Entrepreneurs are busy, very busy! So, any opportunity to eliminate some menial tasks, or make the entrepreneurial life easier and more efficient is of course very welcome.

I get the question quite regularly which tools to use to help automate some of the social media workload. There are some great planning tools out there (Later or Hootsuite) as well as design tools that automatically create the right kind of template for you as well as allow you to plan ahead (Canva for example).

You can even take it a step further and work with automated messaging to connect with your followers and potential customers directly. Typeform offers innovative messaging on your website to gain insights into your customer’s shopping needs or just simply getting them to sign up for a newsletter in a more personal way.

You can even send automated responses to new followers on Instagram or have a fully automated conversation with a potential customer. (You can find a good ‘how to’ guide HERE)

+  Pro’s

It simply saves time and lets you plan ahead (great for holidays!). These tools provide a preview and overview you would not get if you post ‘one at a time’ as well as a way to check if your communication fits with your overall marketing plane.

-/- Con’s

If you get a bit complacent and let it run on its own, then it can tip over into the blatantly obvious automated segment which will not have the desired effect on your potential customer. The beauty of social media is that it’s SOCIAL: followers and potential customers expect (and rightly so) to actually be interacting with a person behind the account, so make sure you maintain a personal touch.

A great example of how NOT to use message automation was a recent Instagram messaging conversation I had from my TSE consulting account, which was not only targetting the wrong type of account but also resulted in a very interesting message exchange … enjoy:

Want to know more about how to find the mix of manual and automated tools that work for your Equestrian Business?

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