You’ve written your social media schedule and you’re feeling ready for the week ahead. However, you’re too busy to get everything posted on time throughout the week! Here’s where a scheduling tool can help, letting you prepare your posts ahead of time and choosing what time they go live.
We’ve used plenty of social scheduling tools throughout the years, so we know which ones are worth your time. Check out a few of our favourites below – which ones have you tried?
Hootsuite
Hootsuite is one of the most recognisable names in the social scheduling business, and for good reason – its comprehensive set of scheduling features, effective image editing tools and reports make it a great all-rounder.
Hootsuite covers the main social channels in all their different post formats – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn – and as a bonus, you can also create Pinterest pins and upload straight to YouTube. You can respond to comments and messages through Hootsuite directly, and keep a watch on different keywords and channels, so it’s ideal for social management and listening as well, keeping everything in one place.
Hootsuite has a free version, which allows you to schedule 30 posts a month across three different platforms, and various paid-for versions depending on usage.
Buffer
Another all-round scheduling tool, Buffer also offers scheduling for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest. Where it differs from Hootsuite is in its analytics offering – if you’re on a budget, you can simply opt for the scheduling and management side of things.
It also offers a more comprehensive way to schedule Instagram posts, if that’s more your thing. Setting up Stories and including first comments in your posts is possible in Buffer, along with a custom shop grid for your Instagram bio link.
Buffer has a free plan, which allows you to schedule 10 posts a month across three different platforms, and a variety of paid versions, depending on what you want to use it for.
Later
This Instagram-specific scheduler is ideal if you want to curate a really visually impressive feed. It was one of the first Instagram schedulers available, and the team behind it continue to innovate and adapt to any new features. It’s very visually led, so you can see exactly what your feed will look like as your week goes on, and it has a whole plethora of features to help you make the most of Instagram, such as a hashtag suggester, personalised scheduling recommendations, and built-in image editing.
Later also handles other social networks, albeit not as comprehensively as some of the other platforms out there – however, it’s worth noting that it’s currently one of the only platforms that will help you schedule on TikTok, even if it doesn’t post directly to TikTok on your behalf.
Later offers a free version, which allows you to add one profile per network and schedule up to 30 posts a month for each of those. It also offers scalable packages, depending on the number of users required and social profiles needed.
Facebook’s Creator Studio
Although many of the scheduling tools we’ve mentioned will handle all your social needs in one place, there’s no reason to discount Facebook’s Creator Studio. This native tool will allow you to schedule in your Facebook and Instagram posts through Facebook itself, which means you know your posts will definitely work. It’s also free of charge, making it a great option if you’re just starting out.
Tweetdeck
Tweetdeck is Twitter’s own free scheduling tool, allowing you to schedule tweets for as many different accounts as you like. It’s also a fantastic social listening tool – you can follow whatever hashtags or searches you want, so you can keep an eye on what customers are saying about you, or join in on industry-relevant conversation.
Everything updates in real-time, so there’s none of the app’s irritating ‘top tweets’ view going on, meaning you can clearly see the conversation and react accordingly.
However great these scheduling tools are, there are a few things they can’t handle – paid advertising that drives sales, and developing a content calendar that’ll make sure your followers stay engaged. However, that’s stuff we’re great at, so have a chat to our team today and find out how we can make you the belle of the social ball.
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