Managing social media doesn’t have to consist of hours and hours of daily attention. If done effectively, you can stay on top of all your social media channels in just three hours per week. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: The 3-hour social media workout.

A workout for your week

I contend to maintain a healthy social media weight you need to invest just three hours a week. When you break it down, it really is enough time to devote to your online health. Plus, by staying active you will be able to remain flexible and accessible for your other tasks. And if you still feel too busy, it’s a small enough amount of time that you can simply hire someone. But, like exercise, the key is to start.

Get in social media shape

Below is a sample weekly workout for your body of social media platforms. It also helps to keep a calendar of content or workout routine. For example, if you do Pilates one day, the next day will be weight training. A schedule just helps you keep your organized and on track. Thus, if you post on your blog one day, the next day you will repurpose it on LinkedIn. Either way, the goal is to get active. Post something, engage with others, answer questions, etc.

Sample weekly workout:

Facebook: 5 minutes every weekday = Total 15 minutes

Twitter: 5 minutes every weekday = Total 15 minutes

Instagram: 5 minutes every weekday = Total 15 minutes

Blog post: 1 hour (write) and 15 minutes (post) on Monday

LinkedIn: 15 minutes on Tuesday

Pinterest: 15 minutes on Wednesday

Google +: 15 minutes on Thursday

YouTube: 15 minutes on Friday

Total for your week: 3 hours

Now that you’ve made a plan of attack, it’s time to start working. As this is broken down into modular, easy-to-digest chunks of time, you can easily swap out one platform for another. Or double up your time on one of the platforms; spend twice as much time on Pinterest than you would on YouTube.

Mix it up by using tools

During your three-hour workout, you can do plenty of stretching exercises with the help of scheduling tools. You’ll see that three hours goes by quickly if you plan ahead.

One of the easiest online tools to use is HootSuite. With it, you can schedule posts on several platforms in advance. Prepare posts for multiple times during a day or week for maximum exposure. Facebook already has a built-in way to schedule posts within a business or fan page, as do blog platforms like WordPress or Tumblr. There are loads of other tools out there to suit your style and frequency preferences.

Get out into the real online world

Once you’ve checked out your pages, make time in your routine to read what’s happening in your industry. For example, if you are in the travel industry, there are lots of travel related publications or organizations online, like Travel Weekly, CLIA, USA Today’s Travel section, TRO SMITH, or Agent@Home. Additionally, all the cruise lines, land vacation agencies and itinerary planners have a presence on one or more of the social media platforms you’re using everyday. And all of their posts are ripe for you to repurpose.

Post workout cool cown

A couple more tips and your workout is done. Then it’s time for a cool down session. So grab some water and read these:

• Use your LinkedIn profile to connect with multiple business groups for networking opportunities.
• Use Twitter as your go-to place for what’s trending topic-wise or to find people that are talking about whatever you want to talk about by using its keyword search tool.
• Try Facebook advertising. It’s inexpensive and allows you to target audiences by demographic and keywords.
• Use your blog as your personal forum for letting others know that you are an expert in something.
• Be an expert in something. Pick one thing to focus on and your calendar populates itself.

You just lost five pounds!

Of worry and stress. Now pull out those skinny jeans and have a mocktail. Consistency in your routine will make your workout feel like less work in no time.

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This post was written by Kristen M. Beck. Kristin is an integrated marketing professional who specializes in creative solutions. In other words, a content maker and creative thinker. With loads of experience writing content, ad copy, newsletters, releases, and managing communities for a variety of industries (travel, entertainment lighting, publishing, franchising, marketing), she is now a hired pen. Or keyboard, depending how literal you’d like to be.