Is it really possible to establish and maintain a social media presence in the same amount of time it takes to mow the lawn or catch up on an episode of Modern Family or New Girl? Why, yes. Yes it is.
Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are the trifecta of social media - at least for small businesses and agencies - and while it's easy to get sucked into any of them for hours at a stretch, you can manage them in much less time with some planning and the right social media management tools.
While we know that some readers will wonder if 34 minutes a day is really giving enough attention to social media and the answer is....it absolutely depends on your business but these tips will definitely help you get started!
Here's how to make the most of every minute you're logged in.
Part I: Facebook in 11 minutes a day
A typical Facebook user spends about 17 minutes a day* on the site. You can spend much less and still get plenty of business done.
6 Minutes in the Morning
• 2 minutes: post a status update. Consider: a photo, video,a link to something interesting you read outside of Facebook or a link to your latest blog post.
• 1 minute: schedule another status update to go up later in the day. To schedule an update, write the post, upload a photo or video, and then click on the clock icon in the update box and choose the time you want it to post.
• 1 minute: respond to any questions or comments fans have left for you.
• 2 minutes: invite five new people from Facebook groups you've joined to become your fans or subscribers. Like a few posts and comment on at least one along the way.
5 Minutes in the Afternoon or Evening
• 2 minutes: post another status update. If you posted something about your business this morning, consider sharing something about your industry.
• 1 minute: respond to all questions or comments (positive and negative) left for you during the day.
• 2 minutes: check out a few of the profiles or Pages of people who have Liked or subscribed to your Page today. Reciprocate and Like/subscribe to their pages.
Tip: Use a scheduler such as PostPlanner or Buffer so you can space posts throughout the day or week.
Part II: Twitter in 12 minutes a day
Two keys to cultivating a Twitter presence include responding to tweets and direct mentions quickly, Tweet out links to interesting content, follow new people, and hone your headline writing skills. You can do this in 12 minutes a day. If you categorize the people/organizations you follow into lists, it will be even easier to manage Twitter. That way, when you log into Twitter you can quickly check your "news" or "social media" or "sports" lists to see what's going on in that world.
7 Minutes in the Morning
• 1 minute: respond to tweets and direct messages (DMs).
• 1 minute: scan your home feed and retweet one tweet (read anything with a link included before you tweet - just in case it's garbage).
• 5 minutes: go to three websites or blogs that you read regularly and find at least three articles to tweet. Schedule them using HootSuite or Buffer or your favorite scheduling tool so they go out throughout the day rather than all at once.
2 Minutes Midday
• 1 minute: respond to tweets and DMs
• 1 minute: scan your home feed; retweet 1-2 tweets
3 Minutes in the Evening
• 1 minute: respond to tweets and DMs
• 1 minute: scan your home feed; retweet 1-2 tweets
• 1 minute: find a couple of new people to follow
Tip: Use Hootsuite, Tweetdeck or Buffer to efficiently schedule several tweets in one sitting so they go out at various times of the day and night.
Part III: LinkedIn in 12 Minutes a Day
LinkedIn is primarily a B2B tool. It's meant to be used to find people you want to do business with, or have done business with in the past. For that reason, your first order of business should be to make sure your profile and business page are both complete.
Here's how you can start to build your LinkedIn presence in just 12 minutes a day.
6 Minutes in the Morning
• 2 minutes: grow your network. Look through the suggested "People you may know" and see if there is anyone you can connect with.
• 2 minutes: update your LinkedIn status. Share interesting articles that you found on Twitter, or read on a news site or on a blog.
• 2 minutes: comment on one or two status updates from people within your network.
1 Minute Midday
• 1 minute: respond to people who have commented on your status or otherwise reached out to you on LinkedIn.
5 Minutes in the Evening
• 5 minutes: check in with one or two of the groups you joined and connect with people in the group. You can add a comment to a conversation thread that has already started. You can also answer a question or ask a new one to start a new thread.
Tip: Use LinkedIn's Help Center and Learning Webinars to stay up to date with new features and changes.
Statistics from U.S. Department of Justice: http://www.iacpsocialmedia.org/Resources/FunFacts.aspx