Streamline and simplify your social media for optimal ROI

You know how important social media is for the growth and survival of your business, but as you likely have experienced, it requires a lot of time and effort to do it properly. If you are like many business owners and executives, you visit your social media accounts sporadically, see what’s trending, and squeeze in a few status updates, shares, and likes.

This woefully inadequate and haphazard strategy is only marginally better than having no strategy at all. By posting inconsistently, skipping days entirely, and trying to manage your presence on every networks, you are missing opportunities to increase your visibility and engage your followers properly.

While I realize that you are unable to spend all your time on Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, and the others, you can accomplish all of the essentials each day by following the 4 “S” model. Implement these principles, and you will achieve consistency in your messaging, grow your communities, and cut your time spent on social media by at least 50%. Here’s what you need to do:

Strategize:

Before jumping in, develop your plan of action. It is unlikely that you have enough time to spend on every single social network, so take the time to understand where your target audience is and which networks will yield the most ROI. Each network has huge differences in demographics and carries unique benefits and challenges. If you need help in deciding which networks are best for you and your business, read this article for great statistics and more information.

By limiting your participation to just two or three networks, you will shave considerable time off of your social media activity daily, and you will not notice any considerable drop off in results. While a financial planner will likely enjoy a large ROI by being active on LinkedIn, she will probably notice a much lesser return on Pinterest or Instagram.

Systemize:

Haphazard is out, consistency is in. You need 20 to 30 minutes each day to properly manage your social media. Is the best time of day for you first thing in the morning, or perhaps during a lunch break? Or maybe you are more comfortable logging on in the evening away from the chaos and stress of the work day. Whatever time you choose, stick with it and stay focused. Visiting your accounts only once or twice a week will hurt your momentum, stifle your growth, and hinder engagement with followers.

Create a checklist of activities to follow: Posting content, sharing and commenting others’ posts, following influential people, and engaging with your tribe can all be accomplished properly and efficiently on multiple networks if you follow a system and spend only 20 to 30 minutes each day on social media.

Schedule:

Of course, you do not have the time to log into your social media accounts multiple times per day to post status updates. But, you can appear as if you do. By scheduling your posts, you can gain much greater coverage and visibility across multiple networks throughout the day.

If you would like a brief description on some of the best social media apps available, read this article. Or, just cut to the chase and sign up for a free account on Hootsuite. This intuitive, versatile, and powerful tool will make scheduling your tweets and posts a snap. You can even schedule the exact same posts to appear on multiple networks simultaneously.

Hootsuite also allows you to follow certain lists or hashtags, making sharing others’ posts a snap. And their easy-to-read columns gives you a clear view of your mentions and retweets, so proper engagement can be accomplished in no time at all.

Source-Out:

Okay, I meant outsource, but that didn’t fit into my convenient 4 “S” model. Did you know that you can outsource your social media without losing control of your messaging or engagement? A good social media agency partner does not put words in your mouth; rather, they create posts that mimic your thoughts, writings, and philosophies. The content they post for you reflects your brand, style, and voice. In fact, with the right agency, you will have a hard time distinguishing between content that you posted and content the agency posted. And by taking the time to understand your message and brand, your social media agency partner will know which people to engage with, who to follow, and which posts to like, share, and comment on.

Learn more about partnering with a social media agency to create an intelligent and high-impact campaign. Or fill out this form and schedule a free consultation with a social media strategist.

So, no more fretting about spending so much time on social media and seeing dismal results. Strategize, systemize, schedule, and source-out – and start enjoying the amazing benefits that social media brings.