A social media management tool, like Hootsuite or Buffer - I use Hootsuite, as I can both manage my lists there, and also schedule my social media activity. The free version is a bit hidden, but fear not, it’s still there (although you can now only have three linked accounts, rather than five). Go to https://hootsuite.com/create-free-account#/
A list of your key influencers - Utilise other people who spend more time on social media than you. See what they’re doing/saying/reading. See Twitter lists above!
What to do in your 15 minutes:
Step 1:
Set a timer - this may be the most obvious, but one of the most important. If you know you’ve only got 15 minutes, you’re going to make the most of that time.
Step 2: (1 minute)
Open Hootsuite - Review all mentions of you, and like/share/reply where necessary. Also do a search for your name/company name with and without a hashtag, to pick up those mentions that may not have been brought up.
Step 3: (5 minutes)
Go to your Twitter lists in Hootsuite - curate the best content, liking/sharing and commenting, and noting anything for later that may be a good idea for a bit of long-form content. Follow any new accounts that are interesting, or add them to your existing lists.
Step 4: (3 minutes)
Search Twitter and LinkedIn - if there is something in particular that you’re selling or doing, then find out what others are saying about it. I look at #Durham #Newcastle and #Sunderland, for example, to keep an eye on what’s happening in the NorthEast, although there’s an awful lot of football content to filter out! If you get into the habit of doing this every day, the good stuff will naturally stand out.
Step 5: (3 minutes)
Review your core websites - These are the sites that you should have noted in your content plan, that are relevant to your industry or interest. I look at a few most days, like the National Archives, Nesta and Wired. Then curate the good stuff, and look for inspiration for future blog posts, research or any other content.
Step 6: (3 minutes)
Share or tweet about your content - Schedule some posts about your content from your content plan, with links, images, hashtags and videos. Change what you say about the same content each time, and don’t forget to measure the effectiveness of your efforts.
And there you have it! Your 15 minutes a day plan for your social media. I’d love to hear how you get on with this, or if you have any other tips to making the best use of your time.