Scheduling tools for social media can save business owners and marketers a ton of time. Without tools like Hootsuite, Buffer, and SmarterQueue it would be practically impossible for some people to stick to their social media strategy. But does Facebook like these tools, or does the social media giant prefer posts that are scheduled natively through their platform?

Over the years there’s been a lot of discussion around it. A debate started back in 2015 when Mari Smith stated that posting with 3rd party apps resulted both less reach and less engagement.

The scheduling tool creators challenged Mari and did their own research. They reported that it was actually automated RSS feeds that impacted reach.

What it comes down to is that scheduling tools will save you a huge amount of time and help you stick to a content strategy. But they are not there to replace you. You still have to take real-time action and be present on your page to respond and engage with your followers.

Here are a few things to consider to maximise reach and engagement when using a scheduling tool:

1. Write your content as you would if you were publishing them directly. Speak in the present tense.

1. Always think about your target market and aim to spark conversation. Ask questions and try to engage your readers.

1. Decide on the right balance of scheduled posts and real-time posts.

1. Continue to show up daily to see how your posts are performing and respond to any likes, shares and comments.

Optimise your posts for each platform. The various social networks have different peak times when their users are most active. If you want to engage with as many of your audience as possible, you need to make your posts at these peak times.

With a social media scheduling tool, you can operate your social accounts efficiently. They will give you time to create and push more content. They can also help you recycle your content to maximise your reach off of each piece of content you write. But again, you still need to be present in order to connect with your audience and prove that you’re a trustworthy human.

If you’d like help with your content strategy, get in touch and lets see how we can develop one that will connect with your audience in the right way, right now. Through a ‘Power Hour’ we can look at your marketing communications and see where we can improve your strategy and ensure you’re conveying the right messages.