As I have mentioned before, many small business owners are scared off social media because they are afraid it will be too time consuming. They are probably right. Of course, they are also wrong.
Contrary to popular fears, it is possible to be involved in social media without leaving your kids to raise themselves or having your spouse become a social media widow. All it takes is a bit of planning.
To start, you need to be really clear about what you are hoping to accomplish online and how social media is integrated into your marketing plan. Not IF it is integrated, but how. If social media is an after-thought, you will find yourself floundering and unfocused.
There are countless social media sites you can get involved with, but part of your marketing plan needs to be about how you will target the sites that will help accomplish your goals.
Once you have identified the sites you will focus on, you need to set your business up on those sites and start establishing a presence. This is the part of the process that will require the most time commitment. Once you have established a presence by listening, posting and responding, the amount of time you spend should decrease.
Once you are established, determine how much time you are willing to spend every day on social media. Then stick to it. That might mean that every morning you deal with your email and then spend 20 minutes reviewing your social media sites. Respond, engage and contribute. Sign off after 20 minutes.
If you find something during the day that you think would be a good contribution to one of your social media sites, make a note of it. It will still be there to share the next morning during your social media time.
The amount of time you spend each day doing social media will depend on how much of an emphasis your marketing plan has on social media. If it is the main method of getting your company’s message out there, then of course you will dedicate more time to it.
If you take control of the amount of time you dedicate to social media, you will be able to reap its benefits and still have time to kiss the kids goodnight.
Resources:
21 Must-Follow Tips For Optimizing Time Spent In Social Media
Social Media Marketing Tops Digital Marketing Tactics for 2009
