have a preference.
Or are you unusual in that you really don’t mind!?
Post 7
There is a big trend towards plant-based diets for both environmental and health reasons, but of course plenty of people still eat meat.
During the first lockdown over 20% of people in the UK reportedly cut down their meat/dairy intake for a variety of reasons. Many people have continued that habit or had already started to have a meat free day once a week. Looking after your health has certainly become an important topic and generally plant-based diets are better for you.
If you still eat meat or fish, how many times a week do you enjoy it and have you cut down?
Post 8
How do you feel about aging?
The majority of us have at least elements of it that we are worried about. Your body changes and lines appear where they weren’t there before.
I think we all need to accept everything changes, but there are ways to ease yourself into growing older.
Staying fit and healthy is a key element. You can’t shrug off hangovers so easily so drink less alcohol (or cut it out altogether), and increase your water intake. Keep exercising even if it’s just walking regularly. Watch the sweet treats as losing weight becomes increasing difficulty as you age. Sleep well, and listen to your body, it will tell you when you need to rest! _________________________(note to add info about your products/programmes if you do anything that will help with aging/ health)
It doesn’t have to be doom and gloom to get older, the oldest man to complete the London Marathon was 87 and the oldest woman
85, and they both did that in 2020. Don’t let age stop you doing anything, as they certainly didn’t!
Are you enjoying the aging process?
Post 9
What inspires you? Try a vision board!
It’s been a hard year to make plans, but we still have goals and dreams.
Making a vision board can be a really fun way to visualise what you want to achieve, and it has been proven to make it more likely to happen. This isn’t for any magical reason but seeing your goals on a daily basis helps you align what you want with the actions you are actually taking.
You may want to create one yourself or get the whole family involved, everyone loves cutting and sticking!
Just grab lots of magazines or even print images from the internet, and create a collage of the things you are aiming for – it could be holidays, a beach side house, a horse, a better figure, fitness goals, anything really!
However, you do it get it up on the wall and make sure you reassess those goals every now and again. The more specific you can be with it all the better.
Post 10
Are you a minimalist or a hoarder?
Many people find it hard to release the emotional attachment to items and end up with far too much STUFF, but minimalists seem to find this easy and can live with the minimum of clutter around them. Although one does wonder if they have a secret messy cupboard like Monica in Friends!
Personally I _____________________ (whichever you are and why)
Which are you? (no judgement here!)
Social Proof
Post Ideas