As long-term readers of this Passle know, I am a huge fan of Buffer. So huge I made a webinar about why others should get on board of it. Buffer is a really intuitive social media manager, and it can manage all sorts of networks, from LinkedIn to Pinterest.
However, there was one thing missing in its roster of compatible social media networks: Instagram.
I love Instagram but there are a few things that make it annoying if you're only using the app itself:
- It's mobile-based, so you have to not only transfer images you want to use to your phone, but also type the message out there. This can be quite tiresome.
- You can't schedule posts - which means you either end up piling on lots of pictures at once, or tell yourself you will post some later (and then inevitably forget)
I've been using an app called Later to schedule Instagram posts. Instagram doesn't actually let it (or other apps) post to Instagram for you, but you can upload your image and type it out from the comfort of your laptop, and schedule it. When the time comes, a reminder pops up on your phone, and the Later app opens. You can then upload the image to Instagram and paste your text in. Simple.
As of today, Buffer does the exact same thing as Later, except better. Why better? Well:
- You have statistics to go with it, unlike Later, which is very handy for seeing a bird's eye view of which posts are working or not.
- It's there alongside all your other networks in one handy place, making it easier to implement cross-channel campaigns.
- You can create a schedule for your content that works, and isn't based on guesswork.
If you are a fellow Buffer convert, head over here to add your Instagram account.