Although social networking is an informal means of interaction, for businesses it is a very complex process. You can’t just randomly come up with an idea and post it on your business account. You need to plan your posts properly at times when customers need to see them the most to leave a lasting impact on their minds. Some situations require spontaneous posts, while others need appropriate scheduling to execute such as pre-planned promotional offers by Spectrum Mobile on Christmas or Black Friday deals by Amazon.
Why Is Scheduling Posts Important?
Instagram marketing is not as simple as it sounds. It can be exhausting and monotonous. Capturing the right photos, generating influential descriptions, coming up with the right hashtags, and publishing them regularly are all tasks that require a lot of effort and time. Learning how to plan posts using social media management tools can boost business productivity by heaps.
The more complicated your strategy, the better it is to schedule posts. On Instagram, consistency is crucial for growth. Planning and posting regular content can result in a winning strategy for the business. Whether it is a small-scale business or a large enterprise, a scheduling tool can help you plan, create and share material that is cohesive and consistent so you can concentrate on what matters more.
How Do Schedule Posts on Instagram Using Hootsuite?
Instagram posts can be automated by using social media management software. Here is how you can schedule your Instagram posts using Hootsuite.
#1: Add Your Account to Hootsuite
Open Hootsuite and connect your Instagram account to it.
- Open Hootsuite Dashboard
- In the bottom-left corner, select the profile icon
- Click on ‘Social Networks and Teams’
- Choose ‘+ Private Network’
- Select ‘Instagram’ from the list and tap on ‘Connect with Instagram’
- Add your account information
#2: Create Your Post
Once your Instagram account is linked with Hootsuite, it is time to compose your post.
- Open the dashboard
- Click on the create sign and then choose ‘Post’
- Enter your business account in the ‘Post To’ field
- Next, upload your photos or videos or choose from the library
- Think of a compelling description, insert hashtags, tag related accounts, and enter your business location
- You can preview your post on the right side of the screen
You can use internally integrated software Canva to edit your image on Hootsuite or create attractive visuals from scratch.
#3: Choose the Best Time to Post
Time is a very important factor to consider while posting on Instagram. If you post at a time when the majority of the followers are asleep or working in offices, you won’t be able to get maximum engagement on your posts. The better the engagement, the higher you will be ranked by Instagram to show up on users’ feeds.
Hootsuite calculates the appropriate time to publish your post based on your posting activity over the last 30 days. It has special features that analyze the engagement patterns on your posts and can assist you in finding out when your posts had the highest impact on the average engagement rate.
To publish your post at a perfect time for maximum engagement, here is what needs to be done.
- Choose ‘Analytics’ on the left side menu
- Select the option ‘Best Time to Publish’
- Next, click on the business account you are posting to
- You can switch between ‘Build Awareness’ and ‘Boost Engagement’ According to your profile’s history, you will be presented with a map showing the optimal time to publish a post.
#4: Plan Your Post
To effectively schedule your post, follow these steps:
- Click on ‘Schedule for later in the bottom right corner
- Choose the appropriate date and time to publish your post,
- In case you didn’t look for Analytics to estimate the best time for your post to go live, you will be presented with some suggested suitable times when you click on the date.
- It is up to you to choose the time that you find the most appropriate for making a post.
#5: Publish Your Post
- Once you have chosen the time that you deem suitable, you will receive an alert on your phone as a reminder.
- You will be required to open your Instagram, upload the photo, add the caption and let Hootsuite handle the rest.
Hootsuite is only one of the software for Instagram scheduling. Buffer, VistaSocial, Creator Studio, and many other social media management tools are also available for this purpose but you can’t use them in a customized way and only the Spectrum TV app can provide you with customized opportunities. You can invest in the one that you find most suitable for your organization.