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Why Is Social Media So Hard? 5 Ways To Relieve The Stress

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Social Media So Hard

“Morgan, WHY is social media so HARD?!”

This is a common phrase I hear from my clients and friends. Quickly followed by,

“Forget it! I don’t need it!”

Well ok…I mean, that’s cool. There’s a lot of ways to market without social media, but social media has become this monster all on its own that is literally gobbling up the marketing world. Twitter, Facebook, Social Bookmarking, Blogging; are all part of a fantastic social media presence but do take a lot of time.

So relieve some of your anxiety, I’ve put together these 5 power tips for your social media campaign.

1. Pick the top ten blogs

Find the top ten blogs within your niche, bookmark them and even sign up for their mailing list if they have one. Then, every single day, visit each blog and comment on their latest post. Keep in mind that these blogs should be somewhat influential, which means it should have some good traffic coming to it. By doing this you’re making yourself known within the industry and hopefully enticing others to come to your blog. But be sure to leave a relevant, interesting comment.

2. Visit http://search.twitter.com everyday

Even if you don’t use Twitter, using http://search.twitter.com will help you come up with ideas for blog posts or even just keep up-to-date with the latest trends within your niche. On the site you’ll be able to enter in certain search phrases which will bring up tweets that relate to your search. And if you do use Twitter, this is a good way to track your brand, reply to people, find new followers, etc.

3. Sign up for http://www.socialmention.com and Google alerts

With Social Mention and Google alerts, you’re now going to have relevant stories and mentions sent directly to your email every single day. Saving you the hassle of going out to find relevant information to blog, tweet or FB about. This is also important to find any blogs that might be mentioning your business or brand.

4. Don’t worry about the amount of followers

If the thought of not having as many followers or friends as your competition is what’s stressing you out: stop! It’s about quality, not quantity. I realize that a lot of people rely on your authority by how many followers or friends you have, but as long as your tweets and status updates are offering something of relevance and you’re not being spammy, then you’ll get the followers and friends within time. Patience is key!

And here’s the biggest secret of all…

5. Stick with the top three social networks

If you’re getting stressed out because you think you have to setup and maintain a bazillion different social media outlets, I’ll let you in on a little secret: you don’t need a presence everywhere. It’s actually better to stick to a few social media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook and, let’s say, Tumblr. By focusing on a few outlets, you’ll be able to provide a lot more relevant information to your loyal fans and you won’t be boggling them down with so many different places to follow you.

So there you have it! Stress free solutions, right!?

I hope you take away from this post that it’s cool to start your campaign off slow and gain momentum over time. You really do not need to worry about getting a ton of fans and followers right away. Let it happen naturally, gain real fans and followers.

Is there anything else that stresses you out about social media?

About

Living in Texas as a social media specialist, voice actress. I love to stay social and have fun!

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{ 38 Responses }

  1. Debbie Beardsley says:
    I am so glad I found this post today! I have been feeling very stressed over how to do it all! Got a blog, am going on Twitter, just started pushing Facebook and was going to add Stumble and others. Plus I need to work on SEO and being more active on networks etc. I have come to the conclusion that I can only do so much and I would take it one step at a time. This post just reinforced that I wasn't crazy and am on the right track. Thank you!
    • Morgan says:
      Hi Debbie, Sorry for relying to this so late!! I didn't see it until now. :) I'm so glad this post has helped you and I hope you're using stress-free social media practices! Cheers!
  2. Dimitry says:
    Hi Morgan, Successful web site is all about the online marketing, the knowledge of online consumer behavior. Not all companies can afford or support social media strategies. The main roadblocks here are the money, human factors and time. If we will speak about small business... only 50% or less has a web site, blog..... I don't know... may be 10% or less. What you think about it? Thanks,
    • Morgan says:
      Either companies think they don't need it or they think they have to learn it all on their own so they get frustrated. Hence the tips to help relieve their stress. :) But in fact, more small businesses are using social media than large corporations. Thanks for reading!
  3. Chadrack says:
    Hi Morgan, must say to me these are indeed stress free solutions! Frankly, I'm of those who find this social networking of a thing to be too stressful. But thanks for these tips. I'll definitely be checking out some of those sites you mentioned.
    • Morgan says:
      Hi Chadrack! I hope these suggestions can help you! :) Thanks for reading!
  4. Fazal Mayar says:
    Thanks for the tips. I think it requires hard work. You can't master Social Media if you don't work hard at all. It's all about having a plan.
    • Morgan says:
      Exactly! It definitely takes a lot of hard work. :) Thanks for reading, Fazal!
  5. Juliemarg says:
    I'm a great experimenter, so I've used lots of different platforms. Your advice is spot on, except for Tumblr. It's OK, but because it's search optimization is so weak, I don't think it's a top three place to hang out. Unless you're marketing to teenagers, I'd recommend posterous instead.
    • Morgan says:
      Depends on what you're using it for. Most people actually have better luck on Tumblr when it comes to fans and such, but Posterous is great for more professional use. It's all about what you're doing, why you want to be there and where you're going to go with it. Not every platform is going to work for everyone. :) Thanks for reading!!
  6. Val says:
    Thanks for the advice, Morgan! If using SocialMention and Twitter search is such a must and common practice, then I am embarrassed how much of a social media noob I am. In regards to focusing, I would say even focus on a single network to start, and only move ahead when you master it and feel at home. It's amazing how much there is to learn about Twitter alone. It's a whole universe in itself, with lions, bears and tigers.
    • Morgan says:
      It's really not common practice, which is the problem. :) Yes even focusing on just one is great in the beginning. Whatever you can handle, start with that. Thanks for reading!
  7. Mavis Nong says:
    Hey Morgan, Great guest post - well done! :) Awesome tips you are sharing here with us. Social media can really be time-consuming and one can get sucked right into if not careful. I agree about not being everywhere - I picked a couple of social media sites to focus on a while back and it was a wise move. I'm more active on Facebook than on Twitter. I recently decided to choose top 10 blogs to visit and comment on daily and it didn't take long before top bloggers started visiting my blog :) Thanks for sharing your insights, Morgan. All the best, Mavis
    • Morgan says:
      Hey Mavis! Glad to hear that they techniques have been working for you! A real live testimonial from someone other than myself is always helpful. :) Commenting on blogs is truly effective! They really notice you and the great thing is, the blogging community is SO giving and nice. It's hard not to see why so many people enjoy this community. :) Thanks for reading!
  8. Tinh says:
    Like what everyone has done here every day :-) Some blogs that I must visit everyday before doing anything like problogger and copyblogger :-) Social media is a great place to interact and get more ideas for blogging and I got a lot from Facebook then. Thanks
    • Morgan says:
      Social media truly is a great way to interact! Thanks for reading! :)
  9. Michael Aulia says:
    Great posts and also the comments so far. I still have to find the top 3 social media that work well on my blog. So far it's Facebook but only < 50 traffic a day which is still not bad
    • Morgan says:
      Facebook is a great start! Definitely take the time to really figure out which social media strategies are right for you. :) Thanks for reading!
  10. Dennis Edell says:
    Signing up for any and every was my big mistake, I'm trying to rectify that now. Never heard of social mention before, thanks for that. :-)
    • Morgan says:
      It's a mistake a lot of make in the beginning. :) Glad I could help! Thanks for reading.
      • Dennis Edell says:
        The beginning was many moons ago for me, I've just been real procrastinating about it. :-)
  11. Alex says:
    Hey Morgan, You have some great resource here but ultimately I think social media needs you to interact with people in order for them to follow you. Of course having the right tools and mechanisms to find the right people is a great way to start and following someone that has already make it, it's an other great way, because you know that at least you are on a good path. But, this doesn't mean that you should copy all their moves, instead you could get inspiration from what they do and then add to their methods, perfect them and use them for yourself.
    • Morgan says:
      We all get inspired by others, so it's perfectly fine to take the techniques of others and use them to your advantage. If it works for them and they're willing to share it, why not? Thanks for reading!
  12. TJ McDowell says:
    So how would you set up socialmention.com or Google alerts to both provide ideas and also to see what people are saying about you? Both seem like a good idea, but I've never done anything like that - I'm such a noob.
    • Morgan says:
      Hi TJ! It's all good! It can be a little complicated. Here's a crash course: Go to: http://www.google.com/alerts Then enter in ONE search term, such as 'photography', set up the available options and where you want it delivered to. (FYI: I get daily notifications) Repeat the above for each individual keyword. You can be as specific or vague as you wish. :) Go to: http://www.socialmention.com/ 'Create an alert' Then you'll basically do the same thing as Google Alerts, adding in ONE keyword, such as 'photography'. Then enter in an appropriate email. Also, under 'type', I usually select 'all' since I want to see activity from blogs, tweets, facebook, etc. I hope that helps! If you have any other questions, please let me know. :)
  13. Dave Grimes II says:
    Sticking with the top 3 social networks and not worrying about the number of followers are my favorite tips here. The whole issue of your number of followers is probably the most misunderstood part of online marketing. It just seems that the old mindset of "more viewers = more sales" has somehow managed to cling to us all, long after most traditional means of marketing have been deemed archaic and no longer relevant. More people should associate "quality not quantity" with marketing. It's cheaper and far more effective!
    • Morgan says:
      Hi Dave! Exactly right! Took the words right out of my mouth. :) Building a relationship with a few people is far more effective than just having a hoard of followers. Thanks for reading!
  14. Ryan Biddulph says:
    Hi Morgan, Excellent pointers here. Most of our social media stress consists of trying to learn too much in too short a time. Information overload. Sticking to 2 or 3 social networks saves you a world of mental chaos. I know, we each receive tons of requests to join new networks. Learn to say no. You can't be everywhere at once, for when you try to be everywhere, you're really nowhere. You can't make an impression when your presence is spread too thin over a multitude of networks. Concentration gives you power. Focus on Facebook, twitter, and perhaps a 3rd network if you feel up to it, but that's it. Great tips on twitter search and socialmention. Keep abreast of trends without having to fumble around all day. Stay current but let the search engines do the work for you. Technology can greatly reduce your stress levels if used properly. As for selecting 10 influential blogs you've given me a wonderful idea. I've mistakenly put way too many blogs in my Google Reader. Now that my guest post campaign is growing aggressively I don't have time to visit 25 blogs a day. Seeing the excess feeds in my Reader causes me to feel anxious. Time to trim the fat after finishing with this comment. I know FamousBloggers.com sits right at the top, and I'll put a couple other high profile blogs in the Reader and stick with them. Thanks for sharing your keen insight Morgan. Have a prosperous day! RB
    • Morgan says:
      Social media can really boggle you down with all the changes and upgrades, so as you mentioned, it's so important to focus on just a few social media platforms and try to stay updated as best as you can using technology to your benefit. Thanks for reading! Glad I could help. :)
  15. Aaron Eden says:
    Awesome tips. Now, to answer your question: Scheduling posts stressed me a lot and so I go on searching for that ultimate drop dead simple tool that will help take away that stress and make me engage more with my users better. You see, it takes me like 1-2 hours a day to browse the Web, search for buzzworthy stuff, schedule the time and dates when these will be posted --- which leaves me in a rush when I'm about to make replies to my fans/followers. Sad..
    • Morgan says:
      Social media shouldn't stress you out. :) Use SocialMention and Google Alerts to relieve some of that stress of hunting for information. Thanks for reading!
  16. wasim ismail says:
    Nice tips and refresher for all of us here. Social Media should be what it literally is SOCAIL, no need to get all stressed up about it, like you have mentioned, worry about followers, If you take a casual approach and do it consistently it will start to work for you, and also at the same time, you want get all stressed up about it. You can take it as it comes, even if you miss one day, its okay, you can always catch up tomorrow. Many of the times i see users get stuck in social media, and put all their energy and efforts on networking sites, that they forget what heir core business is, and start to lack in service and products, Social Media should not take over your business, its there as a tool for you to network and create connections socially.
    • Morgan says:
      Exactly, Wasim!! :) Relax, stay social and the followers and engagement will come. It takes time for any new company, person, item, whatever to launch, social media is no different. Thanks for reading!
  17. Tim says:
    Thanks for those great tips. The world of social media is getting wierd by the day and only focus and real work'll help anyone win the battle. I love your tip on getting the top niche in your blog. It's something I'll use myself because I want to build my brand and build it well. Thanks again for those tips. Keep up the good work.
    • Morgan says:
      Social media is definitely growing very quickly! It can be tough to stay up-to-date and it is a lot of work. Patience and staying the course will get you far! Thanks for reading!
  18. Darren Scott Monroe says:
    #4 on point and amen!! JEEZE I wish people would "get" that quick Morgan! I have 60,000 twitter followers and my goal this year is building from within. Plus people follow interesting tweeters not just bots.
    • Morgan says:
      I completely agree!! Everyone wants these mass followers but they don't know what to do with them. I hope to change the perspective of people to help them understand that quality is more important than quantity. :) Thanks for reading!!