How to Use Multiple Online Accounts at the Same Time

Social media has made it easy for consumers to communicate with companies online, which has created more work for administrative professionals. It is common for one person to manage multiple online accounts, but anyone accessing each account individually is wasting time. Do not let social networking monopolize your day. Instead, take advantage of social media management tools to streamline the process and develop a plan that helps you manage multiple accounts at the same time.

Link Your Accounts

Save time by linking accounts. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn all give you options to link your accounts. By doing this, anything you post is displayed on all connected sites, so you do not have to log into each account individually to post an update. However, there are a few things you need to remember when you link the accounts you manage.

• Avoid long posts if you have linked a Twitter account since the website only allows 140 characters per status.
• LinkedIn is geared toward professionals. Posts appropriate for Facebook may not appeal to your LinkedIn audience.
• You still have to access each account individually to reply to comments or review analytics.

Ultimately, linking the accounts you manage does save time but does have some limitations. Because of this, linking your accounts works best if your only responsibility is posting status updates to multiple social media accounts.

Social Media Tools

Social media tools make it easy to use multiple online accounts at the same time. Most programs allow you to view, post and comment from multiple online accounts, and some programs track analytics for you. Programs such as Hootsuite and Buffer offer free versions or trial periods but most social media software options come with a monthly fee. Before discussing the options with your boss, do some research to determine what type of program your company needs. Ask the following questions.

• Is your company willing to pay a monthly fee?
• What online accounts do you manage?
• How large is your company’s following on each social media account?
• What tasks do you need to complete each day?

Using online social media tools saves time because you can manage multiple accounts and complete multiple tasks from on location. While free options are limited, it could be in your company’s best interest to pay a subscription fee.

Social Media Schedule

Whether you opt to use social media management tools or you link your company’s online accounts, creating a social media schedule helps ensure you are not wasting time. Here are some tips for your social media schedule.

• Select specific times to check your online accounts and respond to comments or messages.
• Set aside time to schedule status updates and tweets in advance.
• Give yourself a time limit for managing online accounts. It is all too easy to lose track of time reading comments and posts from other people.

Whether you manage company accounts or online accounts for executives that you support, social media management does not have to be a time-consuming task. By utilizing tools that your company provides, creating a social media schedule and linking accounts together, it is easy to stay focused and avoid wasting time.

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