So its Monday morning and you're back into your social media routine. You might not refer to it as a social media routine yet. Maybe its just random checking here and there on Twitter mentions, Facebook likes, and shared content on Pinterest and Tumblr, but did you ever think of creating a method to the madness?
Social media never sleeps and if you were so allowed you'd be able to contribute and evolve your campaigns using it 24-7. Since you can't (unless you're a super cool robot) it is best to spend your time wisely. Creating a routine doesn't mean there is anything set in stone and you can customize this to your liking anytime.
Here is just a bit of my current social media routine. Maybe it'll help you guide your own campaigns.
Optimize and Report any Social Media Ads
The first thing before getting into community engagement is to check up on any ads I'm running. This includes Facebook ads, Twitter ads, LinkedIn ads, and Google AdWords buys. Instead of just collecting data to analyze for a report I'll also make changes based on the weekends performance.
This can take some time so its normally why I knock this out first thing in the morning. Creating content and engaging brand ambassadors will have to wait. If ads are running they are my top priority. I want to make sure the money is being well spent and targeted towards the right users.
Twitter Mentions and Facebook Tags
Twitter mentions and Facebook tags (along with a slew of other metrics) are just two examples of users mentioning the brand or interacting with the campaign. For this action I react by either mentioning them directly, replying, or showcasing them.
This goes hand in hand with reputation management. With the good comes the bad comments that might hinder the brands digital identity. This will also be the damage control segment of the day, though this is ongoing considering it can occur at anytime.
What helps me find these before anyone else is an intense obsession with Google Alerts, Sprout Social, and Google Trends. Hootsuite works as well, but you'll have to stay diligent and refresh the streams.
Create and Share Content
Now comes the part I enjoy the most when it comes specifically to social media; content creation and syndication. There are a few steps here.
Analyze and Create Content
Based on the brand and the properties it holds before writing something at random take the time to see what is trending and can be accepted in your community. Content shouldn't be underestimated, especially by its author, and this is done countless times in a rush to get something out the door.
Share Content Appropriately
Your research will be rewarded once your content is ready for publication. Now find networks that make the most sense to share it on. Did you know Twitter links have the lowest click through rate on all social networks? Maybe it might be best to not sacrifice your credibility spamming links to your followers. Instead, mention an update to your website.
That's just one example above, but you'll find the networks that work best for you. It could be Reddit or it could be LinkedIn. Experiment and see what happens.
Track Content and Scale Its Performance
Throughout the day come back to your content and see whether or not its working. Similar to Facebook Ads you'll want to see whether or not you've succeeded in your work or whether you have to switch it up a bit. It really does all come down to two things; testing and passion. More on this much later down the road.
There's a bit more that goes into this (and I might have left certain things out on purpose), but that is all for now. I can't very well tell you everything and have no content for my own website. Or lets say I tell you everything and it blows up in your face. I don't want those angry emails.
Having a social media routine, or any routine for that matter, helps me delegate time appropriately. When sucked into a computer screen it can become easy to lose track of things.
Anything that can assist in finding your way should definitely be enacted. Hope it helps!