We get it! Running a business is hard enough without having to be on social media all the time. Many people would have you believe that automating your social media posts are the answer to that dilemma. We’re here to tell you it’s not! Setting up a “schedule it and leave it” strategy is never the answer.
Now there’s nothing wrong with automating some posts throughout the month in order to free up some time to do other things. However, those posts still need to be monitored regularly for validity and interactions. Here are three reasons why you shouldn’t depend on automated social media posts.
Bad Timing And Appearing Out Of Touch
Here is a great example of a post that suddenly became inappropriate. A year or so ago, Florida had a hurricane and a client had automated some posts. One of these posts was an article on how now was the best time to visit the Florida Keys! Had it not been for the hurricane this automated post would have been fine. Unfortunately, this client hadn’t been monitoring the upcoming automated posts and this one posted immediately after the storm that created a lot of damage in Florida and elsewhere. Once it was realized that this post was inappropriate it was pulled to avoid looking insensitive and out of touch with what was going on in the world.
This is a prime example of why automated social posts are not the be all and end all answer. Any automated posts must be reviewed on a daily basis to make sure the content is still appropriate and valid at the time of publishing. Things like natural disasters, tragedies, national news, or current events need to be addressed and responded to respectfully and in a timely manner. This will show your followers not only that do you care about what is going but also that you and those in your business are actually in touch with what’s happening in the world. For your business, these events not only create opportunities to connect on a human level with your followers but they also allow you to use these big events to build your brand. Showing compassion and sensitivity in difficult times can do more for your business than you might imagine.
Case and point. One client of ours took the initiative of offering clean drinking water and empty containers to anyone who needed them during a recent water contamination issue in their area. They publicized it on their social media channels as well as on their website in real time repeatedly stating that these items were for anyone who needed them not just customers. This client genuinely wanted to help their community during this difficult time and made sure to continually post updates on the issue until it was resolved. What do you think this did for this dealership’s reputation? It no doubt made the community aware of who they were, what they were doing, and built a rapport that couldn’t have been created any other way! These are the types of posts that can’t be automated. They need to be timely and posted when and where appropriate.
Appearing Anti-Social
Automating social posts can cause your business and brand to lose credibility for several reasons. First off, social media is just that – social! Your followers expect that you and your brand will actually interact with them. Interacting with your followers by responding to their comments or thanking them for their great review will do wonders for your business’ reputation.
Also, making posts about events as they are happening or new RV’s that have just arrived on your lot allows your followers to be involved with your business and get excited with you. This builds a sense of community and creates an atmosphere of belonging that will encourage your followers to comment, share, like, and even purchase from you now and in the future.
You can’t be anti-social on social media if you want it to help you build your brand’s reputation and create raving-fan customers. You need to interact with your followers, ask them questions, joke with them, show them what’s happening in your business as it’s happening, keep them updated on upcoming events or things that your dealership is excited about and get them excited too.
Fake News and Robots
Automated social posts can also appear fake. There’s a lot of chatter these days about ‘fake’ this and that and there’s a really good reason. There is a lot of information circulating that is far from the truth and there are a lot of baddies out there that are circulating fake social pages and posts in order to scam people. The general population has become very cynical and very tight with whom they give their trust to and rightly so.
When your social media posts are entirely automated it could appear to followers that your business is not real or that it’s set on autopilot. Followers that conclude your business page is not real will run from it and that will damage everything you’re trying to build with your social media presence. Those that stay will find it hard to be social or care about a robot business that just spews out posts regardless of what’s going on in the world. It’s important that your automated post are not only monitored for validity and appropriateness but that you also intersperse those automated posts with additional content that shows what’s happening right now in your business and in the world.
So while we are not saying to ditch automated social media entirely, we are saying that even posts that are automated need to be closely monitored and adjusted daily in order to remain relevant or appropriate. It’s not a schedule and leave situation by any means. You and your business need be present and interact with its social media followers. Show them that you care. Show them that you are human. Show them that your dealership is aware of the world around it. Create meaningful relationships with your followers and it will pay off in the end for you and your business.
NetSource Media specializes in creating specialized solutions for RV, Trailer, Power Sports, and Marine dealerships from custom websites to content management systems to social media and SEO creation and management, our mission is to help your dealership thrive. To learn more about how we can help your dealership, click here.
