Don't Waste Your Time on Social Networks

by Julia D. Stege, MFA
@magicalmarketer

You heard me right. I said, "Don't waste your time on Social Networks."

You're probably thinking, "Hey wait, aren't you that Marketing Diva I see all the time on Facebook?"

"Yup, the very same one," I reply.

"Who are you talking to?" my husband chimes in, but he is quickly reabsorbed into his political blogosphere.

You see, I continue silently, I don't waste my time on Facebook. I spend my time wisely on Facebook. There's the rub.

I know, there's so much fun to be had wiling away the hours checking out my friends' photo albums, planting in the 'Lil Green Patch to save the Rainforest, tripping down memory lane with my buddies from Junior High. And I will probably do that stuff in my free time on the weekends with my laptop when I'm just hanging out with Hubby (while he's on the political blogs or Gear Page - the Social Network for guitar amp nuts.)

But during work hours I leverage my time online. Here's how I do that:

1) Define a Time Slot: When I go online, I determine a limited block of time I will dedicate to the process.Usually 15 minutes will suffice. If I want to be on the safe side, I can set a reminder to pop up after my time slot is finished so I don't get sucked down the Twitter-hole only to come up hours later, eyes bloodshot, with a crick in my neck.

2) Prioritize: I have a clear sense of what I want to acheive with my online activities. For me the name of the game is build my following, so expanding my network is always my #1 priority. On Facebook I'll check my friend requests first. Then I can go 'mining' for folks to connect with either in groups or through my friends. On Twitter I can do a quick keyword search to find folks of like mind and follow them. I may spend just 2 or 3 minutes and be able to connect with a dozen new people and still have time for other activities.

3) Deliver a Consistent Authentic Message: Once I've connected with new folks I deliver my message. Because I live in the realm of "Branding from the Heart" - my life purpose is expressed in a cohesive brand message I'm delivering almost non-stop on the free Internet 'airwave.' At any given time anyone in my online community can tap in to what I'm sharing and get to know me authentically and deeply. Delivering a consistent message from the heart helps my peeps to create buzz about me which in turn helps me build my network, and it only takes seconds to do. I can send a pertinent quote, a link to a great resource, or an invite to a live event in mere moments. I can uplift a person by posting their stuff to my network or respond to a new follower with an inspiring phrase, all within the context of my message.

4) Automate: I use tools that help me save time by helping me limit how often I have to go online or how many sites I need to visit. I can send one message out to multiple networks at once, automatically follow or unfollow folks, or I can schedule multiple messages to go out over time. There are Social Networking tools galore, some of which I teach in my webinars or write about here on my blog. They help me leverage my time online.

When my 15 minutes are up, I can focus on other things. I've done what I set out to do, made some friends along the way, spread my message to the world, and now my free Social Networks are working overtime for me, attracting my perfect customers, colleagues and friends. Narry a moment has been wasted!

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Magical Marketer Julia D. Stege, MFA helps people attract their perfect customers with a unique combination of Law of Attraction, Wildly Attractive WebsitesTM, Branding from the HeartTM, and smart Social Networking strategies. If you're ready to start attracting your perfect customers now, get Julia's free Magical Marketing Toolkit at http://www.magicalmarketingtoolkit.com