3 Ways to Maximize Your Time Spent Using Social Media

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Today’s guest author is Melissa Burkheimer. Melissa helps entrepreneurs simplify the creative processes for their business by sharing her expertise in design and creative direction.

It’s no secret that entrepreneurs should be using social media to grow and market their business. No matter what your level of experience with social media is, it can be really easy to get “sucked in” and distracted. Before you know it, 20 minutes have gone by, and you’ve forgotten the reason you signed on to the network to begin with.

In this post, I’ll share a three-step process for you to make the most of the time you spend using social media for your business.

1Step 1: Define Your Intention

In Amy Porterfield’s recent Slide Share, she outlines her three-phase process of attracting, promoting and selling using Facebook as the main foundation for her business. She follows a clearly laid out plan and strategy to do this

Related Post: Finding the right strategy for your business can be tricky… We’ve gathered 18 tips from the experts on how to choose the best strategy for your business.

Her intention is to attract the lead, promote her programs and sell them out. And it works for her every time.

The key to being successful with defining your intention is to be in tune with what you want to accomplish when you’re surfing Facebook or chatting with friends or clients on Twitter.

There’s no doubt that social media can be powerful for your business. But make sure you control the power it gives you.

Create awesome habits so you’re in tune with your intentions and realize if you’ve fulfilled that intention or not. Here’s how:

Decide who you are going to attract. Get to know their age, marital status, where they live, what they do for a living and at least one of their guilty pleasures. This is how you learn about your ideal customer.

Related Post: Discover how getting personal can help you win customer love.

How are you going to attract them? Create a Pinterest board or an Evernote file with your ideas so you have content ready to share that they will find useful and helps them solve a problem they are facing.

Figure out what you have that your competition doesn’t. This is where you hold the power and your authenticity will kick in.

Set goals for your business. Keep these goals in mind when you log in to your social network.

2Step 2: Track your Time

As you identify your strategy, target customer and power factor, you can really be in tune with your intentions for using social media if you keep track of your time.

Before making any drastic changes to your social routine, log your time and try to recognize what your intention was when you logged in and what it was when you were done. Was that intention fulfilled? Or was that empty time because you got distracted?

Try doing this exercise for a week. Create a log. Set a timer on your phone and review your log at the end of each day and pay attention to how it made you feel. You’d be surprised how much time you spend on social media.

Create awesome habits so you can minimize your time spent on social media and get the most out of it.

We’re all guilty of wasting time surfing social networks, so don’t stress about it. Set the timer for 5, 10 or 25 minute increments so you can be aware of what you’re doing. You’ll get more done and feel more rewarded about how you spend your time.

Related Post: Here’s an awesome infographic to help you prioritize your social media time management. 

3Step 3: Align Your Business Goals with Your Social Intentions to Create a Killer Strategy

In step one, I talked about how Amy uses a three-step process to promote her programs. You will want to start with three different strategies, each with their own path, to help you get to your end goal.

Next, create three strategies using social channels during the “attract, promote and sell” phase of your strategy. Outline each step of the process. Include the paths that you and your users have to take to reach the end goal.

Here’s an example of three strategies and paths you can use if you’re looking to build your email list:

1. Post 1-3 times a week on different social networks inviting people to sign up for your list. (Give them a reason – maybe it’s a free website review or a chance to ask you anything they want. An effective call to action in every post will increase engagement).
2. Hold a free call that gives your ideal audience free tips to solve a problem they may be facing.
3. Create a free course to help your audience get results.

Use a content calendar to keep you organized while you’re in this phase for each path of your strategy. You still want to provide value – so don’t forget those kind of posts.

A bigger number of people will sign up for the first step in your path. The number of people who stay engaged will trickle off – and this is completely normal. Don’t be surprised if people sign up for a free session and don’t show up.

The secret sauce for standing out from the competition is outlining and testing the experience for your user with each specific path and strategy you want them to take. Be crystal clear with your directions so it’s as easy as possible for people to receive their free session or sign up for your webinar.

This sets the stage for what it’s like to work with you, so going a little overboard won’t hurt.

Bonus Tip: Rinse and Repeat

Ever heard the term old habits die hard? Setting your intentions and keeping track of your time while delivering a killer social strategy is hard work.

The key to success is being consistent and repeating the exercises. Your success rate will vary, so it’s totally cool to rinse and repeat what is working and ditch what is not.

Make time for social guilty pleasures. It’s okay to spend time geeking out on Pinterest or just playing on Facebook. Just be really aware of your intentions when you’re doing it. If it makes you feel good to be on Pinterest an hour a day and time allows, go for it!

About the Guest Author

Melissa Burkheimer

Melissa helps entrepreneurs simplify the creative processes for their business by sharing her expertise in design and creative direction.