How can you use Buffer to schedule your social media posts?

1 Set up your account and connect your profiles

The first step is to sign up for a Buffer account and choose a plan that suits your needs. You can start with a free plan that lets you connect up to three social profiles and schedule up to 10 posts per profile. Alternatively, you can upgrade to a paid plan that offers more features and flexibility. Once you have your account, you can connect your social profiles from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. You can also add team members and assign roles and permissions if you want to collaborate on your social media strategy.

2 Create your posting schedule

The next step is to create your posting schedule for each social profile. This means deciding how often and when you want to publish your content. Buffer has a feature called Optimal Timing Tool that can help you find the best times to post based on your audience's behavior and engagement. You can also customize your schedule by adding or removing time slots, choosing different time zones, and setting different frequencies for weekdays and weekends. You can access your posting schedule from the Settings tab on the Buffer dashboard.

3 Add your content to the queue

The third step is to add your content to the queue for each social profile. You can do this in two ways: either by using the Buffer browser extension or by using the Content Inbox on the Buffer dashboard. The Buffer browser extension allows you to share any web page, image, or video that you find online with one click. You can also edit the caption, add hashtags, and select which profiles you want to share it with. The Content Inbox allows you to import content from your RSS feeds, blogs, podcasts, or other sources that you follow. You can also filter, sort, and search for content by keywords, topics, or domains.

4 Review and publish your posts

The final step is to review and publish your posts. You can do this from the Queue tab on the Buffer dashboard. Here you can see all your scheduled posts for each social profile in a calendar view. You can also drag and drop posts to rearrange them, edit or delete posts, or add new posts manually. You can also use the Analytics tab to track the performance of your posts, such as impressions, clicks, likes, shares, and comments. You can also export reports, compare metrics, and identify your top posts.

Buffer is a powerful and easy-to-use tool for social media management that can help you save time, optimize your reach, and grow your audience. By following these four steps, you can use Buffer to schedule your social media posts and create a consistent and engaging content strategy.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?