How to Set Up and Monitor Social Media Automation Tools
Reading Time: ~6 Mins | Written By: Rachel Dill
Social media automation tools can be a game-changer, helping you save time while keeping your content consistent across different platforms. Whether you're running a business, growing a personal brand, or managing social media for a company, automation can streamline your process.
However, to keep things authentic and engaging, it’s important to set them up properly and monitor them regularly. Here’s how we recommend doing it effectively.
Step 1: Pick the Right Automation Tools
There are plenty of social media automation tools out there, each offering different features. Some of the most popular ones include:
Hootsuite – Great for scheduling posts on multiple platforms.
Sprout Social – Ideal for tracking engagement and analytics.
Later – Perfect for visually planning Instagram content.
LinkTree – Helps manage multiple links for social media bios.
When choosing a tool, consider ease of use, pricing, integrations, and analytics to find the best fit for your needs. Here’s a quick breakdown of the benefits of a couple of the noted tools.
Hootsuite: A Comprehensive Scheduling Tool
Hootsuite is one of the most well-known social media automation platforms, offering a variety of features to help users manage multiple accounts in one place.
Post Scheduling: Easily schedule posts in advance, across different platforms.
Analytics & Reporting: Get detailed insights on your posts’ performance.
Engagement Management: Monitor and respond to comments and messages from a single dashboard.
Team Collaboration: Ideal for businesses with multiple team members managing social media accounts.
Hootsuite is great for businesses that need an all-in-one solution for scheduling, analytics, and engagement tracking.
Sprout Social: Advanced Analytics and Engagement Tracking
Sprout Social is perfect for businesses that prioritize analytics and audience engagement.
Comprehensive Reporting: Offers in-depth reports on social media performance.
Smart Inbox: Consolidates messages from different platforms into one place for easy management.
Publishing and Scheduling: Allows for seamless content planning with a shared content calendar.
Social Listening: Helps track brand mentions and trends to stay ahead in your industry.
Sprout Social is an excellent tool for brands that want to focus on data-driven decision-making and proactive engagement.
Later: Visual Content Planning for Instagram and Beyond
Later is ideal for businesses and influencers who rely heavily on Instagram.
Drag-and-Drop Visual Planner: Helps map out Instagram posts for a cohesive feed.
Auto-Publish Feature: Schedule posts, including Instagram Stories and Reels, in advance.
Hashtag Suggestions: Recommends effective hashtags based on engagement trends.
Media Library: Store and organize images and videos for easy content creation.
Later is best suited for visual brands that need a streamlined approach to Instagram and Pinterest content planning.
LinkTree: Organizing Your Social Media Links
LinkTree is a must-have tool for anyone looking to maximize the impact of their social media bio link.
Centralized Link Hub: Direct followers to multiple destinations from a single link.
Customization Options: Personalize your LinkTree with brand colours, themes, and logos.
Analytics Tracking: Measure clicks and interactions on each link.
Integration Friendly: Works seamlessly with Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and other platforms.
For influencers, businesses, and content creators, LinkTree simplifies directing traffic to different pages, offers, or platforms without constantly changing the bio link.
Step 2: Connect Your Accounts and Set It Up
Once you’ve chosen a tool, link your social media accounts. Most tools support platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X), LinkedIn, and TikTok.
Connect your accounts: Follow the setup prompts to link your profiles securely.
Adjust your settings: Set posting schedules, time zones, and content categories.
Save templates: Many tools let you create reusable captions, hashtags, and formats to make content creation faster.
Here are some helpful guides for connecting your accounts on each platform:
Step 3: Plan and Schedule Your Content
Consistency is key to social media success. Use automation to schedule your posts in advance, but don’t let it replace real engagement.
Create a content calendar: Plan out posts for the week or month ahead.
Post at the right times of day: Use insights and analytics to schedule when your audience is most active.
Balance automation with manual engagement: Scheduling posts is great, but make sure you’re still monitoring engagement, responding to comments, and interacting with your audience.
Step 4: Keep an Eye on Engagement and Performance
Automation tools don’t just schedule posts, they also provide valuable insights into how your content is performing.
Check analytics regularly: Monitor likes, comments, shares, impressions, and any other key metrics you need.
Here are some useful guides for monitoring analytics on Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Later, and LinkTree.
Engage with followers: Auto-responses can help, but personal interaction builds stronger relationships.
Refine your strategy: Use performance insights to tweak your content approach.
Step 5: Watch Out for Common Mistakes
While automation can save time, misusing it can hurt your brand.
Make sure your automation enhances, rather than replaces, authentic engagement. Overuse can lead to robotic interactions that feel impersonal. Regularly check your scheduled posts to ensure links work properly and content remains relevant. Since social media platforms frequently update their algorithms and policies, staying informed will help ensure your automation tool continues to function effectively.
Do’s and Don’ts of Social Media Automation
✅ Do:
Personalize your scheduled content to align with your brand’s voice.
Monitor and respond to audience interactions in real time.
Use analytics to refine your automation strategy and improve engagement.
Test different posting schedules to find the optimal times for your audience.
❌ Don’t:
Rely solely on automation! Human interaction is essential for authenticity.
Forget to review scheduled content for outdated information or broken links.
Automate responses without customization, which can make interactions feel robotic.
Overuse hashtags or spam promotional content without value-driven posts.
When used wisely, social media automation can help you stay consistent and save time while keeping your content engaging. Choosing the right tools, planning effectively, and staying involved in real-time interactions will make all the difference.
Want to level up your social media skills? Check out Jelly Academy’s Digital Marketing Bootcamp to learn more!
