Staying active on multiple social media sites is a challenge we all have as small business owners. We’ve even been asked to help bigger organizations like the state’s Division of Economic Development to eliminate redundancy and streamline their social media efforts.
The good news is, there are quite a few ways to LEVERAGE your time and content in social media. Here’s how…
***RSS feeds are key.***
“RSS” stands for “Really Simple Syndication.” Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and many other social sites automatically generate RSS feeds. For example, if you have a blog (we use and recommend WordPress), you can use its RSS feed to send your blog posts to other sites (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) and even to your email subscriber list automatically. In other words, you set it up once and forget about it.
Using a syndication service is another time-saving method.
Websites like Ping.fm or HelloTxt.com (yes, that’s “text” without the “e”), are one-stop shops for sending status updates to multiple social networking platforms.
“Plug-ins” can also help. They’re just little pieces of software that expand the functionality of blogs, like WordPress. Dozens of plug-ins exist for integrating your blog content with social media platforms. “Applications” do the same thing for Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites.
And if you’re on the move a lot or you simply don’t like to be tied down to your computer, using Twitter as your quick ‘n easy content launcher may be the way to go. You can send fast, painless content shots – messages, links, exchanges with other professionals – via your cell phone, smart mobile device, or computer, and use your “tweets” to update your presence on other social platforms.
Finally, while you may not have the budget to hire an employee, there are affordable alternatives.
Virtual Assistants – entrepreneurs who provide professional administrative, technical, or creative (social) assistance to clients from a remote location – can be hired for specialized services, for as little as 5 hours per month, for $20-$60 per hour. You can also find freelancers through services like oDesk.com or eLance.com, for $5-$20 per hour.
Whether you spend an hour a day or an hour per week on your social media presence, it’s an ongoing learning process. As you start to see results and get more comfortable, you’ll know how best to budget your time and resources.
Lani & Allen Voivod, The Content Lovers of Epiphanies, Inc., help imperfect-preneurs, global brands, and mission-driven organizations use social marketing & success strategies to ramp up visibility, competitive edge, and profits. Get their free Special Report, “37 Easy Ways to Boost Visibility, $$, and Results w/ Twitter” at http://www.EpiphaniesInc.com/twitter. Then grab “I Had an ‘Aha Moment – Now What?’ at http://www.AhaSuccessKit.com!
