Social media has helped develop a new way of life for us, and whether people like that or not, it’s true. Social media is a need if you want to grow and be successful in the blogging world. Why? Social media is the heartbeat of the current generation. Even non-bloggers are all about social media and staying up-to-date with it all.
You want to grow your social media reach, but not be on it all day? I totally get you and want to help you reevaluate where you are so that you can get where you want to be.
[bctt tweet=”How To Keep Social Media Social (Without Spending All Day On It)” username=”SummerTelban”]
Balance is what it’s all about when it comes to being social on social media. No, you can’t schedule out all of your social media and see genuine growth. And no, you shouldn’t be spending all of your time on every platform either. So, how do we find that balance?
In the end, it all comes down to really what works best for you. In order to find your balance, you need to take a few steps to evaluate where you’re at and where you want to be with social media.
Today, I want to help you take those steps. These are not just tips to help you do social media, but instead, these are tips to help you be social on social media (without spending all day on it).
[bctt tweet=”Want to grow your social media? Don’t just DO social, BE social! “username=”SummerTelban”]
1. Set A Time Limit For Yourself //
The first thing you need to do when you realize you’re spending too much time on social media is taking a huge step back. Step back and jot down the time you actually spend on social media. Disclaimer: This can be frightening – trust me, I know.
After you’ve done that, think about what is a decent, healthy amount of time per day or per week that you should actually be present on social media. Whatever your time limit may be, whether it’s 10 minutes or 1 hour, stick to it and guard yourself against compromising. A great idea to take this a step further would be to reach out and find someone who’d love to do the same, and then you both can be accountability partners. Accountability is a huge key when it comes to taking steps to success.
[bctt tweet=”Accountability is a huge key when it comes to taking steps to success.” username=”SummerTelban”]
2. Pick Specific Platforms To Focus On //
In a perfect world, we’d be able to give 100% focus to each social media platform. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world. Instead of overwhelming yourself with the belief that you have to be focused on every platform all of the time, try picking only two to focus on at a time. Now, that doesn’t mean you completely neglect your other social platforms, it just means that you spend more time researching and putting effort into the ones you choose.
When you pick 2 to work with at a time, it frees you up to gain more knowledge on each platform. If your brand is more visual, you might want to focus more on Instagram and Pinterest. If you’re someone who loves connecting any chance you get, you might love Twitter and Instagram together. There’s so much less pressure on you when you take time for each platform. When there are plans and purpose for what you’re doing, give it time and it’ll bear fruit.
How long should you spend focusing on certain ones at a time? I suggest doing at least a month and switching as needed. Again, you can personalize this to your needs. No two journeys are the same.
3. Choose A Scheduler //
Having an automated social media scheduler is such a need as a blogger and social media influencer. Having a scheduler makes promoting other people’s content easier, as well as promoting your own. There is a scheduler out there for everyone – some versions are free and some are paid. One of the best things I have ever done for myself in the blog world was getting a paid scheduler service. It’s perfect for me to schedule out my sponsor’s content and archived content. It’s also great when I know there’s a few days or a week where I won’t be able to be as active as usual on social media, so for those days, I schedule out more. Having a social media scheduler will better help you develop a consistent posting schedule.
4. Be Present //
One of the saddest things I have noticed from bloggers is that everything they put out is scheduled and that they’re not present at all. I notice this on Twitter more than any other social media platform, but it also happens quite a lot on Facebook, too. I’ll go to someone’s Twitter profile and it’s literally just linked to their blog posts or latest Instagram photos.
First off, that’s just plain boring. Second off, that platform will never grow if you’re not actually on it interacting with your audience.
There are no shortcuts to building relationships. I think that’s something we all need to remind ourselves about. You don’t have to tweet out everything that you’re doing, but if you have a thought that would be encouraging, share it. Or if you’re having a rough day, share it with tact and try to make light of it. My point is – in order to be a part of something, you have to be active. In order to grow your relationships on social media, you have to be present and engaged!
[bctt tweet=”Remember: There are no shortcuts to building relationships.” username=”SummerTelban”]
What are your best tips when it comes to keeping social media social without spending all day on it? What methods have worked well for you? What is an area that you want to grow in when it comes to this topic? Let’s chat!
