How to Auto-Schedule Your Social Media Without Looking Like a Jerk

Business owners are busy, so dedicating even just 15 minutes a day to social media updates can seem overwhelming. While it’s always better to be “live” with your Tweeting, Facebook-ing and LinkedIn-ing, let’s be practical. There comes a point where you may have to consider *shudder!* auto-scheduling.

Personally, I use HootSuite to schedule my social media updates. I love this app because it:

• saves me precious time
• has a free version
• prevents me from accidentally posting while logged into the wrong business/personal account on the wrong page/profile when I’m in a rush and in a sleep-deprived stupor (don’t you hate it when that happens?)

But wait, there’s a dark side. Automating can lead to carelessness or even worse… laziness. And that can leave your followers with the distinct impression that you’re not really there for them. You’ve essentially taken the social out of social media: a huge faux pas.

So to avoid that, here are 3 ways to make sure you don’t look like an amateur when using HootSuite or any other tool to automate your posts:

1) Don’t be completely absent. “Live” post once in a while and monitor your accounts for comments, shares and retweets etc. so that you can respond appropriately when necessary. Your goal is to have conversations.

2) Be mindful of your tone and content. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter etc. each have their own cultures and languages. So your tone and even your content may not be appropriate across the board. Facebook is a lot more casual than LinkedIn. Twitter is a lot more abrupt than Facebook. Be mindful of your language and think twice before posting.

3) Don’t cross-pollinate. What I mean is, don’t refer to something that happened on Twitter and then remark about it on Facebook. Seems pretty obvious, but I see it all the time. It’s alienating and confusing. Don’t do it!

Thanks and be well,

Nishi

Sign up for our newsletter! You’ll get the latest social media tips and tricks, and it’s completely free!