In 2013, it’s Business 101 stuff. Facebook converts prospects into customers and casual shoppers into brand advocates. But there’s a dark side. If you think you might be spending too much time on Facebook, you probably are.

Is social media managing you?

Be honest. You may have a problem with Facebook if …

• Every text you send to your kids includes the @ or # symbols.
• You wish more people “Happy Birthday” in one week than you know in real life.
• The waiter at your favorite restaurant is offended when you don’t tag him in the photo you post of your food.
• You’re suspicious of new customers who haven’t Liked you.
• You can explain Facebook’s feature changes the day they’re announced.
• If the company doesn’t have a Facebook fan page, you remove it from your vendor list.
• You know you have an “other” in-box and you actually check it for messages.

Look, it’s not hopeless. You can use social media for to generate leads, to reach new prospects, improve customer service, and increase sales. And then, you can just walk away … and nobody will get hurt. You might even have time to speak to a client – gasp! – in person.

How to manage social media and your business

Need help managing a Facebook addiction? Sorry; that’s not exactly our strong suit. But if you feel like social media is managing you – so much so that you don’t have time to manage your business – yep, we can help. Definitely; give us a call.

Heck, you can even reach us on Facebook. We’d love to be your friend. And if you send us a message, we’ll be sure to get it. (Uh, yeah; we check that often.)

~Diane Stresing