Let me start by saying I know plenty of Twitter users who automate their tweets. I have no problem with this whatsoever. I do the same thing. However, some people schedule most, if not all, of their tweets. Here’s where the problem comes in.

Automated Tweets Can Stunt Your Growth

You Can’t Schedule All of Your Tweets Because…

1. Your scheduled tweet may refer to something that is no longer being discussed. Time moves fast on Twitter. Our attention spans are fleeting. For example, I’ve seen people retweet an event that has already passed. That’s a clear giveaway that your tweet was scheduled.
2. Your tweets should be engaging. Not simply a “click this” or a simple “RT”. You should be commenting on tweets, asking questions, responding to retweets, @replies and comments. If you are doing this in a timely manner, you can’t possibly schedule all your tweets.
3. You will miss the live interaction. If you are not engaging in live conversations, you’re missing the whole point of Twitter. Which means your Twitter strategy needs some CPR or you’re doomed to stagnant growth. That just stinks!

Having a presence on Twitter requires more than tweeting and retweeting links. It requires interactions, live conversations, and, if you’re on Twitter for business, it requires a STRATEGY.

Moral of the story: Social media is not a set-it-and-forget-it marketing tool. Scheduling posts is fine, most of us schedule posts. But you must keep up that live connection, that live conversation to successfully build your social media strategy. The same goes for Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+… you get the idea.

If you are a scheduling offender, try this approach. Make time to go live daily and often, and you should see a noticeable difference in the quality of your interactions with your social media friends.

Ciao,
Miss Kemya