Social Media for the Work From Home Mom
One of the best things about being an online entrepreneur is the ability to work from anywhere. For many moms, you can create a viable career and small business, while having the ability to have your babies home with you full or part time during the work day.
While the days of my Littles being not very mobile and active are long gone, I was lucky enough (and hard-working enough) to have my firstborn home with me full time until she was around 22 months old (and then her little brother until he was more than 6 months old).
I did not work part-time though - I averaged around 45-50 hours per week, on top of being her full-time caregiver. Fortunately for me, she was a great sleeper and I was able to get everything done during her naps and after she went to bed - usually working until 11PM or later every night.
At the time I was the social media manager for Megadeth and was in charge of 17 social media accounts (usually 5-6 accounts daily), with a social fan base of over 13 million. That's right - 13 MILLION.
That meant every time I would post, thousands of eyeballs would see it within minutes. I had to be exacting and purposeful - not easy when you're a new mom.
I once tweeted for the band and misspelled the name of the tour. That was when I realized I could not feed my baby, change a diaper, and tweet at the same time.
All that hustle required me to figure out really, really quickly some effective time management and shortcuts for managing social media.
Here is a list of my best tips from a day-to-day perspective. This list of best tips is great for any entrepreneur that is managing a social media marketing strategy for her own business, or as an employee/contractor for another small business owner. If you want a comprehensive list of my favorite tools, you can find them on my resources page.
8 Best Tips For Managing Social Media:
01. Remember that not every day will go as planned - in fact, most of them won't
The key is remembering to be flexible and know "this too shall pass". If you time-blocked to engage in Facebook Groups and your Little is in chaos mode, getting frustrated won't help.
PRO TIP: Having a running list that is broken down into 15-minute, 1-hour, and several-hour tasks will help you get things checked off whenever you have the time.
02. Focus your social media efforts
You and your business do not need to be on every social media platform. Focus on 1 or 2 that make the most sense for your business and are where your target audience is. The worst thing you can do is spread yourself too thin by trying to market your content everywhere, and then drop the ball and disappear.
03. Schedule your posts
You will not be able or available to post during opportune times.
There are tons of scheduling tools, both 3rd party and within-app that are both free and paid. Play with a few according to what social media platforms you're using and set times to schedule as much content as possible. Personally, I love using Tailwind for both Pinterest and Instagram scheduling (sign up with my affiliate link and get a whole month free to try it).
04. Re-read and re-read
"Mom brain" is very real.
Proofread everything word for word at least twice. You will make mistakes - fix it and learn from it.
05. Have a place to drop your content ideas
Whether it’s the Facebook "save for later" option, or Feedly, or Notion, or whatever software you use - have a place to drop content ideas so you don’t lose them. I love using Notion as my all-in-one content and project management tool.
06. Have a daily to-do checklist for your accounts
The checklist and structure will keep you on track and you won't need your precious brain cells to remember what you need to do. You can create one in your project management system, or simply type one out in a google doc and print it.
07. Batch your content
Scheduling one day per month to take photos, or fill up your Pinterest queue, etc. will keep you on task and focused. Tailwind is my absolute favorite Pinterest tool - try it for free with my affiliate link!
08. Schedule time to unplug and just be with your kiddo(s)
You need it and they need it. Social media is not as important and that's ok.
I'd be lying if I said I never let my Littles watch more videos than I'd prefer because I had to get a Facebook album up or a new contest launched. I did the best I could knowing that my time at home was invaluable and I was helping to support my family.
I'd also be lying if I said that at the end of those 22 months of being the full-time caregiver and working until the wee hours every night, 7 days a week, I wasn't exhausted and done. As my Little got older, she needed more and more of my attention and that model wasn't sustainable.
But…I am here to tell you, that if you are lucky enough to have these options, even if you only work part-time, you CAN do it and these tools and tips make it easier.
Conclusion:
Managing everything involved in a social media marketing strategy can be really tough as a work-from-home mom. Use these 8 best tips to help you focus, double-check, and be less frustrated.
Not every day will go as planned - have a list of quick tasks you can accomplish.
Focus your social media efforts.
Schedule your posts.
Proofread everything - twice.
Have a place to drop your content ideas.
Have a daily to-do checklist for your accounts.
Batch content.
Schedule time to unplug and just be with your kiddo(s).
Don’t leave empty-handed!
My most popular eBook: 9 Things Your Social Media Manager Should Be Doing is now available for free to download with no email opt-in!
9 Things Your Social Media Manager Should Be Doing
If you're a small business owner, entrepreneur, or social media manager - you need this 17-page eBook: 9 Things Your Social Media Manager Should Be Doing. It's a complete guide to what a social media manager should be doing for a successful marketing strategy.
