3 Simple Steps to Remove Social Media Overwhelm
Social media is a bit like cleaning your messy room as a child, when you just didn’t know where to start. It is daunting at first. So when it comes to social networking online and growing a business, how do you avoid being overwhelmed?
Social media is a gigantic digital realm and can be extremely time consuming and confusing to navigate. At 365 Day Media we manage multiple clients’ social media and marketing, but it has been even a struggle for our own company to prioritize our social media! So we understand how difficult it can be for small businesses to keep on top of their social media.
We have broken down our social media planning into three simple steps and thus helping us stay on top of our social media.
STEP ONE
Start by addressing your social media goals. Do you want to be seen as the expert in your field? Do you want to become a thought-leader in your industry? Do you want to show your product off visually?
Then think about who you are trying to target and what social media platforms is that group using most?
If you are targeting a younger audience, you may want to focus a lot of your time on Instagram. If you are seeking to engage with your organization’s sponsors, Twitter may be the perfect platform.
In general, it is best to create a consistent presence on multiple platforms, but prioritize your presence on each, and tailor your content accordingly.
ACTION: Write down what you hope to gain with your social media and who your key target market is.
STEP TWO
Once you have your goals established, then you must produce excellent content. Not just any content, but interesting and visually pleasing content that encourages readers to engage with you and your product.
Whether for our own social media or for a client, we spend a number of hours developing a content schedule calendar each month. This can be done using excel or a calendar. At 365 Day Media we use Asana, which is a simple project management tool that fits our needs perfectly.
Sitting down at the start of each week and scheduling out content for each platform will give you a perfect template to work with throughout the week, and allow you to populate it with content as you go. Using this schedule can also help you stay relevant by allowing you to plan content in advance for special events, national holidays, and important company announcements.
ACTION: Fill out a content calendar for one month, putting in themes, special events, key dates, etc.
STEP THREE
Posting excellent content isn’t all you need to do. The key to your success is the engagement you receive. This means spending time reading and looking at others posts in your network. It can be as simple as liking an Instagram post, sharing someone’s post on Facebook, or retweeting a customer’s kind tweet.
When it comes to increasing your network online, following and engaging with other accounts is hugely beneficial. However, when choosing who to follow, always choose quality over quantity.
ACTION: In your calendar, schedule in 15 minutes/day to monitor your platforms and engage with others.
If all this is just a little too overwhelming or not where your skill set lies, it may be best to outsource your social media. At 365 Day Media Group we offer affordable social media services that range from running your social media completely, to simply helping to develop a plan of action for you to carry out.
When used correctly, social media is an amazing tool allowing you to share your successes offline, online.