Social media marketing is booming and shows no signs of stopping. This is not news to most of us, but headlines still shout about it, and it gets plenty of attention from anyone tasked with managing social media for themselves or their employer. While social media marketing is a critical part of communications plans, it can be a total time suck. There’s plenty of information about best practices and hacks to get the most out of social media. But how about getting the most out of your social media managers?

Social Media Today shared what it considers habits critical to social managers’ success, and they’re spot-on. We share some of their advice below, viewed through experiences and peppered with our thoughts.

1. It’s about community and conversation.

Social media marketing isn’t just about grabbing attention and growing an audience. It’s also about building an engaged online community. Social media  managers have to know their audience and what they want to see and hear, otherwise their content is hallow, lacks value and fails to engage anyone.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can engage anyone and everyone. It’s unrealistic. Nail down your audience – build out a persona or two to help you – and create content that speaks to them. And never stop learning about your community and what they’re most interested in, what moves them, what drives them, what inspires them. This kind of focus will make the time you spend developing your community much more manageable.

2. Set a timer.

Speaking of time management, how much time do you have to spend on social media? Is this 100% of your job, or just 10%? The best way to determine how much time social media management is going to take is to clarify how much time you have to devote to it. Then, set a timer to keep you honest on your time. Really. Use your iPhone or a kitchen timer; the device doesn’t matter. What’s key is staying focused and getting as much done as possible within the time you allotted.

When the timer dings, you’re done, whether you’re finished or not. If you consistently run out of time, you need to evaluate if you’re being realistic about how much time you need to spend on social media or if you need to prioritize tasks in a better way.

3. Just say no to perfectionism

Your content is never going to be perfect, and your social media ‘To Do’ list will never be fully complete. In many cases, we have to be ok with ‘done and imperfect’, as it’s better than simply not done at all. Attention to detail is great, but perfectionism can be a killer. Get that post up.

Social media is busy, loud, distracting and difficult to manage, but it can be done and done well. Do you have good habits to share with the rest of us? Comment below, or contact me directly at Katie@kgbtexas.com.

KGBTexas is a full-service marketing agency based in San Antonio and Houston, Texas. Explore more of our advertising, public relations, public affairs and crisis management work here, get a full download on all of our marketing services, or contact us today to set up a consultation. Our award-winning team of creatives and communications experts are ready to take your brand to the next level.