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Social media marketing takes up time. Part of that time is grabbing your links. Here’s how I manage links with a spreadsheet.
You can’t just share content once and expect people to find it. Links need to be shared again on social media, which means you need to keep track of them. A spreadsheet is one of the best ways to manage it all. It’s something I’ve used for tracking all my content throughout the last 10 years or so.
You can use any spreadsheet you like. Some people prefer Google Docs, while others prefer to use Excel on a daily basis. You may even use Open Source for your Mac.
Different files for different websites
I have a different spreadsheet file for different websites. This is the best way to track everything that I have. After all, I write at 10 websites and blogs at the very least, including my own.
When it comes to FanSided sites, I keep everything in one spreadsheet. There are different tabs for each of the sites and then tabs for seasonal content or specific shows. Other blogs and websites have their own spreadsheets with tabs for different niches.
For example, I have content on Wizzley that covers history but also some that covers working from home and weddings. I need separate tabs for each of these so I can quickly grab the links when it comes to sharing something specifically on that niche. This is also good for linking within content.
It takes time to grab the links for social media marketing
It takes time to create one of these sheets. You need to go through old links and make sure you include them all in the file. Once you have gone back over old links, you’ll need to remember to store your newer links later on.
I am looking for a way to improve this process. I’m even thinking about using tools like Trello to do it, but right now Excel is the best option.
The benefit of the sheet is that all the links are in the one place. I don’t need to worry about where my old posts are or hope that I remember everywhere that I have content for sharing.
I then get to recycle old posts on social media to get views on content that I wrote years ago. If I don’t share the links, there are chances that nobody will ever view the content! After all, some content that I wrote is four or five years old!
Really, the sheet is more of a time saver. Sure, it takes time to set up but once set up it’s easier to maintain.
Updating old content within the spreadsheets
I actually have a note next to the content that needs updating. Some of my old posts on my blogs haven’t been touched in years, and I’m in the process of updating the sites.
One thing I don’t want to do is remove the posts altogether. That would lead to broken links. Instead, I want to either update or create new posts on the same topic. I can even repurpose the content through videos or infographics and link back to the old content.
My social media marketing tips with the Excel sheets have helped me see which posts are in desperate need of updating. I can make a note to come back or to check them out when I’m struggling with content ideas—haha, not likely!
Now what do you do?
Okay, so you have your Excel sheet. That’s great!
What do you do with it now?
Well, there is apparently an option to include an Excel file in some social media tools. I haven’t found a way to make that work yet as I haven’t used them all. I prefer Buffer and Amplifr.
What I do is spend an hour a week going through the Excel files and all my social media accounts. This is something that’s worked for me for some time now, and I don’t see the point in changing something that isn’t broken until I really need to.
I set up the plan for the week to determine what I want to share and which topics my audience will likely find more useful. Then I go through my posts to see what old and new content I have to share. I’ll drop in the links, schedule throughout the week, and leave it at that.
MORE: What is the best length for a blog post?
How do you keep track of your blogging links? What are your top social media marketing tips you follow? Share in the comments below.
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