So you know you need to be building those real relationships with your clients/followers but you just find yourself going round in circles spending hours replying to comments, sharing content, or … let’s cut to the chase here … just scrolling through your newsfeeds, and the money-making side of your business is at a standstill!

If this sounds familiar, then it’s time to consider using social media marketing automation software.

This week, I’ll be sharing my top 10 best social media automation tools that will free you up to concentrate on the real money-making side of things without wasting a second of your precious time.

10 BEST SOCIAL MEDIA AUTOMATION TOOLS FOR MOMPRENEURS

To easily compare all 10 tools, download the one-page Social Media Automation Tools Comparison Chart below:

With every blog post from Emma Johnson and Co, I like to make sure that you are getting the most value possible so each edition contains a jam-packed FREE resource that you can download and use right away to create results quickly in your business.

This week, since we’re talking about social media automation tools, I’ve put together a FREE comparison chart for you.

 

Rarely does one size fit all, most businesses will use a combination of tools and the options that you choose will depend on your budget and the stage your business is at.

Save time (and money) by using the best social media automation software

There are countless tools and services available today (some free and some paid for) that are specifically designed to help the time-strapped mompreneur quickly and easily master social media marketing more effectively.

You can:

• Schedule posts well in advance, which allows you to batch your social media content creation.
• Automatically share new blog posts quickly and easily to your preferred social media platforms.
• Create pre-determined schedules (e.g. every day at 07:00, 1:27, and 21:31) for posting your content.
• See all your social streams in one place with some of the tools (which saves you having to log in to each account separately).
• Appear to be active on social media throughout the day (regardless of timezone) without being tied to your computer or mobile device.

Spoiler Alert : You can’t automate everything

Whilst my aim here is to help you streamline your business, we mustn’t forget that the key to success is to nurture your client relationships so, before you start, it’s important to recognize that your social media strategy won’t be successful if all you do is automate content.

If you just let tools and plugins pump out your content you will be missing out on engagement – the social part of social media.

So when you are planning your social media strategy remember to spend 10-15 mins each day responding to comments, engaging, liking and sharing other people’s post and just generally adding value!

So let’s get stuck in!

10 best social media automation tools

Over the last 14 years it is safe to say that I have tried and tested more scheduling/automation tools than I care to name; some good, some bad and some down right ugly! Here are 10 of my favourite social media automation tools out there. These are the ones that I still use regularly.

1. Facebook native scheduler

I love this because it is completely free. Facebook has its own scheduler built right into your Facebook page (one very good reason to be running your business through a Page and not your profile or a group). This is known as native social network automation.

Scheduling a post within your Facebook Page is much like writing a post but instead of hitting publish, you hit schedule instead! You can either write your post directly from your main page, or go into Publishing Tools from your page and click Create. Rather than clicking “Publish,” click the drop-down arrow and choose “Schedule.” Then set a date and time for your post to be published. Facebook allows you to schedule up to 6 months in advance.

You are limited to only being able to create one post at a time and having to curate your own content, but this is great if funds are tight or you are just starting out.

2. SmarterQueue

I absolutely love SmarterQueue. It makes it so easy to recycle evergreen posts. You simply set up categories for the type of content you want to share and then set up a posting schedule for each category. Then you just drop content into the queue as and when you create it. You can specify how many times a post is recycled and add in stop dates, so you never have to run out of posts.

SmarterQueue works with Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. Pinterest and Google+ are in the pipeline.

Plans start at $16.99/month (prices also available in GBP and EUR). You can sign up for a 14-day free trial to try it out too – no credit card required.

3. Buffer

Buffer pulls all the major social media platforms together in one place. You can schedule posts for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Instagram, and Pinterest. Buffer is super-easy to use. You can set up a posting schedule that is customized for each day of the week. When you find content to share or you want to schedule your own content, just drop it into your Buffer queue and it will go out at one of your specified times.

Buffer has a free plan that includes one social account per platform and a variety of paid plans that include more accounts and more features. Pinterest scheduling and analytics are only available on the paid plans.

4. MissingLettr

I recently discovered MissingLettr, and boy has this been a game changer! MissingLettr is an app that generates automated social media content from the words you have written in your blog posts and maps out a campaign for each blog so that it is regularly re-posted to your audience on your newsfeed.  It’s really cool.

There is a free plan that allows you to create 2 campaigns per month for 1 social profile.  Paid plans offer more campaigns, more social profiles, and additional features.

5. CoSchedule

CoSchedule is an all-in-one marketing calendar. You can drag and drop social media into your calendar and your posts will go out at the best time. Social platforms include Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Google Plus.

My absolute favorite thing about CoSchedule is that it integrates with WordPress. If you change the date that a blog post is going to publish, all your social content updates, as well.

Their newest feature is the ability to set up categories for your posts too and have them automatically repopulate. There is no excuse for having an empty calendar. It really is a fantastic all in one tool

CoSchedule starts at $40 a month (or less with their referral plans) and has a 14-day free trial. (No credit card required).

6. Hootsuite

Hootsuite is not just a scheduler, it also allows you to engage with others and monitor conversations, hashtags, etc., all in one dashboard. You can integrate Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus, and Instagram.

I don’t really use it for scheduling anymore, but I do find it great for engaging on Twitter. If you set up the streams feature, you can monitor conversations in various Twitter lists or hashtags. It is also useful for staying on top of mentions or retweets of your content.

The free plan allows you to manage three social networks. The paid plans start at $19 a month and include more social profiles and additional features.

7. IFTTT

IFTTT integrates various platforms through “applets.” In the context of social media automation, it allows you to effortlessly share posts between platforms. While, in general, I would discourage this because you really need to customize your message for each platform, there are some cases where it makes sense.

If there is a platform that you feel the need to post on, but don’t want to spend any time scheduling, then you could set up an IFTTT applet. For example, if Facebook is your thing, but not so much Twitter, you could create an applet to automatically share your Blog posts on Facebook posts to your Twitter feed. Or share your Facebook posts to Google Plus etc.

8. Later

Later is a super-easy tool for scheduling Instagram posts. It also supports Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter, but I’ve never used it for anything but Instagram.

What I like most is that you can preview the posts you have scheduled to see how your feed will appear.  If you don’t like the way it looks, just drag your posts around. This is great if you are building your brand, it functions like a social media planning tool, as well as a scheduler. Later has also recently added analytics, which, in my opinion, are so much better than the native Instagram analytics.

Later has a free plan that lets you schedule up to 30 Instagram posts per month. Paid plans start at $7.50 per month when billed annually.

9. Post Planner

Post Planner is a really intuitive scheduling tool that enables you to find and share content from and to Facebook and Twitter. I have however, only really used it for Facebook. For either platform you can schedule posts to be recycled automatically, so you never run out of content. You can also set specific dates for posts to go out.

One of the best things about Post Planner is the way it finds content for you to share and ranks it on popularity.

Post Planner starts at $3/month for 3 social profiles (there is a very limited free version hidden in the FAQs).

10. Tailwind

Tailwind is a scheduling tool specifically for Pinterest or Instagram. It’s a visual platform with a a drag-and-drop interface. Tailwind will create an optimal posting schedule for you based on a variety of factors, such as audience engagement, traffic, and more.

Tailwind has a free trial of 100 pins scheduled. The Plus plan for small businesses and mompreneurs is $9.99/month, if billed annually and includes one Pinterest or one Instagram profile.

Make sure to take action

Now that you know what the best social media marketing automation tools are, it’s time to take action.

1. Download the Social Media Automation Tools Comparison Chart.
2. If you already use social media automation software, then pick out a new-to-you tool to try out.
3. If you are just starting to automate your social media marketing, then pick one or two free tools or free trials to sign up for.

Cheers to your success!

And if you found this content helpful, I would love to read your comments below!

Sincerely, Emma JohnsonOnline Business Marketing Coach and Super Mompreneur!

Resources Mentioned & More That Will Help Catapult Your Business To The Next Level

Attraction Marketing EBook – Learn More

If you want to PERMANENTLY END REJECTION… and discover a simple system for attracting qualified prospects to you … PLUS get paid whether they join your business or NOT… then this comprehensive eBook sets out step by step what you can do to start (or turn around) your business quickly and easily without bugging friends and family.

LinkedIn Recruiting Scripts (Free) – Learn More

LinkedIn is a fabulous resource for connecting with serious business men and women yet many people have no idea how to utilise this correctly to grow their network marketing business. Unlike Facebook or Instagram a motivational quote or a selfie is just not going to cut it on LinkedIn and connections on LinkedIn will certainly not stand for any form of spamming. Gloria’s fabulous LinkedIn training and scripts are my go to for making this most of this relatively untapped resource.

Social Media Recruiter by Julie Burke – Learn More

Julie has successfully harnessed the power of social media to explode her network marketing business and she share all of her expert knowledge in this in-depth training.  If you are serious about building your team quickly then I can highly recommend this resource.

Did you get some value from these time-saving automation ideas?

I really hope so because each week I make is my mission to give you some some amazing tips, resources, ideas and strategies to grow your business whilst staying sane so that you can create a life you love.

If you love valuable content then don’t forget to share!

Every day I post great new content including blog posts, free downloads, motivation, video trainings and awesome checklists on my Facebook Page so make sure we’re connected www.facebook.com/EmmaJohnsonAndCo

Stand Out and Stay Connected… drop a comment below.

You are a Star!

Question of the week: What is your favourite social media automation tool?

If you aren’t using one yet then let us know which one you are going to try first.

Hope you enjoyed these tips.

Join the Conversation You Star…

This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using these links. For more information, see my disclosures here.