Social media iconsLet’s face it- there are a lot of different ways that you can make the most of your online marketing efforts. There are blog posts, posts to Twitter,  Facebook fan pages,  Google+ and, of course, your own website. It can make a person’s head spin.

So what’s the best way to organize all your online marketing efforts in a way that is both efficient and effective? Below are some practical ways to make sure your online marketing is accomplished in a way that will make the most of your time, and bring the highest return on your investment.

Tip #1: Document Everything!

I know it’s hard to hear, but there will be times that you will forget things — important things, such as a client’s contact email, your password for a particular social media site or even when you planned to post your series on the pros and cons of leasing a car. It pays, therefore, to take the time now and document everything you can. Make a vision board, a list, a computer file, even write things down in a trusty notebook. If you do this, you’ll have a ready reference for you to go to when your memory gets a little bit hazy. Trust me, that can save you so much time and effort in the long run! Plus, if you ever have to step away from your business marketing for a time, your co-workers or partners will be able to pick up the slack quite easily due to your early efforts.

Tip #2: Don’t be Afraid to Schedule

Another tip that has worked wonders for me is the idea of scheduling my posts — and not just with the various scheduling apps for Twitter or other social media such as Buffer or Hootsuite. No, I’m actually talking about sitting down at the beginning of the month and figuring out when and on what subjects you are going to create content about for that month. Don’t want to think that far ahead? Then try it for this upcoming week. Taking a half hour out of your day to decide what you are going to share and when can do wonders for lowering your stress levels and promoting creativity. Personally I make use of an email desktop calendar system to stay on top of things.

Tip #3: Make Use of Monitoring Tools

When it comes to content management, in addition to quality, having relevancy to your target audience is also vital.  Thankfully, there are a number of different, easy-to-use tools that are available on the internet to help you keep track of what holds your target audience’s interest. Things like Google Analytics, Social Oomph, Cyfe.com and Hootsuite offer a number of ways  to tailor a dashboard to look at exactly the parameters you want to address.

Tip #4: Get Help When You Need It.

Let’s face it — having and implementing an online marketing plan for your business is a full-time job, one that you might not have time for. Instead of wasting so much time and effort trying to do everything, a little bit of strategic diversification of labor might be in order. There are various online tools that you can use to keep things under a watchful eye, and there is really no reason why you shouldn’t ask for help if you need it.

What about you? What are some organizing tips that you would like to share with our readers?