For years now, I’ve been a fan of scheduling tools to tackle the daunting task of social media management. While social media may seem easy to the untrained eye, not everyone who has an Instagram account can do a great job managing social media for a brand. Social media requires a thoughtful strategy, with clear goals and a solid plan for execution. So many businesses launch social accounts and quickly let them fall out of date because they don’t have a plan for posting consistently. That’s where scheduling tools are a lifesaver! Here are a few of the main reasons why I use a scheduling tool.

Helps You Plan Ahead

Whether it’s staying on top of holidays or events in your company’s calendar, a scheduling tool can help you get your plan locked and loaded. All your posts will go out automatically, without you having to remember to post when the right day comes up! By planning in advance, you can prioritize a more sophisticated strategy rather than getting stuck in the weeds and creating content whenever a coworker demands you promote their upcoming event. There’s no need to worry if you need to reschedule a post! It’s quick and easy to reschedule content if something more urgent comes up--often just a simple drag and drop.

Saves Time

With a scheduling tool, you can streamline your workflow by sitting down once a week to create and schedule your content in batches. This allows you to efficiently craft your content in one block of time, then just dip in a few times a day to check how posts are performing and engage with your community. Marketing managers at nonprofits typically have to wear many hats, so utilizing a scheduling tool can help them stay focused and free up time for other marketing activities!

Builds Brand Consistency

Most social media schedulers allow you to drag and drop graphics into place, which gives you a chance to review the consistency and branding of your Instagram feed. It’s often helpful for realizing if your content looks repetitive or a graphic is off-brand.

Posting high-quality content at a consistent time is a great way to build a loyal following. Scheduling tools can help you make sure you’re hitting that target. Many schedulers will suggest an optimal posting time based on the data they pull from your account’s past performance. Even if your ideal posting time happens to fall in the evening or on a weekend, your post will go out automatically thanks to your scheduling tool!

Preserves Your Sanity

When you manage multiple social media accounts, it can get overwhelming! Having a scheduling tool where I can stay organized and be proactive has helped me stay sane. I tend to plan posts for some clients for one week at a time, and for others, two weeks to even a month in advance. I can use my scheduling tool on my laptop or on my phone, so it’s always available to help me efficiently tackle client work.

A glance at the analytics section of Planoly

Analytics Galore!

Every platform has their own analytics tool, and it can be time consuming to track all the data down and pull the numbers you’re most interested in. If you’re not ready to invest in a scheduling tool just yet, check out my resources on reviewing your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram Insights. Most scheduling tools have an analytics module that can provide you with lots of data in one centralized location, which allows you to take a deep dive on the data more efficiently.

But wait, can’t a scheduling tool hurt your engagement or rankings in the algorithm?

I often see folks express concern that using a third-party app to schedule social media posts will result in you getting ‘punished’ by the platforms. Good news: it’s a myth! Studies have shown that using a third party scheduling tool does not tank your engagement or cause you to sink in the algorithm. There are so many variables in social media, it can be tricky to determine what’s causing a decrease in engagement, but the research shows it’s not using a scheduler.

An example of Planoly, with scheduled posts on the left and the calendar on the right

Scheduling Tool Recommendations

My favorite Instagram scheduling tool is Planoly. The interface is easy to navigate because it’s so intuitive. They allow for auto-posting of any posts that are just a single photo; the Instagram API unfortunately does not allow carousels or Stories to be auto-posted. I tend to use free tools for the other platforms: Facebook Business Suite or Creator Studio for Facebook and Tweetdeck for Twitter. The downside to this approach is that it’s fragmented, since all platforms are not centralized with one scheduling tool. However, it’s affordable and works for me, so that counts for a lot!

Note: As of 2023, I no longer use or recommend Planoly; it declined in quality/effectiveness and had frequent glitches. Meta Business Suite has been relatively reliable for me so far.

I’ve heard great things about Sprout Social, but it’s known to be expensive. I’ve also heard good things about Buffer, Plann, and Later. Hootsuite was a frontrunner in the early days of social media, but is now known for being clunky. The bottom line is to make sure to do your research and consider what’s most important to you and your organization. There are so many options out there; you’re sure to find one that meets your needs!

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