Posted: 16th January 2017
When it comes to social media being on call all hours of the day can provide some headaches. As with most things, a little forward planning can work wonders.
So here’s the Armadillo Cut Out And Keep Guide to surviving busy times.
Open All Hours?
I actually try to switch off after work. Certainly, I might sneak a peek at Twitter while I’m watching TV, but on the whole, it’s an important time for family, and to be present. Social Media can feel a never ending stream that there’s no escape from – but every now and again you need to jump off..
Decide now when you are going to be around. Busy times (Christmas, Easter, Summer hols are not the time to play it by ear). Even if you don’t have a business that’s open to the public, it’s important to manage people’s expectations (including your family’s).
Whatever you decide, tell your clients this – either by posting your opening hours or letting people know you’ll be taking some time off.
It’s much better to be up front than think you’ll be around all over the festive period and end in upsetting someone (either customers or nearest and dearest)
Facebook Response Assistant: Put your out of office on
Did you know that Facebook have an out of office option?
It’s quite well hidden, but if you look closely you can set up Facebook response assistant
You can set it up to reply to any messages with a greeting “Thanks for getting in touch. We’re taking a well earned rest, we’ll get back to you as soon as we can”.
Don’t assume everyone else will switch off too, holiday times are amongst the busiest times for people to be online – all those relatives to avoid!
So as much as you might be trying to relax, it pays to make sure you have some sort of presence on your platforms while you are out of the office.
Have a cunning plan
Just because you’re taking a few days off doesn’t mean your social media has to stop. Before you leave your desk, sit down with a pen and paper and plan what content you need to prepare, and when you want to share it.
Try thinking of some relevant holiday type topics, maybe use Canva to create some graphics and fun messages. Use a tool like Buffer or Edgar to stack it all up and let it go.
Experiment with some new ideas and tactics
When you are “not live” it’s a great time for blog posts, guides and videos.
Try doing a little brand awareness campaigns using Facebook Advertising, which don’t require immediate responses from you.
A 2 week scheduled campaign over any holiday period will keep your content in people’s newsfeeds while you’re away.
It might also be a good idea to collect some signups for a newsletter or run some automated email campaigns. These are campaigns where people sign up to your database and immediately receive something in return. This could be a how to guide, a special offer or something different. You can set these up quite easily under Mailchimp’s paid plan and you don’t have to lift a finger.
Do sneak on if you can
Schedule a few Twitter posts to keep things ticking over, but Twitter is always better live where you can actually talk to people, so if you can find a quiet 20 minutes to check your social media, feel free. If you can’t, then don’t beat yourself up about it, nobody will hold it against you.
Keep your powder dry for 2017
I have high hopes for 2017. I’m not going to lie, 2016 has been a little traumatic to say the least, but a new year brings new hope. So use the time to rest, recharge, find some inspiration and peace. You’re going to need it.
In the meantime if you want me, I’ll be watching Sherlock …
If you’d like to get your social media in order in 2017, get in touch for help with strategy or training.
