Making the decision to add social media to your marketing plan was a good one. There’s no question that it’s a smart, cost-efficient method for creating awareness, attracting a loyal following, building a solid customer base and boosting sales. Businesses everywhere are quick to attest to its success. But now that you’ve jumped into the social media pool with both feet, how do you keep from getting overwhelmed by the added responsibility of maintaining your calendar and keeping your content both current and effective?

Take a deep breath and discover these five ways to maintain your focus and keep from getting stressed out about your social media schedule.

1. Less is more. There are many social media networks out there and the numbers are growing all the time. Choose just a few based on your audience and your business goals. Managing a couple of networks on a regular basis is much more effective than spreading yourself too thin — or even worse — quitting because you simply can’t keep up.

2. Create a content calendar. Planning a social media calendar helps you feel better organized and more in control of your publishing efforts. Don’t try and plan months in advance. Every two weeks is more easily manageable and won’t force ideas that might be off-topic or bring no value to your audience.

3. Utilize the tools of the trade. Discover social marketing tools that allow you to manage multiple networks simultaneously. HootSuite and TweetDeck are just a couple of tools that were designed to help you create efficiencies and provide an analysis of the effectiveness of your efforts.

4. Get away from it all. Maintain a healthy social media balance by not becoming an online junkie. You’ll keep your message content fresh and more relevant when you take a few steps back and stay open to new ideas.

5. Have fun. Social media allows you to make an impression through your insights, connections and offerings. When you look like you’re having fun, people will gravitate to your message and success will follow.

Watch how your contemporaries are managing their social media presence, too. You may want to model your strategy and style after other businesses and organizations you admire. Just remember, not every message you deliver is going to result in a home run. But as you become more and more familiar with the medium, you won’t feel so overwhelmed by the process, and soon you’ll discover that being social is really a great way to do business.

If you have a comment about the article, or  your own tips  for avoiding social media overwhelm, I’d love to hear them! Feel free to post a comment below.

To your online success!

Are you getting a lot of spam from Twitter? If so, then you may want to check out TrueTwit. TrueTwit is a validation service for Twitter. If you decide to use it, keep in mind that this will create an extra step for people who want to follow you. However, those who are truly interested in receiving your Tweets won’t mind the validation process. It’s another good way to keep the robots from getting into your inbox.

Nice Job Firefox!

How FAST is your Internet?

I am VERY happy to say (er, type) that my Internet is super fast now — well, it’s fast for a DSL connection.

Since we cut our land-line a few weeks ago, I am now enjoying (and I mean ENJOYING) a download speed of 9-10 mb/s and an approximate upload speed of 1 mp/s. Now, I can upload/download/blog/schedule appointments/make VOIP calls/surf/research like never before. My speed prior to cutting the landline was turtle slow compared to this. It also helps that my 5-month-old Toshiba laptop has the Intel® Core™ i7-720QM processor.

Read more about how the processor speed affects surfing here:
“How Does Processor Speed Affect Surfing the Internet?”

Below is a screen shot of a recent speed test.
I believe the 13.62 MB was a fluke as I haven’t come close to that since but I have been maintaining an average of 9-10MB.

Speed Test Results

You can check your Internet speed at www.speedtest.net.

What were your results?

Wow, what a day! Today was the third session of the Elizabeth Kearney Leadership Development Program. Each session has been inspiring to say the least and today was no different. I have learned so much about myself in the past couple of months.

Prior to starting the program in September, I learned that my top 6 strengths are:
Harmony – I look for areas of agreement and try to find common ground.
Positivity – I have an enthusiasm that is contagious. I am upbeat and can get others excited about what I am going to do.
Activator – I can make things happen by turning thoughts into action.
Futuristic – I am inspired by the future and what could be. I inspire others with my visions of the future.
Restorative – I am adept at dealing with problems. I am good at figuring out what is wrong and resolving it.
Empathy - I can sense the feelings of other people by imagining myself in others’ lives or others’ situations.

Powerful stuff huh?

If only more companies were interested in identifying their employee’s strengths. Imagine the impact a team could have if they were assembled based on their strengths rather than their position within the company. Hmmm…. what a concept, huh?

Do you know your strengths; those talents with which you were born with?
If not, then check out the Strengthfinder 2.0 assessment by Gallup – www.strengthfinder.com

I’m looking forward to future sessions of this leadership program with great anticipation!
I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

If you have any thoughts on the strengthfinder that you’d like to share, please post a comment.