Automation is becoming increasingly important for businesses of all sizes in 2023. The automation of accounting work or HR duties is commonly seen in many organizations – but could your company benefit from automating its social media marketing?
In this article, we take a look at how automation has become an essential part of good social media marketing in 2023, and how your business can implement it successfully.
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What is social media automation?
Writing for Toolbox Marketing, Madhura Gaikwad provides a helpful definition of social media automation as “the process of automating social media activities to optimize the results derived from social media channels. It helps marketers save time and effort spent on managing social platforms, engaging with prospects, and enhancing brand awareness.”
Expanding on this, the automation of social media doesn’t usually refer to having AI create content for your social media. Rather, automation involves the strategic use of a social media automation tool that can:
- Schedule timely content
- Republish posts that are running successfully
- Track the engagement of posts, and
- Curate trending topics.
Automation can be a valuable asset for scaling-up businesses on social media platforms with strategic SEO planning and enhanced search engine optimization.
Smaller businesses, which might not have the budget or manpower to have a team (or even a single employee) watching over their social media accounts, and larger companies, which may be interested in running more sophisticated campaigns, can benefit from social media automation.
Popular automation tools
There is a range of social media automation tools available. Although it is interesting to note that some of the most famous names aren’t actually hugely well suited to the majority of their audience.
Well-known products such as Hootsuite and BuzzSumo are regularly used by small and medium-sized businesses, even when these tools may not be ideal for them.
For example, Hootsuite is an expensive option that has a more complex interface, making it more difficult for small businesses to deploy effectively.
BuzzSumo can be useful, especially with regards to trend gathering, but it is highly limited when it comes to the mediums.
Tools like Eclincher are more effective because they are specifically designed for small and medium sized businesses, allowing for everything from automating and scheduling posts to measuring performance in a valuable way.
How to create a content calendar
Planning is a huge part of being able to deploy social media automation effectively. To use these tools, you need to have a firm idea on some of the content that you want to publish in advance.
Of course, not everything needs to be meticulously planned out, but you can only see the benefit of automation if you know what kind of posts you are putting out.
To do this, it is important to create a content calendar. A content calendar helps you to track your posts and what you have got coming up.
A well-run calendar can also provide you with information about important upcoming events that you need to schedule content around. With social media, it is vital to be timely and respond to events as they occur. A content calendar allows you to do this easily.
Look for an social media automation tool that has an integrated content calendar feature so that you can plan and deploy all of your social media content from a single piece of software.
How to choose the best social media automation tools
Selecting the right social media automation tool is crucial for enhancing your social media presence and streamlining social media tasks as part of your overall social media marketing strategy.
Here are key considerations to help you make an informed decision while choosing social media automation tools:
Your business needs
Start by assessing your specific requirements. Are you a small business aiming for a simple scheduling tool or a larger enterprise in need of comprehensive analytics and reporting features? Knowing your needs will narrow down your options.
Platform compatibility
Ensure that the automation tool is compatible with your social media platforms. Look for social media tools supporting popular platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Features and Functionality
Evaluate the tool’s features, such as content scheduling, analytics, reporting, and engagement tracking. Opt for a tool that aligns with your objectives and simplifies your tasks.
User-friendliness
The tool should be user-friendly, with an intuitive interface. It should save you time not make tasks more complex. Consider tools with easy onboarding and excellent customer support.
Cost and Scalability
Understand the pricing structure and scalability options. Some tools offer free versions with limited features, while others have tiered pricing. Ensure it fits your budget now and allows for growth in the future.
Reviews and Reputation
Research user reviews and the tool’s reputation in the industry. Feedback from other users can provide valuable insights into its performance and reliability.
Integration Capabilities
Check if the tool can integrate with other marketing and analytics tools you use. This enables a seamless workflow and a more comprehensive view of your social media efforts.
By considering these factors, you can select the best social media automation tool that aligns with your business goals and enhances your social media presence while effectively supporting your social media marketing strategy.social media scheduling tools
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The benefits of social media automation
There are a huge range of benefits to social media automation no matter the size of your business or revamping your online marketing campaigns. Some of the most important advantages include:
Consistency
Nothing looks worse than a social media profile that isn’t well-balanced. If your profile posts at irregular intervals it can become almost impossible to build up a following or capitalize on the success that you have from your posts.
Having a large number of consistent posts in the correct tone of voice, and providing quality content is an important way to grow your follower numbers, and attract new ones.
Productivity
One of the major challenges for smaller businesses running a social media marketing campaign is the amount of time that the campaign takes up.
Having to constantly create new posts as well as respond to comments for those interacting with you can be literally a full-time job for a social media professional. But, smaller businesses don’t always have the budget to dedicate to a full-time social media staff member.
This is where automation can save you a great deal of time so that a member of your team can manage your accounts while also taking on other business-critical work.
Increased engagement
It is ideal to have social media profiles that get a great deal of engagement with followers. Social media automation tools can help to make this a reality.
Not only are you providing better and more relevant content (thanks to a better understanding of those who you are in your audience), but automation tools can also help you to re-distribute popular posts.
In essence, it can also enable you to read and understand your audience better in the longer term for targeted campaigns.
Tips for using automation more effectively
To use automation tools to their full potential it is important to understand the best ways that they operate. Here we take a look at some key tips for using your social media automation software more effectively, providing easy steps to automate your social media processes:
- Make use of auto-responses – automated responses can be extremely useful when replying to customers. They can be deployed effectively when a customer asks a question or makes a complaint, and the response can direct them to an FAQ page as well as provide a way to get in contact about the query, for example by email.
- Ensure every post is unique – even if you want to reuse a social media post that has been popular, it is good to change up the headline or some aspect of the post. This keeps it fresh.
- Use it to speak to audiences in different time zones – just because you aren’t working at 10pm, it doesn’t mean that your whole audience isn’t ready to engage.
Conclusion
As of 2023, automation in social media marketing is essential for successful marketing strategies for every business. It plays a crucial role in streamlining tasks, ensuring consistency, and augmenting overall productivity, offering businesses, including small and medium-sized enterprises, a significant advantage.
The creation of a well-structured content calendar is essential to plan and deploy content with precision. Ensure you choose a tool with the necessary features your marketing automation tool must have.
Embracing social media automation equips your business to thrive in the ever-evolving empire of marketing in 2023 and beyond, positioning you for continued success and growth.
Frequently asked questions
What is automation in social media marketing?
Social media automation refers to the practice of using specialized tools and software to streamline various tasks associated with managing social media platforms and marketing efforts.
These tasks can include scheduling posts, analyzing engagement metrics, curating trending topics, and automating responses to optimize a brand’s online presence and reduce manual workload.
Can social media marketing be automated?
Yes, social media marketing can be automated effectively using dedicated social media automation tools. These tools are designed to simplify and expedite a wide range of activities associated with managing social media accounts.
They can help from content scheduling to audience engagement. They help businesses maintain a consistent and active online presence.
How does social media automation work?
Social media automation works by employing specialized tools and software to perform tasks that would typically be done manually. These tools allow you to schedule posts in advance, monitor engagement, and curate relevant content automatically.
Additionally, social media automation tools often integrate with analytics and data insights, enabling you to make data-driven decisions for your social media strategy.
Can social media posts be automated?
Yes, social media posts can be automated using social media automation tools. These tools enable you to create a content calendar and schedule posts in advance. You can plan your content strategy, set specific posting times, and even reuse successful posts.
Automation streamlines the process, ensuring your social media accounts stay active and engaging, even when you’re not posting in real-time.
Are there risks associated with social media automation?
While social media automation offers numerous benefits, it’s essential to be cautious to maintain authenticity. Over-automation can lead to a lack of genuine engagement with your audience.
It’s advisable to balance automated posts with real-time, personalized interactions and responses to mitigate this risk. A well-thought-out strategy that combines automation with authentic engagement can help you maintain a human touch in your social media presence.
