How to Manage Your Social Media Without Losing Your Mind
I talk with people daily about social media management. Whether it's helping a friend with their own promotion or working with my clients, I know how stressful social media management can be, especially when you're not sure what you're doing. Even one site can be difficult but when you add in more than one, you're looking at a cumbersome task for the average person.
But it doesn't have to be that way if you take some time to plan what you're doing and also to find the fun in your social media. Here are some strategies to save you time and stress:
Build a Social Media Cheat Sheet
This will be your guidebook through the world of social networking. Here you will determine what sites you will post to, how often you want to post, who your target audience is and what your goals are. There will be short term and long term goals in your social media plan.
You will need to play around with this a bit. You can experiment with your audience to see what they respond to the most. Get a system down of where you post to and what you post and it will go faster and faster with each time you do it.
Prioritize Your Postings
Determine which sites are most beneficial to you and your niche and devote at least a half hour each day learning more about these sites, posting on these sites and replying to your audience. There are many sites out there but you don't have to submit to them all. In fact, it can hurt your efforts more than it helps them if you try to spread yourself too thin. Instead, narrow your focus and focus your efforts.
Find Some Fun
Things are always easier to do when they are fun. Can you find your fun in social media? Try to find a positive way to look at what you're doing so it's more enjoyable. If you are not a person who naturally enjoys social media, look at it in terms of taking charge of your business and doing something productive that will benefit the business and bring you results.
Maybe there is a way you can turn it into a game or find an angle that you enjoy so posting is more fun. Each person has to find what works for him or her but anything worth doing is worth enjoying.
Track Your Progress
You won't get far in social networking if you do not track your progress. There are tools to help you do this - some are built right into the sites that you are already using. Some are free and when you want more than just the basic features, there are paid tracking and analytics as well.
Tracking your progress is key to knowing how your efforts are paying off and what is beneficial to continue and what is a waste of time. You will shave hours off of your social media efforts when you track your progress and adjust your methods accordingly.
Get Ahead of Schedule
One of the most common complaints I hear is "I'm just so far behind" or "I don't know how to catch up!" The thing is, you can't ever really catch up on your social postings. It's like saying you're going to catch up on sleep. It never really happens. We can't go back in time and recapture what has passed. Instead, you need to get ahead of the schedule by planning posts, scheduling them at the times you want them to go and creating a social media calendar so you always know what is coming up next. You'll be ahead of the game instead of playing catch-up.
It's easy to get burned out managing the social side of you r business but with these tips, you can keep pace and avoid stress. Social media marketing does not have to cause you to lose your mind.
What techniques do you have to make managing your social media more pleasant?
About the Author:
Lisa Mason is a content marketing specialist and social media marketer with more than 10 years of experience. As VP of Special Media for Social Media Sun, she makes sure that readers have access to the most relevant and helpful information that she uses to provide social media solutions to her clients. You can see Lisa's work at her website and book your own special media solutions.
