The Ultimate Guide to Saving Time on Social Media: 8 Tips for Busy Business Owners
It’s not exactly groundbreaking news that owning a business requires you to wear a LOT of hats.
Not only do you have to keep things running smoothly, you also bear the burden of having to market your business in order to maintain your success and grow.
And the reality? No matter what type of business you’re running or what industry you’re in, social media plays a huge role in the way you market yourself.
But it can also be a HUGE time suck.
Luckily, as someone who has been a full-time social media manager for more than a decade, I’ve uncovered a few tried-and-true ways to save both your time and your sanity.
Keep reading for 8 tips to help you market your business on social media more effectively and efficiently—without sacrificing the time you need to actually run it!
8 Ways to Save Time on Your Social Media Marketing
1. Create and Follow a Content Calendar
If you only take one thing away from this blog, let it be this: when it comes to social media structure is your friend!
Regardless of how often you plan on posting or what type of content you’ll be sharing, creating and following a content calendar allows you to be more strategic by planning your posts in advance, ensuring a regular flow of engaging content.
The best part? Your content calendar can really be as general or as specific as works for you. For example, you might decide to post reels on Mondays and Fridays, but you give yourself the freedom to make them about any topic you like. Or maybe you choose to get really detailed and outline what topic and format you’ll be sharing about every day of the week.
Whatever method you choose, just be sure to set realistic goals and stick to them. Having even just a little bit of structure will help you stay organized and maintain a consistent social presence.
2. Batch Create Content
Planning your content in advance not only prevents last-minute post anxiety, it also helps you zoom out to create content with your big picture goals in mind, rather than posting just for the sake of posting.
By designating a specific day or time to batch creating your social media content, you’re able to post more consistently and avoid the burnout that comes with always brainstorming what to post next and being chained to your phone 24/7.
And before you come at me with your excuses, I wholeheartedly believe that batching is something any and everyone can practice and benefit from, as long as they’re willing to give it a try. If batching a whole month’s worth of content feels next to impossible, try batching for just a week’s worth of content, even if it’s only 3 posts at a time. You might be surprised at just how impactful it can be!
Pro tip: Whatever you do, DON’T wait until you sit down to create content to come up with all your ideas. You’ll just end up frustrated and staring at a blank screen. Instead, keep an ongoing idea bank on your phone to jot down ideas whenever they strike. This way, you'll always have a pool of ideas to draw from, saving you time and boosting creativity.
3. Repurpose Your Content
This one might sting a little, but the data shows that a very small percentage of your audience sees your content each time you post. And an even smaller percentage than that will even remember it 6 months from now.
Don’t let your time spent on quality content go to waste—repurpose the heck out of it!
Do you have a reel that recently performed well? Try reworking it into a carousel. Is there a caption that was great at getting your audience to engage? Try using it as text in a reel to see how it lands.
This tip is one of the simplest to implement, but it will save you countless hours and keep you consistent without having to start from scratch each time.
4. Use a Planning & Scheduling Tool
If you’re a business owner who is already doing the hard work of creating your content and planning ahead, putting your posting on autopilot is the next logical step. A good scheduling tool will allow you to plan, organize, and schedule everything from stories, photos, reels, and more.
For myself and my clients, I rely on Later.com and Flick. These platforms offer paid subscriptions with robust features that allow you to plan, schedule, and analyze your social media content on any platform.
But if you’re on a budget or you’re just not ready to invest in a paid scheduling tool, Meta Business Suite and Instagram both have post scheduling features you can use for free.
5. Take Advantage of Features & Automations
One thing many entrepreneurs don’t realize is just how many existing social media features and automations they aren’t yet taking advantage of for their business!
For example, if you find yourself repeatedly answering the same questions or replying to the same type of inquiries in your DM’s, consider using Instagram’s auto-response or saved replies features.
6. Schedule Engagement Time into Your Calendar
Have you ever opened the Instagram app for one specific reason, only to completely forget it and get lost in the scroll just seconds later?
The best way to combat the distracting nature of social media is to get super intentional with it. Instead of mindlessly opening up the app dozens of times a day, set aside specific times in your calendar to respond to comments and DM’s to maintain connection with your audience!
And if you’re someone who feels overwhelmed by all your notifications, I highly recommend taking advantage of Instagram’s filter notifications feature. Within your notifications tab, you can quickly filter notifications by comments, follows, tags & mentions, and even narrow them down further by the type of account.
7. Use Templates
Unless you have a huge library of high quality brand photography, chances are you rely on graphics for at least some portion of your social media content.
Unfortunately, sitting down to create graphics can be one of the most time consuming steps of content creation. And if you’re using Canva (arguably THE most popular online graphic design tool), it’s hard not to be tempted and overwhelmed by the literally thousands upon thousands of designs they offer.
But when it comes to social media visuals, simplicity is key.
The truth is there’s no need to reinvent the wheel when you’re creating graphics, and templates are your friend! But rather than browsing through endless template options each time you create, select a set of 10 or so templates that work for the types of posts you share. Save them, customize them with your branding, and use them over and over!
Not only will this save you valuable time, it will also help you establish a more consistent and cohesive brand aesthetic.
8. Outsource by Hiring a Social Media Manager
If you’re busy doing the work of actually running your business and you’re still finding it difficult to show up consistently (and effectively) on social media, it may be time to consider outsourcing.
Hiring a professional social media manager replaces your guesswork with strategy, and relieves the burden of staying consistent. Plus, you have an outside perspective from an experienced professional who knows how to use social media to help you achieve your business goals.
Try these tips for yourself!
I won’t sugarcoat it. As a business owner, your to-do list is probably going to stay pretty full, but incorporating these tips and tools can create a little more efficiency and breathing room as you grow and market your business.
And if you’re looking for more 1:1 support and sustainable strategies, let’s connect!
