How to use Buffer social media marketing for your business.

Many small business owners struggle with their social media marketing as they don't plan their content and they also can find it difficult to remember to post consistently. So how can a tool like Buffer benefit your small business? Well if you are a small business owner Buffer could be a lifesaver for you as it allows you to schedule your social media in advance, so you can create and share your posts while you on the move. Just think you will be able to schedule up to a month or more social media content and remove the worry of remembering to schedule every day. This consistency will pay off for you big time as it frees up your time to do other things which will help your business grow, so let's dive in.

How To Set Up Your Buffer Account

First, you need to go to Buffer.com Once here you have the option to sign in if you already have an account, or you can start your 14-day trial by clicking get started now On this page, you can choose which package you want to select for your 14-day trial, once you have done that you will be taken to a signup page like the one below Then finally some market research so they can establish how you found out about their great company. Once you have done this it will then ask you to connect your social media accounts, for the purposes of this example I suggest you start with Facebook first

Understanding Your Buffer Social Media Dashboard

Great now your in, let's take a look around the dashboard On the top bar, you will have the two options to publish and analyze. I would not worry too much about Analyze it is a great product as it will Measure social media performance, create gorgeous reports for your clients if you decide to turn this into a business it will also make recommendations to grow reach, engagement & sales. But it costs more money and you don't need it yet So we will focus on the publish option On the left-hand side you will see your social media accounts and then to the right of that you have: Queue, which will show you below the number of posts that you have scheduled and the date and time they are due to go out. Analytics which will show you past posts and also give you performance data such as the number of likes, shares and comments. Drafts which is a great option if you have a team and you want to collabarate and manage the platform together Settings which allows you to shorten your links, add google analytics tracking which is particular useful if you are sharing content from your website and shuffle queue, which will allow up to 200 scheduled posts to be posted in a random order If you have not noticed, when you press settings it also gives you another two options to choose from Posting schedule allows you to set the days and times that you want your content posted. Top Tip* If you already have a Facebook page, take a look at your insights for the page and this will tell you the best time to post on each day. Reconnect is if you need to reconnect your Facebook account with Buffer

How To Add Facebook Posts To Your Buffer

Adding a post is pretty simple all you do is go back to the queue option. You click in the box what would you like to share and it will open a window like this If you have more than one social media account connected, just select the one you want to use. You can only post to one twitter account at the same time Choose an image from your computer or device Type in your content and then click the add to queue option. If you click the little down arrow you will have additional options to choose from, share now, share next or schedule post. You can also schedule a post if you scroll down to any of the dates and click the option schedule a post. Once you are set-up and running I suggest that you also download the Buffer Social media App, this will ensure that you never run out of content as you will be able to schedule posts on the go.

How to use Buffer for social media marketing on your phone

Download the app and connect all your accounts you will then met with a screen like this On the bottom bar, you will have similar settings as the desktop version Content which is where all your scheduled posts are. Collaboration which is available on Buffer business and is good if you have a team of people The blue + button which is what you press if you want to add content Analytics which will show you your old posts' performance Settings where you can change post scheduling, amend timezone, shuffle or pause your queue and reconnect your account To add a post to your queue just click the blue + add an image and your text, then you are good to go. Buffer will ask you for access to your phones photo library, accept then simply choose an image. If you have images that you don't want to use, as an alternative if you press on Unsplash in the right-hand corner you will be able to choose from a good selection of copyright-free images. Choose your image, then write your caption and your good to go. See the video below to see how quickly you can schedule a post to Buffer from your phone.

So is Buffer right for your social media marketing?

I suggest you give it a go and start using it, my own experience tells me that you will enjoy the freedom that it can bring and also relief, knowing that your content is going out at least once a day. Would you like to become a Buffer Social Media Scheduling wizard Pro in less than 90 minutes? If so then you need to download the pdf of this blog post and grab yourself the bonus report  Buffer Pro Secrets Learn how to: Schedule posts to more accounts in one go. Create 30 days of content for your Buffer calendar Fine-tune Buffer, so it automatically posts for you without you even being involved How to use Buffer to automate your website blog promotion And much more........ Take a look here, you will be a Buffer Social Media Scheduling wizard in no time at all. Get your copy here Buffer Pro Secrets

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