Let’s face it, we’re busy. I mean, what business owner isn’t? We take on more than we should. And if we’re not busy, we are busy trying to be busy again. It’s nearly impossible to try and remember to post to Facebook and other social media networks daily. So why not try a social media automation app?
Maybe you’ve never heard of automation software for posting to your social media accounts. Perhaps you have been posting directly. It may be time to consider a third-party platform or app to schedule your posts.
We used Hootsuite for over six years to post to our social media accounts. It was neat to see improvements to the platform over the years, but other social automation apps have emerged with similar technology. We have also used other platforms like Meet Edgar, Jarvee, Zoho Social and SNAP.
Many features can help out a small business owner with scheduling posts. Our favourite is the ability to import a bulk list of scheduled posts from a spreadsheet.
Thanks to social media platform APIs, automation apps allow you to post to multiple social networks from one place. No more logging into Facebook, then Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn… just to post that recent blog post.
Being on social media every day, we see small businesses’ errors when posting to their accounts. We already know that there is minimal organic reach on Facebook, so it’s more important than ever to have engaging content.
Cross-Posting
Don’t cross-post across platforms. Cross-posting is posting identical content on every social media network or posting the same content multiple times.
Do use unique content that follows the formats for each social network. Some techniques garner more attention on one platform over another. For example, though hashtags work on virtually all networks, they work best on Instagram.
Tagging a person in an Instagram post works great, but when it’s cross-posted to Facebook, the tag doesn’t work. This can cause the post to look spammy.
Posting unique content to your other networks encourages followers to connect with you on multiple platforms, so they don’t miss anything. Also, your audience makeup may vary depending on the social platform; therefore, how your messages are curated may differ depending on the target demographic.
When your audience views the same post on more than one network, it seems amateurish and screams, “I don’t have time for this.” The best engagement is natural, organic engagement. When people feel that it is an actual post by a real person, they are more likely to trust your brand and engage with it.
Reposting
Don’t repost every piece of content you’ve created.
Do choose the best, most engaging content pieces for a repost.
When you have a well-written blog post, why not repost it? Well, reposting is okay, depending on how it’s done. We recommend waiting a minimum of two weeks before reposting original content. Then, as is with cross-posting, tweak the description using key phrases from the article to try and gain more engagement.
It’s always good practice to review the stats from the original post and repost(s) to compare engagement. You may try waiting longer or changing the post description if engagement is negatively affected.
Set It and Forget It
Don’t auto-post so you can avoid logging on to your social media profiles.
Do use auto-posting to allow you to schedule your posts to reach different audiences at different times, giving the appearance that you are always available.
Auto-posting apps are tools to help you engage on social media platforms. However, you must manually respond to comments, likes, shares and messages to build the relationship.
Organic engagement is the most effective method of social media growth. People like authenticity and authenticity can’t be faked or manufactured. But, if you set it and forget it, you have missed the purpose of social media automation.
Remember, if you want people to be engaged, you first.
Social Media Automation Tools