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Don’t Have Time for Social Media Marketing? Hogwash.

February 6, 2013 by 14 Comments

Ifdy Perez is a social media strategist with a specialty in community building.

Please don’t cringe. This isn’t an attempt to overwhelm you by adding something else onto your already-packed to-do list. But the excuse of “not having time for social media markteting” isn’t going to fly anymore. Online marketing is the way of the world, and using social media to promote your business is a must.

Take this as good news! We’re about to show you how you can get your feet wet in social media for your business with just 60 minutes broken up throughout your day. You can’t execute the world’s best social media strategy with just 60 minutes a day; there’s more planning involved. But use these tips as a step to get you into the habit.

Twitter: 30 Minutes a Day

In the morning, when you get into the office and start settling in, set aside 15 minutes to hop onto Twitter. If you haven’t filled out your Twitter profile, do that first. Upload your logo and fill in your business info (including your website) so that whomever you interact with can find out more information about you easily.

Start cultivating relationships by talking to other people interested in topics relevant to your business. You can use hashtags and keyword searches to find these people. But like a guest arriving at a party in progress, listen to those conversations first. Then talk to others when you have something valuable to contribute (don’t just barge in and dominate the conversation).

Listening is about reading what others are saying about your product, topics related to your product, and even other topics in which those individuals are interested. This helps you understand the nature of the conversation, and know what valuable insight you can contribute to the audience you’re trying to reach. (Tip: the Vocus Marketing Suite helps you do this easily!)

Before the end of your day, take another 15 minutes to schedule posts for the following day or two. Pick articles—from your blog and from others—you think would be interesting to your audience. Keep in mind how you’d act when you approach a group at a party that’s already talking. You don’t want to just talk about yourself, talk about your audience and topics that interest them.

Facebook: 20 Minutes a Day

Just like with Twitter, ramp up your Facebook page by inputting your business info, logo, and other images.

Unlike Twitter, though, your Page can’t “follow” or “friend” other people, only other Pages. But you still have the opportunity to develop relationships. Like other business Pages, your customers’ Pages, related products/services, and of those you’d like to partner with. Also check out unrelated Pages you’d like your business Page to emulate; this is a great way to keep up with online trends!

Think about posting once a day—morning, noon, or nighttime. Make sure your posts have vivid pictures and conversation-starting descriptions. (Check out this article for some Facebook posting tips.)

Google Alerts: 10 Minutes a Day

You only have to set this up once. Create Google Alerts for at least 5 keywords, and have them emailed to you (once a day is good to start). Keep an eye on keywords related to your business, as well as your business name and any derivations of it. Then everyday, read the articles sent to your inbox to keep tabs on what people are saying.

These are some tips to get you started. Set reminders on your computer to get started, and tell us how it goes!

Want social media results even faster? Take a demo of the Vocus Marketing Suite today!

For more social media marketing advice from Ifdy Perez on the Vocus Blog, click here.

Filed Under: Search & Social

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  • Mike Macey

    Those are very simple scheduling tips; how do you feel about Google Plus?

    • http://chrislucas.com.au chrislucas

      Sometimes I think there’s a lot more posting than reading happening…. and if we were to add in reading and commenting on other peoples posts we’d definitely need to add quite a bit more time…. otherwise it really is just marketing and not much “social”. I see so many people asking questions on FB pages, Twitter, and blog posts that never get any answers to their questions…it’s happened to me quite a lot… where’s the social in that?

      • http://vizify.com/ifdyperez Ifdy Perez

        That’s a good point, Chris. The social aspect of social media marketing is just that: dialogue. That’s why it’s important for the business owner to incorporate the conversation part–whether it’s on Twitter and such–from the get-go. Thanks for sharing!

    • http://vizify.com/ifdyperez Ifdy Perez

      Glad it was useful to you, Mike! I think Google Plus has it’s advantages. It’s a smaller community so it’s easier to talk to people, especially influencers. But if your time is constrained, I’d stick to the other platforms to start out. It really depends on the kind of community you’re building, and the time you have to invest in it.

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  • Arron George

    I agree. The key to social media is being organized and having a clear plan set out. I find creating a posting schedule for the week very beneficial.

    • http://vizify.com/ifdyperez Ifdy Perez

      Hi Arron! Me too. Spreadsheets are SO helpful to me. :)

  • http://twitter.com/STMediaLLC SocialTactMedia

    Based on our experience as a Social Media Marketing company, small business owners understand the value of social media but have no direction/strategy on how to get the most out of it. With that said, creating a social media strategy that supports the company’s overall objective + organizing the various implementation activities requires time commitment. Combine that with the other demands of running a business, the task can seem overwhelming — but not impossible. Quantifying the missed opportunity of failing to participate or execute a strategy properly helps to expose this risk.

    • http://vizify.com/ifdyperez Ifdy Perez

      Bingo!

  • Agatha

    Social media is called that because it’s supposed to be “social”. If you set a specific time every day to send out social media messages to your followers, then you’re not being social. You’re treating it as a bulletin board with your info going out and not reacting to anyone else’s posts, or creating a personality or relationships.
    You’re taling at people, and not to them.

    • http://vizify.com/ifdyperez Ifdy Perez

      Good point, Agatha. Scheduling posts can be a way to give your audience some resources throughout the day, and help clear out your schedule so you have time to actually talk to them. It’s the dialogue–not monologue–that builds trust.

  • Bryan

    I don’t see how marketing in social networks makes the world better? If anything it promotes greed. The salesman don’t knock on your door anymore, they make friends with your friends and weasel their way into your life uninvited. I understand people have to make money, but I think some people make enough money, that excuse isn’t going to fly anymore.