Do you think Twitter takes a lot of time? Like most tasks, Twitter can expand to fill the time you give it. However, with a little bit of time management, you can get the maximum benefit from Twitter in just 20 minutes a day.

• Before You Start: You have a business Twitter account. You know how to follow people and how to use Twitter’s communication features.
• Learning Level: 3 | Building Skills
• Article Last Updated: Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Twitter And Time Management

One of the most common misconceptions about Twitter is that is takes a lot of time. There’s a truth and a myth here. First, the truth is that some people can spend their whole day chatting on Twitter and never accomplish anything. That’s not a criticism, but it isn’t great behavior for the workplace or for a small business person.

Fortunately, it’s a myth that Twitter requires a lot of time. With a little bit of self-discipline and some business goals for your Twitter use, you can effectively use Twitter and keep your time down to minutes each day.

So if you don’t use Twitter because you think it takes a lot of time, or if you are not comfortable yet with your Twitter routines, here’s a new way to structure your Twitter time.

Basic Twitter Activities

There are three general categories of activities you should perform on Twitter to maintain your community and fulfill your Twitter goals. Each of these are equally important, but they take different amounts of time.

• Communicate. The time you spend reading and writing tweets each day, engaging your business community. This is your main reason for using Twitter.
• Community management. The time you spend checking out Twitter users you want to follow, reviewing who follows you, and making any adjustments to your community membership. This also includes time you spend working with Twitter lists.
• Reputation management. The time you spend listening to what people on Twitter are saying about your company, your brand, your products and services.

Suggested Time Breakout

Everyone has different amount of time they spend on each activity, customized because of your business goals, the visibility of your brand, and the value you place on your Twitter interactions.

As a starting point, expect to spend:

• 85% of your time communicating.
• 10% of your time in community management.
• 5% of your time in reputation management.

If you spend 20 minutes a day on Twitter, that’s 100 minutes a week (during the business week). You would spend 5 minutes on reputation management, 10 minutes on community management, and the rest of your time talking to your community.

Your turn: Have you figured out a system to maximize your Twitter benefit by managing your time? How does this work for you? Share you ideas and experience here.

Related Articles:

• Are You Really Engaging Your Customers?
• Understanding Your Twitter Community
• 9 Ways To Engage Your Twitter Community
• Ebook: Twitter For Beginners
• Grow Your Twitter Community
• Communicate With Your Twitter Community
• Write A Great Twitter Bio
• Setting Twitter Goals