One of the biggest problems small business owners report they have when it comes to social media marketing is the time commitment. Finding content to post on your social media sites can be quite a time suck, especially if you’re maintaining a presence on multiple sites. It’s very, very easy to become distracted and spend hours you never meant to spend reading articles and watching funny videos that have nothing to do with your business. What’s the best way to keep on track?

• Schedule Social Media Time for Your Business – and For Yourself!:

  Designate a certain block of time in your calendar that you’ll devote to searching for content for your business’ social media site. And then designate another block of time where you’re using social media for your own personal enjoyment. It’s much more productive to separate personal social media use from professional social media use.

• Create a Social Media Deck for Each Week in Advance:

  Rather than trying to find and post content the day you’ll need it, get into the habit of creating social media decks. A social media deck is simply a list of the posts you’re going to share throughout the week. If you post to Facebook every business day, for example, you know you’ll need five posts. Having your posts created ahead of time is a real time saver throughout the week.

• Have a Content Plan:

  Create a content plan for your social media posts. In this plan, you want to include any events you want to promote, themes or holiday celebrations, and more. Use this plan as a guide as you search for relevant content. It will help you be more efficient and avoid getting distracted by funny YouTube videos or Buzzfeed posts that have nothing to do with what you need to be talking about.

• Play Favorites:

  When you discover a blog, website, or news site that’s a great source of content your customers appreciate, visit it regularly. Create a list of dependable sites you can count on. Checking these sites regularly will make it easier to quickly identify content that will work on your social media.

  Bonus tip: use a social media post or two every so often to ask your customers about their favorite websites. It’s a simple way to discover great content sources.

• Harness the Power of Hootsuite:

  Hootsuite is a very powerful social media management tool. Create lists with your favorite high value users within Hootsuite that you can peruse quickly in the search for high value content to retweet. Don’t forget you can use the content you find on Hootsuite to populate other social media platforms as well: just be sure to wait a few days to get maximum value from your content.

• Completely Overwhelmed?:

  Don’t forget, the easiest way to handle the Social Media time suck is to delegate your social media management to someone else. Your best bet is to choose someone who knows how social media works and understands your marketing objectives. If you need help with this, give us a call. We’re here to help!