Feeling the social media burn? You're not alone. Social marketing can be exhausting to keep up with, even if you have a dedicated team, but especially if you're the team. The social marketing landscape is constantly morphing and evolving, defined by an unpredictability that makes it exciting for us social junkies, but that's also what makes it tiring to track. If you let it, social media will eat up your time every day all day.
But it doesn't have to.
Here are a few tips on how to de-stress your social marketing muscles:
Routine is the master of efficiency
"Whether I retire to bed early or late, I rise with the sun," said Thomas Jefferson. So...take social marketing cues from Jefferson? No, but really, the gist of that quote remains: a routine makes life so much easier. And while social marketing can seem to draw you in six different directions at once, it's important to segment tasks according to a pre-set routine. I think this is the most crucial first step in any social strategy, and if you've already executed a strategy and don't have one, go back. Write out an editorial calendar. Better yet, write a content calendar and stick to it (think major holidays, industry events, and organization announcements.) That way, you can pivot within a calendar if something big happens on Twitter, or a new platform takes over a la Periscope. This will also free up more time to engage with influencers daily.
Evergreen is ever helpful
"Evergreen" is more than a buzzword. Creating content is one serious task, but finding ways to re-purpose it is easier, especially if it's done in advance. If content is there for the picking when a major social event happens or an unforeseen topic is trending. The key thing to remember here is that most content can be evergreen. When you write it, mark it in a database for keywords that can signal its repurposing. For example, for us: we've written a post or two about how to use color in your content. That post should be marked for repurposing in the instance of any Instagram news, any news connecting psychology and social marketing, or tech news having to do with sharper definition of color.
Tools help with time management
Don't become one of those organizations that is tool-heavy, but do invest in at least one tool that helps you identify trending topics and influencers. If you do it on your own, your perspective can easily become myopic. We like the content and influencer discovery tools in Sprout, HootSuite, and Little Bird for every day use, and other tools like Sprinklr, Spredfast, Tracx, and Wayin can help with automation, visualization, and publishing management.
Don't forget: marketing is mortal.
Be always on, but sometimes be off. Yes, you want to try to reach as many people as possible in as many locations as possible, but don't overload your social strategy with constant posts. This can also come in handy when there's some kind of tragedy trending on Twitter and your automation tool populates people's feeds with promotional posts (awkward.) You also need to make sure you give yourself time to jump on social and be a human. People respond to people. Sometimes people make mistakes, sometimes they have opinions, and all of the time they speak like humans. What is really going to reach as many people as possible is the authenticity of your posts and content. Focus on that, and strategy won't seem as overwhelming.