When it comes to automating social media marketing, some myths persist. For example, that using social media management tools like Hootsuite, Sprinklr and Facelift will reduce your reach on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
But the reality is that social media platforms don't care how we share our content - as long as it's quality. Social media automation comes with many benefits, including consistency and time savings. Find out why automating social media marketing is a good thing - and here are some great ways to do it.
What is Social Media Management Software?
Social media management software is a type of tool that allows companies to plan, post, monitor, and analyze their social media activities. Such tools provide a central platform where companies can prepare their posts for various social networks. From creating content to setting publishing schedules and analyzing engagement metrics, this software enables efficient management of the entire social media strategy.
Social Media Marketing Automation Myths
The Internet is a treasure trove of information, but not all of it is accurate.
The case of social media automation tools is a classic example - it's like the game of "Silent Post" we played as kids, where someone was whispered a secret and they passed it on. If you then ask the tenth person in line what they think, their answer is likely to be very different from what you originally whispered!
It's a phenomenon that goes by many names: There are three main myths you should ignore when it comes to using software to automate your social media:
- Studies have clearly shown that there is no penalty for using third-party software and that posts actually perform better because they are optimized. The persistent rumor came in estimated 2011, when reach for businesses on Facebook was slowly stagnating. But that wasn't due to the use of third-party tools, it was due to a change in the algorithm.
- Automation is impersonal - that may be true of the terrible automated welcome messages on Twitter or recruiting messages on LinkedIn, but it's rarely the case when you create the content yourself and use software to send it.
- You don't get engagement for your posts - this isn't true either, because engagement is a much more complex issue and the way you post isn't the whole story.
What could be causing your posts to underperform?
- Your content doesn't match your followers: It's frustrating when you put time and effort into creating content that your followers simply ignore. Either they don't see the content at all, or they just keep scrolling. This may be because the content isn't relevant to their interests or needs.
To change this, it pays to step into the shoes of your social media persona. Who are they? What do they care about? Look at the demographics of your followers that platforms provide. Use this information to create content that better matches their preferences. - Lack of consistency: Irregular or inconsistent posting times can cause your posts to get lost in your followers' newsfeeds. Consistency is key to building a strong presence and achieving greater reach. Establish a posting schedule and stick to it. Experiment with different days and times to see when your audience is most active. This leads directly to the next point:
- Bad timing: Even great content can lose visibility if it is published at the wrong time. Before you post, think about when your followers are online. The demographics that platforms provide can be very helpful here. Experiment with different times to see when you get the highest interaction rate.
- Lack of engagement: If your posts aren't generating interaction, it may be because they aren't compelling enough. Try different approaches to increase interaction from your audience. Use emojis, different hashtags, or even humorous memes to draw attention. A proven way to increase engagement is to include questions or prompts in your captions.
Benefits of Social Media Marketing Automation Tools
The key to successful social media automation is choosing the right tools for the job. When you look at these tools, you'll find that there are a variety of services offered, but there are some key elements to consider.
Publish to multiple channels
At the top of the list is a solid social media publishing suite so you can automate posting to major networks like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn, as well as Pinterest and YouTube. You should be able to customize posts on a channel-specific basis, such as allowing posting times to vary by platform. Once you've created and scheduled content, you don't need to be involved in the posting process. A huge value-add during the day when you can check off the to-do list, and priceless during the holiday season.
Powerful reporting and benchmarking
Another important element of a management tool and the foundation of any social media marketing automation is the ability to see what is working and what is not. Good tools have a dashboard of reports and benchmarking information to help you understand what's working and identify trends that you can incorporate into your strategy. Only then can you truly see your social media successes at a glance across channels.
Simple tagging and alerting system
By automating tags, a community manager can quickly identify topics without having to read the entire context. This feature can save a lot of time, especially when it comes to identifying a potential shitstorm or removing offensive content from pages. Another feature, especially if you work in a public-facing business, is the ability to set up an email alert system when certain keywords are used in comments on your social channels.
Time savings and consistency
One of the main benefits of social media management software is time savings. By scheduling posts in advance, companies can publish consistent content even when the team has limited resources. Consistency is critical to building a loyal following and a stronger online presence.
Content repurposing & inspiration
Content management can also help you repurpose evergreen content and find new ways to share older content. Media management that allows you to keep track of all your images is also a useful feature to look for when choosing software. Built-in trend analysis or even AI to help with content creation? Worth its weight in gold.
Security.
Social networks aren't exactly known for their security. Facelift, as a TÜV certified third party tool, guarantees you a security bonus with some features. After all, it makes sense to protect yourself from employees and not give them native access to your social media channels. Why is this the case? Find out in the blog article - Is Facelift safe?
General Social Media Best Practices
While these myths show that there is no reason not to use social media marketing automation, there are also some tips to keep in mind to get the most out of it. These are all about combining the human element with the intelligence of automation to create a winning strategy:
- Customize content for each social media platform: Each platform has its own preferences for text length, hashtags, and more. The key to success with automation is to customize each post to meet those guidelines for each platform.
- Choose the right image size: As with customizing the caption, it's important to choose the right size for images. For example, images are square on Instagram, vertical on Pinterest, and horizontal rectangular on Twitter. However, you can easily resize images using image editing tools. Many tools also automatically adjust the image size to fit the network conditions. We have put together a cheat sheet for image sizes and video posts.
- Check the best times to post on each platform: The third thing to consider is when are the best times to post on each platform. There are many guidelines, but once you have a month's worth of posts on your page or profile, you can create your own analytics and tailor them to your audience.
What would you rather not automate?
There are still some tasks that you should do yourself and not automate. At the top of the list is the actual content creation - you need something to share on social media! Whether you do it in-house or hire a creator, quality content is the key to success (not just on social). Inspiration through automation? Not only allowed, but a real time saver. If you haven't seen it yet, check out Lifty. It's Facelift's AI and it gives you cool content inspiration.
You also need to make time to interact with your followers. Replying to comments, thanking people for shared posts, and answering questions are all personal elements that businesses need to incorporate to avoid coming across as robotic or disinterested.
The most successful companies have found a balance between automation and hands-on work that saves a lot of time while ensuring that the people behind the brand are tangible to followers. Social media marketing automation also allows you to be consistent and post on a schedule, which is a huge benefit to both the algorithms of these platforms and the people waiting to hear from your business.
Bottom line: the tool is not the problem.
People often rant about technology, but sometimes, as in this case, the problem is not behind the screen, but in front of it. Low reach posts rarely have anything to do with the use of a social media management tool. However, we have learned that many myths have a real origin. In fact, organic reach on nearly all social networks has declined dramatically over the past decade. Companies are encouraged to spend more on paid advertising to compensate for the loss of reach. We've already covered some of the ways you can improve the ranking of your posts above. What other social media marketing challenges are you facing?
We have a recommendation! Facelift is a great solution. With a clear editorial plan across all channels, a single inbox, monitoring features, comprehensive analytics, and even built-in AI for content ideas, Facelift makes your job easier. Best of all, with our flexible pricing models, you only pay for the features you need. Sounds interesting? Then don't waste any time and try it for free now.
Contact us or experience Facelift with your free 14-day trial.
