The 4 Rules Of Social Media Automation And 2 Recommended Social Media Management Tools

With or without us knowing, social media is more than just plain important for us. For commoners, it is a great way to connect with friends and family members while in the corporate world, social media is used to drive sales and revenue.

And I am absolutely sure you know what I am talking about right now. Social media is a part of our lives … one way or another.

With over a dozen social media platforms around us, how do we actually put social media into auto drive while (we are) enjoying the lovely view from the backseat?

Social media automation is the keyword here.

So, how do you ‘turn on’ social media automation?

Basically, there are two very simple rules when it comes to social media and it is never about the number of shouts or shares you have done. Seriously!

Here are the two rules:

1. Sharing at the right time
2. Using the right social media tools

Social media is all about timing and you can’t deny that. You want all your shouts to count; reaching out as many people as possible. Not to forget, using the right tools to help you with the whole process.

Social media tool #1: HootSuite

HootSuite is a great social media management tool for both automatic and manual planning. On a free account, users are able to add up to 5 social media accounts at one time. You can use HootSuite on social media such as:

1. Twitter
2. Facebook
3. Google+
4. LinkedIn
5. Foursquare
6. WordPress
7. Mixi
8. RSS Feeds

What makes HootSuite such a popular tool is because it allows you to schedule social shares on any connected social media accounts of yours for free!

On a basic (free plan), you can also get specific social analytics which are integrated with Facebook Insights and Google Analytics while if you are on a pro plan, you get a much detailed report.

Social media tool #2: Buffer

Buffer is a great social media management tool that focused in two things; scheduling and analytics.

Just like HootSuite, Buffer offers

both free and premium (called Awesome) for its users. On a free account, you can add one account per social media and up to 10 scheduled posts. Of course, with a flat fee of $10 per month, there comes Awesome plan which allows you to add up to 12 social media accounts and over 200 scheduled updates per social media.

Buffer is great as it offers more than just social media automation. It offers detailed analytics such as the number of reach, likes and reshares across one simple platform. Basically, you can use Buffer to manage your accounts on:

1. Facebook
2. Google+
3. LinkedIn
4. Twitter
5. App.net

4 Important tips to run a successful social media automation campaign

It is no secret that social media automation does help us in our everyday life and certainly, a great way to maximize our social media reach. As far as it helps us in our life, you must not forget to practice basic social media rules of engagements such as the below.

1. Avoid spamming

Automating too much updates in just a short period of time could be very annoying. To avoid this, mix social updates with normal social shares. This doesn’t only make everything look genuine but as well as a lesser ‘pain the eyes’ for your followers.

2. Overusing hashtags

Hashtags are great especially when it can help you maximize your reach to specific groups of people. However, it doesn’t mean that you have to throw in 10 hashtags in just one post. Instead, focus on main keywords and I don’t advise using more than three hashtags in one post.

3. Tagging non-related people and followers

It is extremely irritating when you are tag in a non-related topic. For example, posting an image of yours and tag the whole list of people you don’t really know. That is an absolute no-no for me. It is best practice to tag only the right people or in this case, people who are related to the topic.

4. Avoid typos

Social media is basically ‘live’ and you need to mind your words (avoid typos) every time you are using it. Simply by giving the wrong information or even as simple as wrong spelling could easily affect your brand name.

Over to you

When it comes to social media, do you have any tips or tricks to share? Tell me using the comment form below. Also, which is your favorite social media platform that drives the most traffic to your site?