And a great question it is! There are pros and cons for everything and scheduling your social media posts is no exception.
Let’s start with the good!
The Pros
- You can create your content WELL ahead of time, then schedule it, sit back and relax knowing your posts will go out at the time and date specified.
- Some scheduling software, can also give you access to post comments, messaging etc, so you can reply to all your social media accounts from one place.
- You can connect most social media accounts through scheduling software – just check the software you want to use and see if they have any limitations. For example, you may be able to post on IG, FB, Pinterest and LinkedIn but not on Snapchat or YouTube. Work out which one is best suited to your business.
The Cons
- If you have more than 3 social media accounts, it can cost money. Every month.
- As scheduling software is considered a third-party app, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and the like may up their ante against third-party apps, causing post failures or social accounts to disconnect.
- Using software to post and engage on social media can mean you get penalised by certain social platforms. For example, Instagram penalise your posts if you aren’t seen to be logging in to the actual app to post, engage, message etc. So less of your followers may see your posts.
Look, we tried to be fair and give 3 pros and 3 cons, but in our honest opinion, do what works for you and your business! If you’ve got a LOT of social accounts and would rather just plan ahead, load up and schedule – then do it. If you’re only on Facebook and Insta, and you can’t be bothered learning ANOTHER type of software, then post manually.