Guest post by Thom Holland
As business leaders, we often operate in what I like to call “collected chaos”; a million different business decisions coming at you at once. Often times, to combat the chaos we look to streamline and automate any and every process that we possibly can.
After all, that makes perfect sense, right?
The easiest way to free up our valuable time is to automate something that consumes it. And while most would agree that it is well worth the effort to automate the technical and monotonous business processes, there are still quite a few business leaders out there who are torn as to whether or not they should automate their social marketing efforts.
To help us form a more holistic view and to gain a better understanding of the implications, I reached out to a few friends of mine to get their take on the matter.
Neil Patel, Co-founder of KissMetrics:
“Automating social media marketing sounds like a great idea, but the purpose of social media is to create personal interactions between people over the web. I am a big believer that you can’t do this through automation.”
Nate Riggs, Content Marketing Consultant:
“I think automation can be powerful for personal branding online as well as for business branding as long as the user sees it as a way to spark deeper human to human conversations. It’s like anything else really — with great power comes great responsibility.
“It’s easy to look at social automation tools as a lazy and quick fix. But, the folks who approach it with that mindset are the ones who you see causing a backlash because they’ve compromised the trust of their followers. If automation prevents you from being human and building trust, then you need to consider if it’s worth the risk.”
Michael Beck, CIO at Beckon:
“It is highly recommended to utilize technology when engaging in social media. There are many opportunities to ensure a measured and targeted approach. I see many businesses using Hootsuite for example. However, it is not recommended to automate the entire effort. There needs to be a person responsible in the organization that can interact with customers.”
Sujan Patel, SEO Specialist at SingleGrain:
“Fully automating social media is a waste of a valuable resource. You can get away with automating parts of social media but the real value in social media is connecting with people on another level. This ultimately takes a more human approach.
In terms of a company’s SEO efforts, I don’t believe that automation is bad…..at least at this point.”
Andrew Dumont, Director of Business Development at SEOmoz:
“Social automation goes against the very value of using social media. Social marketing is dependent on interaction, not automation. Without it, you lose the two-way exchange that makes it so damn effective.”
What do you think?
Image: bre pettis via Flickr, CC 2.0
Thom Holland is the co-founder and CEO of Beckon. Connect with him on Twitter at @ThomHolland.
Very well written article and thank you very much for sharing it with your readers. Thanks again
@KenMueller@Shonali Good point Ken. You have to make time for yourself every now and then.
@cparente Very nice. It’s certainly a great feeling to know you’ve provoked thought in someone. I’ll be sure to check out your post a little later this evening when I have a moment to provide some feedback.
@ThomHolland Was inspired to write my own post on the topic, with full attribution of course. Hope you think I did the subject justice: http://cparente.wordpress.com/2011/08/09/can-you-automate-and-still-keep-social-media-real/
@Shonali Yes. just look at the comments on your blog, or any of the other blogs in our community. Clearly none of us are relying on automation, or ignoring our audiences. that is why I love this community so much. Now stop making me all sappy and weepy!
@KenMueller … and that’s why I think I’m ok. Because I think people do understand the need to unplug, and that my loyal following, as you put it (and thank you for saying “we” there!) knows that I haven’t just disappeared. But it’s taken a lot of time to build that, and it sure as heck hasn’t been automated.
@Shonali hmm. time for me to kick up a fuss. Actually, I think you can get away with that because a) it’s the weekend and a lot of people unplug, and those of us who don’t understand that there are different expectations on the weekend, at least in this realm.
and b) because you have a loyal following who knows that you normally do respond, they (we) are willing to cut you slack. we know that you will respond, in time. that what happens on weekends isn’t the norm.
@KenMueller Yup, I hate that too. Eg, recently I’ve been prepping my weekend blog posts and scheduling them. But I’ve been making a concerted effort to stay offline during the weekend, so I’m late to reply to comments… but I DO reply within a couple of days. I think that’s ok, and so far, since no one’s kicked up a fuss, I think it is.
The fact is that we all have more to do, with less time to do it in – or, at least, less “perceived” time. So IMHO automation is a fact of life. The question is: are we going to automate ourselves to the point of becoming robots, or are we going to try to strike that balance between automation and the human element?
I do *some* auto-stuff, but it’s not a lot. I use Triberr, for example (currently auto though considering switching back to manual); a couple of my Paper.li notifications are on auto; I occasionally schedule tweets in HootSuite, and was using Post Planner for Facebook (though it’s not working for me right now). But I still look at my Twitter feed and respond in real time, ditto with Facebook.
The fact is that once you start scaling, it’s practically impossible to do everything manually. That is why I don’t think automation is going anywhere, so it’s up to us to use it wisely. Else, really… what IS the difference between you or me or R2D2?
The fact is that we all have more to do, with less time to do it in – or, at least, less “perceived” time. So IMHO automation is a fact of life. The question is: are we going to automate ourselves to the point of becoming robots, or are we going to try to strike that balance between automation and the human element?
I do *some* auto-stuff, but it’s not a lot. I use Triberr, for example (currently auto though considering switching back to manual); a couple of my Paper.li notifications are on auto; I occasionally schedule tweets in HootSuite, and was using Post Planner for Facebook (though it’s not working for me right now). But I still look at my Twitter feed and respond in real time, ditto with Facebook.
The fact is that once you start scaling, it’s practically impossible to do everything manually. That is why I don’t think automation is going anywhere, so it’s up to us to use it wisely. Else, really… what IS the difference between you or me or R2D2?
@Shonali yes. When I publish my blog in the morning, it automatically sends out to Twitter, FB and Linked In. I then do a few other manual things. But…It is all stuff i WOULD do manually, and I am there to respond in a rather timely fashion should someone decide to comment or engage. My problem is when almost everything is automated, and as a result, no one is monitoring and engaging.
@Shonali yes. When I publish my blog in the morning, it automatically sends out to Twitter, FB and Linked In. I then do a few other manual things. But…It is all stuff i WOULD do manually, and I am there to respond in a rather timely fashion should someone decide to comment or engage. My problem is when almost everything is automated, and as a result, no one is monitoring and engaging.
@JulieCros Subtly is the key word, I think. You already know I love Post Planner (and will love it more when I’m able to use it again. :( )
@ThomHolland@HowieSPM I think joey_strawn needs to do a cartoon for us capturing that image.
@iannarino What @ThomHolland said. :)
@KenMueller But you automate your blog feed to Facebook, right? So I’m assuming that’s part of your “a little is OK” theory…?
@ThomHolland Thanks Thom, those help a lot. I heard automation and social media and I thought of the web firm that creates backlinks for their clients by slicing and dicing articles one hundred ways and spreading them far and wide as postings and comments.
The others get really subjective. I use the free version of socialoomph, and see now problem with scheduling tweets. But auto DMs and mass following are fake to me.
Now paying someone else to manage — there is a thriving community of network managers out there you may be poking. Not sure I see the difference between someone internal — say a member of the comms team — or someone external – agency – performing the function. Assuming they’re both human of course!
Hi Thom and Shonali. I think most of the comments here, in the post and from readers, are very even-handed about this whole affair, which is really nice to see. I agree with what most are saying, it’s really about intention. Essentially, if you are looking to jump into social without actually being social, without taking the risks or putting in the human time, then you are on bad footing. But if you are trying to use automation to facilitate earnest social goals, of being personable, of engaging a community, then I think it is all very good. But Thom I agree, the sorts of automation I’m thinking of are on the blurry end of things, like scheduling tweets. In a way, setting up search feeds for brand mentions is also a kind of automation, but who could argue that’s a bad practice? In fact, you SHOULD be doing that. Auto DMing new followers; auto tweeting content you haven’t even read? That’s getting a little too impersonal for me.
@cparente Hey Chris:
Thanks for the comments.
Once I started researching the “automation” topic I quickly realized that the lines of what is considered “automating” becomes quite blurry. I personally would consider anything besides genuinely engaging with people to fall under or near the automation definition.
However, there are a few examples that are obvious:
1) Using a service like socialoomph to automatically follow or unfollow people on Twitter.
2) Using a service like socialoomph to automatically send a DM to new followers on Twitter.
3) Using a service like YahooPipes and Twitterfeed to automatically find and tweet content
A few “blurry” examples of automating social efforts may include:
1) Using a service like Hootsuite to preschedule tweets
2) Maybe even paying someone else to manage your social networks (?)
Look forward to your feedback.
Interesting post, but would have been better with examples. Can you provide some specifics around what you mean by automation?
My agency does a lot of b2b and b2g work, helping clients promote their content via social media channels. A common example is LinkedIn groups. We do this manually, b/c the person promoting has to understand the client’s market niche, and make sure the promotion is appropriate and sounds human. This is almost always effective, but of course less scalable than a push button approach.
How could any part of that process be automated, without becoming spam? I’m very open to ideas.
Very interesting Thom (and Shonali), thanks for this article. At Post Planner, we encourage manual postings and truly believe it remains the optimal way to communicate on Facebook. But sometimes that’s just not possible; small business owners lack the time or the resources to do so and that’s when automation becomes helpful. It can also improve a Page’s EdgeRank by scheduling posting at peak engagement times, and in many other cases, it lets businesses raise awareness about their brand in markets located in different timezones.
Social media marketing is a combination of transparency, care, personal interactions, talent, etc… but it’s also business. If automation can help you strategize and manage your time, then you should consider it but use it subtly.
@HowieSPM Wise words Howie. Thanks for the feedback.
Your example at the end there gave me the mental picture of a call center with employees responding via social platforms. lol I imagine this already takes place in larger companies.
Thanks again.
Very nice post Thom!
I am a firm believer in automating what should be automated (not what someone who is lazy or is a penny pincher feels should be). Give people a choice between automating and personal interaction (possibly charge a premium if they insist on a person) for things that make sense (example automated flight check in). And when something shouldn’t be automated use that as one of your value added attributes for your business. These often support margins. And often bean counters can view these investments as costs (employee pay) vs revenues (what they bring in)
Social is tricky. You can harness a community to help give answers. Think of the old forums for MMPORG games like everquest and world of warcraft. They allowed the players to help each other and offer insight and often were on platforms not owned by the game makers. You can also figure out how to funnel customer service issues to semi automate for distribution for help and even automate a response (we will be getting back to you soon). And of course promotional posts like tweets or facebook posts can be scheduled.
But whoa is the brand that tries to dehumanize a human channel because they want to save costs. Especially via Social. Just think of how many people can be helped via s short tweet or two that normally would call an 800 line and talk to someone live. But what if I am unhappy with your Twitter automation? I will call the 800 line and talk to someone live.
You also never want to lose a chance to connect/bond/increase positive feelings with your customers by automation. A penny saved could be a $20 bill lost as Confucius once said.
@iannarino Well said my friend.
One thing I know with great certainty is that you cannot automate relationships. It just doesn’t work that way when it comes to things like trust and caring. When it comes to engagement with your brand, be it a company or a personal brand, you actually have to do the work. But alas, some people don’t understand the commitment and effort required to produce results through any form of marketing.
That said, I have a group of people I am associated with that produce killer content, best-in-class in their space. I could go out and hit the Retweet button on each of their sites each time they post, but I don’t (the Retweet button itself is a form of automation, right?). I automate some of that so I can spend more of my limited time actually engaging with the communities of which I am a part.
I hope I have the balance right!
Anthony
@KenMueller I think I most people tend to be with you this one Ken. Most people say there is a “fine line” of what is acceptable and what isn’t acceptable.
@nateriggs I like your style Nate. Marketing evolves around supplying customer’s needs. It’s often useful to remind ourselves that sometimes.
Thanks for the inclusion, Thom. What’s interesting is that this debate is less about automation technology, and more focused on user intentions with the technology. Simple truth – keep your intentions good, honest and transparent and with skill, any tool will work well.
I tend to lean on the side of no automation, though I do believe a little is ok as long as you don’t rely too heavily on it, and it doesn’t replace the human touch. If you rely on it to the detriment of engagement, then you have gone too far. If people try to talk to you on a social platform and you don’t respond, they will see through it. I equate it to putting a robot at the front desk of your office. People want to know there is a real person on the other side.