Social media marketing and content creation is an exciting field to work in. It requires both analytical and creative skills, and there are always new trends and tools popping up (like disprz) that keep you constantly learning and growing. However, this type of work is also very demanding.
That’s why social media time management is so important.
Don’t be fooled by what you see on social media. Those posts, videos, and ads are not as simple as they may appear. A lot of thought, time, and effort goes into successful content creation. For some, they find it to be a ‘round the clock job.
If you aren’t careful, content creation can easily eat up your time and feel as though it is taking over your life. This can lead to burnout and productivity issues, which can negatively affect a brand’s image. Whether you create content for a large company, a small business, or even multiple businesses—you have to find ways to better manage your time if you want to continue delivering quality marketing content.
The Cost of Being a Content Creator
Consistently posting quality and successful content is no easy feat. Again, what may appear as a simple post with a few lines of catchy copy likely took much longer than you think to create. Sure, anyone can post on social media—but not everyone knows how to create eye-catching and thought-provoking content that grabs the intended audience’s attention in a way that gets them to take action.
Brand marketing is so much more than aesthetically pleasing content. There is brand voice and identity to think about, who the target audience is and how best to grab their attention, SEO and SEM, static ads versus video content, social media posts and schedules, analytics, PPCs (pay-per-click), CTRs (click-through-rate), writing copy, creating and editing content — you get the picture.
On a daily basis, there are many things content creators have to do and think about, and often, they continue to work even once they have “clocked out” for the day. Though this type of work can be very rewarding, it is also very exhausting and time-consuming as well. Often, content creators feel they have to always be on their game to avoid making even one bad piece of content that can tarnish the brand’s reputation in an instant.
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How to Better Manage Your Time as a Content Creator
Every job should involve some level of time management, but content creators especially can benefit from strategies and tools that can help them make better use of their time. You essentially want to be as productive and successful as possible during your scheduled work hours to avoid working off the clock.
Time management is key for social media marketers — there is no way around it. You may at times feel that you have the time or the energy to work after hours, but over time, this can wear you down and lead to burnout. You must find healthier and better ways to manage your content creation if you hope to succeed in this field long-term.
Do Your Research
The most successful content creators know their audience and their brand inside and out. Essentially, you want to focus on quality over quantity. If you find you have to constantly be posting to get your audience’s attention, it’s likely because your content isn’t connecting with them. If there is more thought put into your content, you won’t have to post as much for it to be effective.
Before jumping in, always have a plan and make sure you understand your target audience. This can involve simply looking at your competitors and seeing what works for them and what is trending, but also using analytics. Data analytics is a must for marketers that want to make the most of their content. It allows you to analyze customer behaviors to find what is working and what isn’t, so you can make adjustments and improvements where necessary.
Automate Your Processes
These days, if your processes aren’t automated, you aren’t making the best use of your time. New tools and advancements in digital technology have made social media management so much easier. Using tools that take care of some tasks for you enables you to spend more time on other things that are more important and require more attention.
To be successful, you want to have a good social media presence, which generally means building out your company’s social media channels to ensure you are visible everywhere. But managing multiple social media accounts can be extremely time-consuming, which is often why some content creators only stick to one or two channels. Unfortunately, this means they are missing out on the opportunity to extend their reach and bring in new customers.
The key to having an excellent social media presence is automation. Tools that allow you to manage and schedule your posts, for example, are a must. You still need to put thought into the content you are scheduling, but tools that enable you to schedule all of your posts ahead of time will keep you from having to work around the clock. You should be able to have everything scheduled so you don’t have to worry or think about anything when you go home.
Set a Schedule and Stick to It
This is honestly one of the most important tips of all. Create a plan and a schedule for your work with digital planner templates and stick to it as much as possible. There are always things that may come up, but if you set a hard schedule for yourself and adhere to it most of the time, it will keep you from working late or even working after you’ve gone home for the day. Consider utilizing a time tracking app for employees to assist in managing your time effectively.
Automating your processes, as mentioned above, is one of the best ways to help you maintain and stick to a schedule. And the more you do it, the more productive you will become. When you set a schedule for yourself, you will be more likely to avoid distractions and will find ways to make the most of your time so everything falls into place when you planned for it to. To make setting a schedule easier, you can use this best daily planner app for easy planning and read this article about weekly schedule templates and find out which template works best for you.
Try Brainstorming Sessions
Brainstorming sessions are highly beneficial and can help you be more productive and creative during work hours. Not only will brainstorming storming help you as an individual, but these sessions are excellent for building more collaborative, productive, and creative team environments.
Finding time to brainstorm with the rest of your marketing team can help you all achieve success. Content creation takes a lot out of you, and you can easily find yourself stuck or lacking new ideas. But brainstorming sessions allow you to bounce ideas off your co-workers to give you new and different perspectives.
Even if you can’t always find time to set up a session with your team, you can always brainstorm on your own. There are many online brainstorming tools you can use to map out your ideas. Sometimes it helps to get all of your ideas out of your head and written down in front of you.
Utilize Available Tools
Every successful content creator has a lineup of tools that they use to help them stay on top of their tasks and create the best content possible. There are so many digital tools out there, and understandably trying to figure out which ones to use can get overwhelming. However, if you can take the time to look through them all and find the ones that work for you, you will likely find they help you better manage your time and create quality content.
Some popular tools include:
- Trello: An excellent project management tool that helps you organize your thoughts and tasks with digital cards. You could even use this for brainstorming ideas. However, if you’re looking for other options, explore the alternatives to Trello and find the perfect fit for your needs.
- Hootsuite: This is an all-around great social media marketing tool that helps with scheduling, content management, ROI tracking, reporting, and other useful features.
- Crello: This tool is good for those who want to make stunning and aesthetically pleasing content and imagery.
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Make Use of Influencers
If you find that trying to create all of the content yourself is overwhelming, you can look into using influencers to boost your reach. Influencers create content of their own both to market themselves and other brands. Lots of companies use influencer marketing today to connect more with their target audiences and to help lighten the load of content creation.
Consumers tend to connect with influencers more than static ads because they feel more authentic and personal. An influencer can gain the trust of audiences more because they tend to be honest and real about the products they are using and what does and does not work for them. It’s like an inside peek into their lives, and consumers love that and are more likely to listen to them and buy the products they are using.
Tips for Unplugging From Content When You’re Not on the Clock
One of the most important things you can do for yourself as a content creator is to find time to disconnect. At the end of the workday, you have to take a break from social media and focus on yourself and your other priorities if you want to avoid letting content creation take over your life. Spend some fun time playing online games like Solitaire (play on Solitaire Bliss), Chess, sudoku, etc as well as PC games like Need for Speed, Fifa, etc. that you can download through Steam keys.
Set Boundaries
With content creation, it’s easy for employers to start letting boundaries slide when they know you are likely on your phone at home scrolling in your personal time. However, it’s essential to set a schedule and stick to it, as mentioned above. Your boss should understand that your time is your own—and so should you. When you clock out for the day, you should not use up your personal time and energy for any more work-related tasks.
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Turn Off Notifications
To help set boundaries, turn off your notifications. Set yourself as away and put your phone either entirely on silent, or at least turn all work app and email notifications off. You have to find ways to separate your personal use of your phone from your work use of your phone.
Put Your Phone in Another Room
If necessary, put your phone away where you won’t even see it to help you disconnect. When you get home, try to find other things to do that don’t involve looking at your phone. The more you get in the habit of doing this, the more relaxed you will feel, which will help you feel refreshed and prepared to get back to work again the next day.
Limit Your Scrolling
If you enjoy social media in your personal time, that’s okay, but try to limit the amount of time you spend scrolling and posting. You need to give your eyes and your mind a break. If it helps, set a specific time limit for personal social media use and try not to go over it, or limit your use to certain periods when you’re at home and off the clock.
Keep a Notepad for Ideas
If something inspires you and you get an idea while you aren’t at work, try to avoid getting too tangled up in it in the moment. Personal time is for you, not for work. Even if you get an idea or you remember something you forgot to do, try to save it for when you return to work. A good way to do this is to keep a notepad with you so you can quickly make notes of ideas or things you need to do. Once you’ve written it down, close the notepad and move on.
Wrapping Up Social Media Time Management
You are not alone if you feel like being a content creator is a 24/7 job. It’s easy to get caught up doing this type of work around the clock, especially if you are not making the most of your time when you are at work. It’s incredibly important for content creators to find ways to better manage their time, however. Social media is useful, especially if it’s your job, but it can also eat away at your mental and physical health if you give it too much of your attention.
