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Trellis Tip #16: Concentrate Your Social Media Campaign

Don’t stretch yourself too thin across all social media platforms.  Instead of having a lackluster representation in a lot of places, be well defined on a few of them.

There is a social media network out there for everyone, but unless you have a robust social media team, it’s a waste of time and resources to be on all of them. When it comes to choosing which one is right for your business, ask yourself the following questions:  

What are we selling? If you’re selling a service (e.g. a law firm, masseur, etc.) social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc. will be most advantageous. Facebook allows you to supplement photos with larger amounts of content, and Twitter lets you quickly communicate important messages. Photo-sharing networks, like Instagram and Pinterest, are great for businesses with tangible products or a cool brand, like outdoor clothing & gear designer, Patagonia. Under the username @wornwear, their Instagram feed is primarily photos posted by customers sporting their own Patagonia products.

What type of media do we want to broadcast? What is the best way to communicate your brand – photos, text or video? Home-related businesses and tourism organizations flourish on photo-sharing networks like Houzz, Pinterest and Instagram, where users can save and share inspirational photos. Event promoters use Twitter to tweet about events before, during and after. They can also hashtag events, encouraging attendees to do the same. Businesses like restaurants and salons thrive on Yelp, where they’re authentically promoted through customer reviews.

What are my objectives? Do you want to expand your brand or do you want to sell more cars? Do you want to increase your search engine rankings or garner consumer feedback? Consider using Google+ to improve your SEO. Sites like Facebook, Pinterest and Houzz will be optimal in driving people to your website. Twitter is great for real-time customer service.

What offers the best potential for reaching our target audience? When executing a social media campaign, it’s important to know what platform your target audience is using. Here are a few stats to consider:

Facebook is the leading social media platform, with a fairly even mix of men and women, ages 18-64. 

Pinterest will be most beneficial in targeting women, ages 21-35.

Twitter has a fairly even mix of men and women between the ages of 18-29. 

LinkedIn is skewed towards the male gender, ages 30-64. It’s useful for targeting white-collar, highly educated business professionals.

The Google+ network is 63% male, with users who are more technically savvy than those on networks like Facebook. 

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If you want to get more done in a day you may just need to work smarter, not harder. Follow these techniques to become the master of your own time:

 1)    Make a Schedule: Allocate 30 minutes in the morning to making a to-do list and working those tasks into a well-timed schedule.  At the end of the day, make a list of what you did not get to while it’s still fresh in your mind.

2)   Order of importance: Prioritize your most important tasks. Complete these tasks earlier in the day because you’re more likely to deviate from your schedule later on.

3)   Time blocks: Create time blocks for high-priority tasks and have the discipline to stay on track. The time constraint will push you to focus and be more efficient, even if you have to go back to add more later.

4)   Scheduled interruptions: Plan to be pulled away from what you’re doing. Schedule a time to answer emails and return phone calls.

5)   Learn to say “no”: Don’t drop what you’re doing to answer emails and phone calls unless it’s absolutely critical in your business to offer an immediate human response. Learn to differentiate between the important and the urgent.

6)   Early bird gets the worm: Don’t procrastinate – it’s much less stressful to get an early start on something.  By doing a little at a time, not only will you be less stressed out at the eleventh hour, but you’ll also have more time to perfect your ideas.

7)   Block out distractions: Eliminate distractions like Facebook and other forms of social media unless you use those tools to generate business. Keep your cell phone out of reach and close all social media windows.