If you run a small business or are the social media manager for your company, you know how quickly your time can get eaten up by tasks. Time is precious, and when there are high-value tasks to be completed and sales to be made, social media can slip away in importance. To be successful, your social media presence needs care and attention, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of everything else you have to do. Since everybody can use a little help in this busy day and age, we’ve put together a few handy tips to help you streamline your social media workflows:
Social media tip #1: create a content calendar
Much like any business endeavor, planning it in advance will help it go much more smoothly. This way, you’ll know well in advance what topics you will be promoting and will be able to get down to it without wasting any time. Hubspot offers a great content calendar template that makes creating it a breeze.
Social media tip #2: factor engagement into your plan
It’s simply not enough to have your social accounts active – you need to engage your followers in real-time to reinforce the message you’re putting out. After all, what good are all your efforts if they are only one-sided? Keep an eye on your accounts using a tool like HootSuite or Buffer. These platforms allow you to view all of your account activity in one place and respond quickly without any major interruptions to whatever else you’re doing.
Social media tip #3: think about outsourcing
If you are simply too busy to put any time into your social media profiles, consider outsourcing this work to a social media professional or freelancer. There are definite pros and cons to consider, but if you are weighing outsourcing vs. doing nothing, then the choice should be clear. While you may lose the authenticity of a response that comes directly from you, you may gain in other ways, like professional expertise and in adding value to your marketing team.
Social media tip #4: use your social profiles to drive traffic back to your website
Leveraging your social following to drive website traffic is a no-brainer. However, you need to have a solid content strategy in place and you need to make sure your website is completely up to date before you begin. Assuming your site is good to go, start regularly posting your blogs on social media, encouraging your followers to click on the article (which will bring them to your site). Try to avoid sales-y posts as these tend to make people tune out. Position yourself as an authority in your field and post interesting topics that are designed to start a discussion. Reposting and shares will only increase your potential traffic.
Social media tip #5: if you’re not on LinkedIn, you’re missing out
LinkedIn is the single most important social media platform for business. It connects you with your competitors, your peers, influencers, potential hires, and an avenue for you to market your own ideas in a B2B environment. Being on LinkedIn lends credibility and demonstrates experience and expertise via endorsements, reviews, and more. If you think it’s just another social media site, think again. Then, do yourself a favor and set up your profile.
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