It sounds an off-key note in your customers’ social media feeds – poorly timed social media messages that, when taken out of context, seem crass and unfeeling. We often hear or read about painful situations in which someone posts something on social media, only to find out later that their poor timing has created a flurry of criticism that may or may not escalate into a full-blown scandal.

It’s not always a misworded midnight tweet that gets people into trouble. The culprit behind some of these stories is actually a tool called a social media post scheduler. These tools enable people to set up social media posts on a pre-determined schedule. They feed into their various social media platforms, giving the illusion that Celebrity A is online and chatting with her thousands of fans.

Social media scheduling tools have their place in any social media marketing campaign; iAM Marketing does, in fact, use them to help us share tips and messages with our customers, clients and fans. What’s the problem, then?

The problem is relying solely on social media scheduling tools without a person checking your pages daily. Some people begin to lean on their social media scheduling tools, using them as a crutch to market to their audiences without interact. And that’s a big mistake.

Not only can it leads to the unfortunate and ill-timed tweet about roasting marshmallows when a forest fire is raging through your fans’ towns, but it can also lead to neglect of your customers, a cardinal sin in marketing.

If you aren’t checking your pages personally or designating an employee or firm to do so, you run the risk of:

  • Missing customer questions, which if answered in a timely manner, can lead to sales.
  • Sharing a thoughtful comment rather than those ill-timed posts, something positive that could go viral.
  • Solving a customer service issue before it escalates into a full-blown tirade on your social media page.
  • Catching “trolls”, people who cause mischief on social media pages, and blocking them from your sites.

These are just a few things that a smart social media manager can catch on a social page during a daily check in.

Although it may seem time-consuming to have someone actually check your pages and post to them daily, it’s worth it to give your customers the best experience they can get. If you combine personal check-ins with scheduled posts, you have the best of all possible worlds and one which will give your customers the level of personalization and communications they desire from your social media presence.

iAM Marketing offers social media marketing and management for companies worldwide. Our services get results and generate thousands of followers, leads, and sales for clients. Contact us today about social media marketing and management services.