You’ve already heard us talk about the importance of having social media accounts, but monitoring those accounts is JUST as important - if not more. Now I know, as an association professional, you’re SLAMMED. You don’t have time to scroll through Twitter hours upon hours per day. But the good news is - you don’t have to! Here’s how to monitor social media in just 20 minutes per day: 1. Prioritize your platforms Not all of your social media accounts are going to be as fruitful as others. So rather than worrying about being on every social media account possible (and failing to be active on all of those accounts), consider picking two or three that really make sense for your association to be on - at least upfront. Now these will vary by organization, but the most popular social media platforms for associations are Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. 2. Utilize social media management tools The easiest way to monitor social media in 20 minutes per day is, well, with a little help. If possible, take advantage of a few social media management tools. A few of our favorites are Hootsuite, Social Mention, TweetDeck, and of course, Google Alerts. Now the good news is many of these sites have free versions available. That being said, if you need to add more accounts or access more in-depth data, you may want to consider a paid version. 3. Set (and stick to) a schedule Even with social media management tools in place, it’s easy to get distracted and never check them throughout the week. To prevent that from happening, allocate a specific time during the day to check your social media channels. I personally like to do this first thing in the morning before anyone gets into the office, but it’s really whatever time works best for you. Got all that? Great! Now here’s a look at your daily social media monitoring schedule: 10 minutes: Check your social media management tools for mentions of your association and any specific keywords or hashtags you’re tracking. 5 minutes: Log into your priority accounts and quickly scan for comments. (Tip: Keep your priority accounts bookmarked in your web browser and stay logged in to save yourself additional time.) 5 minutes: Write down any interesting topics you may come across, as these could make for good social media posts or content pieces down the road. Remember, the most relevant your posts are, the more likely people are to engage with you. Got more than 20 minutes per day? It might be time to step up your organization’s social media game. See how in our free social media guide below!