Have you ever had one of those days where it just got so busy you couldn’t squeeze in an update on both your Facebook and Twitter pages?

Why not just copy and paste the same post across every channel or use Hootsuite to post everywhere?

It may save time but it won’t build your audience. Instead try these tweaks to save time.

If you only have 10 minutes…

Post different content to both your Facebook and Twitter accounts. Usually your audience is different across your social networks so take the time to cater to them. Pay attention to what they respond to. But never post an update to Facebook without a call to action to engage with the post. Have your fans respond with either a like, comment or share!

If you only have 5 minutes… 

Create one update and post two variations. For example you can post on Twitter, “I can’t believe it’s the first day of Spring already! What is your favorite season?” Then tweak it a little to fit Facebook. For example, “I can’t believe Spring is already here! Click “like” if Spring is your favorite season!” I’d suggest posting this way only once in awhile. It’s much better to vary your content between channels but this is a quick solution for a quick post and it engages both channels effectively.

If you only have 1 minute…

Then you need to plan your time better! Just kidding (mostly) But seriously, if you only give yourself one minute to post you either need to focus on one social network or re-prioritize your time. Start with one social network, master it and then move onto the next one. But don’t start by trying to juggle all of them at once.

You know how long it usually takes you to write a quality update that your audience will enjoy. If you want to grow your following and influence, practice this week on carving out the time (ahead of time!) to sufficiently plan and write your updates. If it’s worth your audience’s time to read it, then it’s worth your time to write a great update!

Image by The Hamster Factor