Social media is vital for businesses today. Your audience expects you to be active and engaged. However, using these networks effectively can be pretty challenging. It doesn’t have to be that way, though. In this post, we will address some of the top tips to help take the stress out of social media management.
Top 3 Tips for Social Media Management
1. Quality Over Quantity
There’s a misconception out there that “more is better” when it comes to social media posts. Yes, your audience wants to hear from you. They want to be engaged. However, you need to strike the right balance. Posting too frequently can cause several problems, including:
- Eating up your valuable time
- Overloading your audience
- Running out of genuine things to say or share
So, how do you get around those issues? It’s simple. Go for quality over quantity. Share fewer posts, but make sure that those you do share are as genuine and engaging as possible. Focus on delivering:
- High-quality content that interests your audience
- Content that builds your credibility as a brand
- Posts that establish your authority, incite curiosity, inform, educate, or amuse
2. Use Scheduling Tools
One of the most challenging aspects of social media management for any business is the time required to do it. Creating content and then posting it on all your social networks eats into time that would be better spent doing something else – like running your business and serving your customers.
So, how do you stay active and involved in social media while still balancing your other responsibilities and building a thriving business? The solution here is to use scheduling tools. These allow you to create posts ahead of time, such as when you have free time, schedule those posts, and then not worry about them again until they go live and you need to interact with comments or answer questions.
What tools should you use, though? There are literally hundreds of different options out there, and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. If you’re using Facebook, you already have access to their built-in scheduling tools. It’s simple, effective, and right there in your business page toolbar.
Hootsuite is one of the best-known, but there are plenty of others out there, such as Buffer and Sprout Social. Whether you want a free option or paid-for tools, you’ll find it. Just be prepared to put in a little time and effort to make sure that you’re using a tool that delivers the capabilities and benefits that you want, and that you’re not overpaying for something you might get free.
Hot Tip: Create a content plan one month in advance. Then just add anything new and compelling – like that raving customer review – when it becomes available!
3. Data Analysis
Finally, you need to review and understand the data surrounding your posts. You should review the timing of your posts, as well as the type of content/posts that you share. There are two primary components to consider here:
- Time of Day – Is there a specific time of day where your audience is more engaged? You might find that rather than posting during the day, you get more traction between 6 PM and 9 PM since people have more free time after work.
- Content-Type – Are you seeing more traction from one type of content over another? For instance, do video posts reach farther and engage more? Use that knowledge to your advantage by creating more videos. Consider client video testimonials, or creating a video series within your vertical. You might even be able to use affiliate content to reach your audience, which takes the hassle out of content creation on your side.
In line with tip #2, one of the major benefits of a scheduling tool is the ‘pooled’ analytics it provides. The power of these tools lets you drill down into your audience, post-performance, and other critical metrics that affect success. You may identify a topic that continually spikes more interest than you would anticipate – use this to your advantage. And not only on social media but through your business as a whole.
In Conclusion
At the end of the day, social media is an essential tool that allows you to communicate with and engage your audience. However, many business owners find that managing their social media presence is time-consuming and difficult. The good news is that focusing on quality over quantity, the smart use of analytics and scheduling tools, and learning more about when to post and what types of content work best can help drive positive results.