As a small business owner, it is so easy to be drawn into the wonderful world of social media. Personally, I love it. I think it’s a great way to connect with people and share your knowledge and expertise. Added bonus if you grab a few clients on the way!
I do know however that it can be time consuming, confusing and overwhelming. Trying to come up with ideas on what to post, when to post it, how to maximise your reach. That overwhelm can sit on our shoulders and make us feel horrible.
So, what can you do? Here are my tips to help you avoid going to the dark side when it comes to social media.
Plan and schedule
Sounds boring? Well, it’s an absolute non-negotiable in my book. Not only will you save time by batching your content you also save your sanity. No more staring blankly into your phone at 9pm trying to think of something inspiring to post because you haven’t shared anything today.
Systems in place
This could refer to software systems – such as a third party social media scheduler. But what I really encourage is system that is simply a repetitive cycle of content for social media. For example, Mondays is quote, Tuesdays you share something, Wednesday is promo day …. This acts as a baseline of content that is prescheduled, so you don’t have those last minute panic attacks every day.
If you decide to share something over and above this – then that’s great! We all know that personal content that your audience can relate to gets so much more engagement and reach. But that niggling feeling you get when you feel like you HAVE to post will no longer be there.
Systems can also refer to what you do with the content. When you’ve written a blog, do you post it on your website and then forget about it? No! You need to have in place the systematic cycle of sharing. You can share it on Facebook this week, next week, next month and next quarter or share it in Facebook Groups on appropriate days. Your system with what you do with your content helps to fill the gaps in your plan and schedule phase.
Repurpose the content
This, my friends, is your greatest ally when it comes to beating the social media overwhelm. The volume of content you need to create decreases significantly when you re use what you’ve already got.
Then when you have the systems and the scheduling in place, you’ve created content that can last you for months!
Shut off
And when it all gets too much, turn it off. Turn off the notifications, turn of the messaging, close down the app or even remove it off your phone. Take a deep breath and remember that you don’t have to be constantly reminded of the existence of social media to be able to use it to your advantage.
Social media can be an amazing tool for your business if you use it wisely and efficiently. Feeling like you HAVE to show up or MUST post something isn’t helpful and can lead to that sick feeling of having too much on your plate.
Get in contact if you need help with systemising, creating, planning or scheduling your social media. We can be part of the solution to help you conquer the social media overwhelm.
