Fast Company recently published an article called The 10 Commandments of Social Media, which basically amounted to “Blog, Tweet, Podcast, Monitor, Social-Network, and Comment all day every day”. While I appreciate that this may be the ideal, it is simply not feasible for many people.
Among the most common objections to social media that I’ve heard from busy executives are: “We’re just too busy to blog” and “We’ve tried Twitter but the inane banter is a waste of time“. Even though they may appreciate the benefits of using social media, their days are simply not structured to support it.
So, given that I face a similar dilemma, I’ve thought of three simple tips to help busy people get into and use social media efficiently and effectively.
1. Know what you want to achieve. In business, this might, for example, be to rank highly for a particular keyword in Google; to build your professional reputation; to share your insights and get feedback on them, or to raise awareness about your work. Whatever you seek to achieve with your blog, keep that top of mind and you will be more motivated to blog and more efficient in selecting topics to write about.
2. Share practical tips. The ideal of social media – what the best blogs have going on for them – is an ongoing conversation with a community of readers. This requires regular posting, so is not practically achievable for most. So the shortcut way is to create content of more enduring value, such as tips that your market would find interesting; lists of useful resources or websites; pieces of research; and anything else that would reward people for subscribing to your content or visiting your blog (albeit irregularly). This will help you become a search-engine favourite, or a useful reference aid for people looking for advice related to your topic.
3. Comment when you read. If you’ve taken the time out to read an article, blog post, or tweet, then it’s worthwhile to spend a moment extra to leave a comment on what you’ve read. For one thing, you will link your comment back to your own website, and secondly it is likely to create a bit of goodwill with the author or other readers. Comments are a great way to enhance your online profile easily.
Lastly, remember that what you put online stays online and can add enduring value. Each contribution you make to the web under your own name can be thought of as a stepping stone in the path you’re building to your goal. 10 minutes a day really is better than nothing, and it can really help you on your way.
Great post, thank you.
As a communications ‘person’, I often have to convince clients (and sometimes colleagues) of the relative ease of getting into social media and the importance of monitoring what people are twittering about!
Monitoring your social media presence needn’t be an arduous task either – a few google alerts, a quick twitter search and maybe checking facebook stats does the trick.
Hubspot have also done a good piece on monitoring your social media presence in 10 mins. http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/4663/How-to-Monitor-Your-Social-Media-Presence-in-10-Minutes-a-Day.aspx
Valuable contents. Thanks for writing it!
@Jo Thanks for the link. Yep, reputation monitoring is a must. My assistant subscribes to various alerts (for mentions of my name, colleagues and projects) and sends me through the most relevant ones when they come through. It takes less than half an hour a week at most for her, but has massive value for me. More people should do it!
@Clive Thanks for the feedback:)
Great post, thanks Dave! Also, I liked that you used “3″ tips instead of “60″ tips …. time is of the essence and short and sweet is best.
I can really understand people struggling to get into the social media side, but I’ve found that setting up alerts and collecting and reading through them together twice a day is very time efficient.
Setting up a Twitter search is a great way to see where you’re being mentioned without having to monitor Twitter all the time, and of course this saves you from get distracted too!
Thanks Christina. Trying to practice what I preach!
The bonus with monitoring social media is that we all know that the best news is all about ourselves anyway:-p
Hi Dave
Thanks for this article … I am practicing what you are preaching, and adding comments to an article I enjoyed and appreciated.
Cheers
Brian
PS we met briefly at NetProphet and your talk was inspiring. And my son attends your lectures at UCT.
Thanks for popping by Brian. I met your son last term – he mentioned that his father was into online music. Great chap, and an online enthusiast too, I think.
Great tips, naturally the leaving a comment tip appeals to me most, it’s just so true. I try to leave a comment each time I read a good article in the hope that others would do the same when they read my articles.
“remember that what you put online stays online”
So many people forget this!
Thanks Chris. I must say that I’ve noticed you doing this, at least with my blog posts, and it does create a good impression as well as a reminder to check out your site. Rock on.
Thanks for the tips. Definitely worth looking at. I must admit that I am guilty of what you say: “We’ve tried Twitter but the inane banter is a waste of time“.
When I do take the time to catch up on all of this. I usually end up finding quite a few things that’s worth the time spent.
Great tips, Dave – especially the last on on leaving a brief comment when you’ve read an article. I read so much online, but tend not to leave comments much, but I realize now that it’s a great way to “be seen” without a lot more time investment.
Cath
Hey Dave, just getting round to reading this now.
Valid article in the present climate. In trying to remain in the social media mix, I’ve found that there are different solutions for everyone. For example, something I’ve taught myself to do is post articles in advance, which then allows me to do all my blogging in a 2 hour spell each week. Mike (business partner), on the other hand, is not keen on writing but realises how important it is to be in touch. Our solution with him is video blogging. Check out the Heavy Chef blog and you’ll see some examples of Mike at work. And now that he’s got the bug, he’s started a video blog with Jason B on soccer…
Fred
You, Fred, are a blogging legend. These 3 steps are my strategies to bridge the gap until I’m posting regularly like you do – a couple of hours a week sounds easy, but don’t forget you’re in flow and you’ve found your voice from years of consistent blogging.
Good news that JB and MP have started a video blog! I will definitely check it out.