Previously, we discussed the usefulness of social automation. You can read that post here. Today we will talk about the other side of the story.
As useful and efficient as automation software is, there are definite drawbacks as well. In the next few weeks, we will discuss cautionary tales and how to avoid them.
DON'T: Be cookie cutter
Who remembers the Progressive scandal about a year ago? Long story short, Progressive insurance was wrapped up in a court case where the defendant claimed that Progressive was helping the accused to avoid paying insurance. Building on to the original criticisms, Progressive made a major faux pas by sending the same response to every tweet it received about the issue-tens of thousands over the course of just a few days. In a crisis situation such as this, sending out the same automated response made the company appear cold and mechanical.
DO: Make your tweets specific to the people you are talking to
Automation software has come a long way. Software (such as Insightpool) allows businesses to separate groups of possible leads based on their profile descriptions, previous interactions, etc. For example, say you are sending out welcome messages to a group of people who just followed you. Have any of these people interacted with you before? If so, don't send them the traditional "Thanks for the follow! This is what our company does__" tweets. These people know what your company does already, and you should recognize that. Think about personalizing the tweet for re-engagement (i.e. "Good to see you again! Here's how our company has grown since the last time we talked").
At the end of the day, social automation is only a tool; how you use it decides whether your marketing campaign alienates your followers or helps convert more.