Are you worried you may be overdoing it on social media?
Do you constantly have to force yourself to log off because you think it’s getting in the way of other things in your life, and you’re always looking into websites to block at work?
Do you get on it for business and then get distracted with the newsfeeds?
Which social media platforms should you be using to grow your business?
In this article, you’re going to learn how to leverage social media platforms to your advantage, use them, make them work for you, and then get off before you get sucked into a time-wasting vacuum.
Introduction to Social Media Platforms and Your Business
Many of your current and potential clients are on social media, and it’s why so many businesses use it to grow their customer bases and bottom lines.
The number of platforms has EXPLODED recently: Social media first became popular with Myspace, then Facebook, and now you have an almost UNLIMITED number of options to grow your business.
Which brings up a problem: How do you know which social media platform to use for your business?
Different Social Media Platforms and How They Can Help You Grow Your Business
You might be thinking that Facebook is the only platform you need to grow your business. While Facebook is great for the ability to share visual content, post ads targeted to your previous visitors using pixels and more… There are TONS of other options out there.
You’re going to learn about other potential platforms available to help you:
Periscope
Your business, large or small, needs to be on Periscope!
This is a streaming video platform that provides the means for business owners to make a personal connection with potential clients.
Although the ability to reach a large audience is limited, the feature allowing live viewers to invite their followers increases the amount of exposure the business gains.
Live scopes are the perfect place to get the attention of viewers and it’s a golden opportunity to offer genuine insight about what your business can do for them.
Go ahead! Try out the scope and see how your business transforms.
Chris Ducker is known to use and recommend Periscope heavily. Check out his live casts if you’re interested in learning about business management, entrepreneurship and outsourcing.
Of course, you’ve seen the pretty little boards with all the great pins but what exactly is Pinterest all about?
You must have noticed by now that almost every time you Google a product or service, Pinterest pops up! That’s because it’s the world’s greatest resource of catalog ideas, and your business could gain massive exposure simply by being pinned in various categories.
Someone sees your pin, immediately clicks on it and bingo! Your site link appears and there you have it, another potential customer.
Pinterest is an excellent visual platform to show off not only blog posts, but users using your products and more.
Snapchat
Snapchat is a newer platform. You can send and receive videos and photos, but they only last a certain amount of time. Once you view, they disappear forever.
Snapchat is an innovative way to connect with people around the world, but it’s not the ideal option for business networking. It can be a fun way to let your customers into your life and show them what you do, though.
Twitter may not be the ideal platform for lead generation, but it’s a great place for brand loyalty.
Twitter is the hangout for average people and celebrities alike. To put it boldly, Twitter is always jumping. The average user typically averages around 200 followers, 300 tweets and is active for about 160 minutes of the day.
Needless to say, there is potential to catch the eye or retweet a user or two.
This is a great brand building platform as many followers become loyal to a certain brand (hopefully yours), they become eager to retweet and follow those brands religiously.
Your main option for lead generation is to include a link in your bio or use the lead generation link as your main URL.
LinkedIn is more “professional” than the other platforms.
When most businesses are contemplating which social media sites to advertise or promote their business, LinkedIn is last on the list.
This platform works primarily for B2B marketing and not so much for B2C engagement. Therefore, if you’re not aiming to engage other businesses, you’re probably better off connecting with your customers over the other platforms.
Keep in mind, LinkedIn acquires about 2 new users per second. It doesn’t hurt to have a presence here. You never know who could see your business and decide you’re just the professional they need.
Google+
About two years ago, all of the writers and marketers declared that the year of Google was upon us.
They were almost right, except it may be the decade of Google.
Google+ is a dominating algorithmic factor and has an audience base that would break fire codes around the world. This platform includes the perfect trio: a powerful search engine, Google Authorship, and a social media platform that merges them into one place.
Don’t sleep on Google+ because it can be the lifeline of your business.
Instagram allows you to show your followers your daily life, where you are and even small videos.
It also allows you to place one link in your bio, for example, to your latest blog post or lead generation material.
If you can show you have an interesting life and can share great content, Instagram can help you grow your business.
An excellent resource to check out is Foundr’s Instagram guide.
How to Respect Your Internet Time Limit – 5 Ways to Limit Social Media Use
Social media business basics 101: You’ve got to know when to scroll them, when to read them, and sometimes when things get bad, how to block all websites.
Simply put, not everything on social media requires your attention, reaction, or your time… ESPECIALLY when it comes to your business.
It’s important to recognize the difference between quality content and just the junk that so many people put out there.
Wasting time on this type of content is simply a distraction from what’s really important in growing your business.
Here are 5 ways to control getting sucked into the void of social media:
1. Set time checks and an internet time limit.
As a business owner or entrepreneur, consider blocking off an hour or two for personal social media use each day. During this allotted time, you can browse personal feeds and chat with others about non-business related issues.
Consider this as a break or a time to rejuvenate the thought process. Fuel your brain with a little downtime. It can actually help you to become more productive during business hours.
2. Use news feed eradicator.
You can also consider restricting your browser use to Google Chrome, and installing News Feed Eradicator – which replaces the ENTIRE Facebook news feed with a motivational quote.
While this only helps with Facebook, it’s a good step in the right direction.
3. Use a standard operating procedure (SOP) for social media.
If you don’t have a standard process of which you actually conduct business on social media, you’re far more likely to go off the beaten path into “the void.”
Consider writing a set of processes, a checklist, or a SOP to confine you to the tasks you actually NEED to do on social media. Having a list of what to do will help keep your mind on task.
4. Use penalties and accountability.
You can set a specific amount of time you’re allowed to check social media, and stick to that. You can then combine that with accountability and tell someone that if you go over that set amount, you have to pay them $50…
Or if you’re like Maneesh Sethi, you can get someone to slap you.
5. How to block all websites: Use an app like FocusMe to block social media altogether when not working.
It’s difficult to remain focused on business with so many distractions out there. This is why apps like FocusMe were created. They allow you to focus on what’s important while it blocks the distractions.
If you’re having trouble staying off social media, consider installing FocusMe in addition to using steps #1-4.
Social media platforms have grown to be the main gathering places for personal and business networking. It can sometimes be difficult to separate your time between the two and for many, it’s almost impossible.
There are ways to initiate the successful use of these platforms for your business without getting lured into chatty conversations that take up all of your time. Follow the procedures in this article and you should have an easier time staying out of the void.
