16 tips for effective time management for a digital marketer

General tips for saving time

The profession of a digital marketer is a daily job with a lot of information. Sometimes it seems that it surrounds you from all sides: endless updates, a lot of resources, metrics, analytics, new programs, opportunities in social networks. I think you understand me.

In such a situation, you often feel overwhelmed by what is happening around you. That’s why it’s important to stay disciplined and focus on the things that matter if you’re going to succeed on the Internet. In this article, I will tell you some tips and tools that will help you manage your time and work more efficiently.

Setting time limits

When you start allocating a specific time period for a specific task, you will find that you become more productive. After all, when you don’t limit the timing, you can get stuck on one thing and let the task use all your time. In the end, the deadlines for the task are growing at the expense of other plans. You can fight this by using a countdown timer to focus on completing the task.
Suppose you need to create several social media posts. Give yourself 25 minutes. Set a countdown timer running on your mobile phone, or use it from Google.
The countdown timer creates a sense of urgency. This will help you focus solely on completing the task before the timer reaches zero.

Avoid multitasking

Multitasking is one of the stereotypes that have dissipated over time. Scientists have proven that our brain works best when it focuses on one thing at a time.
“Focusing is the key to manifesting your desires” — Steven Richards.

Eliminating distractions

We all work in different conditions. Some are at home, some are in the office. Regardless of your situation, you need to be able to switch to the “Do not disturb” mode. For example:
— close the door
— switch the phone to airplane mode
— turn off distracting applications on your computer
— ask employees not to distract you for a while
Popular author Gary Keller has written why it’s so important to focus on one thing at a time and illustrated what happens when you’re interrupted:
When focus is lost, it usually takes twice as long to get back to the task. So make sure you eliminate distractions.

Invest in your education

This idea is not immediately obvious, but if you start learning a new skill now, it will help save time in the future. For example, learning how to use the keyword planner tool in adwords will save time in the future.

Delegating or outsourcing tasks

It is important to delegate or transfer tasks to other people. If you work independently, you can hire someone to help with some administrative tasks, or set up an advertising campaign. When you outsource the execution of an assignment, such a step often turns out to be more cost-effective than you initially thought.
If you work in a team on a project, sometimes it makes sense to reassign tasks to colleagues who have more opportunities. The bottom line is as follows: you do not need to do everything yourself.

Take regular breaks.

Working non—stop is a poor use of your time. Our body works better when we take regular breaks.
Scientific research has found interesting correlations of work and leisure. According to Tony Schwartz, you have to work for 90 minutes and then rest for 20 minutes: “The human body is rigidly connected to the pulse. To work at our best, we need to renew our energy at 90-minute intervals.”
Another study recommends working for 52 minutes, then resting for 17 minutes. “Concentration is like a muscle: it needs to rest so it can function, and it shouldn’t overload itself.”
Or try to sleep. A shallow sleep for 15-20 minutes after lunch can recharge your body for the rest of the day: “You reboot the system and get a surge of alertness and increased motor performance.”
Which method is best for you?

Mark the time

Honestly, do you know how much time you spend on each activity during the day? Most of us deceive ourselves. Try using an app like http://motivateclock.org /, or https://adaptrm.com / to get an accurate record of how much time is spent on each task.

Get a Password Manager

When you work on the Internet, dozens and sometimes hundreds of unique credentials inevitably accumulate that are impossible to remember. Use a password manager to save them all in one place. There are many of them, there are plenty to choose from. It suited me best https://www.lastpass.com/.

Don’t waste time on something that doesn’t work

As marketers, you should always evaluate all your online campaigns and actions. Be ruthless. Get rid of everything that doesn’t work well and spend more time on more efficient resources.

Use only tools that provide real benefits

It’s easy to get attracted by new tools that promise outstanding results. After all, it seems that all of them can be used effectively in your business. But if you try to implement too many tools, you will waste time and possibly money. Consolidate your set of tools and take only those that are most suitable and bring obvious benefits.

Select channels

The more channels you use, the more time you will have to spend on social networks. The first step is to select the channels to focus on. Choose channels that bring tangible benefits to your business.

Start with one or more sites where the bulk of your audience hangs out.

Analyze the activity data of your target audience

When was the last time you checked audience activity on social networks? You have undoubtedly seen an infographic about the best time of day to post on a particular network. But have you checked this data?

You can use the platform’s own tools, such as Twitter Analytics and Facebook Insights, to find out when the audience is most interested. Use all the features of your social media.

Automation of records or delayed posting of messages

Automation of social networks has two main advantages:

— allows you to publish content when your audience is online (as mentioned above).
— frees up time for other tasks.
There are many tools for automating social media that can be used, for example, Buffer https://buffer.com /. One of the main advantages of Buffer is that you can schedule your messages for different networks, including: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram. Plus there is a free version of the program.

Manage all social networks in one place

After you have scheduled your recordings for the best time of day, you need to decide how the interaction with comments, mentions and reviews will take place.

If you decide to focus on just one or two social media channels, then it makes sense to use your own platforms. It’s not difficult to go to Facebook and Twitter and track what’s happening in your public.
But if you have a lot of channels and interactions to manage, I advise you to implement a tool that can combine all messages in one inbox, for example AgoraPulse.

Use templates

Many actions in social networks are repeated, so it makes sense to create some templates that you can use again and again. For example:

— Save a set of graphic templates in Canva or Postcron for each social network.
— Save a standard set of hashtags ready to be used in Instagram posts.
This will save time, you will only have to change the image or text, and not start from scratch every time.

Avoid social media when you have to do something

Yes, that’s right. Now I’m telling you to avoid social media! This is because they have both a good and a bad side. On the one hand, it is a super effective marketing tool. On the other hand, they can distract and eat up time like nothing else. If your job isn’t to surf there all day, it’s best to set aside certain time intervals and discipline yourself to stick to them.

Do you manage your time effectively? Do you have everything under control?

Most of us have good days and bad days, and that’s okay because we’re human. But if you pay a little more attention to what you spend your time on and start implementing some of these time-saving tips, then there will always be more good days. Which is what I sincerely wish you.