Time Saving Social Media Marketing Tips

You know that social media marketing is a great way to grow your business, reach more people, and get in front of a new audience, but you also know it can be a huge time suck if you’re not careful.

If you’re running a small business and feeling overwhelmed with managing your social media, here are a few ways you can save time while still getting amazing results.

Let’s dive into 10 ways to save time on social media marketing.

1. Automate Posts with a Social Media Management Tool

If you’re not already using one, you should definitely check out a social media management tool. These tools allow you to schedule posts in advance and publish them automatically. So, instead of having to log on to each platform separately and manually post at specific times, you can just set it up once and let the tool do the rest. Plus, you can plan out your content in advance using a calendar feature, so you’re always keeping on top of upcoming events and holidays.

Benefits

• Plan and organize your content
• Consistently publishing new content.
• Saves time by eliminating the need to manually

Actions Steps to get started

• Research and compare different social media management tools to find the one that best suits your needs.
• Create an account and set up your social media accounts to be connected to the tool.
• Create a content calendar and use the tool’s scheduling feature to schedule your posts.

Tools to get started

Zoho Social, Sprout Social, Buffer, Agorapulse are some of the popular and well-known Social Media Management tools.

2. Create a Content Calendar

Speaking of calendars, it can be a real lifesaver to create a content calendar for your social media. This is just a simple calendar (Google Calendar, Trello, Asana can be used) where you plan out your content for the next few weeks or months. It helps you to keep track of important events, sales promotions, and holidays, and make sure you’re consistently publishing new content.

Benefits

• A content calendar helps you to keep track of important events, holidays and campaigns in advance.
• Using a calendar can help you to plan and organize your content, and to make sure that you’re consistently publishing new content.

Actions Steps to get started

• Create a simple calendar in Excel or Google Sheets, or use a template.
• Use the calendar to plan out your content for the next few weeks or months, taking into account important events and holidays.
• Update and adjust your calendar as needed.

Tools to get started

Google Calendar, Trello, Asana are some of the popular tools for creating a content calendar.

3. Automate Repetitive Tasks

Many social media management tools offer automation features, so take advantage of those! Automation rules can save a ton of time by automating repetitive tasks, like sending direct messages to new followers. This way you can focus on more important tasks, like creating new content.

Benefits

• Automation rules can save a significant amount of time by automating repetitive tasks.
• Save time to focus on other tasks.

Actions Steps to get started

• Research and compare different social media management tools that offer automation features.
• Set up automation rules for tasks that you want to automate, such as sending direct messages to new followers.
• Test and adjust your automation rules as needed.

Tools to get started

Many social media management tools offer automation features. Zoho Social, Sprout Social, Buffer, Agorapulse are some popular example

4. Establish Brand Guidelines

Creating a set of brand guidelines for visual elements and messaging can save a lot of time in the long run. It ensures consistency across all your social media platforms and makes it easier to create new content quickly. A guideline document can include information on your company’s colors, fonts, imagery, and tone of voice.

Benefits

• Ensure consistency in your visual elements and messaging across all social media platforms
• Improve brand recognition and credibility.
• Save time by eliminating the need to create new visual elements

Actions Steps to get started

• Create a document that outlines your brand guidelines, including information on your company’s colors, fonts, imagery, and tone of voice.
• Share the guidelines with your team and make sure that they understand and follow them.
• Use the guidelines to inform your content creation process.

Tools to get started

Basic document tools like Microsoft Word or Google Docs, Adobe Illustrator or Canva to create visual elements.

5. Utilize Video and Live Streaming

Video and live streaming are highly engaging forms of content, and can be a great way to increase brand awareness and customer engagement. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube are perfect for short-form videos, and can be used to share real-time updates like product demos, behind-the-scenes footage, and Q&A sessions. It’s a great way to connect with your audience in a more personal and immediate way.

Benefits

• Increase brand awareness and customer engagement.
• Short-form video content and live streaming can be used to share real-time content easily

Actions Steps to get started

• Determine which platforms are best suited for short-form video and live-streaming content, such as TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube
• Create a plan for the type of video or live-streaming content you want to produce and the frequency at which you will post it
• Invest in necessary equipment like a camera, microphone, and lighting
• Use apps or tools that allow you to create, edit, and publish videos quickly and easily.

Tools to get started

• Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube are some popular platforms for short-form videos and live streaming.
• Canva, Adobe Premiere, iMovie, Inshot are some of the popular video editing tools.

6. Monitor Your Social Media Accounts with Listening Tools

Social media listening tools can help you to keep track of what’s being said about your brand on social media and respond to comments and messages in a timely manner. It can help to improve customer satisfaction and engagement, and prevent issues from escalating. Tools like Zoho Social, Sprout Social, Mention, Talkwalker can be used to monitor social media activity.

Benefits

• Respond to comments and messages in a timely manner.
• Improve customer satisfaction and engagement, and to resolve issues before they escalate.

Actions Steps to get started

• Research and compare different social media listening tools.
• Set up keywords and mentions to track, and use the tool to monitor social media activity on a regular basis.
• Respond to comments and messages as necessary, and use the information gathered to inform your social media strategy.

Tools to get started

Zoho Social,Zoho Social, Sprout Social, Mention, Talkwalker are some popular social media listening tools to save you time.

7. Leverage User-Generated Content

Encourage customers to share their experiences on social media by offering incentives like discounts or promotions. User-generated content can be a powerful marketing tool, as it can increase brand awareness and credibility, and can be used to create new content. You can use it to inform your social media strategy and create new content.

Benefits

• Increase brand awareness and credibility, and can be used to create new content.
• Improve customer engagement and satisfaction.

Actions Steps to get started

• Encourage customers to share their experiences on social media by offering incentives, such as discounts or promotions.
• Monitor social media for user-generated content and repost or share it when appropriate.
• Use user-generated content to inform your social media strategy and to create new content.

Tools to get started

Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Facebook are popular platforms to collect user-generated content.

8. Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing can be a cost-effective way to gain visibility and credibility, and reach a new audience. Influencers are seen as trusted sources by their followers, and working with them can help to build trust and credibility for your brand. Platforms like BuzzSumo, AspireIQ, Klear, Upfluence can be used to identify influencers and collaborate with them.

Benefits

• Cost-effective way to gain visibility and credibility
• Build trust and credibility for your brand.

Actions Steps to get started

• Research and identify influencers in your industry or niche.
• Reach out to influencers to collaborate on sponsored posts or campaigns.
• Monitor the performance of your influencer campaigns and make data-driven decisions.

Tools to get started

BuzzSumo, AspireIQ, Klear, Upfluence are some of the popular influencer marketing tools.

9. Analyze Performance Data

Make use of analytics and performance data to measure the success of your social media campaigns, and identify areas for improvement. Social media management tools, like Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Buffer, Agorapulse, also offer analytics and performance-tracking features. Platforms like Facebook Insights, Instagram Insights, and Twitter Analytics can be used to track key metrics and analyze performance data. This way, you can make data-driven decisions and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Benefits

• Measure the success of your social media campaigns
• Identify areas for improvement on campaigns
• Make more effective and efficient decisions.

Actions Steps to get started

• Use social media analytics tools to track key metrics, such as reach, engagement, and conversion rates.
• Set up tracking and measurement for your social media campaigns to measure their success and make data-driven decisions.
• Use the data to inform your social media strategy and make adjustments to improve performance.

Tools to get started

Many social media management tools also offer analytics and performance-tracking features. Platforms like Zoho Social, Sprout Social, Buffer, Agorapulse, and Facebook Insights, Instagram Insights, and Twitter Analytics, can be used to track key metrics and analyze performance data.

10. Collaborate with Other Businesses

The last time-saving social media marketing tip is collaborating with other businesses is a great way to reach a larger audience and gain visibility for your brand. Cross-promotion can also help to build relationships with other businesses and increase your credibility and authority. Identify businesses that are complementary to your own and that have a similar target audience, and reach out to them to propose a cross-promotion partnership. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn can be used to collaborate and cross-promote your brand.

Benefits

• Reach a larger audience
• Gain visibility for your brand.
• Build relationships with other businesses
• Increase your credibility and authority.

Actions Steps

• Identify businesses that are complementary to your own and that have a similar target audience.
• Reach out to these businesses to propose a cross-promotion partnership.
• Create content together and collaborate on social media campaigns to reach a wider audience.

Tools

Social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook can be used to collaborate with other businesses and cross-promote your brand.

Time Saving Social Media Marketing Tips

Implementing these tips into your social media marketing strategy can help you save time and reach more people. Finding the right tools, automating repetitive tasks, creating a content calendar, establishing brand guidelines, and leveraging user-generated content are just a few of the many ways that you can make social media marketing more efficient and less time-consuming. By using these tips, you’ll be able to focus on what really matters – growing your business.

If you want more help with soical media marketing, check out the Smart Social Media Guide which includes social media tutorials, videos, resources, and more.