“How much time do I have to spend on sites like Facebook to improve my business?”
Every time I talk with someone about the benefits of using social networking for business, I am asked this question. The person asking always seems to be concerned that I’m going to say a huge number because before I can even answer, they say: “I don’t have time to do this.”
Of course, the simple answer is: “You get out of it what you put into it” – spend a little time and you won’t see too many results. Dedicate time to it and you’ll have better luck. If it’s important to you, you’ll find the time.
I probably spend several hours a day on social networking. In addition, I consider the time that I spend reading articles about the subject as part of that time. It is a bit difficult to quantify, as I have the programs running most of the time…but I’m not actively reading the posts. I glance at them from time to time. For me, it’s worth it. I’ve gotten business from Facebook (a lot!), Twitter and LinkedIn…and hopefully now my blog.
I was a seminar panelist and we were asked what we have “given up” in order to spend time on social networking. Obviously, there are only so many hours each day and if we spend time on something new, something else has to give.
I loved the response given by one of the other panelists. She said that she has cut back on her in-person networking because now she doesn’t need to go to as many of those events. She’s making more than enough contacts because of the time she’s spending on social networking online. That seems like a pretty good trade-off.
It’s definitely true, however, that social networking can be a “time suck.” I recognize in myself that I’m like a kid with bright, shiny objects – when I’m on Facebook or Twitter, I have to watch that I don’t click on every link in every post!
If you’re worried about spending too much time, then decide how long you have and set a timer. I do suggest, though, that no matter how long you spend, vary the time of day that you’re online. You never know when the people you want to reach are also online.
I can’t say this enough though: you get out of it what you put into it. If you want to generate business by using social networking, you have to integrate it into your marketing efforts and commit to spending time on it. Otherwise, don’t bother. Only doing it “halfway” is worse that not doing it at all. It shows that you aren’t committed to what you’re doing.
Or at least that’s my opinion. What do you think?
Deb,
After attending various conferences, Webinars and reading various blogs about this excuse (“I Don’t have time”)that Social Media Entrepreneurs hear, I find that there is a deeper issue than not having time. The vast majority of my clients don’t use social media and while the “I don’t have time excuse” is just one of a myriad of excuses they have, it is the “entry-level” excuse. Often after a little digging, I find that they can be segmented into the following categories:
1. I don’t feel comfortable sharing that information.
2. I don’t find social media (Facebook) that interesting.
3. The non-techie versus the techie.
The first two categories come from a variety of people, those my same age and those older. It is a privacy issue for them and it is just not something that they wish to do.
The last category sums up the majority of my clients. While we (the techies) talk about linking our Twitter and Facebook accounts, treat emails like instant messaging and discuss the role of Skype and FourSquare in our lives. They (the non-techie) think answering emails is a chore, don’t care what FourSquare is and often go days without turning on a computer. For example, I have clients that go days without responding to emails and when they do respond they request you call them instead. They are at a loss when I tell them that I hardly pick up the phone let alone answer it and I prefer communicating via email. When asked about Facebook the “non-techies” always respond with “I don’t have time,” however, when you dig deeper the responses range from “I can’t even figure out how to send an email” to “I am still working on shutting down my computer properly.”
For all the advances in technology that have made our lives more efficient and allow us to get more done, they are still those that frankly don’t care and others who haven’t kept up. Instead of responding to the “entry-level” excuse of “I don’t have time,” we (techies and social media entrepreneurs) should delve deeper into the issue and find real solutions that help free up time thus allowing them time to do social media.
Hmmm, that sounds like a blog post. I think I shall copy and paste.
You’re definitely right – many people do think “I don’t have time…to learn how to do this” – and it often doesn’t matter how tech savvy they are. They just assume it takes a long time.
However, I do know many people who truly do think that this will take hours and hours every day – partially because they hear about other people who spend hours online. What they don’t realize is that sometimes those folks are on sites such as Facebook and they are playing one of the games. Or, they are someone like me who may have Facebook “on” for hours, but they don’t realize that I’m able to multi-task and I’m doing other things.
No matter what, it’s always important to ask follow up questions to find out why someone is hesitating in adopting the technology.
Now that I have begun traveling with my business, I find it more difficult to keep up with social media. However, it is like anything else that matters: schedule time to do it. This is part of the Quadrant IV from Covey’s 7 Habits. Important but not urgent. It is also part of Sharpening the Saw in that learning about social media helps me be a better business woman overall.
Thank you for your continued support of our professional development!
Pam
Pam,
Thanks for following and for your kind words!
It’s definitely more difficult when traveling. I’m currently posting this from a hotel room…and the hotel is charging $10 per day for Internet access.
It’s also hard to “catch up” on posts when traveling. I’ve learned to create lists in FB. I can then sort posts and get through them much more quickly when I’m having to read a day’s worth. Part of my problem is I don’t want to miss out on anything!
When are you going to post again? You really entertain me!
Thanks! I try to post every week, so check back often…or better yet, subscribe and receive posts via email or RSS!
Thanks!
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I found testerdahl’s comments to be very insightful, but would offer another option to his list. I believe a successful Social Media campaign requires some planning and a direction and some goals. That does take a little time and commitment to think through, but once you have some goals and a direction, Social Media can be the fun part of the job! I imagine that someone like Deb Krier could help a business with that goal setting, planning and direction! Yes?
Yes! ?