If you’re a business owner, you need to use social media.
In a day and age where nearly 3.5 billion people use social media actively, and spend an average of 144 minutes per day on social networking, you’ve got a unique opportunity to get in front of your target audience quickly and consistently.
There’s just one problem: You don’t seem to have the time to seize that opportunity. With a business to run, and customers to support, you barely have time to take a break, let alone post unique and captivating content online.
What if you could cover all of your social media channels in just 20 minutes per day?
Well, here’s some good news. It’s entirely possible, and you don’t need to stress about it.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to acing your company’s social media quickly and efficiently!
Start with a Social Media Management Platform
So many channels exist – from Instagram & Facebook to LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and so on.
The first step in the social media management process is to figure out which platform works best for you.
Now, you don’t need to use every social media channel, especially if you’re a small business owner. We suggest that you pick two or three that make sense for your company, and that you generally understand. If you don’t really get SnapChat, then steer clear of it!
Once you’ve selected your channels, find a management platform that supports them. For example, Hootsuite, which offers limited free features for multiple platforms, connects to over 35 popular social media networks and it shrinks URLs (we’ll cover this later). A similar platform, Buffer, includes many overlapping features, such as scheduling posts, and also provides you with the best times to post.
Of course, if you’re willing to invest in a truly dynamic platform, SEMrush allows you to track your competition’s website traffic sources and social media results. That starts at around $100 per month, but it’s pretty great.
With any of those options, you’ll be able to manage all of your social media from one place at one time, which comes with two major advantages: You won’t forget to post on a channel, and you won’t need to remember several different passwords.
Gather Your Content
Depending on the type of business you run, gathering content can be really easy.
If you manufacture products, then you’re all set! Take some high-quality photos, or record the process to video, and you’ll be good to post. Maybe you worked on a project that really delighted a customer … encourage that customer to send a picture of him/her with the finished product!
Now, if you’re in the service industry, you’ll need to be a bit more creative. Come up with some tips and advice that help your audience to understand what you do and why you do it. Then, use a free tool, such as Canva, to create beautiful designs or videos in a matter of minutes.
If you’re savvy with Adobe products, then use InDesign, Photoshop, or Illustrator to really make your content pop.
Whatever you do though, make sure to consider your audience. The top mistake business owners make on social media is that they only focus on selling. Instead, focus on connecting, educating, and entertaining. Sure, you want to sell more, but you need to become a trusted company first!
Finally, get your customers involved! Offer a discount or cool gift in return for social media reviews and posts. Your customers are going to always be your best marketers – let them spread your message for you!
If you’re still not sure what to post, try a platform like Buzzsumo, which allows you to access popular content about any trending subject in your industry in seconds. It also allows you to see who influences that content, so you can follow along and get some more ideas.
Once you’ve gathered enough content, spread it out throughout the week. Pick a time or two, and schedule posts. Most social media channels allow you to check insights, which provide details on when audience activity is at its highest.
The more content you produce, the better. And, you’ll never need to worry about what to post once you get started.
Use Your Phone
The average person checks his/her phone 52 times per day.
That’s crazy, right? However, you can use that to your advantage!
It happens all of the time … you’re at work, you see something interesting, and you think, “hey, I should post that.” Next time that occurs, go with it. Grab your phone, take some pictures or record a video and post!
All too many people still rely on taking content back to a computer to post. Most of the time, that doesn’t go as planned. Something distracting always comes up, and you get side-tracked.
It takes only a few seconds to post from your phone, and most of, if not all of the social media management platforms have mobile apps. When you’re done, just go right back to work.
And, if you’ve already hit what you’ve deemed your quota for posts in the day, just schedule the post, and you’ll be covered for tomorrow!
Hire a Freelancer
With the above-listed tips, you’ll be able to breeze through social media as a business owner.
However, as your business grows, you might find it easier to have someone else do the posting. But, that doesn’t mean you need to hire new employees.
Use the tips above to start making a difference with your social media management today.
This is a guest post from Ryan Shaffer. Ryan is the Director of Marketing for various companies across the country. To learn more about Ryan, check out his LinkedIn profile!