Social Media Time Management

When you're a mom entrepreneur with your own business, you have a lot to do.  You have customers to service, leads to follow up on, billing and accounting…the list goes on.  When you consider adding social media to the mix, it can feel overwhelming.  After all, you’re already filling every hour of the day.  How do you take advantage of all the benefits of social media marketing without allowing it to take over your life?Here are some tips to make it easier for mom entrepreneurs to manage the time they spend on social media.

1. Start with a strategic plan. Before you begin blogging, tweeting on Twitter, or meeting people on Facebook, make a marketing plan for your business.  What are your goals?  Who are you trying to reach?  Why?  What problems can you solve?  By being specific and strategic about what you hope to accomplish, you’ll make sure all your social media efforts will bring you the maximum return on your investment.
2. Do an honest assessment of the time resources you can invest. For every tool you consider using, figure out how long it will take you to set up the profile, find friends, and maintain relationships.  Then weigh that against the total time you have to invest.  That will help you make good decisions about which tools will BEST help you reach your goals.  You don’t have to use everything, and if you use fewer tools and develop quality relationships with them, you’ll have a better chance of success.
3. Start slowly and build relationships. Don’t try to get a million friends and followers overnight.  You’ll quickly become overwhelmed, and you won’t develop the quality relationships that lead to more business.  Instead, start conversations with 3-5 new people each day, and really engage.  Get to know people, ask and answer questions, and be a participant.  Don’t begin pitching your business.  Instead, become someone worth knowing.
4. Set a timer. Plan the time you’ll invest each day (you should be engaging with your social networking tools daily if you want the maximum benefits), schedule it in your planner, and then set a timer so you don’t get off track.  You might want to schedule smaller chunks of time at multiple times per day, rather than investing all your time in one shot.  By keeping yourself to a schedule, you’ll still be able to focus on the other core business activities that lead to success in direct sales.

By being strategic in your use of social media, you can use social media without becoming consumed.  And that will help you leverage the power of social media marketing while taking advantage of all the benefits your core business activities will also bring.How are you managing your social media time?  Would love to read it in the comments below!And if you’ve found this post valuable, why not subscribe to my newsletter?  You’ll get great content like this and more! I’d love to have you become part of our family.Cheers!Jennifer