Social Media Marketing has come a long way in the past ten years. In the beginning, almost anyone could get shares, likes, and comments on their posts since there weren’t that many people online. But now? Everybody and their grandma, her kids, her kids’ kids and their dogs are on social media. What’s a small business to do? Create systems, of course! Since I’m a big fan of simple, here are some simple ideas. And if you want to gain traction on Instagram, here’s an article from Social Media Examiner: 10 Ways to Grow an Organic Instagram Presence.

Use a Scheduler

Yes, some frown upon schedulers. Use one anyway. You can’t be online plus run your business plus have a life without a scheduler. I use HootSuite because I’ve used HootSuite since the dawn of time. But there are others you might like more. I’m not an affiliate, by the way. You might like this article about scheduling: What Makes Social Media Automation So Popular? Some other popular ones include Sendible, SproutSocial, and Buffer.

Get Online…But

The “but” here is to watch how much time you spend. How long do you have? You can definitely spend an hour online if you’re organized and don’t get sidetracked by cat videos (oops! That would be me). How many different platforms are you on? Don’t spend all your time on one unless you’ve determined you get 100% of your business from there, like my brother did with his Yelp account. More info about Yelp for businesses here: How to Use Yelp That Will Help Your Business Gain Social Proof.

Use a Timer

I like Noko timer, but it’s a little spendy. You need something that reminds you to get back to reality. Back in the day, I used an egg timer. Yes, really. Its steady ticking reminded me that time was passing by. Plus! You can get one for a dollar the Dollar Tree. Whatever gadget or app you use, it needs to remind you to get back to your other life. You know, the one with people and cars and food in it. For more information about time management, might I recommend: Time Management for the Tired and Frazzled?

Engage, Engage, Engage

Talk to people. If you retweet or report on others’ articles, say something about them. Don’t simply throw things out there because you’ll look like a robot. So have an opinion and curate what you say. Make sure it matches what your audience wants to hear, and please don’t overshare. If people comment on your posts, say thank you at the very least. If you need more help, I have a book you can read in an hour or two to help: 21 Ways to Total Social Media Engagement. It’s in paperback or available as an eBook.

Simple Enough?

Between a scheduler, a timer, and some engagement, you should have it covered. Is that too complicated? Is there something else you’d like to hear about? Let me know in the comments! And thank you.