Vasudha VeerannaImagine if you could just wave a magic wand and have awesome content posted on your 5-odd social accounts; wave it again and get 1000-odd shares. But there’s little chance of that happening, unless of course Dumbledore is your social media manager!
Sure, managing multiple social media accounts could leave you wishing for more hours on the clock. But it’s not all that hard either. All you need to do is figure out the smartest, most effective way of doing it and here are a few tips to help:
Determine your social media mix
The social media landscape is constantly evolving, with new platforms springing up ever so quickly. Before you launch a full-fledged social media marketing campaign, you should consider all your options in terms of the platforms that are available and identify those that are of highest value to your business.
Building a presence on multiple social media platforms increases your reach and also allows diversity in the content you share with your audience. But how many accounts should you have? Having too many of them could dilute the focus and impact of your efforts. On the contrary, with too few of them you run the risk of not optimizing your reach.
Having said that you should know that there really isn’t any definite number to go by. Three parameters that can help you make this decision:
– Which platforms have the most active members and communities?
– Which are the preferred platforms among your target audience?
– Which are the chosen platforms of your competitors?
Stay tuned to trends
Maintaining visibility, without drowning under the sea of content shared on social networks is one of the biggest challenges of social media marketing. When you share content that is fresh and relevant to your audience you will see a spike in engagement levels across all your social channels.
Being aware of trending topics in your niche will also help you brainstorm on specific content ideas for your marketing efforts. It’s a great way to get the attention of your audience and boost traffic to your website.
Schedule your content
Scheduling posts in advance renders stability to your social media campaigns. It ensures that your pages stay active even at times when you need to be elsewhere. It also helps you optimize your social media presence by posting content at times when your target audience is most likely to be active.
However, bearing in mind how quickly trends change on social media you should avoid planning your content too far ahead. Always leave room for real-time updates that could help you cash-in on a new trend. The flexibility will also help you strike the balance between automation and engagement by driving conversations in real-time.
Batch process comments
Notifications are hard to resist, especially when they come in the form of a blinking light on your smart phone. According to one research study, a smart phone user receives 63.5 push notifications per day. That number would perhaps be much higher in the context of social media management.
Although you may think that to stay on top of your social media game, you need to look at every notification, and respond to every comment as soon as you receive it; realistically, that’s quite impossible. Trying to constantly keep track of all the activity on your social pages will prove to be disruptive and hamper your productivity, especially if social media management isn’t the only thing you do for your business.
To avoid spending too much time on monitoring your accounts, check your notifications and respond to comments in batches. Set specific time windows for the task based the level of activity on your social pages.
Go mobile
A mobile consumer survey conducted by Adobe found that 71% of people access social media on their mobile devices. Using mobile social media management apps ensures that you have uninterrupted access to your social accounts. It lets you stay connected with your audience and gives you several opportunities to engage with them even when you’re on-the-go.
These hacks should help you save a good amount of time on social media management. Even if it’s just one hour every day, in that time you could walk your dog, meditate, read other awesome posts on DrumUp, or do just about anything else you like. It’s your time, you decide.
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