“Um, that b*tch is lying.”

That’s usually the first reaction. And I understand! It sounds really crazy if you’re one of those solopreneurs doing all your online marketing yourself. But so am I. And I manage to get it done. And so can you!

Here’s what I do each week, to get my online marketing off my to-do list, and make room for the life I want to have.

1. I let go.

I have perfectionist syndrome (let’s blame it on being an only child and constantly trying to please the parentals). So, I used to write a blog post one day, save it as a draft, and then make changes the next day… And the next day… And the next day… And it never got posted!

This blog post? I busted it out (from the heart) in just about 10 minutes. It keeps me genuine, it keeps me honest, and thanks to spell check, I can do this massive brain dump and stay true to my voice, and to you. I’m not presenting a perfect front in this post – I’m just sharing my story with you.

Then (see #3) I scheduled it to post on the next Wednesday, and left it alone.

Are you getting in your own way? Stop over thinking it. And just write. Just post. Just Instagram. Just Pin. (Hope Nike doesn’t sue me but…) Just do it! I promise you will feel like your most authentic self, if you just get out of the way, and trust your instincts.

Modern marketing is about being YOURSELF, not salesy. And your clients want to hear your genuine voice coming through. Someone else could write on this exact same blog topic, but it wouldn’t sound the same. And that’s the beauty of it.

2. I get organized.

The second step to reducing the time you spend on marketing is to get organized about what you want to do, and get real about what you can and should do. Here’s what I do:

• I pick one blog topic for the week. Yes, I just do one a week. But even if you do more, you can follow my lead. (15 minutes for the week)

• I signed up for Google Alerts on my topic key words, to help me stay on top of helpful industry content I could share on social media. Every day, I get e-mails with great, helpful content I know my audience can use. For me, I copy links to the articles I like and save it in a Word document. Every Sunday night, I come back to those articles and schedule them to post (see #3). Otherwise, I’d have to worry about posting them all the time! (this takes about 10 minutes a day)

= 85 minutes / week

3. I get automated.

Technology continues to make it easier to do more in less time. So, I automated my e-mails, my blogs posts, and my social posts. About 90 percent of my marketing content is pre-determined. That’s right, I do it all up front.

• I joined an e-mail manager and set up a few autoresponder e-mails to let my clients know their e-mails were received, and I’d get back to them soon. Or, if they downloaded one of my freebies, it was sent directly to them via e-mail. No more e-mail marketing for me!

• I scheduled my blog post through my WordPress website (which you know I recommend), and captured the link. That allowed me to schedule the social post that would push it out. (10 minutes)

• I’m sure you’ve seen the scheduling feature of Facebook, but you may be wondering how I scheduled my Twitter, G+, and Pinterest posts. I use HootSuite*, but there are a hundred other platforms you can use like TweetDeck and Sprout Social, to name a few. Their simple platform allows you to schedule your posts for all channels, and even has an awesome “AutoSchedule” feature that will analyze your engagement levels, and choose the best time to post to each channel. And that’s why I <3 it! So, all those great articles I had been saving in that Word document? I Auto-Schedule them across my channels on HootSuite. (20 minutes)

• I also used Hootsuite* to set up an RSS feed reader for my blog. It will automatically post to Twitter and LinkedIn when I have a new blog post. However, I don’t like the way it automates the blog posts for Facebook and Google+, so I do that manually each week after my post has been published on Wednesdays. (5 minutes)

= 35 minutes / week

So, what do I do with the remaining 3 hours a week?

4. I listen.

The rest of my five-hour plan is left to social listening and interacting with my followers. I take about an hour on Wednesday to answer blog post comments, and I stay on top of all of my social media comments by checking in twice a day. Plus, it’s always helpful that I get e-mail alerts whenever new comments appear :). But having all this extra time in my marketing week to interact with my followers is really what I love about this five-hour online marketing plan.

My Total = 5 hours/ week spent on online marketing

So, that’s the down and dirty version of how I manage my online marketing. And I’ve gotten to the point where I am ALMOST doing it in just a couple of hours a MONTH. Because I take a few hours to do all my blog posts for the month, and my social posts, and then I’m available to you all for your questions, comments, and concerns. And THAT’s what I truly want to be doing.

But, if you want a more in-depth plan, that you can follow, to manage your online marketing in 5 hours a week, I’ve got a course for you. Find out more!

Leave a Comment: What would you do with the extra time if it only took you 5 hours to handle your marketing each week?

*This is an affiliate link. I have been using Hootsuite for years, and am proud to be affiliated with their platform. I will receive a small compensation if you join, but it’s also a product I would genuinely recommend, even without affiliation.