Social Media Productivity Tips for Entrepreneurs

Learn how to be a beast with Yolonda’s social media productivity tips for entrepreneurs.

On any given day, you can find thousands of articles about productivity. Trust me, there is no shortage of advice or how-to’s on the topic, so I won’t bore you with any. But to sum those articles up, productivity is the art of getting things done. Period. No filler, no fluff, and no chaser.

As a social media strategist and coach, I find that many of the entrepreneurs who I speak with just can’t get a grip on their productivity as it relates to social media. Oftentimes, these business owners are bootstrapped for cash and can’t afford to invest in a social media manager. But not having the funds readily available to invest does not negate the fact that you should be present and active on social media. Trust me when I say this: if your competitors are there, then you should be there too. If they’re not there, then you should still be there.

In efforts to help you step your social media game up and get more done, I’m sharing my top three social media productivity tips for success. These tips will help you to accomplish more with less time, while keeping your social media channels active and relevant.

Organize your content.

First, you need to create a document to record observances and holidays you’d like to acknowledge in your business. These days should be closely related to your niche and/or important to your ideal clients. It’s wise to do this yearly. These days tend to stay the same unless a new holiday or observance is created.

Next, you’re going to create a spreadsheet to organize your native content. These will be blog posts that are housed on your website. Creating this spreadsheet saves you the time of going back and forth, looking for content to share. The more blog posts you create on your site, the more time it will take you to go through it manually, so create the spreadsheet and thank me later. Your spreadsheet should have the following columns: title, url, category, and theme. When a holiday comes around, you just hit ctrl + F, search the holiday, and browse the blog posts that are timely for that category or theme.

Next, you’re going to identify sites to pull niche-related content. This is your curated content that you share with your audience from other sources that may be of interest to them or that they can use to complement their personal and professional lives. I use Feedly to keep these feeds organized and readily accessible. I shared more about Feedly in the post titled “Productivity Apps That Will Help You Conquer 2016.”

Choose your tools.

The tools you’ll need for social media are dependent upon which social media channels you’re using, and that should depend on where your ideal clients are hanging out online. You definitely should know this. I have shared some of my favorite tools in the article titled “Six Free Social Media Tools for Entrepreneurs.”

Block the time.

Dedicate a block of time weekly to schedule your social media content. I suggest you start with a four-hour block. For the first one or two months, time yourself so you will know how much time you really need on a weekly basis, or monthly if that’s what you prefer. Additionally, blocking the same day and time weekly will create a success habit that encourages you to get it done.

Schedule. Schedule. Schedule.

Now that you’ve done all the pre-work, you can sit down and gather the content you’re going to share with your followers on social media that week, and schedule it. Yes, it’s that easy. No need to pull out your hair or complain; just do it.

With an estimated 2.1 billion active social media users globally, there’s no question about whether your business should be on social media. Yes, you should be there sharing relevant and timely content for your target audience. However, while you’re there you should be productive, and that means avoiding getting sucked into the black hole of scrolling, commenting, liking, and retweeting. Follow these social media productivity tips and you’re well on your way to social media success.

Feel free to share your current scheduling routine in the comments, or if you’ll be trying any of the tips listed above.

About Yolonda

Yolo Spinks is a Memphis-based lifestyle blogger and social media strategist. With a charming smile and deep-rooted Southern drawl to match, Yolo is dedicated to inspiring and motivating women and girls of color to live in purpose and on purpose. Her work to bring awareness to polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and infant mortality in communities of color are just two of the ways that she gives back to her community. In her spare time, you can find her reading a book and being Auntie ‘Londa to her great-nieces, Goo and Kay. Follow her on Twitter at @YoloSpinks.