How to Monitor Social Media in 10 Minutes

Editor’s Note: This an update to a previous blog post “How to Monitor Social Media in 20 Minutes” After tweaking our method, we found an even faster way to check your social media.

In this era where technology continues to advance on a daily basis, social media and its various platforms have become powerful tools for anyone that knows how to utilize them properly.  In fact, you’ve probably been told that social media is vital in order to become successful in the corporate world.  How, exactly, can your business leverage this resource to your advantage?

Merely having a social media account for your business will not have clients banging on your front door; it takes hard work, patience, and strategizing.  Posting relevant and interesting content on a consistent basis is only the first step in your social media strategy.  Simply being active on your business’ social media account isn’t the key to unlock the door of success, although it does qualify as jiggling the metaphorical door handle.

Following the first step of posting, you should monitor your account as well. (Tip: Reach a larger audience by maintaining more than one social media account.  People are not easily reached just by their home phone; they have cell phones, emails, etc.)  By learning how to properly monitor the social media information you need, you can expect to receive helpful data, and afterward, make changes where they are needed in order to improve your results (AKA your business’ perceived image).

What should you be monitoring?

You can’t go on vacation and hope to somehow stumble upon the locals’ favorite spots to eat in order to get the best food and experience.  You have to know what to ask, who to ask, and what to look for.  Similarly, you can’t expect to interpret and analyze your business’ data if you don’t know what data needs to be monitored in the first place.  Breathe easy, though; you don’t have to try and figure this out by yourself!  We have compiled a streamlined guide to what you should be looking out for on the most important social networking platforms:

Facebook is a gateway for businesses to interact with people. These features allow you to stay in constant interaction and should be monitored regularly:

• Wall Posts: Users can post compliments, complaints, and a myriad of other items on your wall. This information is important to be mindful of, because anything that is said (the good, bad, and ugly) can affect your corporate brand and influence your clients/consumers.
• Comments: Comments are your way to respond any posts made on your wall. By commenting, you are initiating a conversation with the user and interacting on a more individualized level.
• Likes: Likes are the ultimate compliment for your brand! A “like” essentially means, “I agree with what you posted.”
• Shares: While a “like” on your post can be compared to a slice of yummy cake, a “share” can be considered the delicious icing.  If someone shares something you posted, it has the same meaning of a “like” except doubled.  I.e., “I agree with what you posted so much that I’m going to show it to everyone else I know on Facebook.”

Twitter is a mecca of information. Unfortunately, sifting through the immense clutter for said information can be daunting. Ease your pain by narrowing down your search and focus on specific types of tweets:

• Relevant questions about your company or industry: Directly offer answers to questions in tweets that are relevant to your company or the industry your business is in.
• Requests for support: Look for tweets made by customers who may need help and provide them with appropriate assistance.
• Complaints and feedback: Not all feedback is going to be positive, but it is important to remain open-minded when receiving complaints and/or criticism. Acknowledge the good as well as the bad, and make changes when necessary.
• Praise: If you see a tweet praising your business, show your appreciation by either retweeting it, saving it to your favorites, or by reaching out to the individual with special message, or a “thank you” gift.
• Competitor Mentions: Monitor conversations where your competitors are mentioned in a passing sort of fashion, and when they are being discussed in-depth as well.

LinkedIn is a great platform to develop and enhance your company’s brand, as well as expand its outreach in a professional setting. Here’s what you can do in order to harness these benefits:

• LinkedIn Answers: Keep an eye out for features requesting information. These are excellent opportunities for you to showcase your expertise with LinkedIn Answers.
• Group Discussions: Put yourself out there and join in on group discussions. They offer opportunities to answer questions, make comments, and expand your business’ current connections.

Google+ is a great way for your business to be discovered through Google. Although this platform is fairly new, it’s rather simple to monitor. Take advantage of these tools:

• Comments: Keep an eye on any comments your posts receive. They can offer insight as to whether or not people like your content, or if they have feedback to provide.
• Circle Streams: Pay close attention to the stream of information being shared in your circles. This presents an opportunity for your business to join in on relevant conversations, and when appropriate, become connected in other circles.

Blogs can keep you informed of what others are writing about your company. Make sure you are monitoring the blogosphere for these things:

• Blog Articles: You should know who is writing about your company and what they are saying. Blog articles can be just as important as news coverage. Furthermore, since they are written independently for the most part, they have the potential to be taken seriously by those that choose to not follow mainstream news.
• Comments: Find out what people are saying in response to articles about you. Are their comments positive or negative? Take any and all constructive criticism, consider it, and apply it when necessary.
• Links: Check to see if there is a link back to your website within the article if it using content that your company created. If their isn’t, consider contacting the blogger to request a link back to your website in said article.

How to Monitor Social Media in 10 minutes

With all of this information, you’re probably asking yourself, “How can I monitor all this information without it cutting into my busy schedule?”  It’s easy! Here’s a breakdown of how you can monitor your social media in 10 minutes every morning:

• 3 minutes Check for Twitter chatter about your company and its competitors.
• 2 minutes Scan Google News and Blogs Alerts for important articles.
• 3 minutes Filter and flag relevant industry-related LinkedIn questions.
• 2 minutes Log in to Facebook and Google+ to scan your wall for comments.

Monitoring social media can be beneficial for you and your business if you know what to look for. Additionally, you can opt to use paid tools that help with social media monitoring. As you become more comfortable, you can increase the amount of time you spend monitoring social media, and hopefully learn new things along the way.