5 Tips To Effectively Manage Your Time On Social Networking Sites & Social Media Tips For Your Business

If you are maximizing tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for your business, you may have reaped some rewards. Managing these sites effectively, spending adequate time on them, and not allowing them to waste your time, can be tricky. They must be properly used in order to be an asset, not a "time stealer." Below are 5 tips for small businesses to gain maximum benefit from these new marketing tools:

1. To avoid wasting quality time on these sites, a schedule is essential. Set aside a minimum and maximum amount of time you will spend on these sites daily. Give them appropriate time slots throughout your day and get in the routine of adhering to it. Will you spend 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes at night? Or will you spend 45 minutes in the evening? It is up to you and your goals. However, you need to realize when your market is most active and will see whatever updates you post. If you are posting entertainment news at 6 am, that may not be very beneficial unless you plan to periodically re-publish the information.
2. Once your schedule is set, divide up how you will spend that time -- what will you do with it? I suggest that you not only add value to your market, but also interact with and engage them. This can be as simple as RTing a quote of interest (set a goal of how many you will do per day), replying to @'s or questions, or asking direct questions they might find interesting and thought-provoking. Understand that leaving your page dormant can be damaging to your strategy and goals, and decrease your following. It will also be detrimental to time spent in the past building your reputation. Be careful not to ignore them or present yourself as an anti-social social networker. You do not want your market to begin ignoring what you have to say. You want them to become so interested in you as a person that they will click your link and actually see what you can offer them and share it with others as well. Social Media has been able to drive sales for my business using this tactic.
3. Follow those in your target market, "don't preach to the choir." If you sell jewelry and have found all the biggest jewelry companies in the world, ask yourself if that is your market and how they will benefit you. If you mostly sell to new brides and college grads, start finding them and following them. Don't turn on your twitterfeed and forget about them; rather take some time to read a few profiles and see what information they find valuable. When you start following them, say hello, let them know that though you are in business, you are a real person! Stop the generic replies or one-size-fits-all approach. This saves time by having relevant relationships instead of building a following that has no use or interest in your products or services.
4. Perform searches of keywords for tools like Twitter, or find similar pages that people have "liked" on Facebook. These are beneficial for targeting and time management in that you are filtering out those who you can build relationships with. They will also help you find questions that you can answer; people you can add value to; and give you new prospects. Always follow up with messages you receive. But once your time limit has passed, write down where you have left off and resume your duties at the proper time.
5. Never directly solicit people with a sale or even coupon for your products. This is very annoying. Why should they purchase from you and not the other 15 people who sent them the same information? Instead, read their profile and provide a link to answer a question they have. Bring the customer to you! Social Media is not the new door-to-door salesman that everyone avoids, so do not turn your profile and reputation into such.

When you have clearly defined goals and strategy for your social media presence, you can effectively manage your time spent on social networking sites. Maximize your time by sticking to your schedule and creating one that is most relevant to your market. Obviously, an hour a day will be more than some need and not enough for others. But whatever time spent can be used to reap maximum rewards. 

How do you effectively manage your time on these sites? What tips can you contribute to other business owners venturing into these new forms of web marketing?

ChrissyBiz Solutions provides clients with customized, results-driven web marketing strategies. Our primary business writing duties include: article marketing,  search engine optimized web copy, blog content, social media, press releases, and newsletters  designed to drive traffic to your website and influence buyers decisions when purchasing products and services.

Contact ChrissyBiz today to discuss the impact that web marketing copy can have on your business.