Is it just me or does it feel like life is moving a million miles a minute!? 7 days a week, it’s go go go…work to be done, meals to be cooked, houses to be cleaned. No one has time anymore for any “extras”. That means no time to blog, no time to submit your work for press features, and definitely no time for personal errands! One thing business owners do need to make time for is social media. I know, it’s crazy to think that it’s essential for businesses to be on Instagram scrolling through pretty pictures, but it’s a fact! Why?These social platforms are where creative businesses are able to reach their core customer and connect with media within minutes (if you’re utilizing it right!).
Here’s 5 ways to use social media in 5 minutes to change your business:
1. Find two times in your day that you can spare 5 minutes to hop on Instagram and Twitter. For me, that time is in the morning and in the evening (after my baby is in bed). I find that being in the office or out at meetings, the days tend to get too busy to be on social- you know how easy it is to get lost in the photos and comments! It tends to be distracting and takes your focus away from your clients. This is why committing to a couple minutes before and after “work hours” can help you stay engaged in social media while keeping your priorities.
2. Upload a photo one of the two times you are on Instagram that day. Maybe it was one you took yesterday or this past weekend that you didn’t get to post it. Maybe you took it earlier in the day and are just getting around to it. Or maybe it’s a even favorite photograph you have had for awhile and you have been saving to post. Get on, post it! (Don’t forget that if you’re posting any other company’s work to give them photo credit by mentioning them in your comment and tagging them!)
3. Scroll through the photos in your feed and comment and like! This will help to build relationships with the other vendors you follow. You’d be surprised how many business relationships have started as virtual friendships! Only spend two minutes or less on this and then GET OFF INSTAGRAM!!
4. Hop on Twitter and scroll through your feed. Reply, share, and retweet any content you feel is relevant to your business. Again, only spend a few minutes and then hop off!
5. For Facebook, there are multiple sites that allow you to schedule your posts in advance for the week (you can actually even schedule directly through Facebook!). This way you don’t have to worry about spending time every day you want to post! Pick one day, spend five minutes, and get your entire week scheduled!
Committing to two times a day on social media helps you to not get inundated with scrolling through so much content. Don’t let Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook be a time suck! Be short, sweet, and effective and move on with your day!
Products in photo provided by: Sugar Paper (polka dot notebook), B is for Bonnie (striped notebook and heart print) and Target (gold scissors)
Thanks for the helpful tips! About Facebook…I’ve heard that if you schedule posts–they don’t reach as many fans. Do you know if this is true or not?
It’s true! Just a few minutes of inspiration and maintenance do the trick!
I really appreciate the disclaimer of sorts in #2… so many times people don’t credit other vendors. It’s really not okay. Thanks for this helpful post!
Thanks so much for the helpful tips!
you hooked me with the sugar paper, then inspired me to be better with social media
We love their stuff! Thanks for reading 🙂
Hope you found them useful! 🙂
Agreed! Something we always stress 🙂
Yep! Thanks for reading friends 🙂
You can try scheduling with a site like Hootsuite that has an AutoSchedule option. This posts at the most ideal time for your readers to get the best reach. It’s kind of a trial and error thing though…we haven’t found much of a dip with scheduled posts through Facebook directly! 🙂 Hope that helps! Let us know what you find 🙂
Thanks for the helpful tips! This really makes managing media all the easier!
Thanks for sharing!! I hope these can be impactful. It only takes a few minutes if you are consistent- don’t get sucked in without making social media actually work for you!
Such good reminders. Thank you!
I love all these tips, especially #3! It is so easy to scroll through the feed without “spreading the love”, but liking/commenting on pictures really does make a difference!
Thanks Leila! xo
Thanks for reading!
Very true! Makes you feel more “real” too…more of a contributor rather than just an observer 😉
These tips are fabulous; I’m so glad I came across them! I can’t wait to apply these tips to my every day routine…thank you, thank you, thank you!
You’re welcome! Thanks for reading!! 🙂
Good!! Let us know how they’re working out for you…happy to help! 🙂
I tend to do the morning/night posting for instagram and twitter but tend to use Facebook throughout the day to be able to see what’s trending and also respond quickly when people like my jewelry (and let’s be honest just to scroll through your friends photos) but you are totally right about not letting it consume your whole day/life 🙂
Sounds like a good plan! Glad you’ve found something that works for you and your business 🙂
Working on creating my ‘morning routine’ so my AM’s are much easier, I will have to budget a few minutes in for this. I always push it to the end of the day and often forget (terrible, I know…) Thank you!!
Mornings are definitely easier for us too! Then you have all day for people to see your posts and interact! 🙂 Good luck!
Excellent advice, thanks for this reminder!
Thanks for reading!!
Leila and team,
I love keeping up with your blog! This post referring to making time to keep up with social media is so relevant and crucial today. As a full-time PR college student, you would think I would be all about the social media scene. However, I also find it tough to squeeze in a few scrolls and posts here and there. Thank you for your insight on how to quickly fit social media into your day! Very helpful 🙂
An inspired student,
Mikaela Sears