5 Questions: How To Stop Wasting Time On Social Media

Knowing how to stop wasting time on social media is not as difficult as it sounds.

Think back to when you first setup your social media channels. You probably had a sense of self accomplishment when you completed the setup process; Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc. Then you then posted a blog to your website, shared that post, followed a bunch of people, liked a few pieces of content, and perhaps shared someone else’s content.

But nothing. No response. No reciprocal activity.

You tried harder. You’ve tried everything conceivable to increase your engagement – Perhaps pumping out more and different content; Posting at different times of the day; Or maybe you’ve looked towards your niche influencer, to mimic what they were doing.

Still the same – your social engagement increased ever so slowly, and nowhere near the traction that you felt was adequate enough for a sustainable online business.

Do you see what’s missing from your social media equation?

No ROI – Social Media Randomness

“Social media takes time and careful, strategic thought. It doesn’t happen by accident.”  B.E. Boyd Sr. [Click To Tweet  ]

It has nothing to do with more frequent postings. Nor does it have anything to do with working longer hours. Nor does it have anything with posting at different hours of the day.

One simple word – STRATEGY. In two words – A PLAN (as I eluded to at the beginning of this article).

Without defining a Social Media strategy, you are literally dead in the water. At best, a little luck will get some engagement, but luck is not something to bet against.

You can not control luck. Luck will produce unexpected, and what seems to be, random results.

You need a social media strategy before jumping onto your social media channels.

And it’s not just me that echoes these words…

The Strategy. Your Strategy. Defining A Social Media Strategy.

Think about it!

When you open a business (in real life), do you put a guiding, growth or exit strategy in place? Absolutely!

When you write a piece of software, do you develop the software with a strategic roadmap in mind? You bet!

When your lawyer brings your legal suit to court, do they do so with a winning strategy? Without a doubt!

I believe you get the point.

Your social media activity should not be treated any differently. You need a social media strategy to get the results you want.

Predictable results!

Your social media strategy is your online roadmap; An important roadmap, that should answer, at least each of these 5 questions:

• How do I find my target audience?
• How do I find my business and joint venture partners?
• How do I manage my online reputation?
• How do I build and increase the size of my email list?
• How do I want my personal brand to be perceived?

Simply put, the answers to these 5 questions are exceptionally critical. These questions will help guide you towards higher productivity on social media. They help shape and mold your social media activity.

Without trying to sound overly dramatic, you need a social media strategy:

• to find and communicate with your target audience. A small percentage of them will become your customers.
• to identify your business partners. You’ll be helping each other grow your respective online businesses. 
• to keep your reputation squeaky clean. It can take a lifetime to build your integrity, but can be destroyed with just a click of a button.
• to funnel those who want to be helped, closer to your high value service offering. They are the ones who put food on your table.
• to echo your value, your values, and why you should be the chosen one.

Without a social media strategy, you’ll be wasting time – your time and your audiences time.

You’ll be spinning your wheels unnecessarily, and have nothing to show for it. Your return on investment will evaporate, be un-energized, and a seemingly directionless.

Defining a Social Media Strategy will give you the roadmap you need to get where you need to go.

Social Media Strategy – Only For The Serious

Yes, it’s fun and exciting to get your business onto the various social media channels. But, if you are serious about delivering value, want to be productive on social media, and you’re in it for the long haul, then you owe it to yourself to develop a solid social media strategy.

In my experience, no social media strategy = lots of wasted time.

Conversely, knowing what you want to achieve on social media, keeps you focused, gives you a framework to work within, and helps you define the social media activity required for your business.

Not sure how to proceed with your Social Media Strategy? Drop us a note and we’ll point you in the right direction.