True time management, especially in the area of Social Media, begins with task management. It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing the right thing.
Let’s unravel the mystery behind Social Media in business by outlining some strategies for optimum use.
The Purpose
Bottom line? Social Media, such as LinkedIn, Twitter and FaceBook are platforms where business professionals can connect to exchange information, ask questions, add value to their industry and ultimately gain clients along the way.–But unless you’ve been hiding in a cave, you are already aware of that.
The problem doesn’t lie in our understanding but our implementation of Social Media strategies. A tool that isn’t used properly isn’t really a tool, is it?
Many large industries are so afraid of the new face of marketing that they are missing the boat altogether. A recent Business Week Magazine interview with Jeff Jarvis, blogger, journalist and author of What Would Google Do? advised businesses to take off the sterile institutional persona and embrace Social Media as a way to humanize your business. Direct your employees on how to properly represent your business and let them go.
Now is the Time to Dive In–Strategically
It’s too late to ignore Social Media. It’s time to dive in, just do so with the proper strategy. If mistakes are made when Twittering or engaging in other forms of Social Media–address them and go on. Don’t be afraid to fail. Social Media is all about transparency and building trusting relationships with your contacts.
Stop thinking of Social Media as a time ‘waster.’ Elevate your thinking. The right use of Social Media is a smart business ‘investment.’
Determine Why You Use Social Media
Depending on the industry you are in, determine how Social Media can most effectively benefit your business. Doing so will keep you on track and help you to correctly harness the power of that is available to you. Social Media can be used for networking, building relations that can lead to sales, research, or any combination of these.
- If research is your focus, use Social Media to poll particular focus groups and types of clients. Don’t pretend to be an expert. Ask questions and find out what they really want. This information can be used to prevent you from making costly business mistakes
- When networking, understand what is important to your contacts and remember, you don’t have to befriend everyone. Leverage your contacts and tune in to business relevant conversations.
- For a sales and marketing advantage, concentrate on using Social Media to build brand awareness. Create blogs and videos offering valuable information and to introduce your product. Use Twitter to instantly drive traffic to your site.
Develop a Social Media Schedule
Once your purpose is clear, block out a realistic schedule for Social Media. Use this time to blog, Twitter, look for new potential clients, or create videos. When your time is up for the day, shut it down. This will help you to concentrate on other issues without being distracted. Resist the urge to get sucked into a ‘must see’ YouTube video or useless Tweeting. Without self discipline, it is quite possible to allow this tool to become a time sucking trap.
Tools to Maximize Your Productivity
Many social media tools allow you to update your status and blog posts across multiple sites at once. Both Ping.fm and FriendFeed can be used to streamline your activities, with settings to automatically add your newest blog posts and status updates.
Twitter tools such as SocialOomph can schedule automated tweets, track keywords on Twitter, and send reports straight to your email.
Taking the time to discover and utilize these time savers can give you the advantage when using Social Media. With a schedule in place, a clear plan of action and timesaving tools you’ll be Social Media super-charged!
For additional help developing your ideal Social Media business strategy, contact me at Train with Shane today.
