Social Media Marketing Automation is when you schedule your social media posts over a day or week. This can be done through various social media management programs. They can range from small to enterprise sized systems. My personal favorite is HootSuite. It allows you to schedule Twitter and Facebook posts to go live at a specific time. It also creates the preview link on both services as well.
It’s a debate in the world of marketing as to if this is a good thing or not. Some argue that you should never use such services. Social media should be done and managed at the same time. I do not share this sentiment. I think automation is a good thing, especially for small businesses. Automation can be a great aid to your marketing efforts.
I usually advise clients that every morning set the post you want to go up on each social network. Why do I say this? Because if you are a small business you will have 20 other things to do during the day. Some more pressing than posting to a social media account. This way the posts can go up consistently and on a schedule. It’s another tool to help you reach your goals.
Notice I said tool. You shouldn’t put your social media on cruise control and sit back. Yes, you should set them so they go up consistently. You should but have notifications on your phone set. This way you can respond to people interacting with your posts. There is nothing worse then having a question directed to you and it falls in the vast void of social media. You want to show your customers they matter to you.
Remember social media has to be actively managed to be successful. Gone are the days where it’s a one-way communication channel. It’s a two-way channel now and people expect to be heard and also answered. If you fail to do so all the automation in the world won’t help you.
How if Affect your Business: Automation is a good thing when done right. Especially if you use it to augment your marketing efforts. Don’t make it your entire social marketing plan. Interact with your fan/followers on a regular basis.
