For senior year yearbook superlatives, I was in the running for Most Pessimistic, only to be outdone by Betsy and, ultimately, Emily (congratulations, bitches!). I was a real-life version of Daria, without the badass boots and with much thinner hair. I preferred to play Nintendo in the basement rather than socialize with my peers. When AOL and AIM took hold, I typically only corresponded with the previously mentioned bitches.
You can imagine my dismay when MySpace was created.
Since then, social media has swallowed whole all forms of communication and interaction. And, now that it’s commonplace, I can no longer hide from it in my parents’ basement. In fact, it’s actually my job to monitor social media outlets on a daily basis. Surprisingly, though, the bosses trust me to do other things, too, so I can’t just spend my 9 to 5 liking, following, and sharing.
It’s important to use your time wisely when monitoring social media.
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How should I monitor my social media accounts?
Preparing a routine is the first step—because just logging into all your accounts each day can eat up valuable time. The following guidelines for some of the main social media channels can help you focus your social monitoring.
Twitter can lead to information overload, so choose exactly what you want to monitor, and determine if it’s a good use of your time based on how many mentions that stream gets. Keep an eye on mentions/searches, relevant questions, requests for support, complaints/feedback, praise, and competitor mentions.
Facebook is an easy way to interact with your business’s fans, customers, and critics. Monitor timeline posts, comments, private messages, and reviews to see what people are saying.
LinkedIn is perfect for networking and promoting your content. Pay attention to your company page, group discussions, and the Influencer Program.
Google Alerts come through your& email and alert you to mentions of your brand and industry-related content via Quora, Google+, blogs, or other sources and publications.
You should also build time into your day for responding to anything that might warrant it (e.g., positive or negative feedback, questions regarding your products/services, conversations surrounding your company brand). Finally, spread the love—share the social media monitoring responsibility among your marketing, sales, support, and executive teams.
In your newfound time, you can check out some episodes of Daria because you haven’t stopped thinking about her since the first paragraph.
