By Janice Hostager
Social media can be the bane of an entrepreneur’s existence. On the one hand, you know you need it. On the other, it can really suck time away from other activities. That’s why entrepreneurs sometimes ignore it, or post inconsistently. But neither of those approaches will get you the engagement that is needed to grow a business socially.
So here are some tips on ways to use social media, without letting it eat up your workday.
1. First things first
One thing you need to know before you start is a few basics about who your target customer is. The more specific, the better, and if have a personna, even better yet. Then you’ll know exactly who you are posting to, and can talk to them using a voice they will connect with. It will also help you determine which social media sites you should be focusing on, since you’ll want to be where they are.
2. Focus on what you can do for them
Answer the question “If I’m a customer, why would I care?” when you’re determining your posts. This will make sure you’re posting something that is relevant and engaging to them. Most people understand that businesses need to sell, but being spammy on social media will get you un-followed pretty quickly.
3. Plan in advance
Take a few hours in a day and use a content calendar to determine what you want to post in general categories. For instance, Monday might be an offer for the week, Tuesday might be a quote or a photo, Wednesday is behind the scenes, Thursday-highlight a client, etc. This will prevent the mental block that plagues us when we open our Facebook page or Twitter feed to update our status.
4. Limit your number of social media platforms
We only have so many hours in the day. If you have a page on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and so on, you will either get burnt out on posting, or some of your pages will get neglected. It’s better to look at your target market and determine where your target will likely be and focus on those platforms. Iif you’re on your own, one or two is just fine.
5. Block out time each day
Routine is key. This takes discipline at first, but I have found that scheduling time each morning to get it done helps me focus on my day, knowing it’s all done.
6. Use scheduling sites
Using HootSuite or other scheduling sites, (such as Buffer or TweetDeck) can really simplify the posting process. All of them allow you to open one app to post to multiple sites, saving you the time (and distractions) of posting directly on the social media site itself. You can even schedule posts days or weeks in advance–perfect for vacations or busy weeks.
Also if you have an iPhone, Siri can post to social media for you. It’s a great way to post if you’re in a hurry or on the road.
7. Keep an eye on your feeds
Setting up your pages so you get an alert when people respond will help you stay on top of responding to posts. But if you don’t want to be interrupted by alerts, schedule a time at the end of your day to check for activity. Try to respond to comments and questions within a day to keep a conversation going. Remember, your goal is to get them to know, like and trust you so you can turn followers into customers. So being attentive is in your best interest.
8. Don’t get hung up on the numbers
Although it’s great to have lots of followers, it truly takes time to get there. On Facebook, the number you really should be looking at is your post engagement. If you are connecting with your audience and they are responding, your engagement will grow, and so will your number of followers.
9. Schedule a date with your analytics
There is little worse than the feeling that you have wasted time. That’s why scheduling time to look at your analytics on each of your social media sites and in Google Analytics, is important. It will tell you what’s working and what isn’t. Then you can revise and change it for next time. Setting up goals is a great way to track your progress too. Both will help you make sure your time and efforts are not being wasted.
The post Social Media for the Busy Entrepreneur appeared first on janicehostager.com | Blog.
