Now that 2016 is in full swing (well at least by 7 days), it's time to really commit to our New Year's resolutions. For many of us that means getting healthier, getting more sleep or reorganizing our finances. For those of us with businesses, we use the new year as a time to reflect on what was successful in the past year, and what we need to do a little bit better.

Social media marketing tends to be the one thing that slides as we get busier. Managing our day-to-day can become so overwhelming at times, that all those extra things fall by the wayside. Our posts get fewer and far between, and our blogging becomes non-existent. Trust me, I am the ultimate perpetrator of this bad behavior. After blogging and posting all day for my clients, you can pretty much expect that I'd rather be binge watching The Real Housewives than putting stuff out on my own Facebook.

Well friends, just like you, I'm starting 2016 with a new mindset and a new set of resolutions. Check them out below and hopefully they will help you get back on track in the new year.

1. Post a Minimum of 3 Times per Week - Consistency is key with social media. Posting too infrequently won't make an impact, especially with the new rules Facebook has implemented that limit your reach. To make consistent posting easier, set a recurring reminder on your calendar for 3 days per week. Make it first thing in the morning, and don't schedule any meetings or tasks until you've accomplished this. After a few weeks of practice, this will start to become second nature for you.

2. Commit to a Formula - Posting upwards of 3 times per week can seem overwhelming and you may think you may run out of content fast. Coming up with a formula can help you streamline your thoughts and keep you from spending a huge amount of time creating content. Think of it like this - Monday is a timely news article related to your business, Wednesday features your weekly blog post and Friday is something fun and light hearted. By creating a formula like this, you can easily narrow your scope and make your time more efficient.

3. Save everything that may be relevant - I can't tell you how many times I've come across a great article, picture, or quote and thought that one day I would like to post that on my Facebook. Instead of saving it or bookmarking it, I've continued on with my day, completely forgetting about that genius piece of information. Put systems in place to be able to refer back to things you find interesting. Create a bookmark folder, Google Drive or desktop folder to keep things organized and front and center. Not only will you not forget, but you'll have a stockpile of content ready to go when just want to pull out something quickly on a Monday morning. 

4. Talk to your audience - There's a reason it's called "social" media. Simply pushing out information is not enough. Each day, spend some time responding to comments, thanking your loyal customers and answering questions. Go through and "like" posts that relate back to your business, and share other's relevant content on your own timeline. Getting the conversation going will engage your potential clients and get them interacting with your brand, all things that are critical in creating customers.