Buffer

Buffer is a social media content publishing and management software as a service which makes it very easy to share images, links and videos with your followers and friends on multiple social media networks including LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Pinterest. There's a free plan which includes one social media connection per account with up to five accounts. So you can have a different account synced to each of the social media networks available in Buffer. And you schedule up to ten posts for publishing in advance. The paid programs start at $10 per month or you can save fifteen percent with annual billing. Which is better value because you can have up to ten profiles connected to each social media account with one hundred pre-scheduled posts. The paid plans also allow you to have more advanced scheduling with the ability to schedule different times for different days. Buffer has a browser app available that makes it super simple to basically take any webpage and drag and drop this content into your buffer queue while citing the source. And there is a new feature which makes it easier than ever to use quotes and images with information contained in them. This combined with the scheduling possibilities allow you to save a massive amount of time. If you currently don't have a social media manager on staff now you can get a lot of this work done in a short time with social media posting scheduled in advance. I've noticed Buffer allows you to post to Facebook Groups which is not functionality available in all similar software in the social media publishing and management industry. It's also easy to re-post content using Buffer using the scheduling features which is awesome and also saves a lot of time. The user interface is very easy to understand and intuitive to use. All of the features are well laid out and quick to access. There are mobile apps available for Android and Apple products in addition to the Google Chrome extension so you can curate content to be posted from any smartphone, tablet, laptop or computer easily. The suggestions tab has been useful to spark ideas. It's done the trick a few times. I like the transparency of this company. They lay out their costs and profit for every $10 invested in their company and this facilitates a trusted relationship because I can see the value provided and know they are not sharks out to drain your wallet with their profit at less than five percent.

There isn't currently a bulk upload feature inside Buffer and limited brand monitoring. The current integrations with Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are great options but they would do well with a few more integrations available such as Tumblr, Instagram, YouTube and others. There isn't a unified view available in your account where you can see all posting activity across all your connected social media platforms.

The social media networks integrated into your account may seem limited if you're interested in posting to Instagram, Tumblr or Youtube but most other popular channels are available. The UI is intuitive and easy to use. There's analytics included in all accounts including the free version though they are somewhat limited. Using Buffer to automate your social media posting and track the results from a centralized dashboard is a huge time saver. It can save you money to from having purchase more in-depth software or managed accounts. Being able to curate content easily with their Chrome App or mobile apps this easily with a free account to get started is excellent value overall and I recommend it.