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Over the past several years, I have tried a large variety of social media scheduling tools. I was an early adapter of HootSuite, and I found it helpful for quite a long time.
But once I started focusing on my blog more consistently, and actually working on turning it into a business, I was getting bogged down with the amount of time it was taking me to create my social media posts each week.
Even when I was using a social media scheduling tool to schedule things in advance, I was still struggling with the fact that I had to constantly create new posts.
Over time I realized that I could create a library of posts in something like Google Sheets or Airtable, but that can get pretty time consuming. I heard about MeetEdgar on several podcasts and from other bloggers. But, I struggled with the cost of the tool as a blogger who had yet to create her first product.
Then I stumbled upon a post about a scheduling hack that allowed you to link IFTT to your Google calendar. This process essentially replicates what MeetEdgar does with looping your content.
However, this still got tricky since my content library was in Google Calendar. It made it hard to actually see what content I had already put into the schedule and what I still needed to input.
Finally, I came across tool called SmarterQueue. My friend referred me to it, and I jumped into a trial membership as soon as possible.
Unlike MeetEdgar, they offer a free 14 day trial (or 30 days if you use this referral link), which is awesome for people who like to experience something before they make a purchase.
I always suggest making sure you establish your social media strategy first, but once you do that, using a scheduling tool is a huge time saver.
HOW TO USE MY FAVORITE SOCIAL MEDIA SCHEDULING TOOL
SmarterQueue has some pretty amazing features which I’ll explain below. Plus, it’s about ½ the cost for someone who just has one business or blog for which they are scheduling posts.
{Bonus: If you have a non-profit, SmarterQueue offers a discount for your organization.}
- Determine Your Content Categories
You can create as many different categories for your content as you like. There are some pre-defined categories in the system when you join, but you can change these, delete them, or add to them. They are color coded so that you can easily differentiate the different types of posts you have in your schedule.
When you use content categories, it provides a variety in your posting schedule. If you are only posting your own articles all day long, most social media audiences are not going to respond well to that. Having these different types of content will remind you to mix it up and make sure you are providing value to your followers.Expert tip: If you have certain posts you only want to go out on specific days of the week, create a separate category for that.
For example, you could have a category called “Monday Group Prompts” rather than a more general “Group Prompts” category. When you create your schedule, you would put that content on Mondays only.
- Set Up Your Content Library
Once you’ve decided on your categories, you can create a content library. This is where you are able to go in and add your content to the different categories you’ve chosen. You just start by clicking “add content” and select social media network(s) you want that content posted to. Next, put in whatever post, caption, or link you want. You can also add an image to the post (if there’s not one already included).
Expert tip: It’s a good idea to post different types of content to different networks because of the ways that they are used.
For example, LinkedIn tends to be more professional and business-like, whereas Facebook is much more laid back and social.
- Create your Schedule
Now you’ve got to assign times to your schedule so that SmarterQueue knows when to send out your content. I recommend starting with less frequent posting until you build up your library more fully. You can drag and drop your assigned times all over the calendar until you find a mix that looks right to you.
You can also choose which social profiles you want each scheduled time to go out to. You might have one post on Monday at 9am that goes to all 3 platforms. Then, you might have Monday at 1pm and 9pm that go only to Twitter. It’s really up to you.
Expert tip: Check your Facebook insights to see when your audience is more likely to be online.
I schedule my posts to go out at the peak times so that there’s a higher likelihood of them reaching people.
- Review your Queue
Once you’ve added your content and set up your schedule, you’ll want to review your queue to make sure it is going to flow the way you want it to. When you click on one of your accounts on the left hand side, you can see when posts are scheduled for that particular account.
You can review the order in which the posts will go out, and rearrange if necessary. You can also easily tell if you have too much self-promotion vs. other content by scanning the posts you have scheduled.
Expert tip: Set aside time at least once a month to check your queue and make changes if needed.
Be sure that your content is up to date, and that you’re not scheduling out messages that are outdated.
- Enjoy your extra time and focus on what you enjoy!
Now that you have your social media posts scheduled, you can use your time to do what you truly love.
One caveat: Although I believe that scheduling tools are absolutely necessary for many business owners, I also feel that you should be sure to engage on the social platforms you are scheduling.
If you are scheduling to Facebook twice a day, be sure to set aside time to check in and see if you have comments or questions on your posts. By responding to your audience, it will you in touch with them and ensure that they see you as a real person.
