You’re probably thinking where has this month – better yet – where has this year gone? My Grandmother always said the days are long and the years are short — so let’s make sure you’re taking care of and making your goals are happening online as the time slips by.
One of the best ways to meet your goals, and make sure you’re on track to meet them is doing a few things at the beginning of each month. I’ve rounded up some of my blog posts to ensure you have the tools, tips, and resources to set yourself up for success online.
All of the activities below should take between 15 – 45 minutes each month. It’s a small amount of time to dedicate to making sure you’re setting yourself up for success with your online business.
Tracking your Social Media Growth Every Month
Every month on the 1st or 2nd day of the month I sit down and I go over my growth across my platforms. I rarely check in between this time. Why? Because checking your social media growth in between this time (followers and unfollows) is a waste of time. Especially if you’re looking every day. Not only is it a complete waste of time, but ultimately it’s making you concentrate on minutiae that will not inform at all, and might even hinder your performance. It gives you a skewed version of solid growth. A few lost followers every day doesn’t paint the big picture. By tracking every month, you can compare to previous months, and see the increase (or decrease) in your growth. This gives you a holistic view, and helps you see where things are working and where they’re not. Use this blog post to track your social media growth monthly, get a free printout, and if you’re bad at math like me, learn the formula to translate numbers into percentages. This will allow you the freedom to concentrate on your content, engagement, and let go of arbitrary daily numbers.
[promo]
Understanding Social Media Metrics in Google Analytics
One of the more nebulous areas of data is Google Analytics. It has a lot of moving parts, and areas that just feel like an abyss of data that makes no sense. But don’t let this scare you. Once you get to know Google Analytics, you’ll find it a powerful tool to help you understand what social media platforms and what of your content is working for you. Use this blog post to pinpoint the exact areas you should be checking every month in Google Analytics to track your growth, the amount of time people are spending on your site from social media, what platforms you should be concentrating on, and more. Once you spend a little time here, you’ll see how the information there can help inform future decisions online.
Setting Social Media Goals
Often times when individuals make the transition from using social media for personal use to business, they tend to just start without any real strategy. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, most people do this. That’s why I’m here; to help! If you haven’t sat down and thought about your goals for social media: what you want to achieve, what you’re using it for, etc. start with this blog post. It will help you think about and outline some of the main goals every business should have. It will help you think about your long term as well as your short term goals, and aid in your overall strategy online.
Creating a Social Media Content Calendar
I think this is one of the hardest activities for people to get their head around when planning content online. It feels so ORGANIZED. But think about it, you use a calendar for your daily life and your business life. Using one for social media is the same thing: a content calendar allows you to look at all that you have coming up and make sure you are sharing and getting the word out to all of your channels in an even and balanced schedule. Trust me, it may sound weird at first, but it will do so much for your sanity when it comes to posting online. It will remove unnecessary stress, and ensure that your message is not only coming over, but that you are sharing all the important happenings in your business. Using a content calendar allows you to make sure you are letting your followers know about such things as: new products, upcoming shows, workshops, services, events, blog posts, etc. This blog post offers reasons behind the importance of using content calendars for social media, and a free template in Google Docs to use or create your own.
You Can Be in Complete Control of Your Social Media
Social media doesn’t have to be a stress inducing mess that makes you feel crazy at the last minute or like you’re not doing enough. All of the above will help you think about how you want your business to be and perform online in a thought out, focused manner. By putting these actions into place, it allows you to free up time, stay organized, and actually achieve goals and successes online.
Taking care of your business takes a lot of work and dedicated time. But once you start to put these actions in place you’ll see how they help you achieve and take actions to achieve your goals and success in the long run. I know you can do this, and you’ll feel better for it. Questions? Let me know below or on Twitter.
The post Achieving Your Goals, Ensuring Success, & Staying Sane with Social Media appeared first on Meighan O'Toole.
