You have a website, a Facebook Page, a blog, a Twitter account, and oh goodness we can't forget about Instagram! Wait, did you remember to post on Pinterest today? How's that Houzz project coming? Hang on, I need to go check my YouTube Channel... Sound familiar? Everyone is so busy and it's because they think they need to be in a million places at once. I'm here to offer you relief...stop it. You don't have to be everywhere!  We're not recommending you stop all things, there is a benefit from being in multiple places. Our recommendation is to look at what you are doing and stop doing the things that aren't performing. Maybe you have a social media account that has been dormant for the past 6 months because you simply do not have the resources to keep it up. Or, maybe you have a blog that you were really excited about and continuously posted on but you haven't touched it in the past year. Those are things you should remove and stop doing until you can devote the proper time. You do not have to do all the things all the time.

Put your Eggs in One Basket

If you only have enough resources to really be successful on Facebook, then do that. Really focus on it. Put all your efforts into that channel. Take the time to make it successful and use it to the fullest potential. Once you have mastered Facebook, maybe take on Instagram. Since that is owned by Facebook, it would make an easy addition to your social media repertoire. The key thing is if you're just starting out, or maybe have too many things happening at once, reduce it down to one and slowly add things to the mix. You do want to place all your eggs in one basket this time around. It's better to be amazing at one thing than mediocre at many things.

What about my brand?

You might be wondering what this will do to your brand and how it will affect your online presence. Short answer, it won't. Users would rather see a Twitter account that has been active than one that is a: feeding posts in from Facebook and not engaging or b: the last post being from April of 2013. The long answer is that it can only benefit you in the long run. Once you have a process in place for your online channels, you will be able to manage them properly and grow your audience. Facebook is the number one social media platform so we recommend starting there. Since content is king and marketing is the queen, your second move could be a blog. Create content on the blog and market it on Facebook. You'll build an audience on Facebook and direct people to your website using your blog posts.

Get Organized

Once you have your channels figured out, create a schedule...get a plan in place. The most common reason why things go dormant is that people put them on the back-burner and as schedules fill, things like a blog post become the last thing on the list. Make it a priority and block off 30min on your calendar for your online channels. One thing I like to do is block off time either first thing in the morning or late afternoon for projects. By blocking the time off on my calendar, I know I won't have any interruptions and can really focus.

Find What Works

What works for someone else may not work for you. Maybe posting on Facebook every day isn't possible...and that's ok! Post 3 times a week. Again, it goes back to managing it well rather than meeting a false expectation. As the old saying goes, if someone jumped off a bridge, would you follow? So, if another company is posting on 5 social accounts and creating multiple blogs each week, why hold yourself to that standard if it's not realistic for your company?

You Can Do It!

I have faith. By taking a step back and finding your focus, you can be successful and manage your online presence with ease! Now, take a deep breath and go fill in that calendar with some stellar blog post "meetings." Next week, we'll tell you what metrics really matter and how you should be tracking your marketing. Stay tuned!