I’m busy. You’re busy. We are ALL busy.
Being a social media manager is such a fun job to have, but let’s be honest, at times it can be a little overwhelming. As someone who runs multiple social media accounts, your brain is constantly filled with posting times, new ideas, a sense of urgency to stay on top of every new emerging trend, and so much more.
Which is why you should always be scheduling your content. There are a few ways you can do this depending on your business and its needs:
1. Creating a content calendar
Creating your own content calendar can look different depending on what works best for you. Some people prefer an Excel spreadsheet or a Google Sheet, others prefer to create a calendar on a Google Doc and fill it out accordingly.
Creating your own content calendar with the images you want to post, what type of post it will be, what social media it is going to, and adding in the optimal posting time works just fine! This is a great option if you do not want to spend money on a content-scheduling app. The biggest advantage? IT’S FREE!
The disadvantage to this option for content scheduling is obviously all the time it takes. You manually have to do all of the work including gathering insights so you know when to post. Once all the hard work of scheduling is done, you still have to post each individually on every platform.
2. Using the platform scheduling features
Today, almost all social media platforms have scheduling features. Be sure that your account or the account(s) you are running are set to a professional/business account or this feature will not be available to use.
This is a great free tool to use. This option is also free! The disadvantage to this option? Time becomes a factor again because you have to gather the insights yourself and keep track. You also cannot schedule to have the same content post across multiple platforms.
3. Utilizing a scheduling app.
So much time is saved by using a scheduling app. Using a scheduling app streamlines the process of posting. With the apps, you are able to post the same content across multiple platforms. You can also upload your insights to the app so it can suggest optimal post times without you doing all the work. There are different settings for each type of post as well.
The disadvantages of using an app: there is always a chance of error (we found out the hard way) and if you want a plan that offers more, you have to pay. There are a lot of scheduling apps out there, so it can be hard to choose from. We have used two scheduling apps so far and have done a little bit of Google/Reddit research, as well as experimenting with the applications, to find that we really enjoy Later.com.
Later.com allows you to auto-publish posts which means you schedule the posts for a specific time and date, and the app posts automatically for you across social media platforms. Later.com also has a second option for posting which is to send you a notification. This means you put your post in, whatever it may be, and the app will send you a notification telling you it is time to post. You do have to manually post it, but this is a great tool when it comes to posting polls or questions on stories!
These are just some things we have learned over time when it comes to scheduling content. Remember, social media and content creation are supposed to be fun, so try not to let the stress of posting take that away from you!
At the end of the day, choose whatever helps you the most and works best for you.
Reach out to Not An Echo if you are ready to create the website of your dreams & tell us what YOU NEED! Click the button here to learn more!
Comments