While reading the post The Big List of The 61 Best Social Media Tools for Small Business by Keven Lee my back began to hurt. I guess it's the carpenter in me. The thought of lugging around another 61 tools in my social networking toolbox was overwhelming. I did take the time to wade through Keven's list. One that caught my eye is Tweetcaster, a Twitter management tool for mobile devices. Funny, but the name sounds just like the word broadcast. Keven mentioned "a few fun extras" including the ability of "hiding unwanted tweets" He also mentioned his favorite, the one he sells. Oh great, yet another social tool that allows marketers to shout at us while engaging in the art of being hard of listening. Don't get me wrong, tradespeople love to look at new tools, but  spending time looking at hammers means they are not swinging hammers. At the Jacksonville session of my Just Another Day in Paradise Tour we talked about using social to create focus while practicing the art of social listening. If your tired of spending too much time on social, here's some tips to save time, and eliminate a lot of heavy lifting.

How to Lighten your Social Toolbox

Focus on engagement before visibility - You should share to create value, not volume. Believe it or not, all of us have seen the same post, so sharing it without adding value creates nothing but noise. Stop shouting, start listening - Any app with a name that sounds like broadcast is, well, broadcasting. It's both ignorant and arrogant. Please stop. Reject false measurements - The best way to measure your social influence is by reviewing your bank balance, not likes or shares or scores. Looking for prospects? Hang out with your customers - Social platforms are designed to create groups of similar demographics. Find your customer and you've found your prospects. Go on a social diet - Your organizations social success rides on it's social fitness. It requires you to reject the bad, and invest in the good. Focus on the sites where your prospects hang out. It's time to stop trying to cover all the social bases. To connect with your best prospects, you need to use the right tool, not all the tools. I'm on the road to California, stopping in Jacksonville, Tyler, TX, Tulsa, Denver and Phoenix. I invite you to either follow me or stop by and say hello.