Every small business and nonprofit works to maximize their return on their investment even if the monetary component is simply time. We profiled some of the top social schedulers to help you maximize your efficiencies. Scroll down for our recommendations and reviews or take a quick look at our summary below to help you select your social scheduler.
FREE OPTIONS
For nonprofits, where networking is key, ensuring that LinkedIn is a part of your strategy is crucial. Buffer and HootSuite take the awards in this category allowing up to 3 free accounts to be linked with a range of 10-30 scheduled posts saved. Both offer Chrome extensions from the ChromeStore allowing you to post content as you browse and mobile apps for both Android and iOS for on the go updates (because aren't we always on the go?). It is recommended to utilize these free accounts for something other than Twitter as Tweetdeck by Twitter, allows the management of multiple Twitter account including scheduling of posts.
For small businesses and nonprofits not requiring LinkedIn as part of their social content strategy, Later creeps into the lead allowing 1 account for each platform including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
FREE WORK AROUND
Likely not the intended use for any of the free options, but managing multiple businesses/accounts is as simple as keeping your Chrome browser logins separate and initiating one social scheduler account with each Chrome browser login.
Helpful Hint: Use Chrome Browser and keep business and personal separate.
For instance one Chrome browser for your personal and one for your business. For small businesses and nonprofits that may not have the need for quite as robust of a system, these recommendations work beautifully for the simple strategies. As a side note: all social schedulers that push to Instagram require you to have an Instagram Business Profile to push content.
PAID OPTION NOTE
At some point, all small business and nonprofits go one of two routes and we hope this route is the one your small business and nonprofit takes: Soaring to new heights! Analytics is key even as a small business or nonprofit but most of the free versions offer very limited analytics. This has to be one of the strongest recommendations for switching to a paid version: ROBUST ANALYTICS. The second reason would be the management of multiple social media platforms and accounts.
Robust analytics and multiple accounts per platform management drive the need for paid plans.
BEST TEAM PAID OPTION
Jumping to the forefront is SocialSprout on our team recommendations as the calendar scheduling view makes it easy for team members to collaborate and gain approval for various posts through member level permissions which is crucial as your business grows. They take the lead with built in image and filter editing options and their robust message level and custom URL analytics.
BEST OPTION FOR A SOLOPRENEUR MANAGING OTHER BUSINESSES' SOCIAL MEDIA
SocialOomph Professional takes the lead with unlimited Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Blog Publishing APIs (don't worry if I went over your head, it isn't necessary for you to know if you don't manage multiple accounts) with the lowest monthly cost (actually billed every two weeks). The one area that isn't completely lovable about this product is the lack of screenshots for their support area but for a tech-savvy solopreneur, this option definitely packs a punch.
OTHER OPTIONS
Of course you can try logging in and out, and managing posts by other methods, but why spend more time on social interaction when you can utilize tools to effectively reach your audience.
Always work smarter not harder.
Reviews were completed independently and no compensation was provided for the reviews.
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