9 Ways To Command Your Schedule Socially - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

9 Ways To Command Your Schedule Socially - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Small business owners usually don’t have time for social media. They are often notoriously busy and are popular for putting on multiple hats, long work hours and juggling several responsibilities. And this is the reason why business owners should invest more in social media- to help them gain more time for important things and for quality time with loved ones. What if I told you that social media will actually enable you to perform your tasks quicker which are crucial to the success of your business? Controlling events, controls your time Here are easy tips on how you can take advantage of social media to help you take control of your schedule. Build awareness. Everything begins here for most small businesses. Big brands may already have established their names in the industry. In the past years, this meant running plenty of costly promotions, giving away promotional items, etc. With the help of social media, the playing field levels up. With the help of social media tools like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, you can now find your audience without waiting for them to find your business. Today, you can now be more proactive about your marketing campaigns, connect with potential customers and put your business on their radar. Stay on top of the game. Businesses are always trying to stay on top of their customers’ minds. You want them to remember your business when they are looking for the kind of service you are offering and this is where social media comes into play. Interacting with your customers through social media sites will help them remember that your company exists and that you hear them. Seeing your product or logo keeps your company brand in the forefront of their minds. This simple way of engaging with them will give your customers more reasons to come back and check you out. Customer service. Many business owners spend a lot of their time on the phone or on their emails dealing with support issues. With the help of social media, you can react and respond to issues faster before the problem escalates to a bigger one. Social media tools get you into the conversation at an early stage and will give an impression that you are committed to making things right with your clients. Network with your colleagues. It may take a village to raise a child and a small town to grow a company. Social media makes this small town a bit more intimate by letting you connect with people who can help you with growing your business. These days, small business owners are able to build relationships with future partners, discovered guest blogging opportunities and introduced to several interesting people and companies in the same industry. Competitor research. For you to stay on top of the competition, you should keep an eye on what your competitors are doing. Being aware of how your competitors are playing with the market will help you find trends and opportunities that will leverage your business. In the past, this may need some eavesdropping and guesswork. Today, all you need to do is do some blog stalking, tweet stalking, and monitor conversations about your industry. Making more time Meanwhile, here are 4 more ways for you get a few extra hours for the day. Schedule efficient meetings and work schedules. Strive to get more short and effective meetings. Prepare for a meeting ahead of time to avoid wasting time. Schedule your work tasks the same way as you would schedule your meetings. Take advantage of your off peak hours. Schedule some of your activities when you can do them in less amount of time. Go to work early and beat some traffic. Head to the gym after work so when you drive home, the traffic is not heavy anymore. Try to be flexible. Be flexible to maximize productivity. Move things around your schedule and take advantage of the unexpected and productive parleys with your coworkers. When you intend to work at home, try to start your work day early and take longer lunches with workout sessions. Take some breaks and allot time for yourself. When people get busy, they turn into workaholics and attempt to work even without being productive. Taking some lose time from work will help you give new perspective of things. A short stroll, getting an errand done or a gym session may help. Breaks can refresh your brain and help you get ready for some productive work again. Give yourself a few minutes to reflect about the day, check your task diary and wrap up last minute projects. Author: Maria Elena Duron, is managing editor of the Personal Branding Blog and is also the CEO (chief engagement officer) of buzz2bucks.com â€" a word of mouth marketing firm. She helps create connection, credibility, community and cha-ching through mobile marketing and social commerce around your brand. She is co-founder of #brandchat a weekly twitter chat focused on every aspect of branding