A social media bot is computer software that runs automated tasks on various social media platforms. These software applications mimic human behavior. At the same time, they perform the tasks much faster and at a considerably larger scale than any human internet activity.
The internet is full of all sorts of bots. Social media bots can sometimes be identified as malicious as there are people out there, who use bots for spreading fake news and spam. However, social media bots also help marketers reach their target audience quicker than it could be done organically.
Some bots help grow real person accounts, while other bot users create fake accounts and use automation tools to pretend to be human users. Read on, and we’ll look into different bot use cases so you can better understand what they can do. We’ll also discuss the differences between social media and chatbots, and take a look at the best proxies for managing social media accounts.
What are Social Media Bots used for?
Companies and individuals employ social media bots for various reasons. In general, there are two groups of bots: good bots and malicious bots. What group they belong to depends on what the bots are used for. Let’s look into the most common use cases for the so-called good bots:
Task automation
Social media task automation is a great help to many marketing experts. Scheduling posts, constantly monitoring hashtags, and searching for users based on keywords are daunting tasks that require attention to detail, and consume loads of time. Social media bots can manage automated accounts much faster, with less error, and around the clock.
Managing multiple social media accounts
Juggling multiple accounts is a usual practice for many social media managers. However, it’s not an easy task. Managing multiple accounts requires various resources, including loads of time. Not to mention the risks. For example, getting your IP blocked on one Instagram account will ban your access to your other Instagram accounts. Automation tools with social media proxies can restlessly take care of as many accounts as you need, across different social media platforms.
Lead generation
Social media platforms contain a lot of valuable information that is beneficial to various companies. Many companies use chatbots to collect leads. Artificial Intelligence and machine learning powered chatbots can hold a simple conversation with a potential client. This is great for lead generation because the bot can ask questions and learn more about the interested person. This helps identify if the person qualifies as a high-quality lead.
Data analytics
Bots can collect vast amounts of information across different social media platforms. This data can then be used for market analysis, SEO optimization, or to identify various trends. Companies use the scraped information to make data-driven decisions and create business strategies.
Alerts
Monitoring social media platforms in real-time with social media bots helps create alerts based on certain keywords. The bots trigger an alert whenever someone converses about a certain topic or mentions set keywords. You can even get an alert if the bot notices activity in a specific social media account. Journalists often use this feature when monitoring election-related news, or when looking for new stories.
As you can see, social media bots have loads of positive use cases. However, there are also so-called bad bots. They are employed to perform malicious acts. These bots are often used for spreading fake news, scams, or spamming on social media accounts.
Bots for Different Social Networks
Social networks can have different social media bots. You may have heard of Twitter bots, Instagram bots, YouTube bots, and many more. These automation tools can perform tasks on different social networks.
For example, Instagram bots can automatically follow users that interact with content similar to yours. This way you grow your chances of being noticed by relevant social media users. Twitter bots can share a social media post from other Twitter accounts, and you can schedule tasks to get them to work whenever you need.
Social media is flooded with fake accounts and naturally, most networks are not too happy about it. But if social media bots are used to reach marketing goals and analyze the market, should they really be banned?
Social Media Bot vs Chatbot: The Difference
Social media bots and chatbots are often used interchangeably and refer to the same thing. However, they do have differences.
The main difference between social media bots and chatbots is that the latter can hold a conversation. Chatbots can respond to social media users, answer simple questions, and ask questions. These bots are often powered by Artificial Intelligence and machine learning, so they are always improving.
Meanwhile, social media bots are not created to converse with real users. They do not have this functionality and they are used for simple interactions. They can like, follow, and perform other basic tasks on social networks.
Another difference is that social media bots are more independent than chatbots. Chatbots require constant maintenance and human attention, while social media bots perform automated tasks on their own. This is because social media bots are much less complex than chatbots.
Best Proxies for Social Media
Social media bots are inseparable from social media proxies. Proxies play an important role in social network account management. They help reduce the risks that come with managing multiple social network accounts.
For example, if you’re using Twitter bots to manage your Twitter accounts, you want to make sure that each bot runs on a separate IP address. Sending many requests from the same IP address flags your account and may get it blocked. The only way to avoid that is by using reliable social media proxies.
Get residential or mobile proxies for just $2.
The internet is loaded with free proxies. What happens when you use it? Free proxies are shared by many users that are likely to have already blocked the IPs. So, best-case scenario, these proxies simply won’t work for you. Worst case, you’ll get your social network accounts blocked.
That’s why it’s important to use reliable proxies. Social media proxies help your bots look more like real users, and you can be sure that your accounts run smoothly. Check out Metrow Social Media Proxies and save your time from searching for free working proxies.
