Tips for Batch Processing Your Social Media Content
This post is Day 10 in the 31 Days to a Super-Purposeful Schedule series.
We have such a privilege to be able to freely share and connect with amazing people all over the world on social media. If you have a business or a blog, there's also a little bit of an expectation to be plugged in and consistently sharing valuable content to the people who give you their time.
The problem is it can be very hard to keep it all in balance.
I personally have always wanted to be able to streamline and schedule the whole process so that I could just check in and out easily. Unfortunately, I'm just not that organized. (Yet!)
If that's you too, remember this: NO ONE is doing everything perfectly.
That doesn't need to be your goal. A better goal is to provide your followers with really helpful, actionable content and create a way to easily connect with them. If you can keep social media in check so it isn't taking over your life but isn't neglected either, then you're set. A key to this, as we talked about yesterday, is batch processing.
How We Can Begin Batch Processing Social Media
Step 1 // Key Messages To Communicate
If you had to simplify your main message down to 3 things, what would they be?What do your followers need to know about your business, blog or life in general? Once you've decided your messages, it will be easier to come up with ideas to share.
Example: The 3 main messages I want to have for my content - Use your gifts for others, Be intentional with your time and There is always hope. So I'll aim to share things that are helpful, encouraging, positive, and actionable relating to time management and creativity.
Step 2 // How Often To Share Content & Personally Check In
What amount of time and posting seems reasonable for a well-rounded online presence? Do you want to share content every day, every other day, multiple times a day, etc? What is your ideal amount of time to connect/chat personally?
Example: You could share on Facebook 3x/week, Twitter 5-8x/day, 5-15 Pins per day, 2-3 photos on Instagram each day. If that content was all scheduled in advance, you could have time to personally check in a few minutes each night and participate in a few Twitter chats, Facebook groups or Periscopes during the week without it taking over your life.
(Photo by Rachel Wakefield)
Step 3 // Store Up Content Ideas For Sharing
If you happen to have a good amount of time to schedule your posts for the week, the last thing you want is to run out of ideas or valuable resources to share. A good fix for this is having a few running lists you can add to when you think of something to share. Decide where you'll store your ideas and awesome finds.
Examples: I'm using Evernote to list out things like verses/quotes I find, random tips I learn, questions I'd want to ask, etc. For tools and resources, I use the Pocket app, saving posts I come across in Blog Lovin' and secret Pinboards on Pinterest. I love having a place to save something worth sharing especially if I'm not ready to stop everything and share it right that second.
Step 4 // Scheduling Shared Content
Once you have a stockpile of ideas, it's time to batch schedule them. When can you spend 20-40 minutes scheduling all of your content for the week? It seems like a lot but keep in mind, it will free up so much time during the week you would have spent doing one at a time. There are a LOT of apps to schedule social content, so research and decide which ones you want to try.
Examples: Sunday afternoons I can schedule content while my family naps. I'm going to try using Buffer, Latergramme, and IFTTT. In the past, I've used Tweetdeck, Hootsuite and Bitly, and those were helpful, but I need a better all-in-one scheduler. (What do you use?? Share in the comments.)
Step 5 // Set limits for connecting personally.
Now that everything is scheduled, you can decide how much is reasonable for you to personally check in and connect with others. Give yourself a schedule and use a timer to shut it off when you need to. Putting guidelines on your time can free you up to say yes to things that might matter a little bit more. Do yourself a favor and set some limits!
Examples: Last week I decided as part of my editing and battle against interruptions to completely turn off my social media and email notifications. (I had no idea how often I was stopping through the day just because of a tiny ping or a tiny number showing!) Instead, I just picked a time during the day to check in briefly. I also uninstalled Periscope for the week and set a challenge to really focus on face to face time with my family. It made a huge difference and I no longer felt like I was constantly pulled in a million directions.
Today's Action Step:
Choose a day/time to batch schedule your social media content regularly. If you're already doing that, try setting limits for yourself about how often you check in personally. If you haven't downloaded PART 2 to the SPS Workbook yet, check out the Free Resources page! (*Note: if you're already subscribed and are having trouble accessing this page, email me for a refresher on the password. xo)
