How to Avoid Social Media Overwhelm for Your Business

Business owners and marketing professionals face a constant learning curve to keep current in the social media space. Many times we are in a constant state of overwhelm as we struggle to stay current with the latest changes. I am often asked, “How do you keep up social media that constantly changes and not get overwhelmed?”

Overwhelm happens when there is no plan. It is important to implement a strategic social media plan that integrates with your overall marketing plan. This will help manage priorities of what’s important and what can wait. A focus on goals, objectives and return on investment will put the time and effort in perspective.

A proactive, self-development education plan can be developed to use inbound marketing techniques that will bring the latest information to you. Since social media platforms will continue to evolve and change, it’s important to find the experts and resources who already devote considerable time and have amassed expertise in the various platforms over the years. They are usually the “go-to” people and/or blogs that will provide the latest changes and guidance in how to implement the latest updates to your social media sites.

To get started, create a list of experts and/or resources based on the platforms that you use for your business. Your social media plan will have already determined where your target audience “hangs out” in social media.

To get you started here is the list of experts and resources who I follow to help me stay current.

List of Social Media Experts

Facebook – Mari Smith

LinkedIn – Wayne Breitbarth

Google+ - Steven Hovnanian

Twitter - Mark Schaefer

Instagram – Sue B. Zimmerman

Pinterest  - Cynthia Sanchez

List of Social Media Resources

Mashable 

All Facebook

Social Media Examiner

Social Media Today

There are many experts who share great content and keep current on the latest changes, so this list is just a starting point, as you may find others that provide the information you need.

The simplest way to make it easy for the information to come to you is to opt-in or sign up for each respective email list of the expert or resource you will use. Then you will receive regularly scheduled emails about the latest changes, as well as other helpful tips and information.

If you don’t want to clog your email inbox, then follow or like the people or blogs on your list on their respective social media channels. They will share their blogs on their social sites. The only down side is that you might miss them, but you can proactively visit their business pages to see if they’ve added anything new.

You can also sign up for the RSS feed for the sites and have their blog posts sent to your favorite reader.

Many of the experts and resources also offer in person, on-line or self-paced training programs that go more in-depth about each platform. Others offer membership programs and/or one-on-one consultations to those looking for a different level of interaction.

However you chose to implement your education plan, the important step is to decide how much time to dedicate to keeping current and to prioritize what needs to be done based on your strategic goals. By doing this, you can prevent the feeling of overwhelm and stay focused on your goals and implement tactics that will give results.