Social Networks 101 for Entrepreneurs

There is no denying that social media is a valuable tool to use in your marketing activities. However, the key to success for business owners is to plan their time on social media sensibly.

You’ll need to consider the types of social media you’ll be using, what could be advertised, and how often to post. The rhythm of activities in social networks avoids excessive saturation of the market.

Keeping content up to date can also be a challenge. Ask yourself: Is there a way to run a fundraising campaign for a good cause? Is your office willing to collect items for the food bank? Maybe you’ve decided to set up recycling bins for items like batteries and light bulbs and returnable beverage containers that your customers can also use. Or maybe your office can host a contest. Maybe your workplace has had some upgrades or a new mural was painted on the building. Maybe you can get a project done with your contacts. Maybe you can post an announcement of upcoming sales or discounts.

Social media offers a great opportunity for your business to celebrate causes, fundraisers, and community events that you’re a part of. It’s a great way to support those you associate with as you can also celebrate their successes and contributions to the world. And, of course, you can use it to invite networking opportunities to have conversations with your contacts. On top of this, supporting community and charitable events tells your staff, vendors, and customers that you care about making a difference.

Very often you come up with an idea for a social media campaign or a topic you’d like to cover, but don’t have time to follow up yet. Write that idea down so you can come back to it later. This way no opportunity is missed.

Before you rush into random posts, it’s important to decide how you plan to build buzz about each event and what you expect as a result.

Here’s another tip: Have a couple of documents on your desk with social media posts that you and your staff have created during brainstorming sessions. It will make your social media effort well organized and it will be easy to post items during the peak hours of the day.

So what are the best times of day to post? That really depends on who you’re targeting: their age, their interests, etc. For businesses, the best days to post on Facebook are Thursdays and Fridays between 11 am and 1 pm (Pacific). At 11am you will get more shares, while closer to 1pm you will get more likes and link clicks. For Twitter, posting between 11 am and 1 pm, during lunch hours, is the best time. However, on weekends it shows 30% more activity on Twitter. Due to typical business activities during the week, the best days to post on LinkedIn are Tuesdays and Thursdays. The best time frames to schedule LinkedIn posts are between 5-6:30am and 3-5pm Pacific Time. If you’re using Google+, scheduled posts on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, between 7 and 9 am, are the most effective.

No matter what time frame you’ve decided to work with, and no matter how much social media you want to try, being on social media is rewarding. If you’re into a lot of different outlets and find the idea of ​​managing them within one time frame overwhelming, there are a couple of options for you. Assign a staff member (or pay your child) to do this task for you. Alternatively, set alarms on your cell phone to remind you to post on specific days. When you’re really busy, there are numerous online services that allow you to schedule posts for automatic publication well in advance.

How you use social media will vary depending on the medium (Instagram, etc.) and type of product, service, or campaign you’re currently working on, and the type of person you’re trying to reach. Consider what time your target audience is online, how old they are, what they’re doing online, how long they’re online, and when they’re most interested or curious. Perhaps a customer survey can help you determine this.

By doing these suggested activities, you will notice that you spend less time on social media and your activities are much more effective. For more business advice, check out Brummets’ book: Purple Snowflake Marketing, which provides valuable business advice for any service, product, or book he writes.