Do you find yourself overwhelmed by all the different social networking options now available? Do you find yourself spending precious time trying to maintain a presence on a variety of social networking sites? Are you getting frustrated because of the results you are getting from social networking?
If you find yourself experiencing any of the above, then perhaps you need to do what I did and put together a social networking plan!
Simply put, a social networking plan is a plan used to get the results you want from your social networking actions. Whether you use social media to meet new people, market yourself or your business, or to build your brand’s awareness- you need some kind of plan to ensure you’re in control of your social media efforts instead of it controlling you and driving you crazy. This plan is broken down into the following three steps:
Step One: What are your Social Networking Goals?
Everyone has social networking goals whether they realize it or not. On a personal level, they could be to make new friends or stay in touch with long-distant relatives. Our focus will be on a business level.
A business could have a multitude of social networking goals. One could be to establish trust and a connection with their present and potential customers. One could be to provide updates and news regarding their business. Another example would be to simply network with other businesses or professionals.
So step one would be to define what your goals are in regards to social networking. My advice here would be to limit it to three. More than three and you run the risk of not being able to focus your efforts wisely and not being in control of your social media time.
Step Two: What social networking sites will help you reach the goals have?
With the growing number of social networking sites and applications available, you only want to target those which will help you reach the social networking goals you have in addition to communicating with those who would be interested in you and your business.
For example, if one of your goals from step one is to network with others in your field, then you would want to consider using Twitter, and LinkedIn, for starters. This could be narrowed down even further to include those social networking sites and forums which target your industry.
Another example would be if you are a comic book professional who wants to promote yourself and your work. One option would be Twitter, another (if you are an artist) example would be DeviantArt, and another would be Facebook.
For this step, you really need to do your research. Visit the more popular social networking sites to see if they are being used by those whom you are wanting to target. Also, check out on a daily basis such sites as Mashable and TechCrunch. Both sites cover social networking-related stories and will help you discover new social networking sites which you may consider using.
For me, I focus my social media time on both Twitter and Facebook. Of the two, I use Twitter more than Facebook. Twitter offers me the opportunity to not only meet new people but also interact with them quickly and easily. Plus, Twitter makes it possible to reach more people in a shorter amount of time.
Step Three: Determining how much time you have to devote to your social networking
This step is crucial. In order to get the most out of social networking, you have to put in the time. The key is determining how much time you are able to devote to each one.
This is where you have to look at the social networking sites you will be using from step two. For myself, I focus on Twitter and Facebook and that is it. I find this number to be comfortable in that I don’t find myself overwhelmed by information overload. So my suggestion would be to narrow your list down to what you can handle comfortably. You can always add or subtract from your list as time passes.
The amount of time you devote to social networking will also depend on your schedule. I know some people who devote 15 – 20 minutes in the morning and evening to it on a daily basis. I also know a couple who use social networking every other day with no time limit. How much time you spend social networking depends on you.
But you have to be careful or you’ll find yourself stuck on Facebook for hours without realizing it! Again, for myself, I use social networking every day for about 15 minutes in the morning, afternoon, and sometimes in the evening. I find setting a time limit puts me in the mindset to be more effective and not waste time. Otherwise, I would find myself checking every tweet and checking out numerous profiles and not being productive with my social networking time.
Social networking is a crucial aspect of marketing. Don’t waste time and effort by going about it in the wrong way. Follow the three steps I outlined here and you will find your social networking efforts paying off in no time. So what social networking services do you use? Which ones are helping you achieve your social media goals and efforts? Let me and everyone else know in the Comments below. Thanks!