Guest Post by Delia Rusu, Blog Formatting
Blog it, share it on Facebook, tweet it, pin it, schedule it. Oh wait; you forgot LinkedIn and Google+. StumbleUpon and what was the other one?
Or have you shared there already? Wait a minute, that was the post from last week… You know the one on… what was it again?
Oh, and you also meant to check the other blog communities everyone’s been raving about.
You know, the one you started to create an account the other day, but then you stopped in the middle when your daughter asked for a cup of milk? You never got to do that and you cannot even remember what it was, ugh!
Yes, your head is spinning already and you wish it was a little bit simpler but all you seem to be doing is jumping frantically from platform to platform trying to get your blog in front of more people.
And by the time you think you are done, it’s time for a new blog post and then the cycle starts all over again.
If you recognized yourself even one tiny bit in this description, let me tell you I’ve been there and still am sometimes!
But I’ve found a few tricks to make it easier and that’s what I want to share with you today, because maybe it’ll help you too.
Yes, you need to be active on social media, but you won’t feel completely overwhelmed if you try these tips:
Tip 1. Decide what social media platform works for YOU.
Yes, the clear distinction here is “for you.” Don’t take anybody’s advice for it. At least not blindly.
For a platform to work for me, I find that:
I need to be able to meet people that I want to know better and help.
This may mean I talk to some people on Twitter and to some on Facebook. And some people are subscribed to my blog updates and they only talk to me by leaving comments on my blog. And I reply to them there and so I don’t interact a lot on social media with them.
I need to know how to use that platform relatively well so I don’t get frustrated.
I have an account on Google+ and Pinterest but these platforms are relatively new to me and so other than sharing my posts once a week, I’m keeping a minimal presence there.
I have to enjoy spending time on that platform so it does not look like work.
What is the platform where you feel at home? That comes really easy to you? Maybe you have people commenting and talking to you on Pinterest or on a blogging forum or another community.
Whatever works for you and if you feel good about it, put your focus and time there. Forget about the other ones.
Tip 2. Stay focused and do not get sucked in.
Yes, I am struggling with this one big time. In fact, I’ve been working on this blog post on and off because I stopped quite a few times to check Facebook and Twitter notifications. Not great, I know!
The point is, when I make the effort to stay focused on what I do and close off all distractions, I can complete tasks more quickly.
Apply the same idea to your social media time. Set 10-15 min daily if this works for you.
Or go crazy and spend an entire day on social media catching up on things. Then stay put the next day and complete your other important tasks. Like writing a new post :)
Tip 3. Delegate some social media work.
I hear you: But I don’t have a VA or social media manager, I am doing it all myself.
Me too! However, you can “delegate” some tasks to the “tools” available to do the work. For example, I use justretweet to get other people to tweet my blog posts. After you learn the tool and get used to it, it takes about 15 minutes to get your blog post out there, ready to be shared by other people.
Not only you’re saving time, but with justretweet, you will get way more reach than what you could do just tweeting yourself. Michelle has a great video on using justretweet, check it out and see if this tool is for you!
You may like Buffer, TweetDeck or HootSuite for scheduling your posts. Spend a couple hours scheduling your posts for a few days or even a week.
Again, do not get fixated on what everybody else is doing, but see what feels good for you.
Your turn!
What are your tips to beat social media overwhelm? I cannot wait to hear from you, please leave a comment!
Delia Rusu helps women bloggers stay in their genius zone by showing them how to take their blog from dull to sparkle, so that readers can hear their blog’s message!
Visit her website, Blog Formatting and connect with Delia on Facebook and Twitter. You can also find her sharing social media tips at EosGrafx.
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Super tips here. I like slowing everything down. Like literally. I hop onto a network and engage first, then I post content. Orderly and methodical, and it kills social overwhelm for good!
Thanks, Ryan! I like the sound of it: slow everything down.
I think I need a dose of that, I tend to be a bit too frantic trying to cover as much as I can in the shortest time :)
Hi Delia,
Good to see you here. I think point no.1 is the most important tips. Many jump on all social media platform at once until finally get burned out. Its best to focus on one that really best giving what we after then decide whether we want to jump on another or not.
Great post!
Great to see you here too, Okto! And I know all of us have been guilty one time or another of trying to be everywhere and spreading thin on too many social platforms.
I can’t boast to have beaten the getting sucked in part yet. Facebook is still a time trap. But I schedule most of my marketing messages via Hootsuite.
I can’t go by what platforms I know how to use, because I know how to use all the big ones (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, YouTube, LnkedIn), and a couple more. I did drop out of a number of others, like Diaspora, to limit myself and take back some time and energy. But I still have some work to do in that department.
As for traffic, I used to get most of my traffic from Facebook, but now Pinterest and Twitter have passed Facebook in the source ranking.
I heard good things about Pinterest but haven’t gotten the time to master it. I can see it can become addicting though :) Thanks for sharing your tips, Linda!
great guest post, Delia !!
I also like IFTTT to automate some of the work. For example each time I post a new video on Youtube, it gets automatically sent out as a tweet.
Thanks, Sarah! I don’t remember, is IFTTT just for YouTube only to other platforms too?
Delia, I love using tools like the Buffer, JustRetweet, ViralContentBuzz, as well as Hootsuite. I also use many mobile apps for social networks to save time during the day. I try to take a day off too where I don’t spend much time on the social networks so I don’t get “drained out”. It can easily happen if you are online 24/7. I hope there is an app in the near future that will encompass all of these tools together in one. I’m sure hoping! Buffer is close now as they just added Google+, awaiting Pinterest via the Buffer :)
Oh, so many tools, so little time, right, Lisa? I totally agree with you with unplugging completely for a day. It works wonders :)
I like to do any social media work after I’ve finished my real work for the day – that really helps limit the time suck – and because it’s less taxing than other work like writing it’s good for winding down. I also batch things up a bit and schedule them with tools like buffer.
That’s a good plan, Ana! Do you ever have the feeling that it never ends, and you have “social media” left to do from one day to another? It’s something that I’m trying hard to not think of :)
another great article Delia! so full of yummy tips!
Glad you found these tips useful, Julie! I was so honoured to be able to share them on Michelle’s blog.
Hiii…Delia.
Using Social media is a great platform for displaying your talent…
thanks for the useful tips
Thanks, John! Amazing how things have changed in the world and how we are able to connect with each other on social media, right?
I would like to blog first, but Facebook keeps drawing me in every time. Thanks for the tips!
I know the feeling all too week, Sally! Thanks for your comment.
Social media can be overwhelming, can’t it? As of right now, I mainly use Twitter and Facebook, which I schedule posts for with Hootsuite. I have accounts with Pinterest and Google Plus, and I post my blog posts on both, but I don’t interact as much as I could.
I love clicktotweet(dot)com which helps me put links into my blog posts for readers to tweet exactly what I want them to. I actually found out about it from Marie Forleo, a marketing goddess.
I have LinkedIn, Reddit, and Tumblr accounts, but I rarely use them. Until I get a VA, I’m doing what I know best. :)
Thanks for the tips Delia.
Thanks for sharing about clicktotweet, Keri! I’ve been using coding to do that, maybe I should loot at a less time-onsuming option :)
These are fantastic tips Delia. I’m just setting up my website/blog and syncing social media so am finding your tips and the readers comments very valuable
Great to see you here, Lorelle! I definitely recommend to take it slow so you won’t feel super overwhelmed. Once you get better at what you are doing, it’s going to take less time and won’t feel so hard to keep up with :)
@Delia each day I learn something new! I’ll stop by justretweet and see if I can try it… Thank you so much as always I enjoy your post.
Thanks Remy for your comment! Check out justretweet if you can – otherwise we’ll get to work on it as a group soon ;)
My best routine is scheduling my tweets using SocialOomph as the first task of the day. I’ve gotten distracted the past few weeks, so am getting back on track with that, because Twitter really does deliver the hits. I’ve been working on building my Facebook page, and now I am planning on getting more blog posts done. Facebook does take time, even with the short cuts I’ve learned recently (i.e. not designing all of my own fashion sets on Polyvore to showcase jewelry). But, I want to do a fair number of posts a day and that is time consuming. As far as Google Plus, I post there, but sometimes I wonder why because it seems beautiful photography and other really super visual content gets a lot of attention (unless you are very well known). So, I’m going to continue to use the tool since it is easy to do, and with my giveaways I have others post to Google Plus for me, but I am just not impressed, but that may be because of lack of knowledge, etc. I love using Pinterest, but have not used it so much for my blog. I use it for content for FB. Of course, I have my jewelry pinned there and my contests get pinned there, that point to my blog. I did recently post a sale with the blog link and in fact I need to do another one I just launched. Thanks for the reminder. It can be a bit overwhelming. That is why I like scheduling tweets and I schedule my FB posts too, for the most part. It is just time consuming getting the content together to post.
Thanks for sharing your tips, Jacqueline! With your business, I think you’d get great results from Pinterest, so perhaps this is another platform you can focus your efforts and time on.
Thanks, actually I am using Pinterest, but definitely could use it more heavily and frequently. I found a number of group boards and pin jewelry to them (not as often as I should) which does help with exposure. I’m more consistent with the group contest boards, which does help spread the word. One thing I just started doing was repinning an item, instead of just letting them sit there. That puts them back out in front of your followers and then I just delete the original pin. I think with each avenue, consistency is the key.
I agree Jacqueline, sometimes it takes a bit of time to see results, so it’s essential that we stay consistent and not give up after a week ;)
Hi Delia,
I think most bloggers face the problem you mentioned about being SO overwhelmed by the social media that by the time we try to promote our posts, it IS time for the next one, that’s what happens most of the time :)
I agree with your strategies, though it’s tough to be present only on a few selected social media platforms because you have people ALL over. Speaking of myself, I’ve a totally different set of people on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ communities, and Pinterest, which are my main four networks, and they ALL work tremendously for me, because I make sure to share my posts and interact with those people. Not to mention the time and effort it takes, which kind of drains you out totally!
Like you, I too haven’t got any VA, so it’s one woman show all the way! Yes, one does use Hootesuite, Buffer, Triberr, etc, yet, all of this DOES take time. The only thing that works is staying focused and closing all distractions, as you mentioned, while you work.
Thanks for sharing. Have a nice week ahead :)
BTW – Nice changes on your blog Michelle :)
Thanks for sharing your tips, Harleena. I agree these are challenges we all face – it’s good that we can share our experience and results and help each other ;)
I love how Michelle’s blog is changing – I come here every day and see something new :)
Twitter is my favorite platform, but I am spending a lot more time on Google+ and Pinterest these days. But I agree with you on sticking to what you are comfortable with. I always tell people to get comfortable with a couple of platforms before you move on to the next. It’s too overwhelming if you try to learn everything (and be everywhere) at once.
Sounds like a great plan, Michelle! I was wondering how come I don’t see you on Facebook too often? :) Just kidding, I think it’s a great idea to even leave one of them for a while and then pick it up later on.
You should read what Tim Ferriss has to say about delegating in his book “The 4 Hour Week”
Hehe, read the book, Neil! Just waiting for the right moment to apply ;) Thanks for your comment.
Hi Delia,
I really like that you have added “to do it for you”. Although it is your work, when it’s using technology that you don’t find user friendly, all of sudden it feels like i’m back at my 9-5 (ball and chain) job.
I will make of an effort to use the social media i enjoy and works well for me.
Naomi