Running your own business means that you have to do everything but there are just not enough hours in a day or a week to do everything. To overcome this problem, you need to automate your business. Automation makes the life of an entrepreneur a lot easier and more time-efficient. These days with very little technical knowledge you can automate a lot of the admin tasks in your business. From sending invoices to drip-feeding blog content and scheduling your social media posts.
Let’s look at the pros and cons of scheduling tools before we look at what’s important to look at when you choose a scheduling tool.
Pros of using a scheduling tool
Increased productivity and efficiency – this can lead to greater profits for your business. Productivity growth is important. Using a scheduling tool should give you more time to grow your business.
Improved financial planning – using the scheduling tool and planning for future events can help you plan and manage your budget better.
Better project management – again this comes down to efficiency. Planning can help you achieve all the goals of a project by giving you extra time to meet the different project deadlines.
Remote working – in a nutshell, you can use a scheduling tool anywhere. Using a laptop, tablet or phone you can plan from home or whilst away on business.
Consistency – being consistent with your posts will leave your followers/customers trusting in your business and knowing there will be no erratic change of business.
Cons of using a scheduling tool
Complex – sometimes trying to plan a week or months content at a time can become complicated and makes an easy job seem hard.
Missed engagement – engagement with customers is essential and if you plan your posts too far in advance these can lead to you forgetting when they are due to posts and not replying/answering customer questions, therefore, looking like you are ignoring them. Not a great sign!
Missed mistakes – if you make a mistake and you do not notice until the post goes live then this can look unprofessional and give the wrong impression.
What are the important things to look for in a scheduling tool?
Be clear about what you want
Don’t pick something too complex for your needs
See if you can get a demo or a free trial before you commit
Make sure it is easy to use
Connection – ensure you can easily connect to the tool when you need it (mobile app etc.)
Is it going to save you money in the long run?
Ask around/get feedback before committing
There are hundreds of scheduling tools available on the market we compared 5
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