Why Automate Social Media?

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Are You Automating Your Social Media?

Written by Mic Adam on 25 October 2013.

It is just over a month ago that Belgium had its first #kloutparty. To attend you needed to prove (or not) your influence by having a high Kloutscore.

Have you ever wondered how some of these young men and women have done it to increase their influence in a short period of time? Do you really think they are on social media all day? Think again because there are some shortcuts… Some are using social media automation tools. Whether this is a good idea or not, you are the judge but here is a partial list of useful tools…

To start you can use the tools the platforms themselves offer. For example, your LinkedIn status can automatically be posted on your Twitter account.

On Twitter, you are able to send your post through to Facebook.

On Facebook you can schedule your posts in the future on your fan page allowing you to distribute messages throughout the day and when your fans are online and available. Some people schedule messages on Sunday for the rest of the week.

Scheduling Tools

There are, of course, also a set of tools that allow you to schedule posts on these platforms. Listing all of them is not an option and would lead us too far but here are some examples: Facebook posts can be easily scheduled using Postplanner, Tweets using Tweetlater, and pins on Pinterest using ViralTag.

Individually these are good tools but they are limited to one platform.

Scheduling on multiple platforms can be made easy through applications such as Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, and others. They allow you to place one post on multiple platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and even Google+.

The biggest advantage is that you only have to enter the post once and it gets posted to all selected platforms. The biggest drawback is that it is the same message everywhere and that is not always best practice. The scheduling option is useful to optimize the spread of posts throughout the day or when your target audience is online.

Other Methods

Some people love to share information with their networks. They read a lot of stuff, discover new and interesting information, and want to share it. Even though most of the content platforms do have a “share” button, the readers do not want to overshare messages in a short period of time.

In comes Bufferapp (aka Buffer). Buffer makes your life easier with a smarter way to schedule the great content you find. Custom scheduling, multiple accounts, and detailed analytics make this app your best friend when reading and sharing information.

With a simple keystroke, you fill up your Buffer at one time in the day, and Buffer automatically posts them for you through the day.

This is a great way to spread your activity level throughout the day.

And then, there are some extreme tools that really automate your social media: IFTTT, Zapier, Socialoomph, and many more. These tools work on the simple principle of “Action & Reaction” of better “Trigger & Reaction”.

IFTTT and Zapier use “recipes” to automate social media activity meaning if you place a message on one platform it triggers an action on a platform. An example: if you have a new follower (IF/Trigger) you could create a DM or Reply Tweet to welcome your new follower (THEN THIS/reaction).

Using these tools you can automate a lot of your social media activity from just one post. However, I want to caution you here that these tools also hold certain dangers that could have a negative effect. An example: If your trigger is a #hashtag do not blindly Retweet this message as it could say bad things about you!

Personally, I am not a big fan of automation but in certain cases, I do use it once in a while. It turns out that these are the activities that I would do anyway and hold very little danger. Which of these tools you will be using will depend on what you are trying to automate keeping in mind the advantages but also possible disadvantages.

As always there is no social media automation tool that fits all needs. My personal favorite is Buffer.

Which ones are you using and what are your experiences?

(Article and image via Social Media Today)

My Take on Automation

I’m very active online. Social media is an important part of my marketing. I am not limited to Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin. There are more than 103 social media sites I consider using.  Click on this link for more information on those sites.

I’m not recommending spending time on dozens of social media sites. However, you do need to know the world beyond FB, Linkedin, Twitter, and a couple of others. There is a huge audience that ignores TikTok and the usual suspects. Remember, we are selling worldwide.

Some sites are better for your niche than the usual suspects. Your job is knowing which is which. Or you can hire someone to help you. Try Fiverr.com for that assistance. Or use one of the services such as Hootsuite or Buffer.

Social Media Marketing

Our goal is to get as much valuable information in front of as many prospective buyers as possible. That means knowing your audience and how to reach them. Don’t post blindly to Facebook. You may have a decent page for your niche. But are you posting to groups?

Perhaps your niche is writing instruments. Are you joined in the many Facebook groups focused on those items? Or if your niche is tropical fish are you a member of the dozens of Facebook tropical fish groups?

Don’t spam the groups. Many do not allow ads or links. However, you can share information and build a following via the groups. Your posts need to be new to the niche or a twist on something not new.

The goal with any post is to present information that’s fresh. Share your story: problem & solution. By all means, know what you are talking about. Be sure to spell-check your post. There’re few things worse than misspelling the name of a particular species or piece of equipment.

The Bottom Line

Take time to consider all tools available to you. Learn how to use those tools. Develop a following in your niche. Develop relationships with others in your niche. Become an authority in your niche. Learn “Stealth Monetization”. That’s selling without seeming to sell.

You can master selling online. The only question is how much money goes to your bank account. Learn the steps necessary to efficiently develop a working sales funnel. Then be alert to how you may monetize your blog or funnel for greater returns.

Here’s a gift. Click on this link for free video training. You can thank me later.

 

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