By Rieva Lesonsky
If you are feeling burned out on social media, you’re not the only one. As an avid fan of social media as a marketing tool, I know the sheer volume of social media options and the time commitment needed to make it work can seem like the last straw breaking a busy entrepreneur’s back.
To help you get sane again, here are five ways to get back your original passion for your blog, Facebook, Twitter and other social media content.
- Set goals. You might have had goals when you started with social media efforts, but maybe you plunged in without a plan. If so, now’s the time to set specific goals for each social media tool to accomplish for your business. Whether you want to get traffic to your website, get known as a thought leader or get new leads, quantify what you’re hoping to do and figure out which channel will best accomplish that.
- Create a strategy. Plan what type of content you will focus on within each social media channel. For example, if you want to be known as a thought leader, then a blog is an ideal channel, and you’ll want to regularly blog about controversial or hot topics in your field.
- Delegate some work. I’m not suggesting you pass your Twitter feed over to an intern. However, you can and should involve other staffers, having them post to your business’s Facebook page, write blog posts and generate content, whether it’s photos, videos or surveys.
- Track your results. Take advantage of the analytics tools that social media sites provide, or try the growing number of third-party tools. You need to know what content gets the best response, what frequency and timing works best, and what social media channels are the most beneficial. Otherwise, you’re just throwing something in the air and hoping it hits.
- Use tools. Social media management tools like Cotweet, Hootsuite and Tweetdeck save time and make your life easier. Ask colleagues what tools they rely on if you’re not sure what to pick.
There’s a lot more you can do—and we want to talk about it at SXSW 2012. Check out the panel discussion we’re proposing at http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/11382 and vote for us via the “thumbs up” at top if you want to hear more about this topic!
