Social
networking certainly has its advantages for website owners,
but trying to
figure out how to master all of these various sites can be overwhelming.
If you’re a new website owner, you’ve likely read articles talking about how important it is
If you’re a new website owner, you’ve likely read articles talking about how important it is
to be active
with social media. And it’s true – social networking is booming,
and it’s a great
way to both improve your website’s search engine optimization
and to connect
directly with your target audience.
But unfortunately, the advice to be active with social media is often accompanied by panic
But unfortunately, the advice to be active with social media is often accompanied by panic
on the part of
website owners, who are already stressed by the day-to-day activities involved
in running a
successful website. Is it really that important that they take time out
of their busy days in order to invest in the social networking site of the
moment?
The answer is yes, it is important to get involved in this latest web trend.
The answer is yes, it is important to get involved in this latest web trend.
However, using
social media sites effectively doesn’t have to be a burden.
Instead, let’s
look at how to balance investment across multiple social networking sites
and share a
strategy for implementing effective social media usage in just 20 minutes a
day.
First of all, keep in mind that it isn’t necessary to maintain an active presence on every single social networking site known to man. In fact, it’s pretty likely that your target audiences only uses one
First of all, keep in mind that it isn’t necessary to maintain an active presence on every single social networking site known to man. In fact, it’s pretty likely that your target audiences only uses one
or two social
networking sites for the bulk of their online interactions, meaning that as
long as
you’re active on
these specific sites, it’s probably enough to simply upload and maintain a
profile
on the other
networks.
To find out what these sites are, enter your niche’s top keywords into the search features
To find out what these sites are, enter your niche’s top keywords into the search features
of each
site. For example, say you run a website about dog training. Type
the words “dog training” into the search bars on every social networking site
you’re considering getting involved with.
Do you see an active community when you look at the results of your search?
Do you see an active community when you look at the results of your search?
On Facebook, do you see active groups dedicated to
discussing your chosen topics?
Or, on Twitter,
are there hashtags or chat groups devoted to your niche?
You might even
find that your followers aren’t active on social networking sites at all, in
which case
it might make
more sense to invest time in forums or on chat boards related to your website.
But let’s say that the results of your searches do turn up active communities on the major social networking sites. What now? Are you really expected to spend hours a day following conversations and responding to threads?
In a word, no. You’ve got better things to do, so let’s break your social networking investment
But let’s say that the results of your searches do turn up active communities on the major social networking sites. What now? Are you really expected to spend hours a day following conversations and responding to threads?
In a word, no. You’ve got better things to do, so let’s break your social networking investment
down to a simple
20 minutes a day. If you find that this small investment pays off,
you can always
become more active with these sites.
But for now,
keep your investment small in order to determine whether or not
social media
investment really works for your business.
In order to maximize your social networking investment, consider the following 20 minute daily schedule:
In order to maximize your social networking investment, consider the following 20 minute daily schedule:
:00-:03 Minutes
Log in to each
of your social networking accounts and read through any messages or
notifications you’ve received. If the action required to respond to these
messages will only take a second
(for example,
“liking” someone’s comment on your Facebook fan page
or re-tweeting a
link someone shared with you on Twitter), go ahead and do it right away.
If the message requires any kind of follow-up, save it for later, once you’ve had a chance to see
If the message requires any kind of follow-up, save it for later, once you’ve had a chance to see
what else is
being said about your website or your niche on these sites.
:03-:10 Minutes
Take this time
to search the social networking sites on which you maintain an active presence
for any mentions
of you, your brand or any specific keywords that are relevant to your
business.
By searching for
these mentions, you’ll be able to connect with new people in your niche,
while
demonstrating your authority as an expert in your field.
There are a few tools you can use to simplify this process:
Google Alerts – Google Alerts are a free tool put out by Google that email you every time a specified phrase is used on blogs, in news articles, in videos or in discussions.
There are a few tools you can use to simplify this process:
Google Alerts – Google Alerts are a free tool put out by Google that email you every time a specified phrase is used on blogs, in news articles, in videos or in discussions.
By setting up a
Google Alert for your business name or any keywords you’re targeting to be
triggered whenever the words are mentioned on blogs or in discussion, you can
quickly identify opportunities to connect with members of your niche.
Tweetdeck – Tweetdeck is one of a number of different desktop Twitter programs that enables you to better sort information from your Twitter stream. The best way to use this program to identify mentions of your business or your target keywords is to create a new “Search” column that will pull out any tweets that meet your set criteria.
Having these tools in place can help you filter through all of the noise on social networking sites
Tweetdeck – Tweetdeck is one of a number of different desktop Twitter programs that enables you to better sort information from your Twitter stream. The best way to use this program to identify mentions of your business or your target keywords is to create a new “Search” column that will pull out any tweets that meet your set criteria.
Having these tools in place can help you filter through all of the noise on social networking sites
so that you can
interact with your followers faster and much more effectively.
:10-:15 Minutes
Use the next
five minutes to respond to any messages that require longer follow-up and to
seek out new people to engage with through these sites. For example, if a
new contact posts a question
to your Facebook
Wall that will require more extensive follow-up, do the necessary research
to compose a
response and then do a little follow-up on the person.
Would it be appropriate to friend this person or to connect with him on other networks?
Would it be appropriate to friend this person or to connect with him on other networks?
For example, if
you see though the visitor’s public profiles that he’s very active on Digg
or StumbleUpon,
taking the time to introduce yourself and make a connection
could result in
significant traffic for your business through these channels.
:15-:20 Minutes
Finally, take
this time to get updates and posts ready to launch on your social networking
profiles.
In an ideal
world, we’d have all day to sit around and wait for notifications that people
are discussing our brand or our target keywords. But since we’ve got
other things to do, we need to instead find a way to remain active in the
social networking conversation, even when we aren’t physically present.
If you’re crunched for time (and, quite frankly, what business owner isn’t?!), make use of tools like BufferApp or SocialOomph to schedule Facebook status updates and Twitter tweets
If you’re crunched for time (and, quite frankly, what business owner isn’t?!), make use of tools like BufferApp or SocialOomph to schedule Facebook status updates and Twitter tweets
ahead of
time. Although they can’t totally take the place of real-time
interaction, scheduling posts ahead of time allows you to share helpful
information or links in order to remain visible,
without needing
an ongoing time investment on social media sites.
So there you have it – a simple, easy-to-follow plan for engaging with the web’s top social networking sites in under 20 minutes each day. If you find that your efforts are paying off,
So there you have it – a simple, easy-to-follow plan for engaging with the web’s top social networking sites in under 20 minutes each day. If you find that your efforts are paying off,
that’s great –
go ahead and expand your involvement if you see fit. Just be
careful.
Social
networking can be addictive, so it’s important to set boundaries in order to
remain productive in the all-encompassing world of social media.
http://informationuniverseblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/improve-your-social-networking-strategy-in-20-minutes.html
Perhaps you’d like to
check out my sister blogs:
www.innermindworking.blogspot.com gives
many ways for you to work with the stresses of life
www.turbochargedreading.blogspot.com describes the steps to
reading in the way your mind prefers
www.happyartaccidents.blogspot.com just for fun
To quote the Dr Seuss
himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn;
the more places you'll go.”
