Tell us if this sounds familiar.
You log into the company’s Twitter account to share the latest blog post. You’re about to leave when a post catches your eyes. You read it. After all, it’s only going to cost you a few seconds. But, then you see another interesting tweet, and another, and so on until you realise an hour has passed and you’ve wasted a lot of time on this network.
More and more employers are saying that social media, and especially Twitter with its continuous updates, has affected productivity. Even marketing managers are aware of the problem. And, although you might tell yourself that the time spent on Twitter equates as research, you know deep down that’s not true.
So, the question worth asking is: can you be productive and efficient on a social platform as fast-paced as Twitter?
The short answer is yes.
Here are our tips for getting better results in less time on Twitter.
Minimise Time on Twitter
Yes, this is what you’ve been trying to do all this time, but it’s not so easy, is it? But, it’s doable. You can reduce the time Twitter eats of your day by working on strategies that are efficient, optimised, and automated.
Set goals and focus on reaching them
It’s easy to find yourself lost in hundreds of tweets over the course of hours if you’re not sure what you’re doing or trying to achieve. If you want to spend less time on Twitter, or any other social media platform for that matter, it’s important that you start using it only with a clear purpose in mind. Whether it’s increasing your following or your conversions, decide on your goals and work towards them.
Implement efficient tasks
You’ve come here because you want to learn how to spend no more than 15 minutes per day on Twitter. That means you need to become extremely efficient and calculate your every move with great precision. Here are a few tips that can help you build a Twitter strategy that works.
Unfortunately for you, Twitter is, at its core, a platform that relies heavily on numbers. That means you have to put in the work to tweet and retweet at least a few times per day if you want to see any results. Frequency and perseverance work best here, as well as patience.
Don’t forget to include trendy and relevant hashtags in your posts since they’re the common element of every discussion among Twitter users. Hashtags are the easiest way to connect with your audience and the key to expanding your reach.
You may think your bio isn’t that important, but you’re wrong. It doesn’t have to be a novel about your life, but it does have to catch people’s attention. Create an industry-relevant description that helps highlight your company’s values and personality.
Engage with influencers and retweet them. This way, not only will you make yourself noticed by them when they check out who shared their content, but it will also be the start of a possible relationship that could turn into collaborations, such as guest blogging.
Your daily 15-minute routine
So, you want to allocate no more than 15 minutes per day for Twitter. Here are our suggestions for a productive social media strategy that can get the job done in as short a time as possible.
Mornings: seven minutes
Mornings are usually when most of us are at their most productive levels. You’re just starting out your day; you’re feeling refreshed (hopefully) and ready to start head-on. Whether you multi-task and do this as you’re having breakfast or just concentrate on the task at hand, here’s what you should be doing in those 7 minutes in the morning to get things started.
First things first, check if you have any direct messages, tweets or any new followers. Respond to them – yes, it would be a great idea to get in touch with new followers to thank them for their interest. Being nice and appreciative goes a long way. Spend no more than one or two minutes for this – be short and concise.
Go ahead and scan a bit through your feed to see any news or info that might be circulating in your network. Retweet something, too. That should take you a maximum of one minute. Remember, you’re just scanning, not turning it into a full-time job.
Continue scanning but focus on a few hot topics or things you want to concentrate your attention on that particular day. You’ve probably already guessed this is a one-minute activity, as well.
It’s time to promote yourself! Maybe schedule a tweet or two for the day about one of your offers. Remember, no more than one minute!
Do a quick research for content that you think it’s interesting and relevant and schedule a few posts throughout the day that you think would interest your audience. Give yourself two to three minutes for this task.
Afternoon: three minutes
In the afternoon, you’re probably already neck-deep in work. So, just to make it easier, schedule a short, three-minute break for Twitter before you go for lunch.
Focus on tackling one-minute tasks. Respond to any new tweets or direct messages. Scan your feed and interact with other users. Find new accounts to follow that share interesting and relevant content – it can be anyone: influencers, companies, individuals that may have engaged with you in the past, etc.
Evening: five minutes
Return to Twitter in the evening after you’ve finished your work or are just about to, for the finishing touches in your daily routine.
Start by performing the same typical one-minute tasks that you do at the beginning of every Twitter session. Take one minute to respond to tweets or any new messages you could have received in the meanwhile.
Before closing social media and getting a good night’s rest, schedule a few tweets that will be posted either after you’ve gone to sleep or early in the morning. Again, use this opportunity to promote yourself. Allocate no more than three minutes for this task.
Here you have it! Take our tips into account, and you’re bound to have more successful, effective Twitter sessions. Don’t worry if you don’t manage to get to that perfect 15-minute routine and make it longer. It takes time and hard work, but you’ll eventually get there.
Charles Dearing from Patient Sites
Further reading on Twitter
