How to Avoid The Time Suck Of Social Media

 As a small business owner, you may not have the time to spend on social media, and that’s ok – you’ve got plenty of other things on your plate.  But you also know you have to participate in social media for the sake of marketing your business.  So how do you avoid the time suck of social media?  Here are four tips to help you get your social media done quickly and efficiently.

Plan Accordingly

I’m sure you’ve heard: “When you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”  Words of wisdom from good old Uncle Ben Franklin that apply to, oh, just about anything in life really.  So how does it apply to social media?  Well if you create a monthly calendar that highlights dates and topics, you’re on your way to having most of your basic posts done.
I do this for all of my clients.  I grab a blank calendar and start jotting down holidays, special events, known promotions, etc.  Then I write consider how far in advance I’d like to start promoting it and write it down there, too.  What I have created is a basic posting calendar.  Fill in the remaining dates with topics, and a month’s worth of postings are done.

Schedule Posts

Did you know you can preschedule your posts?  There are third-party tools that allow you to craft your post and select a future point in time for it to go live.  If you’re using Facebook, you can do this directly from within Facebook.  It’s fairly easy; you just need to get the hang of it.

Listen

Social media isn’t only about posting, however; it’s also about listening and interacting.  Schedule 10-15 minutes of your day to go online with the sole purpose of listening and responding.  Find out what topics people are discussing and participate in a few of those discussions.  Revise your plan to include hot topics of interest so you get more engagement on your own posts.  And if people are commenting on your posts, take the time to interact with them and build that relationship.

Outsource

If you’re reading this and thinking: “Nope, I don’t have time for any of this,” then consider outsourcing your social media.
Social media, for me, is an addiction.  It’s like this vortex that pulls me in and calls my name, and I gladly succumb.  But you don’t have to.  If you’d like to handle your own social media, then creating a calendar, prescheduling your posts and setting time aside to participate will get you started on the right path.  If it’s too much, outsource it.

For more information about Social Media, call me at 661-310-1313 or email me at Claudia@SmallBusinessBreakthrough.com. Want to learn more about social media? Sign up at www.SmallBusinessOwnersCommunity.com to join my free Social Media classroom. 

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