Everything you need to know about Instagram automation
There’s a lot to balance in the world of social media, which can become overwhelming, but Instagram automation tools exist to take some of the tasks and pressure of social media management off of your shoulders.
Running social media accounts involves a variety of tasks, so it’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of creating unique, attractive content while also pushing your account to become popular on the app.
If you feel overwhelmed as an Instagram manager or other social media specialist, then Instagram automation tools could prove to be very useful assets for you and your small business.
What is Instagram automation?
Let’s start off with the basics – what even is Instagram automation? This concept refers to using tools, like the ones listed below, to streamline the process of running an Instagram account. Various automation tools have different functions, and some focus on planning and posting, while others are dedicated to helping you achieve growth on the app.
Benefits of using Instagram automation
Instagram automation can help to greatly relieve stress and pressure from social media managers, since automation tools assume some of the tasks that would typically fall to whoever is in charge of a particular Instagram account.
Some tools give you the opportunity to plan and schedule your Instagram posts a month at a time, which can help you to work ahead and not fall behind with posting content. Other tools will take action to ensure that your account sees an increase in followers or engagement.
So, depending on what your particular needs are as a small business or brand, there is most likely an Instagram automation tool that can help you to improve the desired aspect of your Instagram account.
Cons of Instagram automation
Of course, nothing is perfect. So, despite how helpful Instagram automation tools can be, there are naturally some downsides to the tools.
It’s important to keep in mind that using an automation tool means trusting a computer system (robot) with tasks on your Instagram account. These tools are very well designed to be effective, but there’s always a risk at hand when you delegate tasks to a computer.
Before deciding to use an Instagram automation tool, just keep in mind the risks of computer glitches and hacking situations. These instances are rare, though. So, as long as you do your research and select a trustworthy tool, you should have nothing to worry about.
Top time-saving Instagram automation tools
Now that we’ve covered the basics about Instagram automation, let’s take a look at the top five automation tools that you can start using today. As you read through this list, pay attention to what needs you have on Instagram, and think about which tools would be most helpful to you.
1. Kicksta
Kicksta’s primary purpose is to achieve Instagram growth for clients, with a particular emphasis on helping you to get real Instagram followers. The primary focus of Kicksta is to provide organic growth to users, which means that this tool never uses bots or fake accounts.
When users sign up with Kicksta, they provide a short list of “target accounts.” These accounts are ones similar to the client, or top competitors of the client. Kicksta will then begin liking these accounts’ photos on behalf of the client (never commenting or following other accounts). This raises interest in the target accounts, causing them to check out the client’s page.
This process leads to an increase in followers for Kicksta users, and all of the growth is completely organic. Since Kicksta vows to never use bots, spam, or fake accounts to boost their clients’ followers, users can trust that they’ll experience natural – and effective – growth on the app.
Beyond organic growth, let’s take a look at the top features offered by Kicksta:
- Onboarding courses
- VIP email support
- Blacklist
- Advanced targeting
- 14-day money back guarantee
2. Social Pilot
Social Pilot gives users the opportunity to manage their social media accounts through a Social Pilot account. This tool gives users access to a calendar where they can schedule content to be posted on various social media pages, so it’s a helpful tool for anyone looking to get ahead on planning.
Additionally, through Social Pilot, you have the ability to respond to comments and manage social media pages. This tool also helps you to track and identify which of your posts are the most popular, which you can take into account going forward.
Analytics, like the ones offered by Social Pilot, are a valuable asset for any social media manager to have. Knowing which of your posts are most successful can help you to improve the style of posts you create, as well as helping you to fine-tune when you should post on any given app.
Here are the top features available to Social Pilot users:
- Social media scheduling and calendar
- Bulk scheduling
- Content curation
- RSS feeds automation
- Browser extension
- Client and team management
3. Planoly
Planoly is another planning- and scheduling-based Instagram automation tool. This tool allows users to prepare social media posts well in advance through a calendar feature, as well as analyzing data.
Planoly is a unique tool, as it offers users access to “Sellit,” which is a tool that transforms social media accounts into e-commerce sites. So, if you’re looking to improve the sales that you make via Instagram, Planoly could be the perfect tool to help you.
This tool can also help you to improve your Instagram presence, thanks to the special features on Planoly that are dedicated to Instagram Stories. With a selection of templates and stickers, you will have the power to create unique and attractive Stories posts, as well as being able to easily upload them to your content planning calendar.
In addition to these features, Planoly also offers the following features to its users:
- Posting services for photos, videos and GIFs on a variety of platforms
- Account analytics
- Comment inbox
- Auto-post first comment for Instagram
- Quick schedule
- Image filters
- Linkit
4. Buffer
Buffer is an Instagram automation tool that primarily assists users with scheduling posts through a carefully designed process. The four-step plan that Buffer outlines includes analyzing, publishing, engaging, and celebrating.
For the analyzing stage, Buffer allows users to investigate the effectiveness of the content they produce. Through Buffer analytics, you can measure the engagement rate on your various posts and determine what type of content appeals to your followers, versus what type of content is less effective on your page.
Next, Buffer users have access to a planning calendar, where you’ll be able to prepare posts to be published on a variety of websites, all at once. This is, of course, helpful to users as it provides an outlet to work ahead and visualize all upcoming posts as a whole.
In the “engaging” step of the process, Buffer users enjoy a streamlined process of responding to comments on their posts. Using labels and hotkeys, as a Buffer user, you’ll be able to skip directly to the comments that most interest you. This eliminates a significant amount of time that Instagram users often spend scrolling through comments that are less relevant.
Finally, Buffer suggests celebration as the last step of their social media process. This invites users to return to the analytics stage and track the effectiveness of the posts that were created and managed through Buffer’s services.
Aside from this helpful four-step process, Buffer offers the following features to users:
- Landing page builder
- Unlimited team members
- Custom access and permissions
- Drafting and approval workflows
- Exportable reports
5. Later
Later is a social media scheduling tool that focuses heavily on content creation. So, this Instagram automation tool could be perfect for you if you’re looking for an extra boost when it comes to generating the content that you post.
Specifically, Later is conducive to Instagram, as it’s a visually-focused tool. So, Later will help you to curate an Instagram feed that’s cohesive and attractive to look at. And, if you’re still worried about your abilities to create eye-catching content – or if you’re worried about not having enough time to do so – Later has that covered, too.
This Instagram automation tool offers a unique feature that assists you in identifying content that blends with the theme of your brand’s Instagram. Later will then help you to adjust the content to better fit your theme and branding, and then you’ll be ready to share the content on your Instagram account and other social media sites.
Additionally, Later stands out by offering “Linkin.bio,” which is a tool that allows you to link multiple websites through the single URL that’s available in your Instagram bio. This is an effective Instagram automation tool, as it allows you to expand your brand’s virtual presence through a single link in your Instagram bio. And, this tool provides you with analytics that allow you to track the sales you make when you use it.
Here’s a list of the features that Later offers to its users:
- Linkin.bio
- Scheduling
- Instagram analytics
- User generated content
- Instagram Stories
- Instagram hashtags
Amp up your social media strategy
Instagram automation tools can be extremely valuable assets to implement in your social media management strategy. And, as you can clearly see from the information we’ve just talked about, there is a wide variety of services available when it comes to selecting a particular Instagram automation tool.
So, whether you’re looking to expand your Instagram presence through Kicksta, or streamline your posting and commenting process through a scheduling tool, there is an Instagram automation site that will fit your needs and help your business thrive.
So, what are you waiting for? Decide which Instagram automation tool sounds right for you, and then give it a shot. And, please come back and let us know how it goes for you – we want to hear!
