Are you afraid of Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook? Are you desperately trying to forget that these social media sites even exist?  Does the thought of having to use them send shivers up your spine?  Do you think that you’ll have to devote countless hours to “staying connected?”

Well I understand how you feel; I used to feel the same way.  But what I have come to realize is that social media is not as time consuming as you might think.  A few simple tips can help you manage all you social media tasks and bring you and your business a ton of recognition and new contacts.

Follow these tips to make it easier for YOU:

1.   Don’t put yourself on every possible social networking site.  It’s too much all at once.  Instead pick one or two to start with and build up from there. Master each site first before you add more.  Hopefully, you have set up a plan for your activities; now evaluate the ROI.  If you are not getting a big enough ROI reevaluate your activities.

2.  Use applications that streamline social media tasks. Use Google applications to help keep productivity high and applications like Tweet Deck to keep tweets organized and streamlined. Read blogs and websites in RSS Reader.  If you are not using RSS Reader reconsider using it; it will make reading feeds more manageable.

3.  Use effective time management strategies to keep it manageable. Set a consistent schedule for when you engage in social media activities.  Use a timer to keep you to the schedule you set for yourself and keep you on track.   And don’t live on your blog, email, facebook or twitter accounts!  Check in once or twice a day.

By following these three basic steps you can gain control and mastery over social media and formulate a strategy that will help give you the expsoure you are looking for.  When all else fails give over your social media tasks to a qualified Virtual Assistant or Social Media Expert. It may be well worth the time and investment so that you can focus on even more important aspects of growing your business.

2 Responses to “I'm Afraid of Facebook”