So Much Social Media, So Little Time

Guest post by Blog Manager Robbi Hess

I was at a Chamber of Commerce meeting today and Anthony Kirlew did a 10-minute presentation on social media. One of the questions raised was, "How do I keep up with ALL of the social media sites that are out there?" Good question, right? 

Unless you have unlimited amounts of time, you can't possibly keep up with it all. I swear that at least once every couple of weeks I am being invited to yet another social media site. I have my pet blog community of which I am a member, then my professional sites (LinkedIn) and Google+ in addition to Facebook. Add to the mix, a Baby Boomer site that invited me, Pinterest, Branch Out, my PoolInfo Site community, Twitter... the list goes on. Sure you can get yourself a HootSuite account and schedule all of your updates automatically rather than going to each site individually. I am not a fan of pre-scheduling, but it does have its place. 

So, how do you keep up with it all? Maybe you can't. If not, pick and choose the social media sites that will work best for you. If you're heavily involved in the pet community but not so much in the professional world of LinkedIn (not that there isn't a lot of crossover), spend more time on the one from which you think you will gain the most benefit. If you're spinning your wheels on Twitter -- posting but not building good connections or having worthwhile conversations, put Twitter on the backburner and post occasionally. 

Bottom line, whichever platform you choose, use it to its fullest. As with anything you will get out of your social media platforms what you put into them. Which social media sites do you visit the most and which do you enjoy to work on?

 

Comments

[Vicki Cook]

You're right Robbi - I think it's impossible to do it all. My home base has always been Twitter - but as I've expanded my social networks, I find it harder and harder to spend as much time there I used to. I have two Twitter accounts, a Facebook profile, two Facebook pages, a Google+ profile, two G+ pages, a LinkedIn profile, a Triberr profile, two StumbleUpon profiles, a BlogPaws profile...well, you get the idea.

[Carol Bryant]

I am of the mantra "pick something and then do that well" - I try not to be involved in so many social media sites that rather than gaining momentum and promoting a cause or brand that I end up shouting to a crowd that ends up not hearing me. So I focus on a few and put my efforts into them. Good article, as always, Robbi.

[Rachel]

I agree it is very overwhelming to try to keep up with all the social media channels. Our home base is Facebook

[Robbi]

Thank you for the comments and I agree with all of you -- pick what works best and stick with it!