Tag Archive for: social media

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Let’s Talk About Social Media Scheduling Apps

social media scheduling

It’s 2020. So, let’s face it, social media is HUGE in the world today. It is important to post meaningful content frequently; we recommend posting at least posting 2 times per week. With that being said, we understand that it can be difficult to remember to schedule these in with the busy lives that we all (especially entrepreneurs) live. This is where social media scheduling apps come in!

That’s why we are comparing 4 of the most popular social media scheduling apps.

Why Use a Social Media Scheduling App?

As we mentioned before, it can be difficult to keep up with a set schedule for social media as life is busy for all of us, and understandably so. With a social media scheduling app, you can keep your content flowing and generate a larger audience through the use of hashtags. If you dedicate just one hour each week to planning and scheduling your social media content, you can schedule an entire week’s worth of content and not have to worry about it again until the following week.  Wondering what to post about? Check out our blog on Social Media Content Solutions for Small Business.

Scheduling App #1: Planable.io

Planable is a great tool for social media scheduling. If you are an agency with multiple clients that you manage, Planable is definitely the best option for you. Their premium plan offers 5 workspaces all under one login and allow for up to 7 users. This means you can allow your clients permission to make changes, or upload their own imagesinto the shared workspace. Planable allows you to plan a post for a specific date and time and will notify your mobile device when it’s time to post. Planable is definitely a favourite of ours here at Rosewood. However, if you work on your own and wish to do the scheduling on your own, Planable may not be the right option for you. Enter, Later.com.

Starter Plan

 Premium Plan Enterprise Plan
  • $32.50/month
  • $82.50/month
  • Customized by Planable for you
  • 1 Workspace
  • 5 Workspaces
  • Custom Number of Workspaces
  • 3 Users
  • 7 Users
  • Custom Number of Users

*Please note that these prices are in USD*

Scheduling App #2: Later.com

Later is also a Rosewood team favourite. Unlike Planable, Later allows a free option. Who doesn’t love free?! With Later, you are able to have a visual Instagram planner to properly plan out how your feed will look. Later also offers an automatic publishing tool, this feature alone is worth its weight in gold. You simply schedule your posts for a specific date and time, and your posts will automatically go out for the set date and time. Keep in mind that as Facebook and Instagram change their APIs, you may need to refresh the connections. If you work on your own, Later.com is the best option for you.

Free

 Plus Premium Starter

Brand
  • For Individuals
  • For Solopreneurs
  • For Small Businesses
  • For Growing Companies
  • For Agencies and Large Teams
  • Free
  • $7.50/month
  • $16/month
  • $24/month
  • $41/month
  • 1 Profile per Social Platform
  • 30 posts per social platform
  • Allows you to add Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter
  • 1 Profile per Social Platform
  • 100 posts per social platform
  • Video Scheduling
  • IG Story Scheduling
  • Allows you to add Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter
  • 2 Profiles per Social Platform
  • 250 posts per social platform
  • Video Scheduling
  • IG Story Scheduling
  • Allows you to add Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter
  • Shows You the Best Time to Post
  • 3 Profiles per Social Platform
  • Unlimited posts per social platform
  • Video Scheduling
  • IG Story Scheduling
  • Allows you to add Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter
  • Shows You the Best Time to Post
  • 5 Profiles per Social Platform
  • Unlimited posts per social platform
  • Video Scheduling
  • IG Story Scheduling
  • Allows you to add Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter
  • Shows You the Best Time to Post

Scheduling App #3: Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a social media scheduling platform that has been around a long time. With Hootsuite, if you’re not using the professional plan, you’re paying a fairly large amount of money monthly to manage your social media in comparison to Planable and Later. Typically, we do not recommend Hootsuite as a social media scheduling platform to use. Hootsuite has a very confusing interface that isn’tmodernized; making it difficult for the average person to use. The platforms we’ve mentioned above are much more intuitive, seamless to use and less expensive.

Professional Plan

 Team Plan Business Plan
$29/month $129/month

$599/month
  • 10 social media profiles
  • Unlimited Scheduling
  • 1 User Profile
  • Auto Scheduling
  • 20 social media profiles
  • Unlimited Scheduling
  • 3 User Profiles
  • Auto Scheduling
  • 35 social media profiles
  • Unlimited Scheduling
  • Up to 10 User Profiles
  • Auto Scheduling

Scheduling App #4: Buffer

The last social media scheduling platform we’ll compare is Buffer. Buffer, like Hootsuite, has been around for several years and has a fairly difficult interface. We found Buffer difficult to use and not as user friendly as Planable and Later.

Pro Plan Premium Plan Business Plan
$15/month $65/month $99/month
8 Social Accounts

100 Scheduled Posts

1 User

Connects to most social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc)
  • 8 Social Accounts
  • 2000 Scheduled Posts
  • 2 Users
  • Connects to most social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc)
  • IG/FB Story Scheduling
  • Drafts management
  • 25 Social Accounts
  • 2000 Scheduled Posts
  • 6 Users
  • Connects to most social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc)
  • IG/FB Story Scheduling
  • Drafts management

Which Social Media Scheduling App Do We Recommend?

After looking into all of the above-mentioned social media scheduling platforms, we can say with confidence that Planable.io and Later.com are the best choices. If you’re a larger business that needs multiple social profiles, Planable is a great option for you. If you’re looking for something that is free of cost and doesn’t require multiple social profiles, Later is your best bet!

Let’s Connect

Rosewood is a full-service digital marketing agency outside Toronto dedicated to helping entrepreneurs and small businesses grow their online presence. We work with clients across North America and Europe to identify, strategize and reach their marketing goals!

You can join the conversation online on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. Or contact us to chat about your marketing goals for 2020 or to discuss how Rosewood can assist you in building your website!

Sign up for our Newsletter to keep up with our latest news!

Until next time,

Cassandra

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Top 5 Reasons to Start Using Instagram to Boost Your Business

instagram deanna simone rosewood va

Instagram is an excellent tool to increase awareness, reach new customers and clients, network with industry professionals, and build your brand. On Instagram, you are in complete control of exactly how you want your brand to be represented online. If your business is not already on Instagram, these 5 reasons outlined below will surely give you the push you need!  

1. More people are using Instagram than ever before 

According to Hootsuite, Instagram has over 1 billion active users, 500 million of which use the platform daily. And what’s more – 38 percent of these users check the site multiple times a day. And with engagement on Instagram being 10 times higher than on Facebook, you don’t want to miss out on all those potential eyeballs on your business! 

2. Use stories to make your business more relatable 

The best way to show your customers/clients that you are more than just a faceless company, is to take full advantage of the app’s live posts, IGTV, stories, and highlights features. You have full creative freedom to choose what you post on here – you can show a behind the scenes look on how products are made, bits and pieces of your employee’s personal lives, live Q&A sessions – the possibilities are endless! Remember that live posts and stories are an excellent (and cheap!) way to build rapport, trust and credibility with followers, as well as show that there’s a human side to your business. 

3. Use hashtags & geotags to increase visibility 

As a start-up or existing small business, you may be intimidated by the competition, but with the proper use of hashtags and geotags, you are in full control of making your brand stand out from the crowd. Hashtags are essentially keywords that summarize what your post is saying. Also, many people will be able to find your business by searching up key words that relate to your product/service. It also helps Instagram show your content to users with similar interests.  

Geotags on the other hand help your posts reach a local audience – making it easier to network with those near you. Make sure you are tagging your physical location (if you have one) or the cities/towns you serve. You can also check in at local businesses and events to increase your visibility even more!

4. You can effectively and creatively engage with your customers

On Instagram you can connect with your followers daily through likes, comments, shares, and much more. The more likes and comments you get, the more visible your company becomes. You can get more likes by taking high-quality photos, using local hashtags, and partnering with other brands. Also, you can get super creative! Show the public that your brand has personality by mixing it up with contests, polls, vivid images, live videos, and more. 

5. Keep an eye on your competition

Your company can use Instagram to keep an eye on your competitors and see how they interact with their followers. Watch carefully to find out how often they post, what they are posting and how they engage with their followers. You can use the information you gather to better define your own personal strategy. 

BONUS Tip

How frequently you post also has a huge impact on building and maintaining your follower engagement. Here at Rosewood we firmly believe in quality over quantity. We strongly encourage posting engaging, original content 2-3 times a week rather than sharing filler posts or re-posts daily. Therefore, for our clients we typically post 3 to 7 times a week to effectively increase their visibility and following.

One final take away – more people are paying attention to Instagram than ever before, and you may be missing out on millions of potential customers/clients by not leveraging Instagram to boost your business. Take these 5 tips and use them to start building your Instagram presence today! 

Questions? Get in Touch! 

Until Next Time,

Deanna

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