BellaOnline Forums Computers Blogs & Social Networking Organizing Daily Social Networking Posts

I thought I'd posted about this before, but I can't see where I did.

Back in January, I was having trouble keeping track of my 9 different social networking feeds, to make sure I updated each one daily. I wanted to do each one "Fresh" - so the content was timely - but I was losing track of which needed to be done.

So I made up nine paper squares, one for each feed, each a different color -



I want to report that it's over a month later and I still LOVE this system. Every morning I lay them on my desk in a grid. I get to various ones as the mood strikes, and when one is done I turn that one over and put it into a pile. It feels rewarding to work through them, I always know exactly what is still pending, and the updates get done!

Unfortunately this is the first we are seeing this unless the post is so old that it is lost in cybertime.

Thanks for sharing. Very cool system. I use spreadsheets to remember which social networks get updated based on the site I published content on.

I'm also a fan of a Google App Insightly to manage my projects and tasks.

If any one has a smart device, they can also find great tally apps to help keep track of their networking.

Dear Violette -

I already have too much on my computer desktop so a tracking device would get lost in there. I like having the colored squares right on my desk, they're pretty and easy to glance at without anything ever covering them

I like Hoot Suite. Just add all your social network profiles (except Google+) and then write posts to put on each one or all of them. Use the calendar to select which day you want the post to appear and set the time of day, too. In the scheduling section, you get a daily list of the scheduled posts you can edit until the time of posting and you can ask to get an email confirmation when each one posts. It's very flexible and very, very easy to use.

When I pre-schedule all my routine posts, I don't worry about anything unless there's a more timely post that I'd like to add directly to a particular social network (something trending on Twitter, response to a FB comment, etc.).

I really like to Hoot!

Dear Sandy -

Many of our editors love pre-scheduling - Jeanne does that for her proverb posts. I can definitely see the appeal to that!

For me, my posts are more personal. For my low carb site I tell them what I'm eating. For my wine site, I tell them what I'm drinking. So I make those when I'm actually doing those tasks

I was reading an article and plan to do more research on the topic that prescheduled posts from third-party vendors (Hootsuite and the like) get low click-through on links. Personalized posts from a live person are more popular.

That sounds like a great article topic! I think it probably depends on the topic - I imagine for Jeanne's proverbs that they are fine with scheduled

Lisa

Love it! Very simple and easy idea that I definitely plan on putting into action. Thanks, Lisa!

An update, I have now made laminated squares for the cards, so they are more durable, and I have 12 of them. I love this system. I lay them out on my desk each morning. As I go through the feeds I turn the card over and put it into a pile. It's easy to see what's left, I get a sense of satisfaction when I do each one, and I definitely see traffic results from the regular posting.

I realize this system isn't for everyone, but if you haven't gotten a daily rhythm that works yet for you, this might be worth a try.

To summarize what I do, let's say it's a low carb post. On the simplest level, when I get my low carb lunch, I make a quick post on Twitter telling them what I'm eating and asking what they're eating. I then copy/paste that post into my Google+ page, my Facebook fan page, and my BellaOnline forum. That way in each area it draws people into a discussion.

If I have a bit more time, I make a graphic quote. These are incredibly popular and get shared around. They end up being free long term publicity for you and your cause. So I find a quote I like. I find one of my photos I like that matches the quote. I have a template in PhotoShop already so I simply paste in the photo, paste in the quote, and save it. So here's an example I did for my Weddings & Courtships book series -



On Twitter, I send out just the quote (no image). Then on Google+, Facebook Fan page, Pinterest, and the matching forum / blog I post both the quote as text and then the image as well. People enjoy sharing those, so it expands the reach of my website quite a lot.

Yes, that does take more time to do - but it's not a huge amount of time. Let's say 2 minutes to track down a quote I like, and another 5 minutes to browse my photo album to find a photo to go with it. Since I have a template in PhotoShop, actually making the graphic is quick and easy. So maybe 15 minutes from start to finish, to make something that brings me in quite a lot of traffic.

I've been sick for a few weeks now and my brain just wouldn't focus on written-word tasks, but it could handle these photo tasks well enough. So this is a great project to set for the time of day that you usually feel "brain dead" and maybe sit and stare at the TV. Instead you could be investing a short period of time to get large traffic gains. And it's fun .