What's Your Social Media System? Here's how to do it.

Have you committed to writing a blog, only to find that you
don’t quite write as often (or as well) as you’d like to? Or have you decided to
use Twitter, only to find that you never really have much to say – let alone
time to say it?

If so, then you’re not alone. Here are three tips to help focus
your writing… and then get it done.

1) Be clear about why you’re doing it in the first
place. Is it to promote a product or service? Showcase your expertise?
Or some other reason? If you can’t explain why you’re doing it, then the task
will find it’s way to the bottom of your priority list. Set some goals!

2) Identify your audience – and their needs: Since
you’re only half of the conversation, you must know who your target audience is,
and what will keep their interest. Only then do you have a chance to get their
feedback… and the encouragement to continue.

3) Set up a trigger: This can be as simple as
setting aside 20 minutes at a particular time each day to write. Or to write
whenever a certain event occurs. The idea is to connect your writing time to
something that naturally recurs in your schedule.

Interestingly, once you’ve done the thinking and have documented
your system, then you are far more able to delegate the work to someone else,
freeing your time for even higher-value activities.

This week’s action item: This system
(Goal/Audience/Trigger) is useful when it comes to any recurring activity – not
just writing blogs or tweets. Writing minutes after a meeting, writing a press
release before an event, or sending a thank you after a lunch date, are all
examples that can benefit from this approach. This week, find at least one item
that never seems to get done, and then apply this system to it.

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