To state the obvious, Twitter is a social networking platform – is it really possible to automate being social?
Let’s face it being social is about conversation, spontaneity and reacting to the comments of others. To be able to do that you need to be present – so why do so many people think that automating tweets is the way to go?
The upside of automated tweeting
Just to prove that I’m not totally against automated tweets, here are a few benefits of the practice:
- It saves you time
- Can give you a constant presence
- Keeps you in your followers’ eye line
- Gives you the opportunity to send out timely offers to your followers
- It can help you plan your strategy to target potential customers
But ( you knew there was going to be a ‘but’, didn’t you) this isn’t always constructive, especially if you send out the same tweets time and time again. Your followers will get pretty hacked off seeing the same stuff; it’s annoying and it advertises the fact that you’re an ‘absent tweeter’.
The downside of automated tweeting
Ready?
- You won’t generate any engagement with your followers
- Your tweets will come across as being random
- If you’re not there you can’t respond to questions or re-tweets
- You’re not having a conversation with anyone
- If you’re not monitoring your twitter stream you can’t respond to other tweets
The ideal tweeter
I’ve been using Twitter as part of my copywriting business for a number of years now. I’m not an expert, but I have been using it successfully by using a combination of automation and manual tweeting. The automated tweets are those that show when my latest blog posts have been published, everything else is me. By using this combination, I can get great information out regularly into the Twitterverse and join in conversations or offer help and advise when needed. It offers me and my followers the best of both worlds.
You see, I’m not completely against automation – in moderation it’s fine, just so long as you remember the social side of Twitter and engage with your fellow tweeters.
What do you think?
How are you using Twitter? Do you automate any of your tweets?
Leave a comment below and let’s compare strategies.