Should you consider scheduling your Facebook Posts? If you’re managing your business’ social media, it is likely you’ve considered it. While the jury is still out on this issue, many social media experts have found the scheduling of Facebook posts to be advantageous in the organization of their work. While creating auto-posts makes it difficult to act or communicate in timely and relevant fashion (i.e., you don’t want to be promoting a huge tanning lotion sale during the afternoon following a national tragedy), there are several benefits to scheduling your Facebook posts:
You Can Avoid Mistakes
How many times have you found yourself cringing late at night after realizing your business’ Facebook post included an incorrect date, misspelled word or grammatical error? And while it isn’t possible to go back and edit an update that’s already been posted, you can go back and make edits to posts that are scheduled. So by scheduling your posts and giving yourself time to go back and re-read, you can completely avoid having to delete an error-filled post that has already gone viral.
You Can Spread Posts Out
Lots of businesses get bogged down throughout the week and then try to catch up on Facebook with 4 or 5 posts all in one day. This kind of Facebook behavior is super annoying to Fans. By scheduling your Facebook communication and spreading out your posts throughout the week, you are likely to see increased Fan interaction.
Scheduling Ensures Your Page Will Be Updated
Have you ever found yourself skipping several posts during a week just because you run out of time by the end of the day? Instead of rushing and/or missing opportunities to post, spend an hour or two on a Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon mapping out your business’ Facebook communication for the upcoming week. Then you can rest easy the rest of the week knowing your page will be updated consistently without your day-to-day involvement. If anything newsworthy comes up, you can obviously post it right along with your scheduled content.
You Have the Opportunity to Make Your Posts Outside of Facebook’s “Busy Hours”
Recent studies have shown that the best times for some businesses to post on Facebook may not be during the 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. work day. Depending on the content you’re posting and your social media goals, you may get the best response with posts on weekends and during the hours of 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. And while some businesses have the resources to monitor their Facebook Page during these hours, smaller business may have a more difficult time with a schedule like this. Also, by making posts during these less busy times, you are giving the impression that you are willing to connect and help your Fans and clients 24/7.
Are there any additional benefits you’ve found with scheduling posts? Please comment and let us know!
Sources:
http://www.business2community.com/social-media/an-argument-for-social-media-scheduling-0359422
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