How to Use Social Media for Business (Without Getting Distracted)
This is a writing sample from Scripted writer Karis Bronowski
How to Use Social Media for Business (Without Getting Distracted)
Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and even Instagram continue to enjoy high levels of engagement on a daily basis. With their easy accessibility on mobile devices, these sites can be an effective way to reach on-the-go customers and potential leads for your business. On the other hand, social media can be a significant distraction on a personal level, as it's all too easy to lose track of time in the never-ending flow of updates from friends, pop culture memes, and cute animal videos. There are a few steps you can take to make sure your time spent on social media is used more efficiently and effectively.
Go in with a Plan
Before logging in to any social media site, you should have a detailed list of what you intend to accomplish during this time. Depending on the platform you are targeting, this plan could include posting a Facebook page update about an upcoming product release, responding to customer inquiries on Twitter, or pinning relevant content to a company board on Pinterest. In order to be effective, this plan should be as specific as possible to avoid misuse of the time. Making a defined strategy and sticking to it will help ensure that your business social media time is used wisely.
Set a Time Limit
It's much easier for more time than expected to pass by on social media when you don't set a time limit before even opening those accounts. Think about how much time the necessary tasks should take and set a time limit by which you should be finished with those tasks - and log out before the limit. If keeping track of the time is especially difficult, you can even set a timer on your computer to let you know the time is up, so you won't be tempted to spend more time than you intended on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites.
Use a Scheduling Service
Buffer, HootSuite, and other similar services allow you to connect multiple social media profiles. From these platforms, you can create content and schedule to be published to your business' Facebook, Twitter, and other accounts. In some cases, these scheduling services even provide feeds of relevant posts that provide you with a regular stream of new content to share. By using a site like Buffer or HootSuite, you can manage your brand social media accounts and posts without the distraction of being logged in to personal accounts.
By using these three basic principles - having a plan, setting a time limit, and using a scheduling service - it's much easier to ensure that your time on social media is productive for your business. Not only will you not be losing time when you need to be accomplishing work, but you will also feel far more satisfied in what you have accomplished with your time.
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