Tips for Social Media Time Management

Join me in raising your hand if you’ve gone onto Facebook to check on a page or logged into Pinterest and 3 hours later come up for air and have gotten nothing done!

Sadly, we’ve all been there.

Here are my tips to more effectively manage the time you have for social media…

AUTOMATE!

Yes, I know you’re being told to NOT do this, it is perfectly okay to automate some of your social media actions. You cannot automate real-time interactions and engagement, so keep that in mind. Hootsuite, Sprout Social and Buffer are three popular scheduling platforms.  All of these allow you to schedule posts for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus.

What do I suggest?  Take about 1 hour, once a week, to schedule your content for the next week.  You can then spend the rest of your time responding and interacting!

PLAN AHEAD!

If you have a goal to blog 1-2 times per week, dedicate time each week to spend writing and scheduling those posts.  This will save you from the “oh crud” moment you have when you realize you are suppose to have a post up in 12 hours!  WordPress sites have scheduling functions within them to schedule a post for the future.

The plan ahead suggestion applies to more than just blogging – plan ahead as much as you can for everything.  This will keep your organized and in a routine.

DON’T DO IT ALL.

Yes, I did just say you do not have to do everything.  Many businesses think they need to have a presence on every.single.platform when in reality, they don’t.  If you know your target market posts on Facebook more than any other, then concentrate on that one.  There is no sense in wasting your time updating 5 or 6 social media platforms when your customers are only on Facebook or Twitter.

Concentrating on those platforms that your target market is on and forgetting about the rest will free up a lot of time.  Trust me, it easy to lose time on these platforms – just stick with what works!

Also, outsource the things you aren’t great at. This could be bookkeeping, graphic design, even blogging. You’ll save time and energy and stress.

TIME YOURSELF.  

Decide how much time you want to spend on each platform and then set a kitchen timer or an alarm on your smartphone to buzz when your time is up.  For example, if you want to set aside 30 minutes per day on Facebook, set the timer to start when you do and then it will let you know when your 30 minutes is up.  At that time, move on to something else.  I know of several who do this and swear by it.  Placing a time limit can force you to concentrate on what you need to do and get it done.

By implementing these tips, you will find your time better managed and your product increased.

What tips would you give to better manage your time?  Comment below, I’d love to hear them!