Do you ever feel like social media is taking too much time from your day? While it’s a useful way to communicate with your customers and develop your brand’s online image, it can easily become a burden. Try these five tips to use your time on social media more effectively.
1. Plan your time
When you plan your schedule for the day, try to set aside some time just for social media. Think clearly about your responsibilities and what you are trying to achieve so that you can set aside enough time. Planning specific points during your day or throughout the week will help you to let go of social media when other work is pressing. You can then concentrate on using social media productively during these planned times.
Image credit:?Dawn Huczek
2. Stick to it
Once you get started with social media, it can be easy to let it seep into other time blocks. This is why setting reasonable expectations for your time is essential. You may even need to set an alarm for your phone or computer to remind you when this time is up. If you find it easy to get caught up in your Twitter stream or Facebook News Feed, try to get into the habit of switching off when you hear that alarm.
3. Keep your goals in mind
Setting your goals early and understanding the reasons your brand will benefit from social media will help you to use the platforms more effectively. Keep your goals in mind when using social media channels to avoid getting distracted. This will help you to recognize when you are going off-track and ensure that you get back on-task and use your time wisely.
4.?Turn off notifications
If you have set aside specific time periods to engage with your customers through social media, turn off notifications for the rest of the day. These alerts will only distract you from other work and let social media encroach on your day. If you do need to be alerted, take advantage of the settings available on various networks to ensure that you are only notified for important activity like direct messages or brand mentions.
5. Share the responsibility
Depending on how much social media activity you are trying to achieve and how big your team is, sharing the responsibilities may be the best way to keep it under control. You might handle just one social media channel each, which will ensure you provide a consistent voice across this particular network. Otherwise you might take responsibility of all social media for shorter time periods. Whichever way you share the load, ensure you keep communication open to provide a consistent approach.
Have you had trouble keeping social media from taking over your day? What methods do you use to keep it at bay? Leave a comment and let us know.
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