If you are feeling like the Fail Whale of social networking, it may be time to step back and reconsider. Image: Twitter
The job of internet marketing, community manager or affiliate marketer can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming. Every marketer has one very limited resource that must be used very carefully: time. It may be necessary to ask yourself whether the time you are spending on a particular marketing effort is really worth the results you are getting.
You cannot do everything
Everyone has only a certain number of hours in each day to spend on marketing. For marketers, this time is often split between a multitude of new projects and maintenance of various social networking and online accounts. Most marketers end up, over time, building a portfolio of social networking accounts, blogs and websites that they are responsible for maintaining and monitoring. It is important to consider the fact that as one person, it is not possible to do everything on your own.
Measure the return you are getting
As with all marketing, social networking accounts have a relationship to how much work gets put into the effort. The more work you put into something, the more return it will give back. If you are considering cutting something or outsourcing something to someone else, then you need to know exactly what work a social network takes and what return it brings you. Sit down and take very careful measurements, including:
- The amount of time, each day, you spend on that network.
- The demographic you speak to on that network.
- The financial value of the connections and leads you bring in from that social network.
Consider where the network is going
There is a certain cycle that comes with social networks: they start up, garner users, plateau, then either continue building or begin sliding down. Consider where each network is on that timeline. If a network is incredibly popular, the value of being on that network could be much higher. If a network is on its down-slide or significantly changing in tone or focus, consider where that fits into your brand story.
Drop carefully
If you have determined that a social network is not bringing in a great return on your time and financial investment, the network is not speaking to your demographic and the network is on its downward slide, then a network may be worth dropping. Announce on that network, early, when you will stop posting on that network and where else followers can find your brand. Post for at least a few weeks, and then follow through. Maintain your brand name on the social network and be sure to set alerts so you will be informed when someone contacts you on that network. Dropping a network means you no longer actively manage that network, but don’t entirely delete your presence.