There are countless benefits to automating your social media efforts. But who is best served by these services and what are best practices when it comes to using them?
Social media automation is “the process of reducing the manual labor required to manage social media accounts by using automation software.” It goes beyond simply scheduling your posts ahead of time to include content creation, customer service, and analytics reports.
Automating your social media processes reduces the time your team spends on repetitive tasks, decreases response times to customers, optimizes your posting schedule, and boosts engagement. It’s important to note, however, that social media automation is not the same thing as a social media strategy. In fact, automating your social media channels without a robust strategy in place can actually hurt you in the long run.
Be sure your content sounds “human,” even if it’s automated.
First, you’ll also need to be prepared to edit, cancel, or change planned posts. If events or trends warrant a response from your brand, be flexible. Next, make sure your posts are platform specific. In addition to different image display ratios and word count allowances, your audience’s expectations will also vary from platform to platform. Finally, you’ll need to customize your content or work with an automation tool that does it for you.
If you have a strategy in place and you’re aware of the potential pitfalls of automation, it’s time to decide what features will best serve you. Do you manage multiple accounts or produce a lot of content? It might be worth investing in a scheduling and publishing platform that will identify the best times for you to post make the publishing process more efficient.
Automating your basic customer service features
If you often interact with your customers and clients over social media, consider automating your basic customer service features. You can provide automated responses to questions. Automate “What are your hours?” Then, standardize your “welcome” message when you gain new followers.
There are an ever-increasing number of automation services and platforms out there. How can you find the right one for your business? Start with three basic questions:
- What social platforms do you use most often?
- Which automation features are you most interested in?
- What is your budget for automation?
Your answers to these questions will help structure your search for the right automation platform. So start by looking at the large platforms, like Hootsuite and Buffer, and then seek out smaller service providers as necessary based on your needs. Got questions? Give us a shout!