Managing Social Media Updates

Google Plus, a welcome "new entrant" into the Social Networking scene. This time right from the start Google has it right, a nice clean interface , and the potential to add an endless variety of new tools as time progresses.

All good news right? Well you would of thought so but ...... Where are we going to find the time to manage another Social Network, and one that cannot be ignored by those who want to use Google Plus for Business?

Social Media: Time is always a dilemma

Without doubt an effective Social Media Program requires a significant amount of time, commitment and most importantly perseverance. Many companies are already stretched without the introduction of yet another Social Network. So where is the time going to come from for businesses to leverage Google Plus?

The introduction of Google Plus requires businesses to review Social Media Programs and determine where, if anywhere cuts can be made.

We reviewed our current Social Media Programs and decided there's not a lot of room to start cutting in one area, just to promote businesses on Google Plus. That left reviewing our processes to determine how we could improve efficiency while completing Social Media Updates.

1. Social Media Scheduling

First and foremost Social Media requires commitment. Although we update on clients behalf, I do urge clients to complete at least some personal social updates, mostly so they can stay connected with what's happening on various Social Networking accounts.

Scheduling is important to ensure these updates and communications get completed. Its simple set a side at least 30 minutes a day for some focused Social Media updating. Forget this time for anything else, it belongs to others, those in your Social Networks. In addition to this, its always a good idea if a spare moment comes available to check on any correspondence which may need your attention.

2 My Social Media Took Kit

Before you get started, get organized, and get the right tools for the job. With Social Media Updates we have three things going on, content development/sourcing, promoting content, and interaction / response. In this session the objective is to source content and get the message out there as efficiently as possible. It comes down to tools and process.

Eventually everyone finds what works best for them but as a starting point I can't do without:

Internet Explorer with Google Toolbar: I like this current version of IE and recommend setting it up as your Social Browser. You have a number of different outlets to broadcast your message and each requires their own subtleties. The Favorites and Google Toolbars will be your tools to fine tune your specific network needs.

Use the favorites bar to store all your Social Network accounts Google Plus, Facebook, Linkedin and any other services you may use to complete your Social Media Updates. Its all about being prepared.

The Google toolbar has some great sharing functions. I particularly like the LInkedin Share and Stumbleupon options. Getting Stumbled can have a significant impact on web site traffic.

Hootsuite for updates and reports: This service is a must have, not only does it offer great tools for scheduling multiple accounts, but also has in depth reporting features which can link to your Google Analytic to provide some positive tracking of your Social Profile Updates.

PingFM: All your Social Networks may not be accessible from Hootsuite, those missing can generally be added via PingFM. The bonus here is you can update PingFM from Hootsuite and at that point you've pretty well got the Social realm covered.

Shared Content: Content sharing plays a major part in any Social Media Program. Some of the content will be content your business has generated, while other is likely to be news or other informative articles you consider of interest to your target audience.

Finding high quality content of interest to your target audience can be an arduous task day after day. The secret is to bring that content to you.

Spend the time to set up various alerts in Google Alerts or try Google Plus Sparks to find the latest news and information based on your keywords and phrases. In addition to this, research suitable sources of content and set up RSS feeds to deliver the content to your desk top.

4 The Social Network Profile Update Process

Assuming all your accounts have been set up and your ready to go some variation of the following is a good starting point. After a few days you'll find what works best for you.

1. Open your Social Browser in my case Internet Explore with the Google Toolbar.
2. Open additional browser tabs for Google Plus, Facebook and Hootsuite to take care of Twitter, Linkedin PingFM etc. (Hootsuite also acts as a trackable URL shortener.)
3. At some stage you're going to have to take the time to learn how to schedule updates in Hootsuite.
4. Determine times and frequency of updates and remember what may be suitable for Twitter, may not be suitable for Linkedin or Google Plus.
5. Open additional browser tabs with the content items you've decided to share. From here its copy and pasts time.
6. Copy URL of item to be shared paste in Google Plus, Facebook to share in these networks if desired. Google Plus is not supported by Hootsuite and at times its better just to hand post to FB and G+.
7. Copy URL to the Hootsuite URL shortener and copy shortened URL to your Hootsuite schedule document.
8. Back to your soon to be shared item and copy headline and paste to Hootsuite schedule document. Nice to add a personal edit here.
9. Select profiles to send from and you've updated numerous Social Networks in one click.

With Google Plus and Facebook I recommend hand posting these from the best of the day. These are also great items to share on Stumbleupon and Linkedin. In the end, if all gets to be a bit to much you can always get in touch and we'll customize a solution to meet your requirements.

Remember be consistent and reach out to your audience. Look forward to hearing you results. This method does have the potential to drive some great traffic to your web site and business.

Note: We still have some Google Plus Invitations available from our Facebook Page. Look forward to seeing you there!