Don’t want to spend all day on social media?

That’s when having an automatic scheduler comes in handy!

Let’s imagine together. You have the perfect post edited, a perfect caption ready to go, and you’re ready to upload to Instagram at the perfect hour proven to give you the highest engagement from your followers.

Then the worst happens: Your kid gets sick, your dog destroys your favorite shirt, or you drop your phone in the toilet.

You can’t be on social media in this crisis! So you go to take care of your emergency and your content is left unposted, unseen, and unshared.

While this might be a bit of an extreme example, but the truth is that your social media planning could be so much more streamlined if you didn’t have to be the one manually posting every piece of content!

If you’re running a full-time business from home, writing for a blog regularly, working a 9-5 job in an office, or managing a household as a stay-at-home mom, you don’t have time to worry about your social media every day!

So why stress about manually posting across multiple platforms when a single social media scheduling program can do it for you?

Below I’ve listed some of my absolute favorite social media schedulers, perfect for anyone who needs their content to be more automatic!

1. For The Serious Time Saver: SmarterQueue

I’ve tried all sorts of schedulers, but it wasn’t until I found one with a CONTENT RECYCLE tool that I found the KEY to spending zero time on social media. I haven’t touched my social media accounts for OVER A YEAR, yet my audience keeps growing very rapidly and steadily.

Not every scheduler comes with this tool, but SmarterQueue does.

It took me one day to learn the software, one day to set everything up, and it’s been recycling my content every 90 days. You can have it set up to recycle your content every 30, 60 or 90 days or however you’d like.

You can link up to 100 social media accounts, so if you’re a social media manager this tool is also perfect.

Plus you get to try it out for 30 days for free then it’s just $0.67 a day! All their plans are extremely customizable to your specific needs so you’re never overpaying for a service you don’t use or need.

I have found that this is the best scheduler for Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn but there are better ones for Pinterest and Instagram which we will talk about in #2 and #3.

2. For Pins Upon Pins Upon Pins: Tailwind

Tailwind was the ONLY authorized partner that Pinterest recognized until SmarterQueue just recently became the second one.

Tailwind recently added a Smart Loop feature, which is basically the same function as a CONTENT RECYCLER. It basically allows you to set your pins on a loop so you’re not stuck scheduling out pins all the time.

Since repins are usually the biggest sign of engagement on Pinterest (as opposed to likes or comments on other platforms), it’s important to have a scheduler that optimizes your content’s performance.

Additionally, Tailwind helps to schedule your pins to post at the best possible times each day, directing your content to your audience when they’re looking for it. Tailwind starts by recommending times when people are most active, but as you use the platform more, Tailwind evaluates your optimal post times based on audience engagement and history.

Tailwind also tracks your best performing content, allowing you to reuse your best posts. Measure followers, engagement trends, and virality by pin, board or category on Pinterest.

Your first 100 pins are free so it’s not based on a 30-day trial or anything. But when you do want to upgrade, Tailwind is really reasonable.

You can also use it for Instagram, they have some cool hashtag rating features, but I would recommend the following scheduler for Instagram.

3. For The Lover Of The ‘Gram: Planoly

Instagram thrives as a dominantly visual platform, therefore it’s extremely important that your feed looks great. Planoly has a very aesthetic feed planner so that you can make sure your feed is always looking good.

Planoly is currently the only authorized Instagram partner which is why you can auto post directly onto Instagram through this scheduler. All other schedulers allow you to schedule your posts, then your phone sends you a reminder to post it, in which case you post it manually. 

Make sure to download the app to design and schedule on-the-go!

Planoly allows 30 free uploads and posts every month so if you only post once a day like I do, you really don’t need to pay for this scheduler.

Additionally, if you want to make your feed SHOPPABLE, this is the app to make that happen! You can link it to all your affiliates as well as your online store.

4. For Non-Stop Tweeting: TweetDeck

Tweetdeck enhances your Twitter experience by letting you view multiple accounts in one interface. Rather than managing a single Twitter timeline, you can use a series of customizable columns to engage better with your followers. 

For example, you might have multiple columns showing all of your direct messages, lists, trends, mentions, favorites, hashtags, or search results. With complete user control, you can filter each column to include/exclude words or tweets from users.

Tweetdeck is free and integrates incredibly with the Twitter platform.

With built-in Twitter analytics, you can track the performance of your accounts. Find your Top Tweet, Top Mention, and your Top Follower. Or analyze your metrics, including the number of Impressions, Engagements, and Engagement rate for every single tweet.

5. For The Team Scheduler: Sprout Social

Sprout Social is best used for bigger brands. Sprout allows you to schedule and post across multiple networks (including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn). You can also manage likes, comments, and messages without leaving the Sprout platform.

But Sprout does more than just allow for scheduling. It also allows you to collaborate with team members. By including user-level permissions, you can choose who has access and who can contribute to your social media calendar. Sprout has a beautifully designed calendar system to make sure your entire team is on board with what content is being posted and promoted every single day.

While it’s not a free platform, it’s a worthy investment for anyone looking for a powerhouse team scheduler.

6&7. For The Straightforward Approach: Hootsuite or Buffer

Arguably two of the most popular and user-friendly schedulers, Hootsuite and Buffer are great for the content planner who wants no frills. Hootsuite has a single dashboard and “streams” instead of inboxes for managing your different platforms and content.

Both options are the perfect first-time experience for someone who’s never tried scheduling across multiple platforms.

Adding accounts, planning content, adding account managers, and understanding your analytics are all easily handled. You can also monitor social conversations by keyword, hashtag, and location, helping you plan more relevant content for your brand or business.

Both options work across multiple platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

They also have multiple plan options to fit your budget and a limited free plan too!

Don’t Be Afraid To Look For Other Options

The benefits to scheduling social media? Numerous!

You can optimize your posts for the highest engagement possible. You’re also saving yourself loads of time and removing a potential stressor from your life. You’re then enabled to post more content on a consistent basis.

I can’t think of a better way to manage your social media. Why wait? Try out a scheduler today!

Comment with the one you like the most and why!