Stop Thinking of Social Media as a Chore

When I meet with small business owners to discuss their online marketing strategies, there is always a collective sigh when I bring up the importance of Social Media Marketing.  They think of it as a chore.  And while I understand the logic behind it, it is also a misconception.  Small business owners need to stop thinking of social media as a chore and start recognizing it as the powerful marketing tool it is!

Yes, Social Media Marketing does have similar qualities to chores. 

Yes, it does take time, planning and follow-through to have a successful social media marketing campaign. BUT, while the steps are similar, the outcomes and advantages are much different.

Start thinking of Social Media as a Sales/Marketing Employee.

I like to think of Social Media Marketing as a little sales/marketing person, for example your new employee Gary.  Training Gary takes time, planning and follow-through.  But with the proper direction, Gary can help bring you more business.  The return on investment is why you hired him in the first place.  Eventually, Gary will know his job so well that he can start to generate results without as much effort.

A proper social media marketing strategy – one that is well planned, consistent and engaging – can increase your business.

Start working on your time management skills.

Being an entrepreneur usually means you have to be very strategic with your finances.  You know where every penny is going, and every cent matters.  One of the best things about Social Media Marketing is that it doesn’t take a large budget to have large results.

Yes, you can purchase limited paid ad space on Google or pay to boost ads on Facebook, etc. (both of which there are good strategies).

But you can achieve great results without doing paying!

The key is finding what works best for your time, budget and goals and sticking to it. If you can set aside a few hours a week to dedicate to online marketing, you will start seeing results.  I advise my clients to set aside about 2-3 hours a week to plan and execute their social media strategy.

Did you know you can schedule Facebook posts in advance?

Facebook has released the capability to schedule posts from a Business Page.  Simply write your post (make sure to include pictures/videos for better results), then click on the arrow beside “Publish” and select “Schedule”.  You can then set the date and time you want the post to be published.

If you plan & schedule all your posts on Sunday, you’ll be all set for the upcoming week!  Just sit back, relax and start engaging your followers!

If you would like help planning your social media marketing strategy, I would love to connect.  I invite you to contact me by telephone or email, or through Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Until next time,

Deanna