Many people will tell you that Social Media – Facebook and Twitter especially, can become time wasting endeavours. That it takes too long to check all of the sites and contribute to each – to make connections with other people. You may even know some people who have gotten involved, spent a lot of time before deciding it took too much time and wasn’t worth it. Don’t let this happen to you. True, adding friends or writing comments on each site can be time consuming unless you set up a system and give yourself time limits.
If you’re still concerned about wasting too much time, then start with just one social media platform. Set up your Facebook profile and learn how to maneuver around that site first, finding and connecting with friends and colleagues. Once you have a system down, then move on and learn more about Twitter, Inked In or a niche community.
There is no right or wrong way to work social media into your schedule. However, be careful because if you spend too much time on these sites, you’ll get nothing else done in your day…yes they can take up more time than you think, you look up and realize just how long you have been reading Twitter and blog posts.
I’ve found one of the best ways to make sure you’re getting seen and making connections without losing hours is to set a timer. I personally use 10 minute increments. Twitter and Facebook each get 10 minutes of my time in a few intervals per day. I take more than I recommend for clients – because of the nature of my work. However, for most people two 10 minute intervals should do just fine. And when the 10 minutes is up – that’s it! No more tweeting, unless I happen to have a few extra minutes on my hands, for example – riding in the car, waiting to pick up the kids at school or in a doctor’s office etc, etc.
Many wonder how I can do this in 10 minute intervals – simple, I use a social media management tool. There are many out there – Tweetdeck, Hootsuite, Seesmic and more. Recently I started testing out Hootsuite and it is kind of growing on me.
Stay tuned !!!
Stop Struggling and Start Thriving! My passion is helping to guide people just like you, private practice and service-based business owners, who are often frustrated with all their wasted time spent on marketing that gets you nowhere. You can learn strategies to attract a steady flow of clients and build a thriving and profitable practice. Get started with some of the free resources on my Pepper It Marketing website, especially this Guide to Streamline your Marketing. I also offer several self-study training programs to help you attract more clients so you can Build a rewarding and profitable private practice and still have time to LIVE your LIFE!