Does managing your social media feel like a full-time job to you? That’s why social media is often the item that’s the first to get kicked off the to-do list as an entrepreneur… you have so many other things to focus on!

However, whether you have the time or not, social media is crucial for building awareness for your business. And where there’s a will, there’s a way.

If you struggle to find the time to manage your social media in your already packed schedule, follow these suggestions below to ensure you have an engaged, optimized, and value-driven online presence.

Remember That Less Is More

A big reason why people feel overwhelmed with social media is they think they need to do all the things, all the time. But truthfully, it’s not about how much you do–it’s about how consistently you do it.

This means that you don’t need to be on any and every social media platform that exists. And that certainly doesn’t mean that you need to post every single day, showcase your entire life on Stories, and create tons of videos.

It’s all about creating a plan that works for your schedule. Even if that consists of using only two platforms and posting 2-3 times per week, the point of the matter is that you’re at least active and consistent with your social media efforts–and that’s what’s most important.

If you don’t have time, don’t force yourself to dive into everything. Start slow and work your way up once you feel like you have more time or a better system in place.

Batch Write and Schedule Your Content

We’re big fans of planning content in advance and doing it all in one swoop here because of the fact that you get it done and then it’s out of sight, out of mind. Telling yourself that you’re going to write a post every single day, in the moment, just isn’t going to happen because you’re going to have a million other things to focus on and tell yourself that you’ll post tomorrow.

Well, next thing you know, you’ll keep telling yourself that you’ll post the next day… and then 6 months have passed and your social media profiles are EMPTY. Yikes.

Instead of trying to write content every day, dedicate 1 hour per week to write your posts for that week or even one day each month to write your content for that month. If you physically pencil it into your schedule, you’ll find that it’s much easier to bang it out in one swoop. Personally, I reserve Fridays to write Dash of Social®’s content for the following week, and it gives me something to look forward to! Plus, I know that I’ll actually have the time to do it because I’ve blocked out the time for it.

FREE RESOURCE: Social Media Content Calendar Template

Block Time for Engagement

Are you guilty of “posting and running,” meaning you post content but don’t actually spend time to engage with other accounts or users? Having a good social media presence involves two components: posting valuable content and interacting with other accounts. This is because the idea of “build it and they will come” is no longer relevant–meaning, you can create really great content, but if you’re not actively going out and finding ways to build relationships with your ideal clients or customers, the growth and results just aren’t going to happen.

This means that commenting on posts on Instagram and interacting in Facebook and LinkedIn groups hold a big weight.

How do you find time to engage, then? There are a few suggestions:

1. Spend the first 30 minutes of your work day or the last 30 minutes of your work day on social media.
2. Utilize your time outside of work (i.e. while you’re relaxing at home) to engage.
3. Spread the engagement throughout the day and do it when you have a few spare minutes here and there, like when you’re at the gym, waiting for a commercial to pass during your favorite TV show, and riding in the passenger seat of a car while driving somewhere.

It’s easy to find the time during the day to engage–you just have to be willing to use that time as you should. If you need a great reminder, putting it in your project management system as a task will hold you accountable!

SEE MORE: 5 Ways to Use Facebook Groups to Grow Your Business

Hire a Professional

You might find yourself at the point where you’re ready to throw in the towel and hand it over to the experts. You’ve tried everything you can to manage your social media, but you just don’t have the time… and you know that you need to have an online presence. Plus, you might realize that you’re spending too much time on your marketing, and you could be spending that time focused on revenue-generating activities, helping to grow your business even further.

So why not hand over your social media to a professional? There are many benefits of this, including:

1. Ensuring you have consistent, quality content being published
2. Receiving an ROI through growth, awareness, and connections
3. Saving you time and money

Not to toot our own horns (OK, we’re totally tooting our own horns!), but social media management is what we specialize in here at Dash of Social®, and we work with clients just like you: busy business owners who feel like social media drains all of their time and who actually don’t even like using social media in their personal life, never mind for their business.

However, delegating this doesn’t fall within everyone’s budget, and that’s OK! Taking things slow, planning in advance, and blocking out your schedule will work wonders if you’re handling it all by yourself.

And, if you ever have any questions, you can always fill out our contact form or schedule a free consultation.