Managing your social media platforms as a musician can be difficult. Which is why it helps to rely on social media scheduling tools for musicians.
Have you ever wondered how some artists post throughout the day?
Sure, some artists have teams of people that strategize, create, and post content across all of their social platforms — but even their team needs some downtime.
This is where social scheduling tools can come in handy! You can schedule posts for hours, weeks, and even months ahead.
This can help you plan for the future and stay on top of everything in advance.
Today there are tons of scheduling tools available for you to implement in your social media strategy — in this article, we will explain the importance of using these tools and help you determine which tool might work best for you.
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What is a social media scheduling tool?
If you follow any big brands or news organizations on social media, most of their content has been scheduled hours, if not days before.
By using different scheduling tools for your various social media platforms (like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.), you can plan your content to be posted at a particular date or time, so they align with your announcements and releases.
>>> Related Reading: 11 Reasons Why Musicians Fail On Social Media, And How To Avoid Their Mistakes
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The benefits of scheduling your social media posts:
You can be active without being physically available
Even if you’re running around all-day completing tasks or cooped up in the studio for a weekend recording some tracks for your album, you can still be active on your social media.
By scheduling relevant posts that can be planned weeks ahead of time, you can continue to keep your audience engaged while you’re busy working or living your busy life.
You can post even when you don’t have access to the internet
Sometimes you may need an internet detox, or you may be in a situation where you have limited access to the internet.
By using scheduling tools to post on your social platforms, they do a lot of the work for you automatically, even if you don’t have access to the internet.
You will need internet access to schedule the posts, but you can easily schedule posts in bulk, so you have content lined up for days.
You save time
Going through each of your social media accounts and setting up each post takes a lot of time, especially if you’re managing more than one account.
Scheduling all of your posts with the tool of your choice will involve some costs, but since your time is valuable, it may be a worthwhile investment. You can spend all of this saved time creating more engaging content and new music.
You can space out your posts
If you just wrapped up a photoshoot with a news publication, you probably won’t want to post all of your content immediately!
With a scheduling tool, you can space out your content and plan for each post to be published across multiple platforms at various times, helping you optimize your engagement and reach.
Manage multiple different accounts from one place
Reaching a wider audience involves being active on various platforms — but it may become hard to keep up with them all on top of your busy life.
Most social scheduling platforms offer tools to schedule posts and updates to your accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and more! Instead of individually posting on each platform, a scheduling tool helps to centralize the process for you.
Post on YOUR fan’s time
You have access to your analytics on most if not all of your social media accounts, so put them to good use.
With your analytics, you should be able to collect an approximate idea of where in the world the majority of your audience is so you can schedule your posts when they’re most active online.
Some schedule tools will even analyze this for you and give you suggestions for the best times to post your content.
Maintains content flow & encourages consistency
The primary purpose of these services is to be consistent with your posts on social media. Allocating a day each week for planning out some scheduled posts that align with your calendar can help you stay consistent and keep the momentum going.
By posting regularly, your audience will begin to anticipate your posts every day. You’ll also begin to notice the types of posts that get the most engagement and should adjust your strategy for content creation accordingly.
You’ll have content ready to post ahead of time
Procrastination is not an option with a scheduling tool! By using one, you are already planning for the future. Social media scheduling tools are excellent for posts surrounding dates and events that are unlikely to change, including your upcoming music releases, tour dates, and significant holidays.
Repurpose or recycle your content with ease
When using a scheduling tool across all of your social media platforms, you can keep track of the content you’ve previously posted and repost anything again at the most appropriate time!
Depending on the platform you use, most of your posts and the content attached to them should be stored in the cloud.
Important things to keep in mind with scheduling tools:
Engagement is key
After posting content, you can’t call it a day just yet. Engagement is a two-way street.
Scheduling tools typically won’t respond to comments and messages for you.
Even if they do, it’s always best to make your interactions with fans, both new and old, as authentic as possible.
After a scheduled post goes up, try to check in on your posts as frequently as possible to see how many people are engaging with your content.
This is an opportunity to engage with your audience and build a relationship with them!
Go through your comments, respond to questions, note any suggestions, and engage on your fans’ posts as well.
Always review the posts you’re scheduling
Chances are you won’t have someone fact-checking every word you write before your scheduled post goes live! Before scheduling any future posts, make sure the posting time is correct, all the links work, and the content is free of grammatical errors!
Don’t spend too much time scheduling
The whole purpose of using a scheduling tool is to save time — so don’t waste hours strategizing a year’s worth of posts that will have to be changed at a later date. To start, try setting aside an hour once a week to schedule your posts and analyze your growth across your social platforms.
Consider outsourcing this process when it makes sense
If your life has taken a busy turn, there may come a time when you can’t find that hour to spend on scheduling your posts.
If this is the case, it may be time to hire someone to schedule your posts for you. Whether you have someone on your team to help you or outsource the task — it could be a worthwhile investment in the long run.
The best scheduling tools to use
To stay on top of your growth on social media and schedule your posts in advance, here are some of the most popular scheduling tools on the market that are worth considering:
Sprout Social
If you have one person or an entire team of people working with you on your online presence, Sprout Social may be the scheduling tool for you.
Many large companies and small businesses use Sprout Social to manage their social media presence across their teams.
Along with scheduling, optimizing, and tracking your posts across all of your social media platforms, you can share announcements with everyone on your team.
Sprout Social is known for its easy-to-use interface, but it will cost you a pretty penny — prices vary from $99 to $249 per month, depending on how many people you have on your team.
HootSuite
Along with Sprout Social, HootSuite is one of the most commonly used social media scheduling tools on the market. With its variety of publishing tools and integrations with social media platforms, HootSuite is the perfect platform for both large businesses and individuals looking to grow their social media presence.
One of HootSuite’s strongest selling points is its pricing — there is even a free trial for individuals or businesses that are just starting out. To access all of HootSuite’s functionalities, rates range from $29 – $599 a month, depending on how many social profiles and team members you have.
Buffer
Buffer is another online tool that can help you manage your social media accounts and schedule content ahead of time. The platform offers two brand-building services – scheduling posts to publish and analyzing your profiles – each sold in a different plan. The publish tool ranges from $15 to $99 per month, with the analyze tool starting at $39 to $50 per month.
CoSchedule
From managing your marketing calendar, designating tasks for yourself or people you have working for you, right down to scheduling your social media posts — CoSchedule helps you do it all.
CoSchedule offers three services: a Blog Calendar that helps you organize your website posts and social media posts, a Marketing Calendar to help you schedule and share your upcoming marketing posts, and a Marketing Suite for larger teams to manage their social profiles and track progress.
For musicians and small businesses, the Blog Calendar will offer all of the services you need to keep your socials organized and track your growth on all of your platforms, with pricing starting at $14 a month.
Final Thoughts On Social Media Scheduling Tools For Musicians
It may take some time to get used to the social scheduling tool that you end up using. Like anything, learn from your mistakes and try not to make them the next time around.
In the long run, these tools are meant to help you save time and work more efficiently. Don’t break the bank on this, as some of the cheaper options work wonders.
Most offer a free trial, so test things out and find a solution that works best for your situation.
Kevin is the founder of Music With Flavor, which joined Whipped Cream Sounds in 2023. He is a seasoned musician turned industry expert. His passion for music goes beyond melodies; he delves deep into the intricate world of music marketing, striving to unearth the most effective strategies for indie musicians. However, Music With Flavor isn’t just about Kevin’s knowledge; it’s a network of industry experts handpicked to provide the most trusted advice. Kevin’s role is to pose the right questions, not just answer them, as he and his team tirelessly research trends, connect with artists, and gather valuable insights.
