Organizational Tips for Managing Social Media with Other Responsibilities

If you’re in charge of social media at an accounting firm, it’s likely that this isn’t your only responsibility. You may also be an accountant, an administrator or a manager. Even if you do work at a firm that has a marketing team which you’re a part of, it’s uncommon for accounting firms to have a person solely dedicated to social media. That said, staying organized is imperative.

Social media can involve a lot of moving parts such as content creation, campaigns, planning and scheduling, tracking, graphic design and more—making it easy to get lost in the process. Below are some best practices for organizing and managing all your obligations.

• Have a Content Calendar

  Create a calendar with important dates and content that you plan on posting. Try to plan one to three months in advance to allow you and anyone else involved plenty of time to create necessary content. Instead of trying to remember everything you want to post, add it to the calendar. This can be as easy as creating a spreadsheet or using a social tool that has a scheduling calendar. Creating and updating a calendar will ensure nothing slips through the cracks even during busy season.

  If there’s anyone you collaborate with to get content created (such as a graphic designer or content writer), make sure they have access to the calendar, too. This will ensure everyone involved stays organized and knows when things are needed.

• Schedule Ahead if You Can

  There are free tools that allow you to schedule social media posts ahead of time. Platforms such as Facebook and Twitter also let you natively schedule posts within the platform. Take time on your slower days to line up posts ahead of time so that you don’t have to stress over posting to social media when your other projects pick up.

• Chunk Your Day

  It’s not easy shifting back and forth between projects. Chunk your day by spending two hours working on one task and then taking a short break before diving into another assignment. As I said earlier, social media has a lot of moving parts, and it’s extremely easy to get sidetracked. You also have other responsibilities demanding your time. Don’t switch gears more than you have to.

• Have a Dedicated Social Media Folder

  I know I’m guilty of having screenshots and documents scattered on my laptop’s home screen, making it hard to find the content I’m searching for. But having a social media folder on your laptop helps organize and separate your work. It’ll also be a lifesaver when trying to find content quickly.

  This idea also works for your inbox. Have a separate social media folder in your email to help you organize and differentiate between tasks. There’s nothing worse than wasting time mindlessly searching your inbox for an email.

• Prioritize Tasks

  Posting to social media is not as important as filing a client’s 1040 on time. That said, it’s still important to find time for both. Whether you prefer having separate to-do lists for your social media and other tasks or one master list, know what has to be accomplished first. This will help you to combat distractions and accomplish everything you need to get done. Plus, who doesn’t love checking off their to-do list?

Managing social media can be quite the undertaking, and trying to balance that with other job duties can be a recipe for disaster if not done properly. As we go into busy season, it’s especially important to stay organized. Hopefully these best practices will help make your workload more manageable.