An Hour a Day - How to Keep your Social Media Addiction in Check

If you are like me - or any small business owner really - social media plays an important part of your business. But time is limited and it is a rare day that I dont answer the phone while in the bathroom. Multi-tasking at it's best. If you let it social media can suck your time, and use up all of your day if you let it. The important part is not to let it take over your life.

Here are a few important tips to be smart with your time and your social media campaign:

Plan social media into your schedule for 30 minutes 2-3 times a week.

1. Turn on your computer and open 7 windows. Twitter, Facebook including your Facebook Fan Page, your website, and 2 of your favorite news websites with pertinant news on your industry. Move fast, don't get distracted.

2. Facebook: Scroll through the page – make 3 comments on other people’s posts. Post what you are up to that day. Respond to anyone who has commented on your status or left you a message. Move fast, don’t get distracted.

3.Twitter: Click your @ button. Anyone who has mentioned you – thank them publicly. Respond to DM’s. Scroll through your home page and re-tweet 3 things of interest. Move fast, don’t get distracted.

4. LinkedIn: Post your status update. Don't re invent the wheel, it can be the close to the same status update that you posted on Facebook or Twitter. Eventually you will have your Twitter feed update automatically on LinkedIn. This will save a few minutes. Respond to any messsages, join a group and make a comment on that group. Move fast and don't get distracted.

5. Blog: Post a quick blog post . Place a feed from your blog on your facebook fan page, then Twitter it, both with links to your website.

6. Close All windows Really the most important and relevant step, along with move fast and don't get distracted.

Pick a schedule and do this exercise two to three times a week.

If you follow this schedule it will become a habit. Also don’t underestimate the power of commenting and interacting – this is probably MORE important than posting your own content and links. Social media is just that – social!





BONUS TIP: Plan into your schedule an additional 2-3 hours a week if you are a blogger to sit down and write at least 20-30 relevant articles for your blog for the next month.