by Edie Melson @EdieMelson

We all know it’s important for writers to have a solid presence online.

But many of us struggle with Social Media commitment issues. We have good intentions, but our follow-through may be less than stellar.

So today I’d like to share some tips to help you stay on track.

Stay Committed to Social Media

1. Set Reasonable Expectations. I think this is the most important piece of advice I can give you. When I first started blogging, I wanted to excel at it. So my inclination was to set the bar high, posting at least five times a week. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I might not be able to keep up. So instead I started slow, posting once a week, and only adding more days to my schedule when I knew I could handle it. It has been the smartest thing I’ve ever done. I’ve managed all my social media this way, and I believe it’s the one thing that has contributed the most to my success.

2. Don’t try to do it all at once. Along with reasonable expectations, don’t try to jump into everything at once. I began with blogging, moved into Facebook, and then into Twitter. Taking things one at a time helps you establish good habits without overburdening yourself.

3. Don’t try to do it all. It’s important to find a few things that you like with social media and stick with those. As I’m writing this, there are approximately 123 social media platforms. Five minutes from now that number will change. We can’t all do everything. Find the networks that work for you and concentrate on those instead of chasing every new things that comes up.

4. Diversify. Yes, stick with only a few. But make sure you are spreading your social media time between several networks. We all know that things change, and that’s true with social media. If you have all your social media eggs in one basket, you can get burned when those changes occur.

5. Give yourself a break. Trust me, life happens. There are going to be days when you won’t be able to give the time you want to social media. Relax, it will be fine. Kids get sick, deadlines appear, and tragedies strike. Keep your priorities reasonable and learn to be gentle with yourself.

6. Set a time limit. Remember social media is the means to an end. It’s the way to connect to your audience. Use it as a tool, but don’t spend all your time on it. Most of all, don’t let it interfere with your commitment to writing.

7. Celebrate your successes. It’s easy to get discouraged when the numbers move slowly. But small consistent steps will get you where you want to go. So celebrate the process.

8. Remember they’re people, not numbers. Yes, we want to improve our platform, but don’t focus on the numbers, focus on the relationships. After all, that’s why we’re doing this.

These are the things I use to help overcome my social media commitment issues. I’d love to hear your tips, too. Be sure to leave them in the comments section below.