As small business owners our passion for our work often translates into 12-17 hour days, seven days a week. We micromanage every decision, task, and challenge. And when it comes to marketing our brand and generating both consumer loyalty and sales, we sometimes run up against The Wall. We get a little stressed. OK, maybe a lot stressed. Creativity stalls and we can feel like we’re posting the same message over and over.
Here are three solutions that help us recharge and refocus in order to reduce social media stress:
Focused marketing: We use Google Analytics to learn which social media sites generate the most responses to our posts, and we target those sites for the bulk of our marketing. When we narrow our focus, we also learn what type of content excites our customers on a particular site and then tailor our message accordingly. Focusing our research up front alleviates the stress of feeling like we have to be marketing our business on every social media site when, in fact, we might not need to be stretching our brand that thin.
Calendar It: Getting organized up front reduces any stress about what and when to post. At the end of each month we sit down with our calendar and prepare for the upcoming month. On specific dates we jot down short notes for the type of post we will want: promotion, charity event, holiday, etc. We know precisely what social media tasks need to be accomplished each day and with a full view of the calendar we can plan ahead. We no longer scramble for last minute ideas while trying not to miss a window of opportunity
Delegate: If there is one thing we have learned it’s that multi-tasking does not reduce stress. Imagine that! Delegating is a great way to play to the strengths of our team while allowing us the breathing space to focus on other tasks. During busier times we ask our associates to review the calendar, create the content, do the posting, tweeting and pinning, and manage the responses to and from customers. A quick proofread of their work beforehand allows us to stay in the information loop. And if a challenge arises, we are there to provide support.
Marketing via social media is a great way to build brand loyalty and keep our customers engaged. But there are those times when we are juggling too many tasks and start to feel stressed out. So we look for workable solutions to reduce that stress and jumpstart our creative energies. We don’t stand there staring at The Wall, we find ways that help us, and you, get to the other side of it.
