You can love them or hate them, but on social media you have to be there. Of course, it isn’t necessary to be on everyone; you’ll decide which ones to focus your attention on based on the type of audience you are targeting, but you have to be there.
Posting something here and there every now and then to keep our page or profile “active” isn’t enough.
You need a strategy, albeit a simple one, but you must have a plan, a direction in which to move. It also takes a lot of time and perseverance. All of this, along with a mix of valuable content, is part of a good recipe for maintaining and increasing visibility with your audience (which includes, don’t forget, your potential clients).
As AdminHelpSV virtual assistants, we deal with social media for both our clients and ourselves, and we know how much effort and time it takes to invest. We also know that it’s easy to “get distracted” and not be constant in publishing. But the Internet comes to our aid…
There are online tools that allow you to manage and share content on different social profiles, schedule posts and much more, all by connecting to a single dashboard.
There are many: Buffer, Hootsuite, Later, just to name a few. In our opinion Buffer and Hootsuite are ideal to get started. They’re easy to use and they’re not expensive, they also offer a free version that allows you to “practice” and understand the platform.
They work in a similar way. At the moment one of the most evident differences concerns the connectable social networks.
Buffer manages Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Instagram, and Hootsuite offers the possibility to manage Youtube.
Get started by creating a free account. Connect the various social profiles you want to manage and start scheduling your posts. From the control panel you will be able to:
Share content (status updates, images, videos, links to articles or external resources).
Schedule posts in advance (choosing days and times).
Monitor results.
Both Buffer and Hootsuite offer the possibility to download a Chrome extension which we find very useful. If, while browsing the web, you find interesting images or content, all you have to do is click on the small icon (top right of your screen) and choose which social network (s) you want to share the content on.
You can add your comments, hashtags, mentions, and decide whether to share it immediately or schedule it to share later. In this case, it will be automatically put in the "queue" and will be posted later (depending on the publication times that you have previously set).
However, we would like to say the following: These tools are not meant to replace personal interaction. You absolutely don't have to automate everything, or you run the risk of losing the relationship with people, which is the basis of an online business. Always remember that social networks are in fact… social. You need to be able to connect, build a relationship, and inspire trust.
Use online management tools to save time and keep your presence constant, but remember to use the time left to interact personally with those who follow you.
Relationships (personal, professional, collaborative) are established with people and not with automated social media management programs.
And are you already using tools for managing social networks? We'd like to know what you think. Leave us a comment.