A social media schedule might be just the thing you’ve been looking for to make your life a lot easier! If you are a frequent social media user, you know that it can take quite a bit of time to create a well-written post. And we all know time is precious, so why not take advantage of an efficient tool to speed up the publishing process? I bet you’ve noticed that some websites constantly upload new content. You might be wondering how that’s possible. Who on earth could write, edit, and publish so frequently? Even the most focused people of the world cannot deliver high-quality posts on a daily basis. On top of that, some days just are more exciting than others, which could result in a larger output.

It’s not ideal to publish a large amount one day, and then let silence take over another day. In order to reach a lot of people in an effective way, posting regularly is very important. This article is basically a short guideline, to help you figure out why you should build a social media schedule!

When to not use a social media schedule

As with everything else in the world, there are exceptions. In this case, I’m referring to as if and when you should schedule posts. If you have time critical events, it doesn’t make sense to delay a post. For example, if you have a party coming up, not promoting it as soon as possible would be a mistake on your part. You obviously want the word to get out there as fast as it can! The value of the content will be lost if it’s outdated, so publish it as soon as possible or just leave it as it is. Not all platforms that are optimized for instant posting are the same, so always keep an eye out and be cautious of what you’re using. Below are some of the best options.

Tools and platforms to schedule your posts

Firstly, Facebook. Since a while now, you can create a post and then delay its publication. This probably is the most common platform, and the easiest way to build a social media schedule. It’s the perfect tool if you only want to use one application, and - on top of that - you can easily link external blog articles, just like if you create a regular post.

If you are the person in control of a certain blog, you have the power to install a plug-in. These blog plug-ins can do absolute magic. You have the choice to either publish your blog directly after writing it, or you can schedule it to be published later. Some plug-ins support multiple channels, while others will only work with a specific one. This might seem like a simple approach, as it doesn’t require any additional tools. It’s important to keep in mind though, that not all plug-ins are flexible, and sometimes they might not even available for your blog.

As for my personal favorite tool, that would be divrit.com. It does, however, require some more sophisticated tools, as well as a source with an RSS news feed. For your first step, you need to set an input (the RSS-feed) and an output (the social media channels). Then, you can configure the interval and the format of content publishing. I am a fan of this tool because it offers great options to scan for new content and build a time queue. I use it to update my Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ accounts. My postcards are even posted as pictures, to create a social media gallery.

Hootsuite used to be my favorite tool before I found divr.it. It does require additional effort, and the free option only supports a bare minimum of the social media channels. All posts have to be created manually, whether you’re only writing for just one channel, or for multiple ones. That being said, it is a great tool for specific professional publishing and can be very valuable. The interface is highly optimized, suggesting hashtags and more.

Why you should start a social media schedule

All in all, automated posting through social media is great. Of course, if you only share cat videos on Facebook and tweet about dentist appointments, you probably don’t feel the need to schedule your posts and content. But if you have a blog, or just consider scheduling posts a smart move, I personally would highly recommend it - it’s an efficient and steady way to work. It’s not hard to use either! It can be as simple as any other native feature of any social media platform. If you choose a more sophisticated tool, you’ll even have access to additional useful possibilities and configurations. So, if you post a lot of content that isn’t critical to time, you should definitely give using a social media schedule a try!