We might be biased, but we think using a scheduling tool for social media management literally saves lives.
We all know social media marketing is a key driver of brand awareness, customer engagement, and business growth. Yet, managing multiple social platforms effectively can be a challenging and time-consuming task, especially for marketers juggling content planning, posting, social listening, and performance tracking across channels.
This is where social media scheduling tools, like Sendible come in.
Social media scheduling tools have become essential for marketers, so we're exploring what tools are invaluable for modern marketers and some of the must-have features to look for in a scheduling tool.
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A social media scheduling tool is a software solution designed to streamline the publishing of social media content management across multiple platforms. It enables users to plan, organise, and schedule posts in advance, ensuring consistent engagement without the need for manual posting.
But these tools are often much more than just schedulers. They’re also typically referred to as social media management tools that help marketers automate posting and monitor engagement, analyse performance, and manage all social media interactions in one place. By combining scheduling, content planning, and analytics, these tools make it easier to execute and oversee a cohesive social media strategy.
Social media scheduling tools offer powerful solutions that go beyond simply scheduling posts. They help marketers, social media managers, and business owners save time and stay organised to drive better engagement and results.
Let's have a closer look at the key reasons to use a social media scheduling tool:
One key benefit of a scheduling tool is the time it saves. Rather than logging in to each platform separately to publish posts to a social profile, users can set up and schedule content all at once. By batching or bulk scheduling this task, marketers free up weekly hours to focus on other critical tasks, like social media strategy development, content creation, and audience engagement.
Consistent posting is vital to maintaining a strong social media presence. Using a social media scheduler makes it easy to maintain this consistency by allowing users to plan and schedule posts as far as they'd like. This enables brands to maintain visibility—even during weekends, holidays, or busy periods—without the need for manual posting.
Most scheduling tools offer built-in analytics and insights that help marketers understand what social channel content is performing well. By analysing these metrics, users can make data-driven adjustments to their content strategy, optimising for engagement, reach, and follower growth. This approach ensures that each post contributes effectively to overall marketing goals.
Social media scheduling tools centralise the management of multiple platforms, which is crucial for brands that have a presence across different channels like Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and TikTok. Rather than switching between platforms, marketers can schedule content and monitor all accounts from a single dashboard, saving time and ensuring consistent messaging.
For teams, social media scheduling tools can help streamline collaboration. Many tools come with features that allow multiple users to work together, approve posts, leave feedback, and maintain an organised workflow. This is especially useful for brands with larger teams or those that rely on a content creator, designer, and social media manager to execute their social strategy.
Social media scheduling tools often allow for advanced scheduling options like using optimal post-timing recommendations (best time to post) based on audience behaviour. These features help marketers reach their audience at the most effective times, increasing the likelihood of engagement and response.
When in search of a social media scheduler, there are some key, non-negotiable features you should be looking out for.
We've outlined them here for you:
A quality scheduling tool should enable you to plan and automatically publish a social media post at chosen times. This feature ensures your social media content is delivered consistently and reaches your audience when they’re most active, to help maintain a steady online presence.
A great scheduling tool should integrate seamlessly with major social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok. This cross-platform integration enables you to manage all your social posts in one place, providing consistent messages and saving time switching between platforms.
Robust social media analytics and reporting capabilities are crucial for a post planner to have. The scheduling tool should offer insights into basic metrics such as engagement, reach, and audience growth, helping you understand what resonates and informing future social media campaigns.
For teams working together in social media marketing, collaboration features are a must. Look for scheduling tools that support multi-user access, role assignments, and content approval workflows. These features streamline teamwork, maintain brand consistency, and simplify the content review process.
Effective engagement management, in the form of a social inbox, allows you to monitor and respond to comments, direct messages and mentions across social accounts from a single dashboard. This feature makes it easier to connect with your audience in real-time and manage your online community efficiently, fostering better relationships and engagement.
Now that we know what to look for in a social media scheduling tool let's explore some of the best tools on the market, including one of our favourites.
An automated tool with smart scheduling features takes your social media management a step further. These tools analyse the best times to post, eliminating guesswork and boosting the visibility and impact of your content.
Here, we list seven of the best social media scheduling tools. We won’t go into detail about how scheduling works on every tool. Instead, we’ll just highlight the main features and what users typically love about each tool.
We'll admit we may have a favourite in the mix… but we think Sendible is the best social media scheduling tool for agencies, franchises, and other big businesses handling high volumes of content.
It offers the most robust platform for managing multiple social media accounts. It includes a comprehensive content calendar view, powerful analytics, and customisation options that scale with your brand. Its intuitive social media calendar and integration capabilities with every major social media platform make it a top choice for every social media manager.
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A little extra: You can bulk import your posts, tailor them to multiple social media channels, enjoy in-app image editor to ensure your image is the right size, add hashtags you saved in Content Library, add Custom Tags, UTM links, assign campaigns, and generate captions with AI Assist.
One of the most popular tools on the market, Hootsuite allows for scheduling posts across multiple social media platforms. It offers a user-friendly dashboard, analytics, and team collaboration features, making it ideal for larger teams.
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A costly option compared to simpler scheduling tools.
Known for its design capabilities, Canva also offers a social media scheduling feature. Its intuitive interface and rich visual content creation tools make it a go-to choice for scheduling visually appealing posts across platforms.
If you use Canva Pro, Sendible offers an integration to help you create engaging, pre-made designs for social media.
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Sprout Social combines social media scheduling with powerful analytics and CRM features. It’s an excellent tool for brands looking to integrate their social media efforts with broader marketing and customer service strategies.
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Buffer is known for its simplicity. It supports multiple social media accounts and offers features like post-scheduling, analytics, and a content calendar. Buffer’s clean interface makes it a favourite among individual users and small teams.
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SocialPilot has a user-friendly interface and comprehensive features that simplify the process of scheduling and publishing content on any social platform. Like the other tools listed, you can plan your posts, collaborate with your team, and track performance metrics to refine your strategy.
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Known for its comprehensive social media management features, Agorapulse offer advanced scheduling capabilities, in-depth analytics, and reporting tools. Its user-friendly interface and collaboration features make it a preferred choice for social media managers looking to streamline their marketing efforts.
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Choosing the right social media scheduling tool can make a significant difference in your overall social media marketing strategy.
Helping you save time, improve collaboration, and maximize engagement. Each tool on this list offers unique features, from comprehensive analytics to user-friendly interfaces and creative integrations.
Whether you're a large agency, a small business, or an individual creator, there’s a tool to meet your specific needs. By exploring these options and finding the best fit, you can streamline your social media efforts, connect with your audience more effectively, and ultimately drive your brand’s success forward.
So, dive in, experiment, and discover how a scheduling tool (like Sendible) can elevate your social media game.