Photo SourceSocial Media Automation
Using automated robots for social media is tempting. Social media these days can feel like a full-time job. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, the list goes on and on and every few months, (maybe even weeks) there is a new contender to be the next big social media platform. Even from a marketing standpoint, you need to be on each platform to effectively reach out to all different types of consumers in your market.
So how do some people constantly post to every site and still have time to eat and sleep? One answer is the use of robots to automate their social media efforts. Social media automation is a tricky subject, since it can either make your brand a fountain of wonderful content or a repetitive nuisance that could ruin your brand’s personality.
The best thing to keep in mind is that whether you use a robot or not, your followers need a sense of human interaction. Having a conversation with your followers is a sure way to build your reputation and establish brand loyalty.
So if you, like many others, are on the fence about using social media automation, here are some of the pros and cons of using robots to manage your social media.
Pros
Convenience The biggest reason why people need automation is to save them time. It may seem like there are a million things happening at the same time, and a robot posting on social media for you can open up a lot of free time in your schedule. Programs like Hootsuite, OnlyWire, and Buffer can help you schedule content over time so you do not have to drop everything to keep your social feeds active.
Greater Exposure Unfortunately, there is no prime-time internet hour where you can reach every potential customer. Instead you have to account for early rises, evening watchers, and even night owls. Each person has a different schedule and so do you. Automating your social media can not only reach out to all types of customers throughout the whole day, but make it so you can choose what time is best for you to schedule your posts.
More than likely as your reach expands many fans / followers may not have never seen your posts and also it is very likely that most of your existing fans / followers didn’t see your content when you first shared it! That’s where market automation extends your reach and increases engagement with your followers.
Consistent Content Don’t let your customers forget about you, but don’t be annoying about it. Consistency is a key feature in social media automation. An evenly distributed flow of content can build loyalty in your customers mind and prove your brand a reliable source of consistent information.
Cons
Fake People won’t take a robot as seriously as a human. Scheduled posts can sometimes give away that an automation tool was used and your consumers will instinctively dismiss it because it doesn’t feel genuine. You might also give off the impression that you don’t know what is going on around you and miss opportunities to use big events to your advantage.
Loss of human interaction Interacting with your consumers through random conversation, like thanking them for a good review or supporting an issue can boost your reputation in your social community. Unfortunately, robots can’t do this, they will post what they have to post and ignore the rest. If you do automate your posts, try and at least talk to your customers whenever you have a chance.
Bad Timing There is a real world outside of the internet and sometimes a post during an emergency or tragedy can severely hurt your image. Consistent delivery of content means if something happens externally, it will still be posted, so one must keep an eye on that. Don’t be the brand to promote a product when everyone, at that moment, is upset about an event that does not relate.
Automation can work for you, however you must keep in mind that full automation will only hurt you. Although robots can solve some problems it does not solve them all. Keep an eye on what you have chosen to automate, see what people are saying and write back, and always try and make your content rich and relatable to your audience at the time it is posted.
To learn more about social media automation visit http://hudsonvalleymedia.com or give us a call at 845.202.7087.
Special to Hudson Valley Public Relations, Dan Agudelo Content Marketing Manager HVPR
