Social media can swallow a large amount of your time. It can seem to become a bit of a chore. However, in this day and age, a solid social media presence on the main platforms is crucial. A growing social media audience can help you achieve brand recognition. It is a great way to highlight new products and services you offer. There are things you should understand about scheduling your social media posts before you dash off creating posts months in advance.

The pros of scheduling social media posts

Time management –. If you post daily, spending an hour or two at the start of the week is often all it takes. Depending on the platform you can schedule up to a month and beyond in advance. You can also access multiple social media platforms at once and share the same content easily. Pre-scheduling various posts in advance is undoubtedly quicker than starting each day afresh.

Flexibility – setting your posting times in advance enables you to reach your target audience when they are most likely to be online. You’ll get better reach and engagement if you post at times that suit them, not you.

Consistency and strategy – A consistent message is easier if you create multiple posts in one sitting. You will achieve better cohesion and content adhering to your overall brand theme.

Broader outreach – Careful timing of posts will help you reach a wider variety of people at times that suit them. Playing with your post timings is a way to identify when you get the best response to help determine the best target market or reach out to different audiences. Watch for interactions and learn what works best.

Delegation – If you outsource work to an employee or marketing service, then pre-posting content enables them to take over from your more readily.

Pitfalls of scheduling social media posts in advance

Engagement – pre-scheduling can mean you miss responding to comments quickly. Audience interaction is one of the best and quickest ways to build relationships with viewers and potential customers. Be aware of what is going on with the postings, as it may still require your time to handle the spontaneous interactions that will build your audience.

Irrelevant, Spammy or just wrong – Just because you pre-schedule, you can’t forget about the type of content you are posting. You need to remain aware of the post contents and their relevance on the day to ensure you don’t post content that is now inappropriate. Continuous posting without engaging with any comments or likes and reactions doesn’t create the vibe and interactions that social media marketing requires. If you don’t consistently interact with your audience, your content can begin to appear spammy.

Avoid your pre-scheduled posts becoming too similar, keep on top of the links you include to ensure they are still valid when posted and that all scheduled posts have gone live. You will then be on your way to making the most of the pre-scheduling functions to save you time on social media in the future.

Check out our guide to marketing techniques for 2022 and build a streamlined social media strategy. That way, you can see how you can make the best of social media marketing. This could help achieve maximum ROI on advertising in 2022 and beyond.