How to Manage your Social Media Round the Clock and still be Timely

Until social media happened, round-the-clock wasn't as real an expression. Things have changed dramatically. Now, whether the sun's high up in the sky or wolves are howling away on a moonlit night (just imagine!), you can be active on social media platforms. Given the flexibility, why is it important to be on time, all the time?

Mainly because it isn't possible for you to hang around with posts, updates and tweets all day long (leaving everything and everyone else aside) - even if you manage social media for a company. But that said, you have to come up with fresh ideas so that you can reach out to your target audience. The 'being on time' bit worries you? Fear not - here are a few things you could try out.

Don't herd it all together

It's just too easy to tie up all your social media accounts together. But with ease comes problem. The role of timing changes based on which social media platform you're accessing. Take a look at this Social Caffeine infographic and you'll know:

• Break 'em up - So what it means is that you can't hope to reach out to your audience at the same time across platforms. Which also means that if you've tied up your accounts together, you should break them loose. You'd want something new to offer across platforms, wouldn't you?

• Take stock – Do you know the messages you want to deliver? - They will obviously differ based on where you're posting them. How frequently you'll need to post would also obviously differ. For example, the life cycle of tweets is shorter than Facebook posts. Whereas the life cycle of a LinkedIn update is much longer.

Get some tools to help you

The task of getting your timing right can become a lot easier - with the right tools in hand. If you want to figure out the right time for interaction, you could approach it the old school method - by trying what works and what doesn't yourself.

• Link trackers

Get hold of a URL shortener like http://goo.gl/ or https://bitly.com/ to know how many people have clicked on a link you posted. Keep a record of where you have shared the link and at what time.

• Social media tools

You may even want to use some tools targeted specifically at social media. Hootsuite has the autoscheduling option that launches updates you want to make at ideal timings. Or even SocialFlow (used by brands like The National Post and National Geographic) that can again help you determine what's the best time to make updates.

Do your homework well

In the world of social media, it always helps to research first and then get on to the field. Lots of experts out there spend hours researching on what works best. And all you need to do is dip into that research. For example, how much time should you spend on content and how much to actually engage? An infographic like this should give you a fair idea:

Yes, the clock's ticking but does it mean you have to panic? Not necessarily. Be a bit organized about researching and you'll be more than good to go.

Featured Image:recommendedadvisor.com