If you’re running a small business, it’s very likely you’re hands on when it comes to all the different facets of it. This can keep you busy, especially during the startup years. If you want to grow your company, a great way to do that is by posting onto your social media. But with so many other elements at play, you might be wondering how you can keep the business running and the marketing side. . . enter: automation.
Automating your social media can help save you time, so you can build out your content ahead of schedule without worrying last minute what you want to create. This can be done on a weekly or monthly basis, where you book time specifically for social media creation. If you want to know what things to post onto your social platforms, our article here can give you some ideas to get started. This eliminates tedious, manual busywork so you no longer have to multitask.
Social Media Automation Myths
If you have any aversion to using social media automation tools, let’s first clear up some questions that may be in the way. Don’t let these prevent you from an easy automation solution.
“Are Automated Social Media Posts Penalized?”
Buffer performed a research comparing organically posted Facebook messages against ones posted from a third-party tool. The results showed that posts from third-party tools, such as Social Compass, did not receive less engagement than manual posted Facebook messages.
“Is Using Social Media Automation Software Impersonal?”
While the software is what makes social marketing automatic, you will still need to write and design your content. This is where the personal touch comes in. Automation also allows you to observe what content best engages your audience.
“Does Social Media Automation Lessen Engagement?”
Using an automation tool will not take away your engagement. You will still need to set aside time to reply to comments, shares, and messages. This will allow you to touch base with possible or current clients.
Now that we’ve covered some myths that might arise from using a social media automation bot, let’s talk about what tips you can use to create the best content for your platforms.
Automation Tips for a Great Social Media Strategy
Plan a Variety of Content for Each Platform
If you have multiple social media outlets, posting a variety of content is critical. You don’t want to bore your follower, so building out content that keeps your page alive and diversified is key. CoSchedule has come up with six different message types you could create: questions, controversy, anecdotes, quotes, benefits, sound bites.
Write Customized Messages
If you have multiple social media outlets, a customized message for each outlet is a great way to keep your followers engaged, and give them a reason to follow each account. Otherwise, the same content or messages becomes repetitive and could result in a lower engagement. For social media automation Facebook should be less than 100 characters, no hashtags, and story-like content performs best. Social media automation Instagram captions should be 3 lines, 11+ hashtags, and lifestyle or culture content is what you should consider posting.
Design for Each Network
Just like doing varied messages, you should also customize the visuals for your accounts. Facebook’s ideal photo size for newsfeed is 1200 x 630px. For Instagram, 1080px wide equates to the highest resolution.
Social media is work. From creation, posting, to monitoring and optimizing, it takes time to figure out what works for your social media platforms. While a poll might work great on Instagram, it might not be as successful on Facebook. Find out through test-and-trial what works best for your socials.