It was a great day when it became possible to finally schedule posts on Facebook and now scheduling services are available for several social platforms including Twitter and Instagram via third-party applications.
Scheduling allows you to post updates when you’re away from the office or on vacation, they allow you to be able to post more regularly and more frequently and they free up your time to be used for social media engagement and other aspects of your business. Schedule in advance whenever possible. An active social media presence is necessary; however, spending too much time on social media each day can posting on different platforms at different times can quickly become stressful.
Scheduling: Best Practices
Take the time to plan and research posts.
If you must change a scheduled post, you don’t need to delete it. Posts may be edited on any third-party scheduling applications and they will not reflect these edits at the time of posting. Mind edits on Facebook, however, as any editing history will be visible to anyone who sees the post. You also have the options of rescheduling posts or deciding to publish scheduled posts immediately.
Consider where your target audience is located when determining times for scheduling. If your target audience consists of individuals in Europe and the U.S., aim for post times that could catch both markets. If you have an international customer group, you may compare your own sales data with your Facebook Insights in order to see where the majority of your audience hails from to get a better idea of favorable scheduling times.
If you’re scheduling posts for a different time zone, you will need to match your computer’s clock to the same time zone in order to schedule at the correct times.
Keep in mind that some things cannot be scheduled. For example, events, photo albums, questions, milestones and offers may not be scheduled in advance on Facebook.
Although scheduling saves you time and helps you use social media in a more organized fashion, avoid becoming too rigid. Leave room for flexibility for any posts that may come up in between such as new press mentions or company updates.
Remember that scheduling posts is not the end of social media responsibility. It is still necessary to check back at least once a day to respond to comments, replies, messages or other forms of engagement. You may also interact with followers and fans in real-time for major events such as live award show red carpet events.
