Work Smart, Market Harder: Top Social Media Scheduling Platforms of 2022
As a savvy business owner or entrepreneur, you’re well-versed on the value of digital marketing. You know the impact social media has on your company. You know all about your potential reach and the value of reaching new customers.
There’s also a good chance you don’t have time to stay on top of producing daily and weekly content on your own.
The good news is there are platforms that can help.
The More Canvas Consulting marketing team performs annual analyses of our own processes and tools to ensure we’re providing the most efficient results for our clients—and the most cost effective internal strategies for our own business.
Due to the ever-changing platforms and their capabilities, More Canvas wants to share the results of this year’s analysis, comparing five of the top social media scheduling platforms available today and providing insights on how to decide which tools are a fit for your company.
Social Media Platform COmparison
HOOTSUITE
Hootsuite has the ability to manage 10+ social accounts and provide access to all account messages within one inbox. When using Hootsuite, you can schedule multiple posts in advance at one time (meaning, you can efficiently schedule identical or similar posts across all your channels). At the team, business, and enterprise user level, you can leverage collaboration efforts for post drafting.
As social media technology continues to advance, Hootsuite is actively updating its platform to meet up with new demands; however, as this time, Hoosuite appears to be behind on Instagram scheduling capabilities (when compared to Loomly or Postearly). Click here to explore Hootsuite.
LOOMLY
Loomly has the ability to manage 10+ plus social accounts and provide unlimited content and advanced analytics. Loomly also includes instant messaging integrations between various platforms. For growing companies, team collaboration is vital for success, and Loomly provides a wide array of permissions throughout an organization. Loomly allows a client the ability to draft and review, while team collaborators can schedule and comment. The new ability to schedule Instagram Reels (and a slew of other account integrations) sets it apart from competitors. Click here to explore Loomly.
SPROUT SOCIAL
Sprout has the ability to manage between 5 to 10 social accounts, provide access to all messages in one inbox, give users the ability to manage a content calendar, and provide analytics. While Sprout has limitations on the number of social accounts you can manage, this application may be a good fit for companies and individuals looking for more advanced analytics. For some, the ability to post on multiple different platforms is important; however, understanding its competitive analysis and response rates on ads is Sprout’s specialty. Click here to explore Sprout Social.
POSTEARLY
Postearly has a free, limited plan, as well as other customizable paid plans. What sets Postearly apart from competitors is that they claim to be the only platform that directly schedules Instagram Reels and Instagram Stories with stickers (at this time). Postearly is limited to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. However, its free and cheaper plans may allow businesses to combine a Postearly subscription with other platforms to check all their boxes. Click here to explore Postearly.
META BUSINESS SUITE
If your company has a Facebook page, there's a good chance you're already leveraging the tools on Meta Business Suite. The upsides are that this scheduling tool is free, offers analytics, includes hashtag recommendations, and is already integrated with Facebook; setting up an Instagram business account takes a few extra clicks. It does come with some limitations (does not currently support scheduling of Reels or Stories with stickers), but because Instagram and Facebook are properties of Meta, the Business Suite appears to undergo helpful improvements quite often. Click here to explore Meta Business Suite.
WHICH TOOLS ARE THE BEST FIT?
To determine which platform (or platforms) may be the best match for your company, ask yourself:
What social media platforms do you need to schedule in advance? If the latest Instagram features aren’t important to your company, then a basic scheduler (Meta) may cover your needs. If Twitter or LinkedIn scheduling is needed, you’ll definitely need to enroll in a third-party scheduler, like many of those above.
How many social media platforms do you need to manage? Always round up. For small businesses, you’ll want to consider adding your personal platforms as well as your company’s accounts. If you’re managing accounts for several different businesses, pay attention to platforms that offer 10+ accounts for a reasonable cost.
How does your social media drafting and reviewing process work? The more team members and stakeholders involved in the process, the more you’ll want to pay attention to the collaboration offerings.
What does your budget look like? Of course, your selection will primarily come down to cost. But be sure to factor in your goals. If price and efficiency are more important than analytics and collaboration, you may be able to select the cheapest tools (some of which even have free, limited options). You may also be able to combine some of the platforms to achieve your unique goals.
While some popular social media accounts may offer the appearance of continuous activity, very few of those accounts are pushing out eye-catching posts in real time. Scheduling platforms are vital to gaining efficiencies in our digital marketing processes. It is also important to ensure that the tools and strategies that we are using have a high return on investment.
More Canvas could be an essential partner in developing the right tools and strategies for your business. In addition to generating content that’s connected to business goals, the More Canvas team also specializes in social media audits and strategy consultations, helping marketing and communications departments understand their audience, build and share their narrative, and streamline processes throughout.