Year after year, there’s been a substantial growth in social media activity for consumers and businesses alike. Don’t let your company fall behind in the race to the top of the news feed. Check out these four simple strategies to boost productivity and ensure you’re making the best use of your time on social media in 2018.
1) Schedule your posts
One of the most important factors of social media management is consistency, and sometimes it seems like there just aren’t enough hours in the day to keep up with today’s fast-paced digital world. Scheduling your posts in advance ensures that no matter how busy you get, you can still provide your followers with a steady stream of fresh, new content. On top of that, you can take advantage of sharing content at optimal times without having to worry about pulling out your phone in the middle of a task, meeting or lunch break.
Pro Tip: Check out content management systems such as Buffer, HootSuite, and Sprout Social to help you simplify the process.
2) Stick to 2-3 platforms
Nowadays, there are so many social media networks to keep up with: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Pinterest, YouTube… the list goes on. Trying to stay relevant on each of these platforms is near impossible. Fortunately, best practices state that you should focus on using 2-3 social media networks that are most relevant to your target audience, rather than spreading yourself thin across multiple platforms. In doing so, you’ll be able to utilize your time on social media most efficiently in the places that your target audience spends the most amount of time.
Pro Tip: Ask yourself, “What platforms are my competitors using?” and “What platforms are my customers on the most?”
3) Turn on notifications
With an average of 3.3 million Facebook posts and 500,000 tweets per minute on social media, it can be hard to keep up with your own mentions, reviews and private messages. To avoid becoming overwhelmed when checking your notifications each week, allow them to be sent straight to your phone in real-time. This will allow your business to easily maintain a successful response rate, stay in the loop during a potential crisis, and connect with your audience.
Pro Tip: Download the Facebook Pages App for the easiest way to stay alert and respond to any new activity on your business page.
4) Never stop learning
Social media’s ever-changing environment can be difficult to navigate. As a social media manager, it’s important to stay on top of the latest news, trends and algorithms to ensure that you’re an expert in the industry. As new developments roll out, it’s your job to educate yourself on how you can utilize these improvements to constantly refine your skills and become the most efficient in your field.
Pro Tip: Follow industry leaders on Twitter and LinkedIn, subscribe to relevant newsletters and publications, and develop relationships with other social media professionals in your community.