Social media is one of the most important business communication developments in recent history, but it’s also one of the biggest sources of distraction for otherwise productive entrepreneurs. Learning to manage your own social networking time will help you leverage all those great benefits.
Here are some tips to get you going…
Know What You Want to Do
Before you log into another social network, make sure you have a very clear idea of what you want to accomplish with your social networking participation. While you should know where you’re going before you go there in all aspects of your life, it’s even more important on social media because it’s just too easy to get distracted, and waste hours away.
Also, know what you want to accomplish on a large and small scale. You should know what you want over the long term and what you want to do on a daily basis. Whether you use paper and pen, mind map software or voice memos to plan, record your ideas, so you have a rock solid plan for what you want to accomplish. And don’t just have a goal of I want to Tweet.
Limit the Networks You’re Involved In
Too many entrepreneurs try to be everywhere at once. It’s a recipe for burnout and it isn’t likely going to grow your business. It’s important to select a few key social networks and if you’re just getting started with social networking, simply start with one network and move from there. Finding out what works best for your business may take a little experimentation.
Have a Notification Strategy
There’s nothing more detrimental to productivity than being interrupted all day long with emails telling you about new retweets, likes and comments. You can limit these interruptions in a few ways:
– Turn notifications off completely. Rarely, is there a social media emergency.
– Some networks, like Pinterest, allow you to get a daily digest of notifications, instead of receiving an individual notification of each update.
Keep Your Business and Personal Accounts Separate
This will help eliminate personal distractions during the workday. So if Aunt Jane sends you a private message and your friend Steve posts a funny picture of his toddler, you won’t be distracted from your work.
Get Help
There’s no reason you have to do all your social networking yourself. Even if you’re a solo entrepreneur, you can build a team or have someone alongside to help you. You can have someone help you with:
– Posting updates
– Scheduling updates you’ve prewritten
– Creating and collecting images and other useful content you’d like to share
Building a team that represents your brand allows you to focus more on strategy and business building.
Use Tools
There are plenty of tools that can help you schedule updates, allow you to view your various network streams in one place, compile analytics and more. These are very useful tools to ensure you keep tabs on your interactions, allow you to participate more efficiently and can help you rework your strategy for maximum effectiveness. My favorite is Hootsuite, but give a few a try and see which works best for you.
These are just a few tips to help you carve out time as a busy entrepreneur for social media and still have time for your business, there are of course many more, find what works best for you and stick to them, and very importantly stay consistent!
Kim is a Certified Social Media Content Manager. She is a Social Media enthusiast, loves working with her clients assisting them in growing their business. She plans on starting to offer Social Media training to clients later this year. She is an encourager, lover of life, Christian, wife, mom, mom-in-law, daughter, and mom to her adorable dog Maggie. She also loves Essential Oils. You can contact Kim at her website at: http://www.StarryNightSocialMedia.com, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/StarryNightSocialMedia, or Twitter www.twitter.com/Kstarry
