building an effective social media strategy {part 2}
Last week we began a new series on building an effective social media strategy by considering three of the primary struggles we face with social media: overwhelm, uncertainty, and usage. This week, we’ll be considering 3 keys to an effective social media strategy.
Social media is complex. As bloggers we have to understand how to balance the needs of our audience with the current algorithms for each platform. We need to know the terms of service and the optimal times to post. We have to know what works on Facebook and when to use a hashtag on Twitter. Let’s face it, social media isn’t for wimps.
But, in spite of all those challenges, social media isn’t impossible. We can develop a workable and effective strategy for using it to our best advantage. Below are three keys to getting your strategy in place.
Schedule
Please trust me on this: scheduling posts is absolutely necessary!! Use tools like Hoot Suite and CoSchedule. Allocate time in your blogging routine for social media scheduling. Otherwise, you will be on social media all day. Find a tool you like and use it.
Specify
Choose specific posts to highlight each month on social media. Maybe you want to emphasize the most popular posts on your blog or seasonal content. Especially if you are not writing a new post every day,use the “off days” to promote great content from your archives.
Specialize
It’s okay to use only a few social media platforms — especially if you really know how to use them well. Take time to learn the best ways to leverage your social media time. Spend time every month educating yourself and make it a point to implement new ideas to improve your connection with your audience.
Those are my 3 keys for building an effective social media strategy. Choose one as a focus for this week and leave a comment sharing why you chose it. We’ll encourage each other in the quest for dominating in social media!
Which of these three keys will you focus on this week: scheduling, specifying, or specializing? Why?
