Automation

Social media automation refers to using tools, software, or systems to perform the multitude of social media tasks that would otherwise take up an inordinate amount of time and that would require the constant attention of the user or business. These tasks can be grouped into a few categories and are performed with varying degrees of autonomy and decisions made on different levels of intelligence. At the most basic level, you can ask a program to execute a series of commands that lead to a desired end state.

For example, you can tell the system to execute a timed command, like posting a birthday greeting to your child at 12:01 a. m. on their birthday, while you’re (hopefully) fast asleep.

Social media automation, like any other sort of automation, can help streamline processes and save lots and lots of time. On the other hand, if you’re not careful and don’t balance your use of automation with human oversight, it can also make you seem like a bot, which isn’t good for business or your social media presence.