How to: Synchronise your social media with Twitterfeed

If there is one thing that people always want more of, it's time. This could not be more true for the small businesses owner, constantly juggling a myriad of tasks and paperwork.

For many small businesses wanting to engage in social media, finding the time to manage a presence across a blog or website, Facebook and Twitter, may simply take up too much time.

So what can small business do to upkeep their social media presence without duplicating tasks unnecessarily?

For the purposes of this article, we will use the example of an independent make-up artist, Melanie.

She has a blog which she has been using to promote her business with examples of her work and expert tips.
  
This is a good idea, as while she is out-and-about most of the day, the majority of her potential clients are glued to their computers at work.

While Melanie would like to increase her exposure across Facebook and Twitter, she doesn't have the time to be constantly updating all these services, every time she updates her blog.

The first step for Melanie is to set up a Facebook page and Twitter account.

Facebook pages are a perfect medium for business promotion for the time-poor. This is because anyone can become a fan and follow your content without the need to send and accept friend requests.

Likewise, the bite-sized information format of Twitter, means it is perfect for regular distribution and re-distribution of your content.

Melanie was sure to upload her logo, a short bio and contact details to both sites, but now she wants to add links to her blog posts automatically.

Twitterfeed is free, and one of the easiest ways to sync any blog or website with Facebook, Twitter and a host of other less well-known services.

All you need to do is find the RSS feed for your blog or website. If you are having trouble, look for the RSS symbol in the your browsers address bar.

Once you are armed with the RSS address, it's a simple step-by-step process to get it started.

1. Create a Twitterfeed account
2. Add a name for the feed, copy and past the RSS url
3. Choose advanced options such as how often the service should check for new posts
4. Link your Facebook Page and Twitter account
   

Once this has been set up, Twitterfeed will automatically add any new content posted on Melanie's blog or website to her Twitter account and Facebook page, saving her from duplicating her tasks and saving precious time.

While using Twitterfeed is a great way to help time-poor small business owners feed their social media presence,  it is still important for Melanie to check in to the Twitter and Facebook regularly.

This will allow her to engage with her audience and to take advantage of possible new clients or opportunities.