By now you know that social media is a must-have for your business. Whether big or small, you would be hard pressed to find a business that doesn’t have at least some presence on social media, often across many different platforms.
If you’ve read any blog or book on the subject of social media marketing, you’ve no doubt heard the following golden rule in some form: content is king. A social media account that is starved for content is ineffective, uninteresting, and not living up to its true potential.
The other golden rule of social media marketing is that consistency is key. One of the goals of any social media approach is to keep your business in the minds of your customers and that is where being consistent is important. Even great content can be short-lived in the fast-paced world of social media. What will keep your fans engaged is regularly working towards the creation of fresh, interesting content.
If that sounds like a lot of work, it is. Therefore, many businesses turn to social media automation to streamline the process. Whether it’s scheduling and running posts, auto-responding to queries, or simply keeping everything centralised and easy to manage; automation is a great tool for your social media business needs.
However, automation is not a magic wand. The complacency of running on auto-pilot can create a host of new problems for you if you aren’t careful. Consider the following common pitfalls of automating your social media.
If You Fail to Plan, You Plan to Fail
Social media automation is a tool. Like any tool, it must be used properly to yield the maximum benefit. Social automation cannot create or execute an effective social media strategy on your behalf. You still need to develop that plan and take steps to implement it. Automation can make the execution of your plan more efficient, but you still need to create it.
Lacking A Personal Touch
It’s easy to let the automation run, but remember that the point of social media is to engage with customers. They want to interact with your brand, not a robot, so add a personal touch to your content and especially your auto-responders.
It only takes a few minutes to personalise things, and the gesture goes a long way towards building a friendly atmosphere around your brand.
Don’t Disappear
As great as automation can be, it can also be a crutch that leaves your customers wanting for more genuine interaction. Don’t become too complacent and assume that your automation will address everything because quite simply: it won’t.
Remember to engage with customers directly. Respond to posts, genuinely hear their ideas, like and share comments, etc. Schedule some regular “1 on 1” time with your social accounts and be a part of the conversation. Your customers will appreciate the effort and it goes a long way towards creating loyalty.
Don’t Rely on Autopilot 100% of the Time
Even if you’re comfortable with your automation program, don’t just flip the switch and let thing run their course. Be proactive. Check your messages, review your schedule posts for accuracy and relevance, and ensure that you’re on the right track.
Plan For Success
Automation, at best, is an efficiency tool. The real work still comes from you and your team. Make sure you’re using that tool in the best possible way by periodically checking to see what content is reaching and resonating the best.
Social media is a fast-paced world and your audience is as beholden to everything from current events to the weather to the time of day. These factors and more will impact your strategy and have an effect on how well your channels are performing.
The best-run social media channels use a combination of efficient automation and hands-on interaction. If you follow this approach, and keeping the above pitfalls in mind, you’ll be on your way to successfully automating and managing your social media accounts.
If you get stuck, reach out to us here at Envious Solutions on 1300 467 489.
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