Which Are The Best Social Media Scheduling Softwares To Use?
Time is of the essence for any author, whether they are published or not. As director of Social Fireworks Ltd, a growing business, I know all about saving time and the social media challenges authors (my client’s) face!
What better way to save time then to use a social media scheduling software.
Why Use A Social Media Scheduling Tool?
A social media scheduling tool allows you to do just that – schedule your social media posts (to a certain extent, depending on which you use). Allowing you to focus on your client appointments, projects and other marketing whilst safe in the knowledge your content still goes out on a time you say.
What Are The Benefits To A Social Media Scheduling Tool?
- Time Saver. If you like doing all of your posts in one go, you can do and schedule them to go out across the day/ week as you please.
- Active. By scheduling your content, you can ensure your business across social media is always ‘there’. No more worrying over, “I forgot to post on social media today!”
- Free. Some social media scheduling software, such as Hootsuite and Buffer, have free subscriptions. Perfect for limited budgets!
What Are The Limitations Of A Social Media Scheduling Tool?
- Missing On-Trend Opportunities. We can not predict what will happen in the news today, tomorrow or next week. Social media and social conversations will have the most impact for your business when they are relevant. Of course, you can align your content with daily hashtags, yet there are so many more topics of daily conversation to participate in.
- Formatting Limitations. There is a variety of wonderful content format and creation that can be created directly on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter that not all social media scheduling tools capture. You will be limited yourself.
- It’s Obvious. When you post out on social media scheduling tools, the name of the software you have used comes up under your Facebook post. How would it make you feel to know the brand/ person you have Liked and Followed isn’t really there?
What Social Media Scheduling Softwares Are Best?
There is a wider variety of social media scheduling software – hundreds, in fact! From those that you plug into all the social media channels to those that work with only one social media channel. The below are
- Hootsuite: Schedule across LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
- Buffer: Schedule across LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
- Sproutsocial: Schedule across LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
- Sendible: Schedule across LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
- Later – Schedule on Instagram only. (They boast you can plan a week’s worth of content in 20 minutes with their tool)
Should You Use Social Media Scheduling Software?
Given the benefits and limitations, it is up to the business owner and the team. Where you can schedule directly in a social media channel e.g. Facebook, I recommend you do.
My suggestion would be to do a mixture of the two approaches – schedule some content and post some content live so you are on-trend and are showing your audience you are there.
- Kizzie Nicholson, Social Media Specialist and Director, Social Fireworks Ltd