Social Media for Business: Become More Productive On Social Media
Social media for business tips by Best Selling Author, Leader Among Women Entrepreneurs, & Productivity Coach – Susan Sly
“Lost time is never found again.” – Benjamin Franklin
You know you need to get to know social media for business.
You have the best intentions. You go on Facebook™ and are planning to do a critical post to expand awareness on your business when suddenly you see that several people have ‘liked’ a friend’s photo. Curiosity prevails and you hit the post to see what’s what.
Your friend has a new puppy that is ridiculously cute.
You just have to comment and make sure you add the proper emoji’s to emphasize your feelings about the post when you see that another friend, who also commented, has sadly just lost their dog and thus now you feel a tug on your heart to go to their wall and comment on their loss.
Something on that wall reminds you to check a group that you sometimes visit and then you see that it is another friend’s birthday.
An hour and a half later all you have accomplished is liking and commenting on people’s posts and have done nothing to expand your brand.
It can happen to the best of us and what makes social media for business so darn tough!
Although I have friends, who have businesses who do not fully comprehend why they need to do more than post the occasional photos of their kids at the beach, social media is essential to doing business.
Until you can afford to hire an expert to perform your social media for business, you have to become an expert yourself.
According to the US Census Bureau, online sales increased 15.8 percent in the second quarter of 2016 versus 2.3 percent for traditional retail. Online selling is still in its infancy compared to the thousands of years we have been purchasing goods and services face-to-face from an actual human.
Social media for business is a necessary marketing activity that is here to stay and in some cases has overtaken retail already.
According to Forrester Research, online sales are expected to reach $523 billion in the US alone by 2020. It doesn’t matter what sort of business you are in, if you aren’t delivering online, then you will not likely make it.
Even if you have a bakeshop that doesn’t deliver, if your customers can’t place orders on their phones to be picked up, you won’t likely succeed.
You may be in direct sales and think that your company takes care of the online presence.
Think again! You are looking for new clients and customers yourself and if people can’t find you online, through social media, you are going to have a challenge.
Why?
These days, you may meet someone face-to-face however before they decide if they are going to do business with you they are very likely to look at your profiles, figure out who you are, decide if they like you, and then do business with you.
It isn’t just about knowing what to do, it is about being efficient at it. If you are sitting at home just spending time watching SnapChat™ stories or looking at people’s Instagram™ photos and videos, then you aren’t likely making money.
If you don’t know what those two things are then I can tell you that you absolutely are not living into your potential earning power online.
Before you dive in and start hammering out content like crazy, I want you to consider the following 3 tips in order to make yourself much more productive online and avoid going down the rabbit hole.
1. Be Deliberate with Your Time
Some of my students set a timer for how long they allow themselves to be on social media.
It is amazing what you can get done in a fifteen-minute block.
If you have a Fan Page for your business you can program 3-4 quality posts. You can interact with your clients, or customers. You can even do a FB live.
Personally, I wear a Timex Ironman Triathlon watch and have for many years. I set the chrono and limit myself to fifteen minutes max.
This avoids the ‘rabbit holes’ and allows me to get on and get off. If you have a business that is online dependent, I suggest doing four to five fifteen minute blocks. Space them out every two to three hours to keep your audience’s attention.
2. Use Post Planning
Buffer™ is my tool of choice. I love the simplicity and ease of use. I also love that you can use it to schedule posts in private groups on Facebook and that it is integrated for Instagram™, Twitter™ and LinkedIn™ as well. There are other excellent tools out there such as Hootsuite™.
Pick the one that works for you.What I suggest that my students, and clients do, is schedule one ninety-minute block once per week to schedule at least twenty posts depending on how many pages, and social media outlets they are active on.
From quote cards, to recipes to content that represents how your clients are doing – being out in front of people is essential and this means that you have to be putting out interesting content every two to three hours.
3. Remember Why You Are on Social
Many of my clients get caught up wasting time on social media. 
They essentially forget why they are on there in the first place. If your goal is to grow a business, then everything you are putting out there needs to have that view in mind.
It is tempting to go on a political rant, or express your views over a certain contentious subject however is this really time efficient?
NO!
Secondly, although these may be your views, you may offend some potential customers.
If you go onto your social media platform remembering why you are there, you will inherently be more productive and more professional which will save you time.
Lastly – social media is essential in today’s business environment. Be authentic, be genuine and most of all put out content that is interesting, inspirational and educational. In this business landscape, you must make time for social media and if you follow these tips, as a start, you will soon find that your following, interaction and engagement increases.
Go for it!
Susan Sly is a best-selling author, speaker, trainer and entrepreneur. She specializes in helping individuals, and organizations, become more productive. She resides in Scottsdale, Arizona with her husband, Chris. Susan is the mother of five children and loves her life! To connect with Susan visit. www.SusanSly.com
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