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Using social media in 5 minutes: Quick and easy
Make the most of today's promotional opportunities
Can you imagine what it was like for marketers in days gone by? What if someone told them that by the twenty-first century they'd be able to promote products, their writing work or whatever they wish in five minutes or less? Would they believe it?
At no cost
Then tell them that this wouldn't cost a penny. They wouldn't believe a word, would they? Well, we have that opportunity today and we need no special skills to use these methods.
Minutes, not hours
Tell these old ad and marketing executives they can market a product (or artwork, or photography or poetry - anything) within just a couple of minutes. They'd either laugh or call for the men in white coats.
But with social media you can promote whatever you wish - worldwide - in the time it takes to boil the kettle for your cup of tea.
Let's start with the buttons you see on the left (and feel free to experiment from this page!)
Time required: 5 minutes or less
Difficulty: easy
Cost: Free
Materials:
- Computer
Tools:
- Brain
- Fingers
- Eyes
Instructions:
1. The Facebook button. Click the button and you'll see the screen that's shown on the right. All you have to do is press the blue button and you're done. Fifteen seconds?
Note that for the expenditure of a few more seconds you can also select where the post goes - your personal timeline or on a page you manage. So very easy. Note that you can optionally add a message and change the image using the tiny arrows.
2. Move onto the Twitter button. That is actually easier. Unless you want to change the text, just click 'tweet'. Three seconds?
Be sure that you try to increase your Twitter followers with people who are genuinely interested in your updates and messages. So many accounts have 'fake' followers. You'll be able to judge this from the interaction you receive.
3. Next, we post to Google +. This is very similar to posting to Facebook. Add text (I copy and paste the title), change the image if you wish, press 'share' and that's it.
If you want to change the automatically-generated image, just click the arrows before you post.
Simplicity itself.The whole process will take just seconds.
This is all so quick and easy to do.
4. Pinterest - the only difference here is that you can use the drop down to specify which board to post to. Easy-peasy.
Get the official Pinterest browser button to make the most of this facility. The danger with Pinterest is that you'll go to the site and spend hours browsing. Get the button and you never need to go to the site -apart from in your downtime, that is.
5. We haven't even remotely used up our five minutes yet. So copy the URL of your page and paste into into LinkedIn as shown.
This is exactly the same as posting to Facebook or Google+.
Quick, easy,less than one minute.
6. Do you have a paper.li online newspaper? Add their button to your browser's toolbar and you can add your page and images in seconds.
You can add as many images from your page as you want.
You can decide which section of your paper you'd like your article to be in - I rarely do. If you have the time though, take the extra couple of seconds to be thoroughly organised.
Edit the wording if you wish - then press the large green button at the bottom. How long did that take? Thirty seconds? You'll get faster :)
Your paper has sharing facilities so be sure that you share it to your Twitter followers and the others of your choice.
7. Oh dear, we still haven't used up five minutes. So why not add it to Scoop too?
When you set up your account there be sure to get the bookmarklet and attach it to your browser. That way you'll be able to add your page in seconds.
With Scoop you can have several topics so create one for each of your niches. Watch for hits from scoop.it in your stats.
8. I don't think we're ever going to fill those five minutes. So if you have the Rebelmouse bookmarklet use that too.
Now your information is winging its way throughout the world. Oh, and the kettle's boiled - time for tea!
More tips
- Design, Promotion & Social Media Tips
Ideas and tutorials for design, social media success, working with text, printwork and more can all be found in this article. See this growing list of design tutorials. - Make Simple Graphics & Screenshots Quickly
Using a free computer program, you can make quick instructional graphics and make easy screenshots in moments. This will save you so much time and you'll probably use it every day. I do. - Pinterest myths and tips
Are you using Pinterest effectively and quickly? The site can be confusing if it's new to you. Read about myths about the site and see tips for effectively using Pinterest for promotion & marketing.
Guestbook
- Author
@MelRootsNWrites - I'm so glad it helped!
This article is awesome! As I'm getting back into my writing, the social networking world has changed. Before I posted to FB, Twitter, and Google+. I've added Pinterest, but I never thought of using LinkedIn outside of my blog feed that automatically posts there.
So, today, I posted my latest hub to all of those and I'm on my way to check the other other sites you've mentioned. Thank you for the inspiration and making it look so easy!
- Author
@David Stone! - thank you so much.I always appreciate your comments.
- Author
@peachpurple - it will work well given time. It's a very valuable promotional tool.
Interesting, insightful and breezy, as always, Jackie. Your articles of managing internet accounts are always helpful.
thanks, i had just register for paper li, ihoe to generate more vews from there
I do use some sharing buttons, but most of the time I use my Hootlet for twitter so I can space my sharing more evenly through the day. I keep forgetting to use my Paper.li and RebelMouse buttons, so thanks for the reminder.
- Author
@Seasons Greetings: It certainly does and most sites have the facility for multiple sharing. Sharing the site you are on is the focus of this article :)
You left out a lot and you've only focused on sharing content from the site you are on. Did you know you can have something like Shareaholic right on your web browser? That saves you the time of finding the sharing links on Facebook, Squidoo, etc.
Some things to think about.
Great article!
You have officially amazed me. Another bookmark. Now guess I'd better get busy using them!
Really useful lens - I haven't heard of quite a few of your tips. So thanks, I'm off to learn more about them :)
@BritFlorida: I'll keep that in mind! Have a great weekend, and keep up the awesomelenses for us upwardly-paddling Squidlets...
- Author
@yoursfoolie: I email myself a lot too :) The great thing is that whatever you use, if you have the equipment to write a lens, you're good to use social media.
@BritFlorida: Yeah ~ the whole first half of the homelessness series was written with one thumb on an Android. Boy am I happy to be back at a keyboard! But yeah, when I stayed on the move I could never have added a laptop to the general load. The 'droid and I got to be really, REALLY good friends. I collected all the quotes I'm using in the current pages of the series (its midsection) on that smartphone too ~ ended up emailing them to myself, one by one: about a thousand of them!
- Author
@Wednesday-Elf: Thank you. So many lensmasters have wonderful tips that we need to share :)
Some I know about; others I need to check out. Appreciate all your tips & hints.
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@Kathryn Beach: Thanks!
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@favored: Thank you- I hope they work for you:)
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@yoursfoolie: Do you have a smartphone? If so, you're good to go.If not, make it a goal :)
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@ecogranny: Not very often,to be honest. I believe that the operative word with social media is 'social'. I aim to reply to reply to everyone who responds though. I check FB and Google + once a day and respond if need be. Pinterest isn't really a social medium so there are rarely comments to respond to. I have phone apps that 'beep' when someone reacts to any of my social media posts and that makes things much easier. I can do it from the beach or the pub!
- Author
@goldenrulecomics: Thanks so much!
good tips, easy to follow, thanks for making my job easier.
- Author
@bead at home mom: Thank you!
GREAT ideas. I also use Ping-O-Matic.
Haven't even heard of some of these. Checking them out. Appreciate it.
Boy, you really do know how to boil things down to a reassuringly dull roar, don't you? Good organization, good writing, good community-ing (?!?). yours foolie's current series on homelessness doesn't really lend itself to the social media circuit, but I'm stashing this information for when she gets off that rant & on to more cheerful subjects!...
Those are all excellent suggestions. I've never heard of Scoop, so I'll be checking that one out this weekend. Thank you!I have a question. How much time do you spend looking at other people's posts, and responding to them, on each of those sites? That's where a lot of my time goes--not that I don't think most of it is well-spent, because I do, but if we were to think only in the very narrow terms of being a good citizen on the sites, and assuring we weren't just posting things, but also supporting others, how much time do you feel is important to spend there each day? Or do you?
Good advice!
- Author
@SusanDeppner: That's the wonderful thing that I love too - SO easy :)
Great information! I'm so thankful that Squidoo makes it so easy for us.
- Author
@Margaret Schindel: Thank you!
Awesome tips, Jackie! Bookmarked for sure. :)
- Author
@tonyleather: Thank you Tony!
Interesting lens! Thanks a lot!
- Author
@TravelsWithAunt: It's a service that basically aggregates your social media. It also has some handy widgets that you can embed into your own website or blog. Hope this helps!
Interesting ideas and so quick to use!Could you tell me what Rebel Mouse is?Thanks.
- Author
@Invoiceberry Team: In my many years in this field, I have found that the major problem from non-professionals (at whom this article is aimed) is that they believe or imagine that social media is time-consuming.Yes, it can be if people go to individual sites and spend, for example at Pinterest, hours looking at recipes and fashions. This article explains to beginners that social media professionals can promote an article in less than five minutes and that the process is incredibly easy and not remotely time-consuming.
That's true. But that's obviously not enough to be successful in social media :)
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@lesliesinclair: Thank you - I'm so pleased that it's helpful.
This is another tutorial that's perfect for Bookmarking, which I did.
This is a great lens, shows how easy this is to do.
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@Linda BookLady: Thank you so much!
That was a fun ride through social media on a ladybug ride-on toy! I added this to my Pinterest section on social media... and clicked on the Twitter option as well. Great lens!
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@sousababy: You're very welcome Rose.
@BritFlorida: Ohhh, gee thanks - I was wondering what I was doing wrong. Gosh, this (you) are so helpful. Thank you so much, Jackie.
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@sousababy: Haha -I'm sure you have the required tools, Rose :)
- Author
@sousababy: Yes, just hover over the image and you can scroll through the images using the little arrows. I find the same with pinning new format lenses when they are brand new but they 'settle down' in time. (Although if you use the browser pin it button, that works straight away).
Oh, I see now why - I'm lacking in the tool area (sure glad you list what I need).
Gee, I didn't know we could change the image when we post on Google plus. And I haven't been able to "pin" these new format / product review lenses - seems to have something to do with the image needed. I haven't used all these resources at all, either. Thank you for a great overview Jackie.
Thanks for those tips!
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