My #1 Time saving Social Media Marketing Tool

We've talked about the importance of Social Media marketing; The importance of LinkedIn as a "starter" platform for diving into the Social Media waters; And in the previous post I shared one of my best resources for finding and curating valuable content to share.

In this post, I will share My #1 Time saving Social Media Marketing Tool which helps me automate, manage and schedule my posts. This I believe is going to give you a return on your investment in time and allow you to engage with your audience while reducing the overwhelm I described in the previous post.

So, here we go...

My #1 Time saving Social Media Marketing Tool

If you thought Feedly was a game changer in helping you to find good content THIS is going to blow your mind!
Imagine a tool that:

• Schedules your posts days in advance of when you want them published
• Knows the best time for you to post
• Allows you to schedule posts to multiple social media platforms at once
• Tells you how your network is responding to your posts
• Allows you to schedule posts from your phone, tablet or computer with ease

Wouldn’t you pay for a service like this? Well… you won’t have to -- BufferApp is FREE! (There is a paid version but, the free version has many features that are suitable for newbies and small businesses.

With the free account you can:

• Schedule posts to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google + and Instagram
• Schedule up to 10 posts per profile
• Schedule posts multiple types of media: Text, Video, Gif, Photos
• Schedule posts from your Google Chrome Browser with a plugin for your browser
• Schedule retweets so that you don’t overwhelm your followers retweeting several tweets at one time
• See how your posts are performing

Phew! That’s a lot for free! What’s even better is that it is simple to use, no Ph.D. required :).

Here goes! A step-by-step tutorial on how to setup and use Buffer

1. Create an account either by linking your Facebook or Twitter account or setting up a unique Buffer account.

Personally, I prefer linking my Twitter account - this way, I don’t have to remember ONE MORE account login. If you don’t have a Twitter or Facebook account, go ahead and create an account, it’s a very simple process.

Follow the prompts to create your account using your Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn account or create a Buffer account.

2. Connect your Social Media profiles

Notice that you can link your LinkedIn personal profile or Company Page as well as your Facebook profile, page or group.

3. Schedule your post times by social media account (or simply let Buffer handle the scheduling for you).

Buffer’s Optimal Timing Tool is also a great option… Select the account you would like optimized and the number of times per day and Buffer will magically display the best times for you to post based on the activity of your network.

4. Begin “Buffering”!

Create a few posts. Mix it up, with a variety of types of posts - text, video, gifs or images. Don’t forget to add hashtags (#) and mention your followers (@followerHandle)

(a) Share a text-based post - quote, link to a post or just something you want to put out there. (Remember you are limited to 140 characters on Twitter)

(b) Have a YouTube or Vimeo video you would like to share? Enter the link in the content field and add your message to the post.

(c) Share an animated gif or image.

5. Install the BufferApp browser extension.

This extension will allow you to instantly add web pages to your buffer schedule without having to go to the Buffer website. By clicking on the BufferApp icon in your Browser’s toolbar while on the web page you would like to share, Buffer will present you with a window pre-filled with the article/page title, a link, and a photo if there is one. (with the exception of Facebook). Facebook now requires that you fill in the content box with your special message prior to scheduling - Buffer will add the link to the web page for you. Get your BufferApp browser plugin here

(a) Highlighting a piece of text and right-clicking on the web page will enable a popup menu with an option to Buffer the highlighted text. Click the Buffer link and voila! The Buffer window opens with the highlighted text pre-filled and the link to the source included!

6. Do some analysis!

See how your posts are performing and re-post if you see that you have some good interaction and or reach your audience. Use this data to learn how your network is responding to your posts and make adjustments accordingly - Example: Change the schedule, post more images, post more quotes, don’t share posts about a certain topic etc.

7. Get the BufferApp for your mobile device (iOS or Android), this will allow you to Buffer on the go!

You should now have two tools in your tool box, BufferApp (the #1 Time saving Social Media Marketing Tool), and Feedly (the best tool to find and curate content to share on Social Media) that will give you back quite a bit of time and reduce the overwhelm and pressure of actively posting to your Social Media accounts. Simply schedule some time to setup both applications and then make it happen each week! 1-2 hours per week should be fine. Remember, first change your mindset then develop the habit and you will be knocking it out the park in no time!

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BONUS TIP! Link your BufferApp and Feedly accounts together and you will save even more time while scheduling and sharing from within the Feedly App -- this is possible on your mobile device and computer by looking for the BufferApp icon inside Feedly. 

Have questions? Stuck on something, don't hesitate to reach out to me by email (info@islanddesignstudio.com) or Social Media at the links below.

Till next time,
Karen