5 Time Saving Hacks For Social Media Marketing

One of the biggest complaints I hear from my clients about social media marketing is the amount of time it can take to write, schedule and monitor posts.

When you seem to have a never ending to do list, fitting in time for social media can be difficult especially if you’re using multiple channels to promote your business. If you’re not ready to outsource to a marketing professional, here are my 5 time saving hacks to help you keep on top of your social media.

1. Batch write your posts in advance

If you’re spending 20 or 30 minutes a day crafting posts, uploading them and checking notifications you’re potentially wasting time that could be better spent elsewhere.

When you work in batches, you can get far more done in that focused time than trying to snatch minutes here or there that can end up taking twice as long.

Set aside half a day once a month to write a month’s worth of social media content. It’s much easier to create multiple posts when you’re feeling inspired and free to take your time with your ideas than feeling rushed to get things done.

2. Schedule your posts ahead of time

You don’t have to upload each social media post on the day you want it to be seen. There are a lot of apps out there that can be used to publish posts on your behalf, meaning you can upload your batch written posts at a time that suits you.

Although some social media experts feel that you get better results by using the native scheduler on Facebook, I’ve noticed a negligible difference personally. Having said that, I do schedule posts directly to Facebook as it’s quick and easy to use and I find their analytics are insightful. For Twitter and LinkedIn I use Hootsuite and Later for Instagram. For Pinterest fans, Tailwind is highly recommended.

Most of these apps offer free trials, so take your time to find one that you like and feels intuitive to use.

3. Prioritise the social media channels you use

If you’re short on time, trying to be prolific on every social media channel might not the best way to go.

Have a good think about the social media channels you’re on and indeed, the ones you want to be on. You don’t have to be on a  particular channel just because everyone else is saying that you should be; you need to be on the social media platforms that your target audience are hanging out on.

Assess whether you really do have the time to manage multiple social media accounts and if you should consider outsourcing to a social media marketer. If neither is an option, focus on the one platform you expect to get the best results from. 

4. Check your notifications at set times each day

I know how tempting it can be to check your notifications each time you have a coffee break, but this can easily divert your attention and steal time away from your other tasks.

It’s better to have set times each day where you can spend 15 minut

es checking on notifications, responding to comments and interacting with other social media accounts. Some business owners do this during their commute on the train or when they’re waiting to collect their children from school.

If a notification requires more time and attention, respond with a comment or direct message and allocate time when you are free to devote the focus it deserves.

Hiring a social media manager can be beneficial for this as they can check notifications on your behalf and alert you to the ones you need to take care of, saving you time and energy to spend where it matters most.

5. Keep track of your posts and re-use popular ones

Whether you use spreadsheets to plan your social media content or compose your posts directly on a scheduling app, it’s important that you go back and review how well each post performed.

If you have used an app, then you’ll find some analytics to dig into with your top posts, the posts most interacted with, etc. Use this information to guide your social media marketing strategy going forward. You’ll only be wasting time and effort if you keep putting out posts that aren’t working for you.

You can re-use popular posts, but I suggest that you do so sparingly. Your interested audience can spot if you share the same post a little too often. Try re-purposing it with an image, slightly different text or using on a different platform to keep things as varied and interesting as possible.

Ultimately, the best way to save time on your social media is to outsource to a marketing professional like myself to take care of things for you, but if that isn’t an option give these hacks a try and let me know how you get on!