Social Networking: How to market yourself without wasting a bunch of time

Yesterday, I ran across Becky Kimble’s Art Quilt blog and found a blog post that appears to be a common theme with artists who getting into the social networking scene…

While all of this is wonderful, and somewhat miraculous to my baby boomer mind, I also feel a little bit like my “network” is beginning to sweep me off my feet and carry me down stream. I’m having difficulty keeping up and wondering when some people who post often to Twitter, etc. get their work done. Finding people around the world to network with is great and offers unlimited possibilities to build a business, but how do others balance the actual work production of art for sale (which is why one networks, isn’t it?) with marketing and connecting?

Social networking is great and if used correctly, it’s a very low cost (free?) way to connect with current customers, find potential new customers, stay in touch with other artists, and to market yourself. If used incorrectly, it can also a huge waste of time. In the past few years, I’ve dabbled in a ton of social networks and tools like LinkedIn, Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Squidoo, Plurk, IndiePublic, YouTube, Flickr, etc, etc, etc and I’ve learned a couple of things that helped keep me on track. Sure I’ve wasted a bit of time, but I console myself that I do it so you don’t have to!

Here’s a couple tips you might find useful:

Have a goal in mind- The quickest way to waste time on these networks is to join one of them and have no idea what you want to accomplish. If you’re new to a social network, you start off in the “explorer” mode. You’re just trying to figure out how the whole thing works. You learn a couple of tricks, meet some people, maybe join a few groups. Then one of two things happen…either you get bored or frustrated because you don’t know the tools or you don’t seem to be accomplishing anything and stop using the social network or you remain in the “explorer” mode, wandering aimlessly through the network chasing down anything that looks useful.

Be very goal oriented when it comes to using social networking. If you’re new to social networking, it’s okay to give yourself some time to be in the “explorer” mode because you’ve got to know how the community works. Once you figure it out, you need to transition yourself out of that “explorer” mode into something more purposeful. Every network has their own strengths and you’ll find that one network is better at accomplishing a specific goal than others. For example, if you want to build a fan base for your work, you might find that using Facebook is better for that purpose than Twitter. If your goal is to get more people to your website, you might find that Twitter is right for you. But whatever method or network you choose, you have to have some kind of goal in mind.

Pick one or two network or tools at a time- There are no shortage of social networks and social media tools around for you to explore. But you’ll waste less time by picking the one or two networks that seem to give you the results you want and sticking with them. Like I mentioned in the previous tip, some social networks are better at helping you accomplish one type of goal than others. For example while I have a profile on Myspace and LinkedIn, for now I’m spending most of my energy on Facebook and Twitter because those two places have given me the most results.

Make social networking part of your routine- Like most things, social networking is most effective when you participate on a regular basis. The best way to do this is to make networking a regular part of your routine. Posting regularly to Twitter is a part of my daily routine. I send one greeting tweet first thing in the morning while I’m checking my morning email. I’ll send a couple more throughout the day and a couple more at night. I also check and respond to any replies and direct messages both in the morning and at night. I also send direct messages to new followers each evening. By making this a regular part of my day, I’m always in the loop and I don’t feel like I’m behind.

Find ways in which you can incorporate your social networking into your daily or weekly routine. If you make it a regular part of your task list, you’ll find keeping up a whole lot less overwhelming and more productive.

Use tools to make your networking easier- There would be no way that I would be as active on Twitter if I had visit my Twitter profile to send out and keep up with tweets. There are a lot of free programs, services, and software out there for some of the most popular social networks that can help you interact with the network more efficiently. For example, use a program called Tweetdeck to monitor the people I’m following on Twitter and to send tweets instead of going to my Twitter profile. This saves me from having to log on to my Twitter profile online, because Tweetdeck is always open on my computer. In addition, Tweetdeck also has a “grouping” capability that allows you to assemble the people you’re following into specific groups. I have a group for my friends, a group for crafters and artists, and “VIP” group that always seem to have the latest news. By using these groups, it’s a snap to keep up with the Twitter conversation.

In addition, I have by blog hooked up to my Facebook profiles, pages, and to my Twitter feed a combination of a WordPress plugin called “Twitter Tools“, and by using the Twitter app in Facebook. That means that I don’t have to make an update manually to Facebook or Twitter when I put up a new blog post, it’s done for me automatically. If you’re finding that you’re doing a lot of repetitive tasks to keep up with your network…look around and see if there is a tool, service, or piece of software that can help you accomplish that task more efficiently.

So that’s my list. What are your favorite time-saving social networking tips? Drop me a comment and share!

Tagged as: art marketing, Facebook, LinkedIn, social networking, Twitter