Productivity Tips for Enterprise Social Media Managers, as Told by Their Peers

We’ve all been there: It’s 3pm on a Friday and you’re watching a crazy cat montage that just popped up in your feed. Tragically, there’s still a mountain of work to get through and two hours before you can officially start your weekend without judgment.

Avoiding online distractions is hard enough for the average office worker. For social media managers, staying on task is even more difficult given the constant onslaught of current events and memes crowding your feed.

Recently, we invited social media practitioners to take part in our first-ever #SprinklrChat on Twitter to discuss how they maximize their time. We asked guiding questions about daily pain points, planning strategies, and general time management. Here are their productivity tips for fellow enterprise social media managers:

Facing Common Challenges

When asked about community managers’ biggest barriers to productivity, there were two issues that stood out among the responses: a lack of automation, and content overload.

Having the right tools makes all the difference when managing the social presence of an enterprise. Community managers are constantly being asked for reports and data, which is difficult enough to compile when you’re not also actively growing an online community. Automating the process allows managers to pull reports and track trends without too much time investment.

Content overload is another serious — though often overlooked — concern. Account managers are on the front lines of all the world’s happenings — good and bad.

Not only do social media managers need to juggle which topics to monitor and which to respond to, there’s also the emotional toll of seeing a flood of breaking news on a daily basis. It’s easy to get lost in developing stories, and difficult to continue posting as usual in an environment that’s anything but usual. So, how can community managers stay productive, even on their most distracting days?

Setting Aside Time to Plan

To combat the deluge of digital clutter and last-minute requests from higher-ups, many social media managers start their day (or even their week!) with a plan. Mornings, particularly Mondays, seem to be the sweet spot for planning among our #SprinklrChat participants.

But don’t discount the possibilities of a Sunday night planning session!

Knowing When (and How) to Unplug

Another way community managers maintain their productivity (and sanity) is knowing when to step away from the keyboard.

Of course, unplugging is easier said than done. With smartphones keeping us “always on,” it’s hard to completely walk away from work when work keeps buzzing in your pocket. That being said, there are a few tactics that community managers use to stay fresh and energized in their work.

Keeping the Momentum Going

The first step to improve social media productivity is figuring out what’s holding you back in the first place. If it’s your physical office space, consider noise-canceling headphones to block out nearby conversations. If you’re struggling to keep up with the daily demands of social posting, community building, and reporting on campaign results, upgrading your toolset can make all the difference! Talk to others in your space for inspiration and guidance.

Creating realistic goals and coming up with a plan for the week can also help you stay on track.

And, let’s be honest, who doesn’t love checking things off a to-do list?

Learn more about managing online communities with Sprinklr’s online community management platform.