Top 10 Social Media Time Wasters

Wasting Too Much Time On Social Media

Social media is a tricky, and at times, complicated notion to get to grips with and whether you're an individual or a business, keeping on top of your social media comings and goings can make for a rough ride. With so much available out there, it is easy to fall at the web's hurdles. But worry no more as here is a list of just some of the trip ups of the social media course to look out for and avoid:

1. Not selecting a focus: Its good to have a focus and grasp on the task you're about to take on before you start it, right? Social media tasks are no different. In fact, it is harder to manage your temptation to procrastinate online, therefore it is even more important to approach every task with small and easily attainable goals so you can get your work done more efficiently. Also, focusing can be made harder by having a multitude of varying social media profiles. While it is a good thing to tap into as much of your audience as possible, if there are too many to manage, it can steal your focus.

2. Not having a strategy: This is a huge pitfall to fall into. Having a clear strategy and plans for your social media activities is just as important- if not more important- than other business plans. This is where your market and audience is- online. For your audience to know what you're doing, you need to know what you're doing too. Having a strategy will make your ventures easier to plan and manage.

3. Not having a schedule: Scheduling makes not only your life easier, but also your audience's lives easier too. If your audience knows when to expect updates, they will tune in then and will probably leave disappointed if you are not on schedule. Don't make promises you cannot keep as with the fast paced nature of social media and the web, you will probably lose out to competitors- especially if they are running a tight ship and are on top of their scheduling.

4. Not using the tools available to you: You've probably heard of the phrase 'if you've got it, flaunt it' and with social media this couldn't be more right. If you have the tools and resources to do something with more flair or in a faster and more efficient way, then use it. Utilise all of your social media channels and exploit all the features they offer to you.

5. Using too many tools: Like with everything, it's all about moderation. While it is crucial to be ever present online, it is seen as a social media faux pas to over use it and irritate your audience with minute by minute updates unnecessarily. At the same time, having too many tools there to chose from can serve to be a distraction.

6. Trying to do everything yourself: A problem shared is a problem halved right? So where you can, get a couple of extra hands on board to help you with tasks that will take up the valuable time you could use doing something more productive. Even the smallest of tasks can prove to be very time consuming so get a team together to tackle your tasks together. If you lack a big business team then how about outsourcing some of the tedious tasks or the bigger tasks so you can focus on other important business tasks.

7. Failing to schedule posts in advance: As you get used to broadcasting to a wider and bigger audience once your business progresses, the importance of organising draft posts in advance will become clear. It is a huge time saver to have 'back up' posts and drafts that you can call upon if something goes wrong in the office. It can also irritate your audience as they may become impatient with waiting for the next update as you struggle to keep up. Keep a few posts saved in drafts for the next day or for any future reference or posting.

8. Getting caught up in real time chatter: While it is nice to catch up with people and keep track of your audience in online chats, remember you have other tasks to do as well. You can't spend too long chatting away as this is another major distraction. Keep all your interactions inside work and the business short and sweet so you can spend more time on other scheduled tasks (remember rule number 3!)

9. Letting every notification distract you: Similar to the previous rule, its nice to keep on top of what your audience is doing, and at certain times it's crucial to find out and to interact but don't let every single notification distract you. Besides, you will probably have multiple social media sites open at once so that will be a lot of notifications. All of which will be impossible to keep on top of easily. Leave it until you have a quiet moment and check back on social media happenings but while there are other important tasks to be, focus on those rather than social media.

10. Failing to engage with your audience: Its that delicate balance conundrum again. While it's best to not answer every single notification and message, you shouldn't completely ignore them either. When you have finished with other tasks, you will likely have more time to interact with your audience.  

Julie Bundy

Hi my name is Julie! Fresh out of university studying journalism, I love to have a good laugh and I believe in always keeping an open mind. In my spare time, if you don't catch me between two pages of a book, you'll most likely find me in front of the computer or the TV! I also like to make cakes if I have the time (and the ingredients!)... or as my friends like to call them, Bundy Buns. Make sure you follow me @JulieAtSMF.

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