5 habits you need to adopt to be effective on social media

While many small businesses are realizing that marketing on the social web is becoming more important everyday, one question I’m often asked is how to add social media to a busy day that is already full. For those of us with small businesses, it may at times feel like we are practically working around the clock. So when is a good time to post a blog post, to do status update or a tweet?

I’ll admit; starting with a social media programme with consistent updates is not always bells and whistles. You just have to take a plunge and stick to it. Don’t look at it as a series of tasks that have to be done everyday, but more like a complete lifestyle change that you need to start integrating into the way you are thinking about your business.

How are you going to start with this way of thinking? Find below a couple of tips that can help you with this journey.

Start the day with a cup of social media
I bet you are most likely starting the day with a cup of coffee. Instead of reading the newspaper or whatever you’re doing while you have your morning coffee, read some digital content in your Google Reader to find interesting things to share with your target network.

If you are still reading the newspaper, understand that most publications are also online so it is the same information you will be able to find on the web. This also makes it easy to share the newsworthy content. You can also use the time when you are taking a break for another coffee during the morning and afternoon to send out a status update or a tweet.

What are you seeing everyday?
Instead of going through the day with a windshield on (many of us do), focus on what your goals are and try to look at the world from that perspective. Look at everything such as interesting articles, conversations you are having during the day and images you see, and use this as content for your blog posts, status updates, and tweets. This doesn’t mean that you should always be connected to the online world, it just means that you should start thinking how you can use social media everyday.

Blogging on weekends
Hopefully by now you know that blogging is one of the most powerful ways of getting found online. A blog can increase your credibility, build awareness, improve your organic SEO rankings, and it’s a powerful communication channel that you can use to engage with your target audience. With all these nice things said… blogging takes effort and is very time consuming. If you are struggling to find the time to write new blog posts during the week, take mental notes during the day or write them down and then use the weekend or when you have a gap to write your posts. Most blogging systems such as WordPress allows you to schedule your blog posts to be published at a later stage.

Small updates
If you want to adopt social media into your everyday life, remember to take a break once in a while and only share small updates when you don’t have enough time. This will make it more manageable during your busy day. At first it will take some time to adjust to get it right, but it can sure help you manage your time better especially in the beginning when you start out with social media.

Go mobile
I won’t tell you that mobile is the next big thing because it’s already here. Social media and mobile work hand in hand. Whether you are waiting for the bus or taking a small break during the day, being mobile can help you stay connected to your target audience anywhere and at any time.

When having social media in your everyday life it’s important that you stay consistent with your updates and connect with your target audience to increase your visibility on the social web. By using social media on a daily basis, posting updates when you have a break, blogging over the weekend, and by looking at the world from a different perspective, it will help you get your business on the social web.