{"id":130744,"date":"2013-11-29T15:00:29","date_gmt":"2013-11-29T23:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/heartifb.com\/?p=130744"},"modified":"2024-02-14T03:09:25","modified_gmt":"2024-02-14T11:09:25","slug":"1-super-handy-scheduling-tools-for-bloggers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heartifb.com\/1-super-handy-scheduling-tools-for-bloggers\/","title":{"rendered":"11 Super Handy Scheduling Tools for Bloggers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Holidays are here. You may be taking your annual vacation to see family, or to go on an actual vacation. Hanging out at a computer may NOT be an option. Whether you will be far from an internet connection, or if your vacation itinerary is so full you won't really have a chance to sit down and blog, it doesn't mean your blog will have to go dark while you're away. Some suggest to get guests posts to fill in the content, but during certain times of year, like the Holidays… EVERYONE is busy. Also, people do spend time online during the holidays, so missing out on traffic is also going to be tough for your blog.<\/p>\n
So what CAN you do?<\/p>\n
Schedule your posts ahead of time!<\/p>\n
Over the past six months, I've gotten to love scheduling posts and social media. As you know, I've been taking time off to spend with my baby… hey, it only will happen once in my life. Not planning any more kids, so I'm going to enjoy this baby as much as possible! Anyway, keeping things going on a consistent schedule while my offline life has consistently inconsistent demands calls for the use of scheduling tools. Sure that may mean that I can't get back to people in real time, but as long as you don't schedule with a robotic tone in your voice, you won't come off as a robot.<\/p>\n
Take your vacation, you deserve it. Here's what you'll need to schedule everything in advance.<\/p>\n
It may look like such a minor thing, but like people say timing is everything. It is not enough considering what to post, but also when<\/em> to post it. <\/span>You probably think that it's not something that will take much of your time. You can handle it with no difficulties, and that may be true, but it's not very efficient. Also, <\/span>handling all the posting yourself can be cumbersome and incredibly stressful<\/span>, which is not good for your health. <\/span><\/p>\n Even if you have just one blog, learning how to create a good schedule will give you invaluable organizational skills, especially as the traffic for your blog increases. It's never too soon to practice this skill. Consider it as an investment for your professional future. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Although each blog has its particularities (like finding the best time to post, for example<\/span>), there are a set of general rules that can apply to every blog. So, how can we start acquiring these necessary skills? Well, the first step is to have the appropriate tools for the job. That starts by understanding the platform you are using for your blog. Each one offers different options and tools and you can easily get familiar with each one of them.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Most CMS (Content Managing Systems ie. your blog platform) come with a built-in scheduling tool to publish posts in advance. Here are the links to the help pages to find out how to schedule your posts on your CMS:<\/p>\n The big rule for social media is that you need to cater to each platform differently. Which means blasting out to every medium the same way will make you look like a robot spammer. Personalize each post using these tools:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I use Hootsuite<\/a> to schedule my tweets. You can view as a list or a calendar which is handy for scheduling the times after<\/em> your post goes live. It's a great way to add in your personality to each tweet as well.<\/p>\n Facebook<\/a> recently revamped their scheduling tool on brand pages, so it's a HECK of a lot easier. Remember when you had to select the year, month, day and time? UGGGH! I made so many scheduling mistakes then! The new way you just add in your date and time, then schedule! Easy as pie!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I wasn't able to locate any free options, but the word on the street is Viraltag (formerly Pinnerly which used to be free) is the best tool to schedule your pins. Don't freak, it's only $4.99 a month, so if you're going to be away, just pay the $5 if the traffic from Pinterest is worth it to you!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Did you know you could post to Instagram from your web browser? Crazy! So if you have posts going up and you're out and about, Posts.so, which is a paid service, has a free option. So while you're away, you can upload five Instagrams, which if used wisely can be just enough!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Newsletters are a tried and true marketing tool for bloggers, so don't miss your opportunities while you're enjoying your egg nog! Mailchimp<\/a> has always had a schedule tool for each campaign, so set your newsletters to send out on the dates with all your scheduled posts and you're golden!<\/p>\n <\/p>\nResources to Schedule Blog Posts:<\/h3>\n
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Social Media Scheduling Tools:<\/h3>\n
Twitter: Hootsuite<\/h4>\n
Facebook: Facebook Page Scheduler<\/h4>\n
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Pinterest: Viraltag<\/h4>\n
Instagram: Posts.so<\/h4>\n
Newsletters: Mailchimp<\/h4>\n
Link Trackers: Bitly<\/h4>\n