The word “random” is not your friend when it comes to social media marketing. Venturing into this realm necessitates more than just scattershot thinking. Instead, you want to take an intentional approach. But how to do this? Let’s break it down.
With each social network, ask if it is a productive use of your time.
Intentionality begins with direction. In turn, that can be determined by asking yourself a series of strategic questions. Here is a sampling of queries to pose with each potential social media network:
- Why should I have a presence here?
- What will this accomplish for me and my business?
- Do the voice and culture of the network resonate for you and your business?
- Is the communication format – be it messages, long blog posts, video or something else – helpful for you?
- Is the platform productive?
Now that you have a better sense of whether a particular platform will dovetail well with your professional desires, you can make the decision whether or not to take advantage of what it has to offer. Keep in mind that this is far from a lifetime commitment. Just as your goals and aims change, so do networks themselves, so you don’t need to worry about sticking with them if they no longer meet your needs. Built-in flexibility is also a part of intentionality – you need to be prepared to make changes to move yourself and your business forward as the climate around you shifts with time.
Now I’d like to talk about intentionality in a little bit of a different sense. While social media is a powerful tool not only for business but for cultural and historical shifts on the whole, it also has the potential to creep too far into our worlds, taking over our lives. When we talk about intentionality here, we’re talking about the willful boundaries that we place around social media so that we control it, rather than it controlling us.
Clean, clear boundaries around social media can help keep your life under your control.
Here are a few ways to accomplish that:
- Plan time away from social media. This could be a day, a weekend or even just a few hours. The amount of time doesn’t even matter so much as the deliberate nature of staying away from these networks in order to concentrate on other elements of life. You’ll be grateful for it!
- Keep social media in check rather than checking it constantly throughout the day. You don’t need to always be in touch with Facebook and Twitter, especially when you’re with other people. Let your loved ones take priority.
- Keep standard social-media hours. You may think of this as office hours for these networks, such as 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. as with standard business hours. Try not checking your social media first thing in the morning and last thing at night. It’s hard at first, but soon this built-in intentionality will become standard practice.
Looking for even more social media marketing tips? Check out these 5 Habits of Successful Social Media Marketers, How to Launch a Successful Social Media Strategy, and How to Streamline Your Social Media.
